2020 Saitama University Degree Awarding Ceremony - President’s Address
Congratulations to everyone celebrating their graduation and completion here at
Saitama University’s degree awarding ceremony today. On behalf of all our staff, I
would like to express my sincere affection and gratitude to the family and friends who
supported you throughout your journey.
Today we are celebrating the completion of 26 Doctoral degrees, 35 Master’s degrees,and 25 Bachelor’s degrees. These totals include many international students: 23Doctoral, 29 Master’s, and 1 Bachelor’s.
During your years here at our school, Japan, and the rest of the world, was afflicted bya series of disasters. This year was especially tough, with new measures enforced to help
prevent the spread of COVID-19, including a campus-wide entry ban. It was not easy tocontinue your studies and complete your degrees under these circumstances. Pleaseallow me to express my sincere admiration for all of you who overcame doubts about the
progress of your projects and your future, all of you who overcame anxiety about new
restrictions on human interaction, and all of you who dedicated yourselves to endlessstudy and kept your research in motion.
Right now, we’re living through events that indicate de-globalization like Brexit andthe US-China trade war. We’re in the middle of a Fourth Industrial Revolution based on
innovations like AI. It has already been pointed out that these events will cause
permanent changes in global trade and productions systems, and in how we valuesociety and individuals. There are 2 topics that I would like share with you today, to give
you strength as you leave our school, and enter a world that is changing suddenly in
unpredictable ways.
First, “maintaining a habit of inquisitiveness, learning, and thinking.”
Some of favorite words of wisdom are from Confucius: “He who learns but does notthink is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.” Unless we practiceboth learning and thinking, we will never be able to apply the things that we havelearned. And even worse, we will be held back by our own stubbornness. Learn andcontemplate. Learn how to contemplate. This will bring you closer to the truth ofmatters, and you will also gain a deeper understanding of your own thoughts. I believethat you performed many cycles of “learning and thinking” without conscious effort asyou engaged in research within your departments and graduate programs. When you
narrowed down your topic, you interpreted the results of your experiments, and thoseresults lead you to a new topic to explore. Please continue to perform this cycle, butwith conscious effort, throughout the diverse challenges you will encounter.
Furthermore, an inquisitive mind is required to maintain a habit of “learning andthinking.” During this COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen honest reports based onfacts, and we have also seen baseless and inflammatory claims. Sadly, it’s no different in
the world of research. If you search for COVID-19 in medical paper databases likePubMed, you will see that over 40,000 papers have been published between January andAugust this year. As far as I know, there have never been this many medical or life1

science papers published in a single year. Of course, when you browse these papers,
they are perfect examples of sloppy data collection, inadequate peer review, and ageneral lack of supervision. To be frank, there are a few gems, and a lot of rubbish.
There have been many papers that enjoyed media attention, only to be retracted later.
There are also scientific papers that appear to be clearly factual, but actually contain
serious mistakes. This behavior is not limited to times of crisis. Right now, due toextreme circumstances, the underlying problems have become more obvious. But evenin normal times, we need to remain vigilant against a significant amount of false papers
and severely biased media reports. Any information that you come across, especiallyvery important information, must not be taken at face value. You must scrutinize
thoroughly before you accept it.
Soon, you will be building your careers at companies, other universities, and researchfacilities. No matter which path you choose, please consider the major that youcompleted here at our school, and the research you worked on, to serve as a foundation
for maintaining a habit of learning and thinking. Please remain inquisitive, develop awide perspective, and go beyond the boundaries of your own field. You will be rewardedwith building new insight, building solutions to social problems, and discovering thetreasure of self-actualization. If we wish to learn, we must open our hearts and findhumility. If we wish to think, we must take time alone to practice introspection.
My second topic is “building communication skills.”
By now, you probably think that the importance of communication is an exhausted
topic. But I want you to ask yourselves, are you truly achieving an effective mutual
understanding? Obstacles to communication become more apparent in challenging
situations. The current COVID-19 pandemic has provided strong affirmation of thevalue of risk communication... and it has also proven that achieving goodcommunication is not always straightforward. In the US, the Center for Disease Controland Prevention (CDC) established the Six Principles of CERC (Crisis and Emergency
Risk Communication). These guidelines identify 6 important points to follow whencommunicating in emergencies: Be First, Be Right, Be Credible, Express Empathy,
Promote Action, and Show Respect.
There are some world leaders who are achieving results following these principles ofrisk communication as a part of infection control measures. One of them is Angela
Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, and another is Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Ministerof New Zealand. In her March TV appearance after the pandemic began, Chancellor
Merkel was able to display true empathy for people who are infected by the virus, people
who are suffering losses due to the impact of its spread, medical professionals, and otheressential workers. In addition, she expressed her trust in science, and science-based
policies. Her leadership has been rewarded by strong support from the public. Likewise,Prime Minister Ardern prioritized the well-being of the residents of New Zealand. She
gained public trust by working alongside average people, and saw great results
concerning infection control.
What can we learn from the words and actions of these wise women? I believe that we
can see the value of communication with the capability of truly visualizing thecircumstances of other people, of empathizing with their situation, and of basing every

2word on that foundation of empathy. This is true for relationships between individuals,and between nations. Our research work is based on social and economic collaboration.
Sometimes our work takes us beyond international borders. Right now, it’s more
important than ever that we find the capability to visualize the circumstances andinterests of others, express empathy, and maintain discourse.
The Six Principles of CERC are also valuable for normal, everyday communication.
Obviously, you will need to cooperate with other people to succeed in your career. Your
partners may be from different countries and different backgrounds than yourself.
Developments in ICT systems will eliminate geographic restrictions while expanding
the communication methods available to us. But no matter how far communication techevolves, and no matter where and when you are using it, please continue to apply thesame guidelines of accuracy, respect, empathy, and engaging in discourse.
Finally, I would like to remind you that our university campus is not just rooms andtables to do homework. Saitama University is a welcoming space to enjoy the changes ofthe four seasons, and the company of friends. This is a place that created and shaped
you as a human being, and it will always be your second home. Soon enough, whether
you pursue research or work at a company, you will experience both days of brilliant joy,and days of crushing darkness. When you have lost your way, when you have lost sightof your goals, please think back on your pleasant younger days, spent with faculty andfriends, here on our beautiful green campus. Reflect on your time studying andresearching here, reflect on the experiences that taught you how to overcome trouble
and conflict, and how to survive. I am certain that you will find the strength to take one
more courageous step, and the road forward will unveil itself to you. If you have thechance, please come back and visit Saitama University. Your second home will always
welcome you.
Here’s a quote from our school song:
To all the dreamers,
Draw from the flow of new wisdom,
May the youth always have hope.
It is my sincere desire that you all move forward with a heart full of hope, and ablazing bright spirit.
Once again, congratulations on your graduation and completion.
September 23, 2020
Takafumi Sakai
President, Saitama University3