Ceremony Address by President for 2024 United Graduate School of Agricultural Science Entrance Ceremony

Reiwa 6th Graduate School United Graduate School of Agricultural Science Entrance Ceremony President Speech.

Opening speech

Congratulations on your admission to Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Graduate School United Graduate School of Agricultural Science. All of the faculty and staff are delighted to be able to congratulate you directly today.

Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Graduate School United Graduate School of Agricultural Science was established in 1985 and is the first doctoral program to be established in a coalition system in Japan, which marks its 40th year this year. National universities with Graduate School of Agriculture joined one after another, and it became an extremely large graduate school management organization consisting of up to 20 universities throughout Japan. During this time, we have produced many Ph.D. holders, welcomed students from all over the world, and nurtured human resources who will become the foundation of Asia, Africa, South America, and other countries that are gaining momentum. Many of the people who have come from overseas and have obtained doctoral degrees from our university have been very active in leading the government and universities of their home countries. The significance of education and research in the field of agriculture, which is indispensable for building a foundation that supports the lives of the people of each country, is increasing, and it is clear from the situation surrounding the world in recent years that such graduate school education is extremely important. In addition, the importance of regional revitalization has been called out due to the adverse effects of concentration in Japan countries, and it is clear that global problems such as food, the environment, and infectious diseases cannot be solved by a few countries or specific academic disciplines alone. With greenhouse gas emissions related to agricultural production, rapid soil degradation, marine pollution, and global urbanization, it is no longer a matter of course that we can get food every day on a global scale. In order to restore the state of the earth, which has already exceeded its limits, to a sustainable state, it is urgent to recognize that we humans are only members of nature, to firmly recreate a social system that coexists with nature, and to promote and practice research that leads to it.

It is truly wonderful that you have chosen to pursue research activities in our doctoral program, which is based on the philosophy of such advanced and core efforts, and have been given this valuable opportunity. The world is now in dire need of new leaders who have the ability to not only develop cutting-edge technology, but also expand intangible assets and value. In other words, we need people who can not only deepen scientific exploration and lead social implementation with cutting-edge technology, but also look at and protect nature and the global environment from a multifaceted perspective, and take action to realize a society in which everyone can feel a sense of purpose in life and have hope for the future. To achieve this, it is essential to have the ability to seek solutions to social issues by utilizing comprehensive knowledge that combines humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, based on high-level expertise in each research field. It is important to identify what is truly important and raise your hand to take on the challenge yourself. You are also required to be proactive in creating a place for the exchange of opinions, attract people and form a team, and have a clear vision and the ability to negotiate for this. I believe that this kind of person is exactly what a doctor should be like in the future, and that this is the very meaning of your activities in graduate school, which will be your goal from now on. Of course, the road to achieving this goal, which goes beyond simply being cutting-edge and original in academic research, is very difficult. Especially in doctoral programs that aim for scientific exploration, I think that it is often the case that one's perspective narrows and one loses sight of what is around oneself. It is truly wonderful to be able to immerse oneself in something, and I would like you to spend your time doing so to the fullest, but in fact, these activities are also supported by the people around you, and I would like you to never forget that they are always made possible by connections with society. In order to imagine how learning at university can be useful in society, it is also essential to have multiple fields of expertise and think across the board. When the new world of academia that you have opened up through your fascination is finally firmly connected to society by understanding and accepting diverse cultural backgrounds and values, I believe that will be the moment when your role as a doctor will truly expand greatly.

I sincerely hope that you will all use your doctoral studies at this graduate school to fully develop your abilities and open up new worlds no one has ever reached before. This concludes my congratulations.

Congratulations on your enrollment today!

April 9, Reiwa 6
Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Kazuhiro Chiba

Ceremonial Address

Congratulations on your enrollment at the United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences of Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. All of us at TUAT would like to extend our sincere congratulations to you today.

TUAT's United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences was established in 1985, and this academic year marks the 40th anniversary of its establishment as Japan's first doctoral graduate school, established in a federation style. National universities with Graduate Schools of Agricultural Science have joined one after another, making it an extremely large graduate school management organization consisting of up to 20 universities in Japan. During this period, the graduate school has produced many doctoral degree holders, not only in Japan, but has also welcomed students from all over the world and nurtured human resources who will serve as the foundation for countries in Asia, Africa, South America, and other regions that are gaining momentum. Many of those who have come from abroad and obtained their doctoral degrees at TUAT are now playing very active roles in leading their home countries' governments and universities. The significance of education and research in the field of agriculture, which is indispensable for building the foundation that supports the very livelihood of the people of each country, is increasing, and it is clear from the recent global situation that this type of graduate education is extremely important. In addition, the importance of regional revitalization is being called for in Japan due to the adverse effects of the concentration of resources in a single region, and it is clear that global issues such as food, the environment, and infectious diseases cannot be solved by a few countries or specific academic fields alone. Greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural production, rapid soil degradation, ocean pollution, and global urbanization have made it no longer possible to take for granted the availability of daily food on a global scale. In order to return the earth to a sustainable state that has already exceeded its limits, it is imperative that we recognize that we humans are merely members of nature, and that we must firmly rebuild a social system that coexists in harmony with nature, and promote research and practice that will lead to this goal.

It is truly wonderful that you have chosen to pursue your research activities in our university's doctoral program, which is based on the philosophy of such advanced and core initiatives, and that you have obtained this valuable opportunity. The world is now in great need of new leaders who have the ability to extend intangible assets and values beyond the development of cutting-edge technologies. In other words, we need people who can not only deepen scientific inquiry and lead social implementation with cutting-edge technology, but who can also look at and protect nature and the global environment from multiple perspectives, and who can implement activities to realize a society in which all people can feel fulfilled in their lives and have hope for the future. To achieve this, it is essential to have the ability to search for solutions to social issues by utilizing comprehensive knowledge based on advanced expertise in each research field and by integrating the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. It is important to identify what is truly important, and to take up the challenge to do so. You must be able to proactively create opportunities to exchange opinions, attract people and form teams, and have a clear vision and the ability to negotiate. I believe This type of person is the ideal doctoral candidate of the future, and is the very reason why you are pursuing your goals and graduate school activities. Of course, the road to realizing such a task, which goes beyond mere cutting-edge and originality in academic research, is a very steep one.

Especially in a doctoral program that aims at scientific exploration, it is common for students to become narrow-minded and lose sight of their surroundings when it comes to what they should be working on. It is truly wonderful to be able to devote yourself to something, and I hope that you will spend as much time as possible doing so, but please never forget that your activities are also supported by the people around you, and that you are always connected to society. In order to envision how your university studies will be useful in society, it is also essential to think cross-culturally by having multiple areas of specialization. When the new world of academic study that you have enthusiastically opened up is finally connected to society through understanding and accepting diverse cultural backgrounds and values, that is the moment when your role as a doctoral student will truly expand.

I wish you all the best in your doctoral studies at this graduate school, and I sincerely hope that you will develop your abilities to the fullest and open up a new world that no one has ever reached before.

Congratulations on your enrollment today.

April 9, 2024
Kazuhiro Chiba
President of Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology