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令和元年度9月学位記授与式 式辞

令和元年度9月学位記授与式式辞は英語で行われました。

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning!

The Tokyo Tech community is delighted to welcome all students, parents, family members, staff, and friends to the 2019 Fall Graduation Ceremony. I would like to congratulate sincerely all of our graduates today. Let us also express our respect to your families, who have given so much to support your life and academic progress.

On this special day, we celebrate the graduation of 66 students with bachelor's degrees, 230 students with master's degrees, 11 students with professional master's degrees, and 95 students with doctoral degrees. All of you have demonstrated unique capabilities as you open a new page in the 138-year history of Tokyo Tech.

More than half of you, 275 out of 402 graduates, are from overseas. You have pursued your passions, applied your creativity to achieve your goals, and overcome the additional challenge of studying abroad. From today, you can say proudly that you are graduates of Tokyo Tech, the finest science and technology university in Japan, and one of only seven Designated National Universities chosen to lead the nation into the future.

Tokyo Tech, however, is not simply a national leader. We are a global one. Like other world-leading universities, we embrace the constant and rapid change that is required to meet the needs of our students. We recognize that diversity, in all its forms, combined with an interdisciplinary approach, is the key to creativity and innovation. Your Tokyo Tech experience ensures that you possess the habit, awareness, and confidence to address even the toughest of global challenges, but also the creativity to open up new doors and possibilities.

Take artificial intelligence and data science, for example. Both have become standard components of technical education that now go hand in hand. What else might they complement? What hidden doors might they open when integrated with other, seemingly unrelated fields? As graduates of Tokyo Tech, you are encouraged and expected to consider such questions. All of you have achieved a valued specialization during your time here. Now, it is time to summon your courage and apply that specialization even further out of the box. Do this, and you will most certainly create real impact.

Many of you are receiving master's and doctoral degrees today. The liberal arts and career development courses you completed will provide you with a broader perspective, regarding not only issues that require your expertise, but also goals that you may want to pursue in the future. To the doctoral students who completed our path-breaking liberal arts courses: You have already made a significant impact on the people around you through your presentations and discussions. Continue applying an interdisciplinary approach to propose solutions to global issues, and apply the leadership skills you have developed. More than ever, the world needs you to do so.

Passion, creativity, expertise, courage, and impact. These are some concepts I have highlighted today. One man who epitomized them all was Issac Koga (Issaku Koga) who taught at Tokyo Tech from 1929 to 1960. Professor Koga invented a temperature-insensitive quartz crystal that proved to be indispensable to all radio and wireless communication systems and much of information electronics. His achievements were celebrated with an IEEE Milestone in 2017. After this graduation ceremony, when you are taking photos with your smartphones in front of the Main Building, you may want to draw inspiration from the fact that Professor Koga's innovative efforts 90 years ago made your smartphones possible. In fact, Professor Koga's laboratory was located inside the clock tower that will form the background of many of your photos.

Finally, I want to draw your attention to Tokyo Tech's seal, the swallow by the window. This seal symbolizes the Institute as a hub of technical innovation from which the windows of the world open up to its members. You are now standing at this window, ready to take flight. I encourage all of you, as Tokyo Tech graduates, to enjoy and boldly explore the diverse world waiting for you.

And of course, wherever you are, engage with other Tokyo Tech alumni and friends. We are an extensive global community that is always within your reach.

Thank you very much, and again, congratulations.

September 20, 2019
Kazuya Masu
President, Tokyo Tech

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東京工業大学 総務部 広報課

Email pr@jim.titech.ac.jp