Reiwa 5th Graduate School United Graduate School of Agricultural Science Entrance Ceremony President Speech

Reiwa 5th year graduate school United Graduate School of Agricultural Science entrance ceremony President address.

Opening speech

Congratulations on entering Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Graduate School United Graduate School of Agricultural Science. It is a great pleasure to be able to meet you all in person today and to congratulate you.
Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Graduate School United Graduate School of Agricultural Science was the first doctoral program in Japan established 38 years ago in a coalition system, and national universities with graduate schools of agriculture have joined one after another, and it has become an extremely large graduate school management organization consisting of up to 20 universities in Japan Japan. Over the past 40 years, the university has produced many Ph.D. holders, not only from Japan but also from other countries, and has been fostering human resources who will become the foundation of Asia, Africa, South America, and other countries that are gaining momentum. It is clear from the recent situation surrounding the world that this kind of graduate school education is extremely important. In Japan, the importance of regional revitalization has been called out due to the adverse effects of concentration in Japan, and it is clear that global food, environment, and infectious disease problems cannot be solved by only a few countries or specific academic fields. 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 return the state of the earth that has 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 implement research that leads to it.
I think it is truly wonderful that you have chosen and earned the opportunity to pursue your research activities in the doctoral program, which is based on such an advanced and core approach. What is important is to establish a firm concept of what the world should look like in the future, or what kind of people we need to connect with and what kind of research we need to promote in order to shed new light on the academic world as we deepen our expertise. As you are aware, the world has been reminded of how the issue of food is an extremely important factor that supports global society and is responsible for the future of humanity. Food production and supply systems have an image that is somewhat easy to understand, so it is difficult for the world to share the issues. It is also an important role of the Ph.D. to provide expert insight on these issues and to use the power of dialogue to guide the world in the future.
Doctorates tend to be thought of as having a high level of expertise in a limited world, but they are not limited to a narrow range of strengths. A Ph.D. is a person who has the ability to discern the ideal future as well as the major issues that are posed to him every day, and to formulate and implement concrete measures to achieve them. The world is looking for such human resources right now. To that end, I would like you to feel a lot, think deeply, and have the courage to break out of your shell in your daily activities. I would like you to understand that everything that is happening on the earth today is connected to you, and to be able to put what you have to do into actual action from the awareness that you are responsible for a part of it.
I would like to conclude my congratulatory remarks by wishing you all the best in your doctoral program at this graduate school and opening up a new world that no one has ever reached.
I would like to congratulate you on your birthday 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