2026 Entrance Ceremony
On this day, as cherry blossoms tint the spring haze with a pale pink hue, we are delighted to welcome 1,805 new students to the University of Hyogo -- 1,298 undergraduates and 507 graduate students -- each with a unique personality and potential.
On behalf of the University, I extend my deepest respect and congratulations to all of you who have persevered through this turbulent and uncertain era with unwavering effort, overcome various challenges, and successfully achieved your goal of entering or continuing your studies here today. I also wish to congratulate your families and loved ones, who have always encouraged and supported your growth.
Many distinguished guests have joined us today to celebrate, including Mr. Motohiko Saito, Governor of Hyogo Prefecture, and Mr. Shinpei Yamaguchi, Speaker of the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our distinguished guests and the local community for their support in the growth of these young people.
The University of Hyogo was established in 2004 through the merger of three distinctive prefectural universities: the Kobe University of Commerce, Himeji Institute of Technology, and College of Nursing Art and Science, Hyogo.
Today, it has become one of the nation's leading public comprehensive universities, comprising six faculties, nine graduate schools, five affiliated research institutes, and an affiliated junior and senior high school. Tracing our roots back to the founding of the former Kobe Higher Commercial School--the predecessor of Kobe University of Commerce, which is the oldest of the three --our history spans nearly a century. We currently have approximately 6,700 undergraduate and graduate students, and the total number of graduates and alumni from the three former universities exceeds 75,000.
Hyogo Prefecture, where the University is located, comprises the former five provinces of Tajima, Tamba, Harima, Settsu, and Awaji, from north to south. Because the climate and natural features vary significantly from region to region, it is often described as a microcosm of Japan. As new students, you will devote yourself to your studies at one of the University's nine diverse, multi-generational campuses scattered across the wide expanse of Hyogo Prefecture, refining your sensibilities and cultivating sincere, graceful character.
In addition to the wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses, the University offers three sub-major programs-- "Disaster Prevention," "Global Studies," and "Regional Revitalization"--designed to cultivate leaders in these fields by leveraging our unique strengths. These initiatives will allow you to deepen your interdisciplinary, problem-based learning and forge friendships that transcend departmental boundaries.
Regarding our global engagement, our University has established the only permanent satellite office of a Japanese university in Romania, located at the top-ranked Bucharest University of Economic Studies. This fall, we will launch the first-ever dual-degree program between Romanian and Japanese universities in collaboration with the American University of Romania. Furthermore, in November of last year, we opened our second permanent office at the Phuket Campus of Prince of Songkla University, a leading institution in southern Thailand, and are actively promoting academic and cultural exchanges as well as international joint research among students and faculty.
In the field of academic research, the University has five affiliated research institutes in social data science, advanced science and technology for industry, natural and environmental science, nursing care for people and community, and advanced medical engineering.
In addition, the University has large-scale research facilities, such as the 'NAYUTA' telescope, with a diameter of 2m, which is one of the largest in Japan, and the 'New SUBARU' synchrotron radiation facility, which are not found at other universities, and these are used to promote international joint research and industry-academia collaboration. Furthermore, the Harima Campus for Science and Kobe Campus for Information Science are developing education and research in collaboration with the world's most advanced large synchrotron radiation facility, 'SPring-8', and the supercomputer 'Fugaku'.
The University's graduate schools are co-located with a diverse array of facilities in Hyogo Prefecture, including the Museum of Nature and Human Activities, which is famous for its conservation and management of forest animals and the Tamba dragon, the Hyogo Park of the Oriental White Stork in Toyooka City, the Awaji Landscape Planning & Horticulture Academy, and Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution at HAT Kobe. They are achieving original research results while providing citizens with a wide range of learning opportunities.
Let me briefly touch upon the University's raison d'être from the perspectives of education, research, and social contribution.
In an era and region undergoing profound transformation, there is a demand for independent, flexible intellects with advanced expertise, deep cultural literacy, international communication skills, and an entrepreneurial spirit. We will collaborate with academic institutions worldwide, uphold academic freedom and harmony, and nurture young people who take responsibility for the future of the planet--people who build bridges rather than walls, who stand alongside others and share their pain.
In research, our mission is to contribute to solving the various challenges facing the world through cutting-edge, practical research activities. Science and technology know no borders. As a global hub for interdisciplinary research and a core infrastructure within regional social systems, we will accelerate innovation through comprehensive knowledge derived from collaboration among industry, academia, government, and citizens, and widely return the results to society through university-spun-off ventures and other initiatives.
