Speech at the 2019 Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Entrance Ceremony

Now, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, where you have entered, boasts a long history of 145 years since its founding this year, and is working hard to realize a society that can continue to develop sustainably, including the two fields of agriculture and engineering, which are the backbone of industry, as well as their interdisciplinary fields. Although our university is said to specialize in agriculture and engineering, each academic field is broad, and a wide variety of research is being conducted. What do you want to do at our university, who has entered such an environment? I think questions such as "What will they teach me at university?" and "How will they develop me at university?" arise from the perspective of the person receiving education. Rather than that, I think you will grow more if you think deeply about your future or move forward toward the challenge you want to take on. I think that you will have a more fulfilling life if you wander through a roadless land and make a road, rather than being forced to run on a set track. However, this does not mean that the university will do nothing. We will do our utmost to help you realize your hopes. There may be some institutional or financial difficulties. Nevertheless, we will cooperate and support you in realizing your dreams.

You are free at university. Please enjoy this freedom and think about your life. However, even though you are free, learning at university is important. The "ability to get by in the world" that will be important after entering society requires basic knowledge and thinking skills. First, acquire the basics. First-year undergraduate students will first know that university education is very different from education up to high school. In today's society, you are expected to think independently and take an active and proactive stance to create new knowledge by making full use of the knowledge you have. In the society you will enter after graduation, you will be asked about unknown things or things you have never experienced. There are many parameters, so there will be many solutions that satisfy the conditions. However, you need to propose the optimal solution from among them. Or, even if it is not optimal, the appropriate solution will change as the parameters change over time. Perhaps there is no solution at the moment. In any case, it is not easy to come up with a solution. What is needed to find a solution in such an unknown area? If it is just knowledge, it cannot compete with today's AI. Also, a huge amount of information is flooding the Internet. You can get the information you need anytime, anywhere. What you need is the basic academic ability to select the right information and the ability to combine different information. Moreover, you will need an innovative approach that is not bound by common sense. To do this, change the way you think about common sense. The "common sense" that you say "That's common sense" is the wall of knowledge and the wall of prediction that you have created yourself. I was very moved by the part where Ichiro of the Mariners, who held a press conference the other day, said, "Everyone laughed at the two things I said I would do. But I achieved both of them." The part where you say "That's impossible" is a wall that you have arbitrarily decided on your own. Please do not limit yourself with the walls you have built, but move forward freely toward infinite possibilities.
The future is full of challenges. Therefore, your willingness to challenge the unknown is important. University will help you grow. It is you who make the effort to grow. Please draw your dreams for the future, spare no effort to make those dreams a reality, and study hard. Also, always be aware of problems and think about methodologies to solve them. Sometimes unconventional combinations will be necessary. It is important to think, not to recall knowledge. To do this, it is essential to gather at university, discuss with everyone, experience various ways of thinking, and acquire the techniques to derive optimal solutions, rather than studying alone. The meaning of university education is that you all gather together. This is a big difference from correspondence education. Please actively make friends, discuss various things, and grow together.

On the other hand, those of you who entered our graduate school this spring have firmly acquired this basic attitude of "thinking broadly without being bound by common sense" and have entered a more specialized research students in order to further improve yourself. However, while mastering your specialty, you must also acquire broad common sense and culture, and have a wide variety of perspectives that are broad and comprehensive. Having both broad knowledge, even if it is shallow, and deep specialized knowledge that you know better than anyone else, will be useful not only when you are active in Japan but also in the international community. Therefore, in addition to research in your own field of expertise, be interested in everything, such as knowledge and ideas in other fields, historical backgrounds, social factors, and international situations. Don't just expand your knowledge, but also have your own opinion on each phenomenon. For that reason, please experience research students abroad while you are in graduate school. Graduate students overseas are very greedy. I strongly encourage undergraduate students to go out into the world as well. Whether it be language training or short-term study abroad, it's fine. Leave Japan with a purpose other than just sightseeing. Seeing foreign countries while you are young and making friends with young people from around the world will be a very valuable asset. Furthermore, once you go abroad, you will quickly realize the importance of a doctoral degree, which is a passport for research. Our university offers various programs to support students who go abroad, so please make good use of these to lead a fulfilling Campus Life.
Your life in graduate school will be centered around research. When researching unknown fields, no one knows the answers. How to find a solution is important. Think and worry about it. And try various things. When doing so, do not forget research ethics and conduct correct science. Face the various obstacles that will stand in your way countless times, and overcome them honestly and with integrity. You will grow each time you do so. Please become people who can bring peace to the world and happiness to people. We, Faculty Member, will continue to be world leaders in various fields and will do our best to support you.