Today we are honored to be joined by Prime Minister of Japan Yasuo Fukuda, many esteemed guests and university leaders from universities in Japan, and leading figures from 59 universities from around the world. To all of you, who have so graciously accepted our invitation to join us today, I offer my heartfelt appreciation. It is also a tremendous source of delight for all who work at Waseda University and for current students, to be able to spend time with so many alumni and friends of the university, who have contributed to our history and have offered generous support over the years.

Today Waseda University marks 125 years of its history. This 125th year is of special significance for our university. Our founder, Shigenobu Okuma, expounded a theory that the ideal length of a human life should be 125 years. Accordingly at Waseda we have come to consider 125 years to be the first century of our existence. Today we mark the successful conclusion to that first century of our history and look forward to stepping out into our second century, or the second phase in our history.

From ages past institutions of higher learning have been founded to support the society in which they stand, as a place where human talents are promoted and knowledge is generated and further developed. In the modern era the predominant role of universities has been to serve as an extension of national power, supporting local communities and playing a role as the basis for the development of industry.

The role universities play today is becoming more important than ever before, and each country is expending efforts on enhancing university education. However, at the same time, humanity is being assailed by a number of extremely serious challenges that we must respond to without delay. Under such conditions universities around the world are expected to take earnest efforts in squarely facing the challenges that face humanity as a whole. In so doing they must capitalize on the vast wealth of knowledge passed down to them through learning traditions, and function as modern universities that transcend national, regional or even collaborative corporate networks.

Now, one of Waseda’s major aims as we step out into this second phase of our history is to transcend our existence as a Japanese university. Naturally, we will continue to maximize our efforts to remain as Waseda University, as a school with a Japanese identity. However, what we are aiming for is not to rest on our laurels as a Japanese university, but to seek to develop people who can contribute to humanity and the international community in every corner of the globe. It is with this aim in mind that we will continue our development, not merely as Japanese Waseda, but also as an Asian Waseda, indeed a global Waseda, where students and staff from around the world congregate.

In actual fact, from the time of our establishment, Waseda maintained a Department for Overseas Students, known then as the School for Chinese Students and by the outbreak of World War II more than 3,000 students from China and Korea had studied here. Based on this long history, this year, we welcomed 2,435 students from overseas, and more than 940 Waseda students left for study abroad. These figures for incoming and outgoing students are the largest of any university in Japan. We expect that these figures will continue to rise dramatically over the coming years. In addition to that, we have built up a solid network with overseas educational institutions, as evinced by the number of you who are attending this event today, and we hereby renew our resolve to further develop Waseda University as a base for research and education of an international standard.

The concept inherent in our resolve to engage in reform and transcend our existence as a Japanese university can in actual fact be identified in the original spirit with which the university was founded.

The spirit of our foundation was summed up in a concept referred to as the Mission of Waseda University, which was expounded by our founder, Shigenobu Okuma, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary celebrations. The Mission statement contains three basic principles: “Independence of Learning,” “Practical Utilization of Knowledge” and “Creation of Good Citizenship.”

With regard to creation of good citizenship, our founder had the following to say: “...the University shall stress the building up of character which enables one to respect individuality, to enlighten oneself and one's family, to promote the welfare of state and society, and to extend one's influence and activity to the world at large.” From this mission statement it can be seen that in the very spirit of our founding the aim was not merely to remain as a part of Japanese society, but to aim for the establishment of a school that would contribute to the international community.

Among the diplomats who claim Waseda as their alma mater, two persons stand out, who gave their all in work to aid the citizens of other countries who were in distress. The first of these is Chiune Sugihara, who at the time of the outbreak of World War II was serving as ambassador to Lithuania. Sugihara provided Japanese visas to 6,000 Jews who were attempting to escape oppression under the Nazi regime and he is known for his efforts to aid the Jewish people in their flight from certain death. In more recent memory is Katsuhiko Oku, a diplomat who was engaged in humanitarian activities in Iraq. In 2004, after the United States military had entered Iraq, but before the Japanese Self Defense Forces were dispatched to the country, Oku travelled to Iraq as an unarmed civilian, where he contributed to many efforts to build schools, health centers, and irrigation systems. He ultimately fell to a terrorist bullet.

That two of Japan’s diplomats whose names remain forever in the history books should be graduates of Waseda University is a symbolic indication of just the type of person we attempt to cultivate and develop. The Hirayama Ikuo Volunteer Center has been established at Waseda, and through that center we seek to develop further our long tradition of cultivating people who will provide humanitarian assistance to any person in need in any place around the world. Each year 15,000 people register at the Volunteer Center, and its educational and social contribution activities continue to expand both at home and abroad, one example being Chinese students at Waseda getting involved together with Japanese students on a project to improve facilities at institutions for sufferers of Hansen’s Disease in China. In this way we are determined that the unique traditions of our school will be carried on throughout the world through the development of people who will contribute to the international community. This endeavor is one that we are dedicated to continuing.

Although Waseda has faced stern and challenging times in the course of its history, the path it follows from now will certainly be more daunting, and we will certainly be forced to face significant changes. In such circumstances what we must continue to pursue as our unwavering academic creed is the search for knowledge, or to put it another way, the quest for truth. Learning and knowledge are the systematic embodiment of the wisdom that humankind has accumulated over millennia in its quest to resolve the challenges it has faced. To utilize knowledge appropriately is to see a bright future open up for humankind. Accordingly, in order to endeavor towards a university that develops people who will contribute to the international community, we are now required to ensure that knowledge is used more effectively than ever before.

In the mission statement of Waseda University as espoused by our founder, the following is written about “Practical Utilization of Knowledge”: “…the University shall endeavor to foster ways and means of utilizing knowledge side by side with the carrying on of academic research and learning, thereby contributing to the progress of civilization.” In other words, knowledge is not limited to examination and search for answers; it is primarily connected to contributing and being applied to the realities of modern society.

As a concrete example of such efforts I would like to mention here today the activities of the graduate schools of Waseda University, whose efforts, through the fusion of various fields of advanced science and medical bioscience, have resulted in the creation of new engineering graduate schools. In addition, our graduate schools are pursuing the goal of providing learning that serves real and practical purposes, through endeavors towards the development of researchers throughout the Asia-Pacific region, the cultivation of administrative specialists, MBA programs and our law school. What is more, in April next year a Graduate School for Pedagogical Teaching will be established, and a master’s degree in journalism is scheduled to be launched. Waseda has produced more journalists than any other school in Japan, from among whom Tanzan Ishibashi rose to the rank of Prime Minister of Japan. Today, we are honored by the attendance of Prime Minister Fukuda, who is the sixth Waseda alumn to hold the position of prime minister, the first being Tanzan Ishibashi. Ishibashi studied philosophy at university and through a journalistic career in which he condemned militarism he came to be appointed as one of Japan’s post-war prime ministers. Utilizing knowledge to learn while in the process of doing is one of Waseda’s traditions.

In order for “Practical Utilization of Knowledge” to be possible, “Independence of Learning” is essential. In the mission statement of Waseda University, our founder states the following: “the University shall strive to emphasize freedom of research and investigation, and to encourage original and creative studies, thereby contributing to the advancement of knowledge.” In this way, our founder explained the necessity to contribute to global academic learning from the perspective of creativity. At the same time he highlights that knowledge must be free from and independent of any ephemeral influencing power, pecuniary taint or privilege. Knowledge and learning, even though they may change in response to regional or modern needs, should always see that they hold on to and protect the basic principle of independence of learning. So long as independence of learning that seeks to achieve basic and universal knowledge is championed, then this will enable utilization of learning and the development of people who will contribute to the international community.

The aim of nurturing people who will contribute to the international community is only possible through the cooperation of many universities at home and overseas.

The international community comprises countries and regions that each are engaged in dealing with their own challenges, and in many of these challenges there is no simple principle or doctrine that will lead to resolution, yet, despite difficulties that may exist, among them environmental and population issues, the time is nigh when we must all recognize these challenges as ones of looming immediacy that affect us all.

In the midst of cultural diversity and differing values, it is incumbent on us to work to resolve the challenges we face. The place where such endeavors begin is none other than the institutions of learning where students can interact with other students and teachers from around the world, and it is these places that give them an opportunity to discover challenges and elicit concrete means of resolving them.

A university is a place where a variety of cultures coexist and where experiential learning and research take place. Universities can also contribute to creating common understanding and oneness of feeling throughout the world.

I firmly believe that from such a common recognition will undoubtedly be born the shared resolve and spirit of challenge to aid the development of the global community.

Finally, I would like to close by expressing my sincere gratitude to all those persons who have contributed to and helped build the traditions of our school over the 125 years of its history. My profound appreciation also goes to those who have made such dedicated efforts in support of the events relating to our 125th anniversary, most specifically our alumni.