News

On Tuesday, April 1 and Wednesday, April 2, 2025, the entrance ceremonies for undergraduates, graduate students, and students from the Art and Architecture School were held at the Waseda Arena on Toyama Campus. 8,996 new undergraduate students and 2,900 new graduate students were welcomed at this year’s ceremony.

*To watch the archived videos of the live broadcast, please scroll to the end of this article. 

Aiji Tanaka, President of Waseda University
President’s Address (extract)

On behalf of Waseda University, I am delighted to welcome all incoming students today. Congratulations on your entrance to Waseda University. I extend my heartfelt congratulations also, of course, to your parents, other family members, and friends.
Today, I would like to speak to you about two things. First, I will talk about what I wish for you to learn at Waseda University. Second, I will talk about what kind of student life you should enjoy at Waseda.

Presently, I am promoting this goal for Waseda University: that Waseda should be recognized as the most attractive university in Japan at which to study by 2040, and in Asia by 2050.
This does not mean that Waseda should be No. 1 in terms of the difficulty of its entrance examinations in Japan, nor that Waseda should gain the largest number of Nobel Prizes among universities in Asia. Rather, Waseda University would be recognized by intellectuals throughout the world as the university offering the most effective educational environment to anyone who wishes to contribute to humankind or to the development of Japanese society. This should not be an impossible dream to achieve.
 For that purpose, I would like you incoming students to proceed in your studies at Waseda while cleaving to an aspiration. As the president, I am now advocating three ideals. They are “intellectual resilience,” “flexible sensitivity,” and “responsive reasoning.”

In a famous speech, Okuma Shigenobu, who is the founder of Waseda University, told the students of Waseda, “Do not think only of your own interest, your family’s interest, or the interests of your country alone, but be ambitious to contribute to humankind throughout the world.” This statement was offered to explain what “building a model citizen” meant. Okuma advocated three ideals: “independence of scholarship,” “application of scholarship to the real world,” and “building a model citizen” at the ceremony celebrating the 30th anniversary of Waseda in 1913.

I very much like the statement, “Do not think only of your own interest, your family’s interest, or the interests of your country alone, but be ambitious to contribute to humankind throughout the world” as this statement seems to me to represent a common value among Waseda students and alumni. This statement, I believe, has had a magnificent impact on our educational environment.

At Waseda, anyone can find their own place to be comfortable. In other words, Waseda has a tradition of accepting the diversity of students. Members of the Waseda community accept anyone from anywhere and respect each other. In today’s parlance, this tradition embodies “diversity” and “inclusion”.

If you wish to accomplish something or are facing difficulty, you can consult with your teacher (professor), administrative staff, or fellow students. You will surely find a way to overcome any problem and achieve your objective. We believe that Waseda provides an environment that can respond to all kinds of aspirations of our students. A student at Waseda can be devoted to academic research, athletic activities, circle activities, or volunteer activities, according to their desire. Please try anything you wish. But, DO NOT forget also to study hard to master scholarship.

Before I close my speech, I would like to encourage you to make many good memories while you are here. One thing that can easily leave you with a good memory is Waseda sports. In particular, please go and cheer for the Waseda baseball team playing against Keio University at Jingu Stadium in late May and late October every year. You will enjoy yourselves and experience the enthusiasm and love for Waseda on the part of upperclassmen and our alumni.
Study as hard as possible and enjoy yourself. It is my earnest hope that you will spend a fruitful student life. In four years, we will see you off when you are even more brilliantly shining at Waseda than you are now.

Congratulations once again on your entrance to Waseda!

Link to the President’s full speech

First Session

School of Political Science and Economics; School of Law; School of Education; Graduate School of Political Science; Graduate School of Economics; Graduate School of Law; Graduate School of Education

Congratulatory Address by Peter Salovey

President Emeritus of Yale University

Link to Peter Salovey’s full speech

Peter Salovey was born in United States in 1958, he received his B.A. in Psychology and M.A. in Sociology from Stanford University in 1980, then went on to Yale University’s Graduate School of Psychology, where he received his M.S. in 1983 and Ph.D. in 1986. While teaching social psychology at Yale, he has held several important positions, including chair of the Department of Psychology, dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, dean of Yale College, and Provost, and in 2013 he became the 23rd President of the University. He has further enhanced Yale’s world-class status through his efforts to improve the research and educational environment, expand student support programs, create an innovation ecosystem, and strengthen international partnerships with African and Asian countries.
As Waseda University approaches its 150th anniversary, it has identified Yale University as a model to imitate, and considers strengthening ties with Yale to be of great importance. For that reason, it has appointed Professor Salovey as a Visiting University Professor.