In terms of social contribution, our goal is to present a vision for a rich and diverse future society and to generate new value and hope. Grounded in the SDG principle of "No one left behind," our University will advance creative reforms from a student-first perspective, aiming to become a space of academic knowledge trusted by the region and recognized globally.
Today, the world around us is entering an era where the future is difficult to predict, marked by rapid advancements in information science and technology typified by AI, intensifying conflicts worldwide, and a global biodiversity crisis.
Digital Transformation (DX) has radically transformed the social environment around us and fundamentally reshaped the nature of education. We have entered an era where AI has become the new operating system (OS) underpinning society, permeating every aspect from communication to simulation, and challenging the supremacy of human intelligence.
While DX has expanded new possibilities for participatory democracy, it has also led to a flood of deepfakes that make it difficult to distinguish between reality and fiction, hallucinations that fabricate facts, and malicious hate speech directed at those who differ from oneself, thereby fostering social intolerance and division.
As the first digital generation who have studied information subjects in high school, I urge you not to be dazzled by the utilitarian benefits of information science and technology. Instead, I encourage you to hone your critical and creative thinking skills throughout your university years--thinking logically, making rational judgments, and proposing alternative solutions from a horizontal, multifaceted perspective. Thoughtless words can wound people's hearts. Please keep firmly in mind that you must take responsibility for your own words, and that words carry responsibility.
Without even mentioning places like Ukraine, Iran, Gaza, or Darfur, the intensifying conflicts around the world are producing countless victims and refugees, and continue to erode the human spirit. Economic growth and the uneven distribution of wealth in the Global South are also increasing demographic pressure, driving populations toward the North, where birth rates are declining, and the population is aging.
The disregard for the rule of law, the shift toward peace through power, and the "National Interest First" mentality epitomized by tariff wars are fueling the rise of exclusionary chauvinism, which is now crashing like a storm against universities that have promoted DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility).
Turning our attention to the global environment, large-scale weather disasters--the kind that occur only once in a century--are becoming more frequent. Combined with tectonic shifts causing catastrophic damage, these events are eroding our way of life and social infrastructure. While efforts toward GX (Green Transformation), centered on carbon neutrality, are underway, the 1.5°C pledge to halt global warming has failed, and the Earth is on the verge of boiling over.
I hope that each and every one of you, as global citizens, will take an interest in these challenges and, armed with the interdisciplinary knowledge and practical wisdom cultivated through your studies at this University, take action to weave a spectrum of hope into this chaotic world. Even if you must wait, pause, or take a detour, please do not give up on your journey. Please remain free from hatred, discrimination, violence, and fear.
In Book IV of *The Republic*, Plato's seminal work on the ideal state, he formulated a concept that Aristotle later referred to in *Nicomachean Ethics* as the conditions necessary to achieve the supreme goal of happiness: the four cardinal virtues. These cardinal virtues have been passed down and refined as the ethical norms underpinning European Christian society. Today, not only in Europe but also as guiding principles for civil society at large, they have had a profound influence on the way we live.
The four virtues are "Prudence," "Courage," "Temperance," and "Justice." "Prudence" is the rational power to discern the essence of things and make sound judgments. "Fortitude" signifies the strength to uphold truth and pursue goodness even in the face of difficulty or fear. 'Temperance' is the self-control that maintains harmony by restraining desires and acting according to reason. "Justice" refers to acting fairly and equitably as a member of society, and to each person fulfilling their proper duties.
The University treats you as adults and expects you to take responsibility for your own actions. Taking these four virtues--rooted in the tradition of Greek philosophy--as your guiding principles, please use your university years to shape the foundation for your future life through sound self-discipline.
University is a place where you encounter others with diverse sensibilities and learn to see yourself in a broader context. It is said that the friends you make in college become lifelong friends. Cherish every fleeting encounter and meet many classmates with whom you can learn and grow together. Wander together, struggle together, share your emotions, and move forward hand in hand while giving thanks for the blessings you have received. When times are hard and painful, have the courage to rely on others.
You are the precious gifts we will deliver to the future. Feel the pulse of a world yet unseen, transform the fresh breeze into mighty wings, and soar through the blue sky ever higher and farther.
Together, we can change the world for the better.
Congratulations, and welcome to the University of Hyogo.
April 7, 2026
President, University of Hyogo
Makoto Kosaka