On Thursday October 25, 2018, the ceremony to award the Degree of Doctor Honoris Causa in International Politics to the Rt Hon Lord Patten of Barnes, CH, Chancellor of Oxford University, took place in the Honda Memorial Hall at AGU.

Yoshiharu Yamamoto, Chancellor, read the proclamation of achievements in which he cited that Lord Patten “has performed an exceptionally wide variety of services in public life; he has produced extensive writings that address major issues that concern us all; and he has been a consistent supporter of academic institutions during difficult times.”

Dr. Yoshikazu Miki, President of AGU conferred the degree upon the former British governor of Hong Kong while Mr. Nobumitsu Hotta, Chair, Board of Trustees at Aoyama Gakuin presented the cap and hood.
Lord Patten thanked AGU for the occasion, praising its international atmosphere.

Afterwards, Lord Patten gave a lecture entitled: “The 21st century－so far not so good”.
He started by thanking AGU for giving him the opportunity to deepen ties with the university which is one of top educational institutions in Japan. In the lecture he traced ideological and political transitions from pre to post-war Europe and beyond. He also said that his role as the last governor of Hong Kong during the handover from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China was the most memorable one of his career.
He finished the lecture by saying that universities now have an even bigger role in shaping a better world, and that it is essential that the universities of the world work together to support and guide the new generation in facing the new challenges ahead. The ceremony finished with a Q&A session where Lord Patten earnestly responded to questions from the audience, before a big round of applause for the distinguished guest brought events to a close.
(The text is translated from Japanese news)

About the Rt Hon Lord Patten of Barnes, CH

Chris Patten was born in 1944 and educated at St Benedict’s School, Ealing and Balliol College Oxford. He was Director of the Conservative Research Department (1974-79), MP for Bath (1979-92), a Minister (1983-92), and Chairman of the Conservative Party (1990-92).
From 1992-97 he was Governor of Hong Kong; and from 1998-99 Chairman of the Independent Commission on Policing in Northern Ireland. He was European Commissioner for External Affairs (1999-2004) and Chairman of the BBC Trust from 2011-2014. He has been Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 2003.
He was made a Companion of Honour in 1998, and a Life Peer in 2005. He has written ‘The Tory Case’, ‘East and West’, ‘Not Quite The Diplomat’ and ‘What Next? – Surviving the 21st Century’.