Autumn 2025 Induction Ceremony：President’s Address

Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Autumn 2025 Shizuoka University Induction Ceremony for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. A hearty greeting to you all.

To begin, on behalf of everyone attending this ceremony today, I'd like to offer my sincere congratulations to all of the new students: 17 in the undergraduate program, 41 in the master's program, and 26 in the doctoral program. I also wish to extend my congratulations to your families and to all those who have supported you.

Many students here today have been admitted to undergraduate and graduate courses on various paths, including those in the Asia Bridge Program (ABP). We started this program ten years ago at the request of companies in Shizuoka Prefecture. Many of these firms are expanding throughout Asia, and therefore need talented individuals to act as a bridge with their local employees. These companies have made significant donations to establish scholarship programs that provide financial support to our ABP students. Fortunately, many ABP graduates have found positions at these companies, succeeding as expected.
The ABP has also been indisputably groundbreaking for Shizuoka University, both in the corporate support the program has received from the beginning and the unprecedented, exceptionally diverse educational and research environment it has fostered.

Thanks to the ABP, international students joining the university today will have the opportunity to work alongside Japanese students in both their classes and research activities. I hope you will eagerly interact with the Japanese students around you, make good friendships, and to help further increase Shizuoka University’s diversity.

Unfortunately, 2020 marked the start of roughly three and a half years during which COVID-19 hindered students worldwide from moving freely across borders and building close relationships with people from diverse social and cultural backgrounds through mutual exchange. However, we are now free from the impact of COVID-19 and can once again travel between countries. I sincerely hope that all of you develop various initiatives to create a more equitable and just society for the future of humanity during your time at universities that fully guarantee your educational and research rights.

We are now living in uncertain times, with no clear future ahead of us. Today, you are witnessing a world in which numerous challenges lie ahead—persisting military conflicts across the globe, outbreaks of infectious disease, and other issues whose solutions feel elusive. In times like these, the world eagerly awaits individuals who will boldly confront these difficult problems and discover solutions. I believe you, the students entering Shizuoka University today, are precisely the individuals upon whom such hopes are pinned.

The reality is that addressing the many societal challenges mentioned cannot be achieved by relying solely on isolated specializations. To deal with such difficult problems, we must collaborate across various academic disciplines, transcending our individual specializations. Society looks to us for solutions to the myriad of challenges impacting the modern world, including, for instance, initiatives to address the global climate change which threatens us, measures to correct worldwide social and economic disparities, settlements in various regional conflicts, and countermeasures to potential nuclear threats. Addressing these issues will require going beyond a mono-disciplinary focus towards an interdisciplinary collaboration. In other words, we should seek solutions by mobilizing experts in all of the academic disciplines.

You will advance in your studies and research at Shizuoka University, and during that process, I hope you will challenge yourselves to break down the boundaries between the humanities and the sciences. Naturally, you will depend on your expertise in your research. Still, I hope you will expand your studies to include fields you think are unrelated to your specialties. Even if you are not interested in an academic field and do not think you need to study it now, you will find that you can apply any subject to your specialty once you direct your interest towards it. I believe you must take this approach to learning. Pursuing such efforts should greatly expand the scope of your research and the potential for significant advancements. I sincerely hope that you will use the comprehensive knowledge you cultivate through your studies at Shizuoka University to find clues to solving the global issues which humanity now faces.

At Shizuoka University, you will be free to pursue academic inquiry according to the problems that interest you as well as share the results of your academic and research findings with society. In other words, at Shizuoka University, we value your inquisitive spirit and creative exploration. I encourage you to hone your imagination and creativity here and boldly challenge yourselves to solve many societal issues. I join the faculty and staff in wanting to embrace each of your approaches toward exploring your studies and provide whatever support we can. Do not be passive; actively pursue many challenges. As you follow that advice, cherish your interactions with me and the rest of the faculty and staff, as well as with your friends, acquaintances, and senior students. You will likely encounter various difficulties or feel stuck at times throughout your explorations here. In such times, those around you will surely provide you with sound advice.

You will now live in Japan, at one of our campuses in Hamamatsu or Shizuoka, for several years to come. Naturally, you will live in an environment different from your home country, so you may be be confused by the differences in language, religion, food, or customs. However, I hope that you will relish this opportunity and actively study the Japanese language and culture. Your new home in Shizuoka Prefecture is blessed with natural splendor and a rich history and culture that are fascinating to many people around the globe. I sincerely hope you will lead a vibrant student life in such an excellent environment.

In closing today, I congratulate each of you who has chosen to pursue your academic journey at Shizuoka University.