2015 Graduation Ceremony and Degree Conferment Ceremony

March 25, 28

Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Cho Matsunaga Kore

Congratulations to all of you graduating from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology today and completing your graduate studies. On behalf of the faculty and staff of the university, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations. During the years you have spent at our university, you have had a variety of experiences, both pleasant and painful. The strength that has grown through such experiences is overflowing in the radiant expressions of everyone, and as faculty and staff, we are happy and feel that we have been rewarded. I would also like to express my deepest respect to your family, friends, and other stakeholders who have supported you in the shadows and sunshine throughout your studies, and I would like to share with you the joy of this sunny day.

This year, there are 299 bachelor's degree holders, Faculty of Agriculture 609 Faculty of Engineering degree holders, Graduate School of Engineering 350 master's degree holders, 37 Graduate School of Engineering Specialist degree students, 186 Graduate School of Agriculture master's degree students, 58 master's degree students, Graduate School of Bio-Applications and Systems Engineering Graduate School of Engineering 28 doctoral degree holders, Graduate School of Bio-Applications and Systems Engineering degree holders A total of 1,622 students, including 17 doctoral students, 34 doctoral students United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, and 4 doctoral thesis students, have left this school. Their paths are diverse, but they are all the same in terms of entering a new world. And it is also true that there are many unpredictable and never-before-experienced difficulties in the new world. Of course, I believe that you have the will and strength to get through them, but there will still be times when it will be difficult. Difficulties can feel like a big, deep chasm or an eternal wall, and you may not see anything beyond it, and you may even think that your life is over. At such times, I would like you to remember the words of René Descartes, "Divide the difficulties." Rest your suffocated thoughts and change your perspective. We pause, take a closer look at the problem we are facing, and break it down into smaller pieces. If you think about any major problem in small pieces, there will always be a part that is causing a problem and a part that is not a problem. And even if it is impossible to solve all of them at once, there should be places where it is easier to break through each part than you think. If you solve that part first, and then look at the whole thing again, the situation will change and you will be able to see what you need to do next and the way forward. And if we repeat the subdivision and bird's-eye view, the ditch will be shallow, the wall will be low, and one day we will be able to cross it. You get the idea, don't you? This method is exactly the same as what I have been doing in my studies and research over the past few years. Over the past few years, you have been practicing and developing problem-solving skills.

This Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, which you have spent time in, has continued to evolve by focusing on strengthening its cutting-edge research capabilities and fostering advanced innovation leaders who can compete with the rest of the world, while inheriting a long history and tradition of more than 140 years since its founding. This has been made possible by the fact that we have been working flexibly and boldly on various businesses with a strong awareness of this subdivision and a bird's-eye view. While always upholding the great common proposition of realizing a society that continues to develop in a cultural, economic, and environmental manner in harmony with nature, we have launched new programs and consortiums that respond to globalization, cooperation with ASEAN countries, development of high-level human resources, support for young researchers and female researchers, etc., which are important for this purpose. We are constantly taking on the challenge of approaching a big proposition by carefully promoting each one and making it successful. It goes without saying that individual Faculty Member are engaged in vigorous research activities in their respective fields of specialization on a daily basis, but it is precisely because of this attitude as a university that our university is actually expected and highly regarded in various fields. I believe that all of you who have studied at this university have not only nurtured their knowledge and honed their skills and abilities, but have also inherited the spirit of our university. It will surely be of great use to you in various aspects of your future, and it will surely be the ability to fully demonstrate and play an active role in any environment. And you don't struggle alone. The 1,622 people here today will be good friends in each other's lives, partners in facing difficulties together, and rivals with whom we will work hard together. I hope that you will warm up and cherish the relationships you have cultivated at this university for a long time.

I hope that the next time I see you, I will be able to see you grow even more and be reliable. In addition, we will make further efforts to create a capable university that is useful to the world and recognized by the world by promoting various challenging initiatives and global innovation so that our university can become a reassuring pillar that you can be proud of as your alma mater, and that we can help you in the best possible way at any time. I would like to conclude my remarks by expressing my sincere hope that mutual interaction will continue to deepen meaningfully through alumni association activities and each other's work, and that I would like to conclude my remarks by wishing you all the best in your future endeavors.