President’s Address at the 2023 Saitama University Entrance Ceremony
Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations on your enrollment at Saitama University. Today, wewelcome a total of 2,220 students to our academic community, including 1,576 undergraduate
students, 616 master’s students, and 28 doctoral students. The faculty and staff at ouruniversity are honored to welcome you all with open arms. We would also like to extend ourheartfelt congratulations to the families and supporters of our new students, who have lovingly
nurtured and guided them to this momentous occasion.
Over the past three years, amidst the unprecedented global pandemic of COVID-19, oursociety has faced numerous challenges. Therefore, we applaud the dedication andperseverance of all students who have pursued their academic and research goals in spite ofthese obstacles, and who have now become part of Saitama University’s undergraduate andgraduate programs.
Saitama University has its origins in 1873, when Saitama Prefecture established a training
department for teachers. The university was later established in 1949 by integrating threeschools: the former Urawa High School; the Saitama Normal School, which evolved from thetraining department; and the Saitama Youth Normal School. This year marks the 150thanniversary of the establishment of the training department and the 101st anniversary of thefounding of the former Urawa High School. Originally established with two faculties, theFaculty of Education and the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the university has since
expanded to encompass five faculties and three graduate schools. Approximately 7,800
undergraduate and graduate students study on our campus in Okubo, while around 720
faculty members engage in teaching and research.
The campus where you will study, the Okubo Campus, has become a tranquil place of learningabundant with greenery, more than half a century after its relocation. All of our faculties andgraduate schools are gathered here, and at our university, you can explore a wide range offields of study through the expertise of faculty members with various specialties. Here you will
have the chance to broaden your horizons through interactions with students from otherfaculties with different areas of expertise and international students from all over the world,and I hope that you will take advantage of these opportunities, meet many people, and enjoy
various experiences. In addition, our university has established exchange agreements witharound 170 universities overseas to build a network of knowledge, so I hope that you willconsider expanding your options and studying abroad during your enrollment.

Now, I would like to address all of you who will study and conduct research at Saitama
University with a message that I hope you will keep in your hearts. That message is to always
maintain a spirit of inquiry and skepticism towards all things, founded upon the pillars ofdiscussion and critical thinking, and to pose questions of your own accord.
From elementary school to high school, the content and methods of learning are closely
regulated by the government’s curriculum guidelines. In most cases, students are taught tosolve problems with definitive answers until they graduate from high school, with the goal ofmeasuring their proficiency. However, with the complex problems of the world, there arecountless situations where there is no definitive answer, or where there are multiple correct
answers. For example, responses to the novel coronavirus have varied widely depending on
cultural differences and individual values. Additionally, while some cultures consider thedeath penalty to be a form of just punishment, other cultures believe that taking anindividual’s life, even if the state is the actor, should not be allowed. What is generally
considered right in one society is evaluated in reference to certain criteria or principles.
However, in other societies, the criteria and principles themselves may differ due to theinfluences of history, culture, values, or religion, and what is considered right may be only arelative concept. The essence of learning at university is not only to acquire knowledge, butalso to recognize that there are problems without answers, to pose valuable questions withawareness of the problems, and explore the answers to those questions; therefore, discussions
and critical thinking are essential. Because there is no one definitive answer—and even justiceis a relative concept—discussion and the exchange of various opinions and perspectives isnecessary.
On the other hand, critical thinking—the ability to question existing knowledge and ideas—
is a process that involves analyzing, evaluating, and integrating information to arrive at logicaland broad-minded conclusions. Through this process, it becomes possible to grasp complex
issues from diverse perspectives and deeper thought. Critical thinking is essential to theadvancement of various academic disciplines and is a necessary process to approach the truthin the study of natural sciences and humanities. It is widely known that such thinking has led
to the emergence of new innovations by overturning what was once considered a firm truthin conjunction with the progress of research.
Today, we are honored to have Dr. Takaaki Kajita, a graduate of our university’s Departmentof Physics in the Faculty of Science, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2015,

delivering our commencement address. Dr. Kajita discovered neutrino oscillations, in which
neutrinos transform into different types while traveling through space. This groundbreaking
discovery revealed that neutrinos, which had long been thought to have zero mass, actuallypossess mass, and as a result, proved the necessity for a revision of the established theory inelementary particle physics. Dr. Kajita’s critical thinking and objective evaluation of evidence
led to this important discovery, which will go down in history as a remarkable achievement forhumanity.
I hope that all of you will strive to study and conduct research at this university with a focus
on debate and critical thinking, thereby honing your own thinking and achieving personal
growth. Furthermore, I encourage you to challenge yourselves without fear, to acquire
knowledge and experience, and to open new doors in life. Such challenges will provide a greatsource of confidence, fueling further growth and progress.
Saitama University will fully support your academic and research pursuits. If you ever facedifficulties or become lost, please remember that you have faculty, staff, senior students, andfriends who are here for you, and do not hesitate to seek their guidance and support. At thesame time, I hope that you will respect others and extend a helping hand to those who arestruggling or suffering. I sincerely hope that you will have a fruitful and fulfilling student life
at our university, and that you will not only acquire knowledge, but also grow as human beings.
Congratulations on your enrollment today.

April 3, 2023
Takafumi Sakai
President, Saitama University