2026年9月入学式を執り行いました

At today’s ceremony we are delighted to welcome 492 undergraduate students and 635 graduate students to Waseda University. And of that total of 1,127 students, approximately 75% are international students.

I was appointed the 18th president of Waseda University just five days ago, on September 21. Many of the representatives of university leadership here on this stage today, including vice presidents and deans, also took office at the same time. In that sense, today marks a new beginning for all of us. As you begin a new chapter as Waseda students, we too are beginning a new chapter in the leadership of the University. It is a great pleasure to take this first step together with all of you who have gathered here from around the world.

Waseda University is one of Japan’s oldest and most distinguished universities. It was founded in 1882 and at the time, Japan was in the midst of great reform, the Meiji Restoration.  Our founder, Shigenobu Okuma, believed that it was essential for students to pursue free and original scholarship in a system created to suit Japan, and established Waseda University under the founding principles of “the preservation of the independence of scholarship”, “the promotion of the practical application of scholarship”, and “the fostering of good citizens”.

Okuma’s educational philosophy resonated powerfully with Waseda University’s first student body made up of eighty bright individuals. Today, Waseda enrolls approximately 50,000 students, and over 700,000 alumni are excelling in diverse fields and careers around the world. You are now becoming part of this long and distinguished tradition, and I strongly urge you to make the most of your time here at Waseda starting today.

In addition to cultivating knowledge in your chosen field, I strongly encourage you to take advantage of the vast resources available and explore various fields of study as well. The Center for Japanese Language offers Japanese education programs at all levels, from beginner to advanced. The Global Education Center offers over 2,400 courses to all Waseda students in a variety of subjects, including languages, data science, physical education, and so on. Through WAVOC, our volunteer center, you can get involved in various volunteer activities and fieldwork experiences. And numerous cultural facilities, including our on-campus Museums, are also available for you to explore and enjoy

Waseda also has a vibrant sports culture. Student athletes are active in forty-four nationally competitive sports clubs, including baseball, which just started its fall season, Ekiden long-distance relay racing, rugby football, and more. I hope you will support and cheer on our many sports teams with enthusiasm as a member of the Waseda community.

As you can see, Waseda has cultivated a rich environment for education and self-discovery, but how you take advantage of this environment will be up to each of you. With that in mind, I would like to share four pieces of advice for you to keep in mind as you embark on your student life here at Waseda.

The first is to take initiative and actively challenge yourself to try new things. When starting something new, it is natural to have anxiety about what might happen if you fail. However, in these moments I would like you to remember the words of our founder, Okuma: “You will inevitably fail. In fact, your failures will outnumber your successes. But do not get discouraged; rather, gain valuable experiences from your failures and strive for success.” I urge you to take on challenges without fear of failure and gain as much practical experience as possible.

My second piece of advice is to engage with the “real” as you hone your knowledge and sensibilities. These days, as virtual reality technology advances, copies and substitutions for various things are readily available. And while we should certainly make use of the current technology, it is important to remain in touch with the “real”. Direct encounters with people, places, objects, and events engage all our senses and can teach us things that mediated or simulated experiences cannot. Sharpen your five senses and your judgment so that you can distinguish between the virtual-reality and the real-reality.

Third, learn about the world and cultivate your ability to see things from a broad perspective.  It is vital to keep daily tabs on what’s happening around the world socially, economically, and environmentally. Today’s network technology allows us to easily pinpoint information about subjects that interest us, but these individual pieces of information are merely dots. It is essential that you develop the ability to connect these dots into lines, and the lines into a full picture, as you broaden your perspective.

My fourth and final piece of advice is to forge strong connections with your peers, engaging in discussion and mutual development while respecting each person’s values. Generative AI may sometimes seem ready to agree with you, but real people will not always do so. There will be times when you simply cannot see eye to eye and disagreements will arise. However, there is so much you can learn from such experiences. So, please engage seriously in discussion and debate with your friends, while always remembering to respect one another.

As you put these four pieces of advice into practice, I hope you will enjoy your life at Waseda to the fullest while keeping a strong sense of purpose: to develop the knowledge, judgment, and abilities you will need to contribute to the world.

Finally, I wish to say that a university is a place like no other in our society, a place to meet people and make friends, to gather and learn from one another, inspire each other, and grow as individuals. Although your years at Waseda will form only a small fraction of your lives, I firmly believe and hope that Waseda will remain in your heart no matter where in the world you go after graduation, and you are always welcome to return. Your time here will also give you the strength to reflect on the path you’ve taken and discover the best way forward. I hope you will make the most of your time here. And I look forward to walking alongside you as you begin your life at Waseda.

Once again, I offer my heartfelt congratulations on your admission to Waseda University.

Thank you very much and good luck.

