2023 Graduate School United Graduate School of Agricultural Science Entrance Ceremony President Ceremony Address
This is President address at the 2023 entrance ceremony for the United Graduate School of Agricultural Science.
Opening speech
Congratulations on your admission to Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology University of Agriculture and Technology Graduate School United Graduate School of Agricultural Science. I am truly pleased to be able to meet you in person today and offer my congratulations.
The Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology University of Agriculture and United Graduate School of Agricultural Science was the first doctoral program established in Japan 38 years ago in a joint format. National universities with graduate schools of agriculture have joined one after another, and it has become an extremely large graduate school operating organization consisting of up to 20 universities across Japan. Over the past 40 years, it has produced many doctoral degree recipients, not only from within Japan, but also from other countries, and has welcomed international students from all over the world, nurturing human resources that will become the foundation of countries in Asia, Africa, South America, and other regions that are gaining momentum. The importance of this type of graduate school education is clear when we look at the situation surrounding the world in recent years. In Japan, the importance of revitalizing local areas has been called for due to the negative effects of centralization, and it is clear that global issues such as food, the environment, and infectious diseases cannot be solved by only a few countries or specific academic fields. On a global scale, it is no longer a given that we can get food every day, due to greenhouse gas emissions related to agricultural production, rapid soil deterioration, marine pollution, and the progression of urbanization worldwide. In order to return the Earth to a sustainable state, where it has exceeded its limits, we must recognize that we humans are merely one part of nature, and we must rebuild our social systems in which we can coexist with nature. We must also promote research that will lead to this, and engage in activities that will put it into practice.
I think it is truly wonderful that you have chosen and seized the opportunity to pursue your research in a doctoral program based on such an advanced and core approach. What is important is that, as you deepen your expertise, you clearly formulate a vision of what the world should look like in the future, or what kind of people you should connect with and what kind of research you should promote in order to shed new light on the academic world. As you know, over the past few years, the world has once again realized how food issues are an extremely important factor that supports global society and determines the future of humanity. Food production and supply systems tend to be easy to understand, but on the other hand, it can be difficult for the world to share the challenges. Another important role of a doctorate is to provide expert insight into such issues and, through the power of dialogue, to show the way forward for the world.
When we think of a doctorate, we tend to think of someone with a high level of expertise in a limited field, but it is by no means a person with strengths limited to that narrow field. A doctorate is someone who has the ability to see the big challenges that are thrown at them every day, as well as what the future should look like, and to plan and execute specific measures to get there. The world is in need of such people right now. To that end, I hope that you will feel many things, think deeply, and have the courage to break out of your shell in your daily activities. I hope that you will fully understand that everything that is happening on Earth right now is connected to you, and become someone who is aware that you are partly responsible for it and can put what you need to do into real action.
I sincerely hope that in your doctoral studies at this graduate school, you will be able to fully develop your abilities and open up new worlds that no one has ever reached before. This concludes my words of congratulations.
Congratulations today.
April 7, 2023
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. It is a great pleasure for me to meet you in person today and extend my congratulations.
The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences of TUAT was the first doctoral program in Japan to be established in a federation 38 years ago, and with the participation of national universities with graduate schools of agricultural sciences one after another, it has become an extremely large graduate school management organization consisting of up to 20 universities throughout Japan. Over the past 40 years, the Graduate School of Agricultural Science has produced a large number of PhDs. It is clear from the recent global situation that this type of graduate education is extremely important. In Japan, the importance of regional revitalization is being called for due to the adverse effects of the concentration of resources in a single region, and it is also clear that global issues of food, the environment, and infectious diseases cannot be solved by only a few countries or specific academic fields. 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 exceeds its limits, it is imperative that we recognize that we humans are merely members of nature, and that We must rebuild a social system that coexists in harmony with nature, as well as promote research and practical activities that will lead to this goal.
It is truly wonderful that you have chosen and obtained the opportunity to pursue your research activities in a doctoral program that is based on the philosophy of such advanced and core initiatives. What is important is that, as you deepen your expertise, you will be able to formulate a vision of what the world should look like in the future, and what kind of people you need to connect with and what kind of research you need to promote in order to shed new light on the world of academia. As you know, the world has been reminded over the past few years how the issue of food is an extremely important factor in supporting the global community and the future of humanity. Because food production and supply systems have a somewhat easy-to-understand image, it is, on the other hand, difficult for the world to share the issues involved. It is an important role of a PhD to have professional insight into such issues and to provide guidelines for the world to follow in the future through the power of dialogue.
A PhD is not something that is only strong within a limited area of expertise. A PhD is someone who is able to see what the future should look like along with the major challenges that are posed to us every day, and to formulate and implement concrete measures to get there. The world is in need of such human resources. To this end, I would like to ask you to feel, think deeply, and have the courage to break out of your shell in your day-to-day activities. I hope that you will understand that everything that is happening on the earth today is connected to you, and that you will become a person who can take real action to do what you need to do, with the awareness that you are responsible for a part of it.
I sincerely hope that you will develop your abilities to the fullest in this graduate school doctoral course and open up a new world that no one has ever reached before, and that this will be my congratulatory address to you.
Congratulations on your graduation today.
April 7, 2023
Kazuhiro Chiba
President of Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology