2015 Entrance Ceremony

April 7, 27
Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Cho Matsunaga Kore

Congratulations to all of you who have enrolled in Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. On behalf of the faculty and staff, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations. I would also like to express my sincere congratulations to my family and all those involved who have supported me so far. We ask that you continue to support them as they grow step by step.

This year's new students are 325 in Faculty of Agriculture and 616 in Faculty of Engineering, for a total of 941 students, and the graduate school consists of Cooperative Major in Advanced Health Science Graduate School of Bio-Applications and Systems Engineering four groups: Graduate School of Engineering, Graduate School of Agriculture, Graduate School of Bio-Applications and Systems Engineering, and United Graduate School of Agricultural Science. There will be 675 students in the master's, master's, and Specialist degree programs, and 131 students in the doctoral program. There are a total of 68 international students from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and other parts of the world, bringing the total number of new students to 1,747 in Faculty & Graduate Schools. These 1,747 people will become friends who will help each other and work hard for their respective futures. Even after graduation or completion, some people may become lifelong friends through research and work. Please build a relationship with each other that has a positive impact.

I am sure that you are now experiencing a so-called "free" feeling, as if you have overcome one ordeal such as taking an entrance exam or graduating from an undergraduate school, and have been liberated. Today, I would like you to think about "freedom" again. What kind of state do you imagine when you hear the word "freedom"? Is there no restraint or coercion, no being bound by anything, and being able to do as you please? Certainly, if you look up a dictionary, you will find such an explanation. And it is also true that it is used in a wide variety of ways. Let's take an example from Campus Life in a familiar place. When you have a report that you need to write, but you want to do something else, you can say, "You can do whatever you want for a day or so. It's common to choose the fun or easy side. But is it really "freedom"? If "freedom" means not being bound by anything, then this state of being trapped by one's own laziness, desire, and indulgence is not "freedom" but rather "selfishness." Being able to act in accordance with one's own beliefs is true "freedom," and there is always a sense of selflessness and responsibility for oneself and others. As the British playwright Bernard Shaw once said, "Liberty means responsibility." In the previous example, writing a report is, of course, an instruction from Faculty Member, but in the first place, it is nothing more than for you to learn various specialized knowledge at this university, hone your skills, improve your human skills, and become a human resource that will benefit this global society, which in turn is your responsibility for your own life, and the people around you who will support you in the past, present, and future. It is also a responsibility to. It's not as simple as taking responsibility for the consequences of your selfishness. The same is true of the path of science and technology that you will pursue in the future. Of course, the freedom to research what interests you as you like is a wonderful thing in itself. At the same time, however, we should be strongly aware of how to utilize our research for the benefit of society, and it is our mission and responsibility as those involved in science and technology to return the results to society as benefits. I hope that you will be fully aware that you will be a member of this responsible scientist from now on, and that you will spend your Campus Life years in a meaningful way and create your own life freely.

Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology In addition to the two fields of agriculture and engineering, which are the backbone of industry, we have also developed fields into interdismal fields that are possible because we have both of them, and we have been doing our utmost to strengthen cutting-edge research and develop advanced innovation leaders with the goals of "realizing a sustainable society" and "building a recycling-oriented society." In addition, the attitude of emphasizing true "freedom" to flexibly take on new challenges without being bound by preconceived notions and frameworks while self-discipline for the sake of goals and missions is a characteristic and strength of our university, which has been cultivated over the long 140 years since its founding. Based on this stance, we have continued to evolve by implementing various advanced initiatives to promote global innovation, such as the establishment of a new research institute and organizational reforms. In addition, we actively collaborate with other institutions and universities, conduct joint research with private companies, and interact with other countries, and are always aware of the diversity and public interest of our research and educational activities while always maintaining a bird's-eye view. I hope that you will make full use of these characteristics of our university to gain as much experience as possible, and that you will also inherit the strong spirit of taking on challenges freely with this conviction. I am sure that it will help you in your career path after graduation or completion of our university.

Finally, I would like to add one more thing that seems obvious, but very important. The path of academic research can be mentally and physically demanding at times. You can't continue without a healthy mind and body. In particular, I think that people who come from rural areas and overseas often have various anxieties in an unfamiliar place. Please take good care of your health and have a fruitful university life. We will continue to do our utmost in all aspects so that we can provide even stronger support to you. I would like to conclude my remarks by expressing my hope that all of you who are enrolling today will not forget your feelings today and will grow greatly toward your dreams, and that you will once again welcome all of you to become members of our university.