Dear new students, and your families, Welcome to Waseda! Welcome to Japan! Congratulations on your admission. I am truly happy to see students from all over the world joining us today.

I graduated from Waseda’s School of Science and Engineering in 1982, and joined Yokohama Rubber Ｃｏ．Ｌtd．right after graduation. My first job was designing rally and racing tire construction, traveling to circuits around the world and working with many different people. Later, I worked in factories, in Virginia (USA), Shinshiro and Mishima (Japan), and Clark (Philippines), leading productivity improvement and cost‑reduction activities on the ground. Eventually, I became president of overseas factories, working hard to turn around loss-making companies and make them profitable while collaborating with people from very different cultures.

At the age of 52, just after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, I was suddenly asked to become President of Yokohama Rubber. I served from 2011 to 2017, achieving record sales and record operating profit, and expanding our business portfolio through active M&A. My successor president was also a Waseda graduate—so I felt confident passing the baton.

Today, I would like to share three messages from my experience. I hope they will help you during your time at Waseda.

1. A single encounter can change your life

When I was a first‑year student, a senior from the School of Commerce invited me to go for a drive. His car was the TOYOTA TE27 rally car. He took me deep into the mountains, onto a dirt road—and suddenly started full rally drifting. I honestly thought, “If we fall off the cliff, I will die!” But at the same time, it was incredibly exciting.

After that day, I secretly modified my father’s car and practiced rally techniques: heel‑and‑toe, counter‑steer, spin turns. I even had some serious accidents—rolling the car sideways and crashing into a bridge rail. But I kept learning.

Normally, with my research on engine combustion and exhaust gas control, I should have joined an automobile manufacturer such as Toyota, Nissan, Honda. But Yokohama Rubber’s motorsport activities looked so cool, and I thought, “If I join them, I can buy tires cheaply.” So I joined with that simple motivation.

If I had not met that senior, I would not have joined Yokohama Rubber. And I would not have become president. One encounter changed my entire life.

At Waseda, you will meet people from many countries and backgrounds. Treasure these encounters—they may shape your future in ways you cannot imagine.

And one more thing: I also met my wife at Waseda. She was one year younger, in the School of Literature. So Waseda decided my job, my partner, and even my son’s path—he also graduated from Waseda’s School of Science and Engineering. In a way, my entire family was shaped by Waseda.

2. 700,000 Waseda alumni are waiting for you around the world

Waseda has 700,000 alumni worldwide. In the future, you may move to a new country for work or with your family. You will need information: safe areas, rent prices, schools, daily life. In such moments, visit the local Tomonkai—the Waseda alumni association. There are 1,400 Tomonkai groups across the globe.

When I lived alone in the Philippines, I knocked on the door of the Manila Tomonkai. I was nervous and knew nothing about the city, but they welcomed me warmly. The same happened in Mumbai, India. They held Christmas parties, New Year gatherings, Golf tournaments, Softball games—people from different companies, of different ages, and nationalities all enjoying together simply because of the Waseda connection. It truly felt like a “home of the heart.”=”what we call “Kokoro no Furusato” in Japanese.

You can also create your own student Tomonkai with friends from your home country. These friendships will last a lifetime.

Let me share a story from an Indian alumnus I met in Mumbai. He graduated from Waseda’s Chemical Engineering Department and spoke excellent Japanese.

He told me two things that surprised him in Japan:

First: Japan is extremely strict about time. Meetings start exactly on time. Local trains run exactly on schedule. Shinkansen runs at 300 km/h, every three minutes, perfectly on time. He said, “This is crazy!” We Japanese rarely think about it, but it is truly amazing.

Second: He said Japan’s religious culture is “very strange.” Born → Shinto shrine visit , Christmas party & big celebration Wedding → Christian style , Funeral → Buddhist temple. He asked, “Isn’t this strange? I was shocked—because he was right. You may feel Japan has a very flexible and tolerant religious culture.

3. People with real, analog experience can judge digital results

At Waseda, please study hard, join clubs, explore Japan, and take action by yourself. Sometimes things will not go well—but that is how you discover new ideas.

Japan has unique customs and traditions. You may feel confused at first. Don’t reject them—try to understand them. Japan has developed its unique culture over more than 2,000 years of history. There is always a reason behind each custom.

Today, ＡＩ can answer almost anything. But don’t rely only on digital tools. Use your five senses. Go to real places, see real things, smell, listen, touch, taste. This is important in research, business, and life.

Analog experience is something only humans can build. It allows you to judge whether digital results—ＡＩ results—are truly correct. Let AI handle tasks that do not require human judgement. But you must check the results and use your Analog Experience to decide whether they are right or wrong.

Closing

Once again, congratulations on your admission. I hope your four years at Waseda enrich your life and help you grow into people who contribute to the world. I look forward to seeing your future.

Thank you very much.