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Second Session

School of Culture, Media and Society; School of Humanities and Social Sciences; School of Sport Sciences; School of International Liberal Studies; Art and Architecture School; Graduate School of Letters, Arts and Sciences; Graduate School of Sport Sciences; Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies; Graduate School of Japanese Applied Linguistics; Graduate School of International Culture and Communication Studies

Congratulatory Address by Kin’ya Kitaoji

Actor

Link to  Kin’ya Kitaoji’s full speech 

Kin’ya Kitaoji entered the School of Literature II in 1961. Made his film debut in 1956 in the Toei film Oyako Daka (Vitue in Spades). Experienced his first stage performance while still at the university, and after graduation worked extensively, including onstage with the the Shiki Theater Company and in movies, TV dramas, period dramas, etc. Among the many awards he has received are the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2007, the Order of the Rising Sun in 2015, and the Order of Cultural Merit in 2023.

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Third Session

School of Commerce; School of Social Sciences; School of Human Sciences (including the Online Degree Program); Graduate School of Commerce; Graduate School of Social Sciences; Graduate School of Human Sciences; Graduate School of Accountancy; Graduate School of Business and Finance

Congratulatory Address by Koji Fujiwara

Former President of Mizuho Bank, Ltd. and President and Representative Director of Century Tokyo Corporation

Link to Koji Fujiwara’s full speech

Koji Fujiwara was after graduating from the School of Commerce at Waseda University in 1985, he joined Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank (now Mizuho Bank). Holds MBA degrees from New York University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2000, he was a key figure in the creation of Mizuho through the merger of Kangyo Bank with Fuji Bank and the Industrial Bank of Japan. He was appointed President of Mizuho Bank in 2017. In 2018, he served as President of the National Bankers Association. Currently, in addition to being an advisor to Mizuho Financial Group, a member of the Board of Directors of J-League, and a Vice President of Waseda University. He became President and Representative Director of Century Tokyo Corporation in April 2025.

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Fourth Session

School of Fundamental Science and Engineering; School of Creative Science and Engineering; School of Advanced Science and Engineering; Graduate School of Fundamental Science and Engineering; Graduate School of Creative Science and Engineering; Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering; Graduate School of Environment and Energy Engineering

Greetings from Honorary Fellow, Nobuaki Furuya

Former Professor in the Faculty of Science and Engineering and architect

Link to Nobuaki Furuya’s full speech

Nobuaki Furuya received his M.A. from Waseda University’s Graduate School of Science and Engineering in 1980. After working as a research assistant at Waseda University, a lecturer at Kinki University, and an overseas trainee artist with the Agency for Cultural Affairs, he became an assistant professor at the School of Science and Engineering at Waseda University in 1994 and a full professor in 1997. He has served as the President of the Waseda University School of Art and Design. The Chino Cultural Complex received the Architectural Institute of Japan’s Design Award in 2007 and the Japan Art Academy Prize in 2011. He served as President of the Architectural Institute of Japan in 2017, President of the Tokyo Society of Architects and Building Engineers in 2021, and President of the Japan Federation of Architects’ and Building Engineers’ Associations in 2024.

*All of the above speeches are translations based on the original Japanese transcripts.

Gallery

https://www.tiktok.com/@waseda_university/video/7491572199241878804

Waseda Live

*The full video of the live broadcast of the ceremonies can be watched from the URLs below. 

April 1, 2025 (Tue) ：First Session

School of Political Science and Economics; School of Law; School of Education
Graduate School of Political Science; Graduate School of Economics; Graduate School of Law; Graduate School of Education

April 1, 2025 (Tue) ：Second Session

School of Culture, Media and Society; School of Humanities and Social Sciences; School of Sport Sciences; School of International Liberal Studies; Art and Architecture School; Graduate School of Letters, Arts and Sciences; Graduate School of Sport Sciences; Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies; Graduate School of Japanese Applied Linguistics; Graduate School of International Culture and Communication Studies

April 2, 2025 (Wed) Third Session

School of Commerce; School of Social Sciences; School of Human Sciences (including the Online Degree Program) Graduate School of Commerce; Graduate School of Social Sciences; Graduate School of Human Sciences; Graduate School of Accountancy; Graduate School of Business and Finance

April 2, 2025 (Wed) Fourth Session

School of Fundamental Science and Engineering; School of Creative Science and Engineering; School of Advanced Science and Engineering; Graduate School of Fundamental Science and Engineering; Graduate School of Creative Science and Engineering; Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering; Graduate School of Environment and Energy Engineering