April 3rd, 2024
Congratulatory Address for the Spring 2024 Entrance Ceremony
Yasunori Mitani, President
Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech)
Congratulations on your admission to Kyutech. It is a great pleasure for all of
our faculty members, staff, current students, and the many people supporting ouruniversity to be able to welcome you today with this grand entrance ceremony inthe midst of beautiful spring. On behalf of Kyutech, I would like to express mygratitude and offer my congratulations to all the new students, as well as to theirfamilies and relatives who have supported them.
As our daily life is finally returning to normal state after three years of constraintsof the pandemic, I have begun to realize that it was just a misunderstanding tothink everything around us was forced to be stopped due to the pandemic
because I have realized and amazed by the fact that the world has been changing
rapidly and moving forward despite of the constraints already; so again I am
impressed by the resilience of human nature.
In particular, we are seeing various technologies are developing from the fields
of digital transformation and green transformation, and the use of digital devices
is now common in your learning spaces; and with the advent of generative AI, weare entering an era in which knowledge based on large amounts of data can beeasily obtained.
The world is changing very dynamically with big turbulent waves which Japan isalso in the midst of, and you have come to the right place here in the North
Kyushu where you will be blessed from environment with the perspective ofadvancing science and technology historically and geographically.
Our university was opened in 1909 as a private institution originally named “MeijiSenmon Gakko” or “Meiji College of Technology” in Tobata, founded by Mr.
Keiichiro Yasukawa, to train students to become engineers to support theindustrial development of Japan. Mr. Yasukawa, our founder, contributed
significantly to the industrial revolution of Japan by establishing various
enterprises including the coal mining company in “Chikuho” area, where ourIizuka Campus is now located, to supply coal to the Imperial Steel Works of Japan(Yawata Steel Works) which began operations in 1901.
When Meiji Senmon Gakko was established, our first president, Dr. Kenjiro
Yamakawa, set forth the philosophy of founding spirit to “educate students tobecome “Shikunshi” with excellent technology proficiency”. "Shikunshi" means aperson of great academic skills with a great personality, and as we transformed
from a private institution to a national university, and from a national university to
the national university corporation Kyushu Institute of Technology, we have been
fulfilling our duties of education, research, and social contribution to inherit ourfounding philosophy by training students to become engineers of great academic
skills and a full of intelligence with excellent technology proficiency to create newtechnologies and innovations.
We are reminded that engineers who can play an active role in today's uncertain
society, which cannot be foreseen even in the distant future, must acquire ethics,
a business mindset, and a global mindset all together. We are strongly demandedby our society to educate and train such human resources. In this sense, I am
extraordinary amazed by the foresight of Mr. Keiichiro Yasukawa and Dr. Kenjiro
Yamakawa who in 115 years ago advocated the philosophy of founding spirit to“educate students to become “Shikunshi” with excellent technology proficiency”
which has never worn out in modern society.
In addition, more than 38 years ago, Kyutech foresaw the significant importanceof information technologies, which we are now seeing the emerging demand of
human resources in the field of data science and information technologies suchas big data and generative AI, so we have established Japan’s first campus toteach computer science and information technology in Iizuka City which needed
to transform from old coal-mining city to new technology city.
At present, Kyutech consists of 3 campuses in Tobata, the site of theestablishment of Meiji College of Technology, Iizuka, a former coal supply site,and Wakamatsu, a prosperous coal loading port; and they are updating their
history and develop with the region where technology has been accumulated. To
date, we have produced more than 70,000 engineers with excellent technology

proficiency who have been playing important roles in various industries in Japanand in overseas.
With the recent advent of generative AI, some says that AI may take jobs fromus; and it could happen to you if you spend most of your university life just tomemorize what textbooks tell you. Therefore, I expect you to always confront
things and problems with curiosity and a critical thinking approach. Criticalthinking is sometimes translated as criticizing way of thinking in Japanese, sosome people may understand it a little incorrectly. The etymology of English“critical” is “able to discern / to separate / to identify / to choose”. The idea of being
analytical, evaluative, and essential in forming judgements, decisions, or opinions
is fundamentally important.
Kyutech is building a diverse "campus where future technologies can beencountered" with a co-creation space where various players such as the Beyond
5G

environment

andstartups

gathertoestablish

next-generation

communications standards. I believe that if you appreciate chances to encounterfor the various things that you will experience here, and if you develop a skill ofcritical thinking to see whether the information that we provide is correct, you will
be able to be competitive with AI. The meeting of technology and people brings
unexpected good fortune, is a source of innovation, and enables you to do things
that any other person cannot do even with today's cutting-edge technology. In
this privileged environment, I expect you to cultivate the ability to challenge things
with curiosity, analyze things from an objective perspective, and solve problems.
Finally, COVID-19 still stays here as the same risk of infection as influenza, andwe cannot have zero-risk situation, but I sincerely hope that all students who enter
our university will be able to manage risks in your life, think about theirirreplaceable daily lives and the value of human life, pay full attention to yourhealth, enjoy socializing and learning with friends, and enjoy a meaningful
campus life. Congratulations today.