Kamata Eikichi (; 1863–1934) was a Japanese politician and educator. He served as Minister of Education from 1922 until 1923, and was president of Keio University for over 20 years.
In his role at the university, he put across his progressive views, taking part in American customs like throwing the ceremonial first pitch in the university's newly built baseball field. Kamata was an advocate of gender equality, believing it was necessary to accompany the "equality between the classes" within post-feudal Japan. Writing in the educational- cum-movie magazine Katsudo no Sekai, he proposed the use of motion pictures for educational purposes. He also published essays in Kokuhon alongside other prominent educators and university presidents.
Alongside these progressive views, Kamata used his position at the university to push his patriotic view of independence, believing that education was key to accomplishing the goals of the nation-state. In 1920, he suggested that students "must not be deceived by deceptive ideologies nor follow the group blindly but realize the spirit of freedom, and independence and self-respect".
During his presidency there, Keio established its graduate programmes, established the schools of medicine and nursing, and became accredited by the Japanese government as one of the country's first private universities.
After he left the Ministry of Education, he was a member of the Privy Council from 1927, and head of the Imperial Council on Education in 1932.
Ministerial career
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