On Monday, January 19th, Mr. Hideki Kuriyama, the Chief Baseball Officer of Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, and Specially Appointed Professor Hiroji Okoso, the former owner of Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, delivered a lecture in a dialogue format. Mr. Kuriyama assumed the role of Advisor to the OGU Education Promotion Office in April 2025.
　The venue quickly filled with students and faculty members, prompting the simultaneous broadcast of the lecture in two adjacent classrooms.
　Before the lecture, it was announced that Advisor Kuriyama had been inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame on January 17th, in recognition of his longstanding and significant contributions to the development of baseball. When congratulatory messages appeared on the screen, the entire audience responded with thunderous applause, instantly filling the venue with celebratory fervor.
　Titled "The Power of Belief Opens the Future: Living by Believing in Your Own and Your Teammates' Potential," this lecture addressed human capacity--the fundamental theme of OGU's education rooted in its founding principle. Professor Okoso explained the significance of human capacity, belief and communication in achieving success. He also stated his reasoning behind appointing Advisor Kuriyama, who lacked coaching experience, as the manager of Nippon-Ham Fighters. Additionally, he expressed his convictions when the team relocated its home base to Hokkaido. Advisor Kuriyama passionately emphasized the importance of unwavering resolve and courage in nurturing his team, coupled with complete belief in their abilities. He highlighted that the key to developing their potential lies not in management but in fostering trust. He drew parallels between Shohei Ohtani's challenge as a two-way player and shared his own experiences and stories from that period. Furthermore, he shared fascinating stories.
　He recounted how he was deeply impressed during the interleague game before Pitcher Yu Darvish's move to the majors. Darvish threw every pitch in his arsenal without hesitation at Kenta Maeda, sending a clear message of entrusting the future of Japanese baseball to him.
　Furthermore, he shared the story of Sho Nakata informing him of his retirement before it was publicly announced. Advisor Kuriyama strongly opposed this decision, believing Nakata still had untapped potential and abilities.
　During the Q&A session with the event participants, Advisor Kuriyama and Professor Okoso thoughtfully answered numerous questions. When asked about Edokpolo Kane (Economics, 4th year), who was selected second overall by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in the draft meeting, Advisor Kuriyama was asked about the message "Let's conquer the world together!" written on the team pass that he handed to Kane during the draft meeting. He responded, "The team invested a lot of effort in selecting him, so if he doesn't perform well, my job is at stake," which elicited a thunderous applause from the audience.
　Finally, both speakers conveyed a message based on the OGU's founding principle: "contributing to society" is not something extraordinary, but rather the accumulation of daily sincerity. Each person must consider how to use their own strengths within society. It's not about "what you do," but "how you feel." The accumulation of small acts of sincerity becomes the force that moves society forward.
　Following the lecture, students presented bouquets to Advisor Kuriyama and Professor Okoso, expressing their congratulations and gratitude for their contributions.