President’s Address at the Saitama University Graduation Ceremony
for the academic year 2021
Congratulations to everyone celebrating their graduation and course completion here at Saitama University’s
graduation ceremony today. On behalf of all our staff and faculty members, I would like to express my sincere
affection and gratitude to the family and friends who watched over and supported you throughout your journey
here.
Today, we acknowledge the graduation and completion of 1530 undergraduate students, 529 Master’sstudents, and 24 PhD students. These totals include 142 international students from China, Korea,Philippines, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.
I am sure that you experienced many difficulties and hardships in order to complete your studies and continue
your research amidst the unprecedented situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been ongoing since2020. I sincerely respect everyone joining us here today who continued to tirelessly push forward, despite thecircumstances.
Over these past two years, the world changed drastically due to the spread of an unknown virus. In Japan, thedeclaration of a state of emergency and other measures restricted the actions of citizens, and economic
activities were severely affected. Amidst this situation, the nature of COVID-19 and its infection mechanism
gradually became clear, and risk assessment of the virus progressed. However, people had varying perceptionsof the threat posed by the spread of the virus, and even among experts, opinions on treatment, medicine, andvaccination were divided. Furthermore, numerous hoaxes and fake news on the Internet contributed to social
turmoil, and social fragmentation, such as attacks on other people who did not stay home or follow behavioral
guidelines, also became a serious problem. The question of how to implement measures while reconcilingthem with individual thoughts and beliefs, public and private interests, and the guarantee of privacy, is an
issue that necessitates further discussion in the future, as well.
The current state of affairs is complicated and constantly changing, there is uncertainty about what will
happen next, and even among experts, there are different views. This sort of situation is called “VUCA.”VUCA is an acronym for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. Although this was originally amilitary term, used to describe the complicated situation after the end of the Cold War, it has since come tobe used for society in general. VUCA is particularly noticeable in the event of a serious accident or acatastrophic disaster which causes great damage, such as a major earthquake or typhoon. Not limited to thispandemic, the confusion caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake, especially the various events caused by
the meltdown of the nuclear power plant, typified VUCA itself.

Now, our changing entire society is entering the era of VUCA. Over the course of the next few decades,changes are coming; changes to our natural environment, structural changes to industry due to technologicalinnovations in fields such as AI, information, and robotics, and rapid social changes caused by the declining
birthrate, an accompanying decrease in the working-age population, and a graying population. A world will
come along that we have never experienced, and which we cannot predict by extrapolating from the past.
Going forward, this will be the new world that you, our graduates who are entering the workforce, will beliving in.
Although the era of VUCA is disconcerting, if you change your perspective, you could also call it anopportunity. A volatile and uncertain world creates space for people to demonstrate performance in various
ways, and will make strides in innovation for new development. In addition, a complex and ambiguous world
produces diversity, and forms societies which accept that diversity. This means that a vast range of possibilities
is opening up before us, and that each of us can design and choose a way of life that we find satisfying. Now,
you will be asked: “What do you want?” “What will you do?” and “How will you live?”
I would like to offer two pieces of advice for everyone who will live in this sort of era.
The first is that I would like you to keep learning and thinking in the future.
In the age of VUCA, where new technologies are being developed one after another and the structure ofindustry is changing, your current knowledge and way of doing things may, in a short time, become useless.
That is why you need to be flexible and interested in other fields, in addition to your own area of expertise.
Through your studies and research at Saitama University, you have built a foundation of liberal arts knowledge
and professional expertise within yourselves. Going forward, I hope that you will continue to gain various
experiences, learn even more to update that foundation, and have the courage to take on new challenges innew fields. I would also like you to think for yourself about what you have learned, and remember to refine
your own thinking by learning even more.
The second is for you to collaborate and coexist with others. Collaboration means "working together," andcoexistence means "living together."In recent years, initiatives for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—development goals to bring abouta sustainable, diverse, and inclusive society—are making progress on all fronts. Each of the areas listed by the17 SDGs is interconnected, and solutions need to be developed in collaboration with people from different
disciplines. To do this, we need to be open to the unknown and things which differ from our own world, andto have the broad-mindedness to be able to fearlessly enter them. This is also true in relationships betweenpeople. Understanding people with different backgrounds and values from your own, and living and working
together with a diverse array of people, is essential for the future of society and—by extension—your own

future.
Do not be overwhelmed by the swift currents of the times. Constantly learn and think, collaborate with others,
establish yourselves, and vigorously move forward in your own lives.
It has been over seventy years since Saitama University was founded. More than 90,000 students have
graduated from undergraduate faculties or completed their graduate studies, and are flourishing in a varietyof fields. At the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, we received support for our students from many alumni.
Along with that support, we received comments from alumni, saying “I treasure the days that I spent at Saitama
University,” and “It’s been 38 years since I graduated. I’ve been able to work up until this age because of thevarious experiences I had at university.” From these messages, I realized that memories of our campus are
deeply rooted in the hearts of our alumni, and that their days at the university have served as great assets.
For those of you who are graduating, Saitama University should also be called the "hometown" of your youth.
In the future, when you are confronted with difficulties and uncertainty, remember the days you spent
studying and researching at our university, and the friends and mentors with whom you shared those days. I
am certain that you will be filled with the courage to face tomorrow.
It is my sincere desire that you all move forward with a heart full of hope, and a blazing bright spirit. With that,I would like to conclude the graduation ceremony.
Once again, congratulations on your graduation and course completion.

March 24, 2022
Takafumi Sakai
President, Saitama University