April 5th, 2023
Congratulatory Address in the 2023 Spring Entrance Ceremony
Congratulations to all new students, as well as their families andrelatives. It is a great pleasure for our staff, current students, and many
people involved with us to welcome you to Kyushu Institute of Technology(Kyutech) today. On behalf of Kyutech, I would like to offer mycongratulations for not only the new students but also the families andrelatives who have supported the new students, and I am certain that they
are very happy as much as the new students.
For the past three years, our daily lives have been at the mercy of the newcoronavirus infection, but we are now finally approaching to the way out.
There was a time we could not have the entrance ceremony, today I cannot
be happier to hold the ceremony to welcome you.
I am sure that all of you have experienced various hardships over the past
three years, and therefore, I would like to express my respect for the efforts
of all of you for making this day possible. During this time, the virtual
communication technology and system has advanced for remote lectures foronline classes, online meetings, and many other technologies have quickly
been developed to support our daily lives. Your university, Kyutech islocated in the area where there are many unique companies withoutstanding technological capabilities such as digital transformation andgreen transformation technologies are integrated and embedded withsatisfactory support and cooperation by the municipality here. I hope wecan appreciate this geographical and environmental advantage when you
study at Kyutech from now on.
Kyutech was originally established as a private school called “Meiji
College of Technology” which opened in 1909 by Mr. Keiichiro Yasukawa,
who started a coal-mining business in Chikuho district, where Kyutech
Iizuka campus is located, and was involved in the establishment of anumber of related companies such as Yaskawa Electric, which isheadquartered in Kitakyushu City, where the Tobata and Wakamatsu
campuses are located. Our founder, with his private investment,established Kyutech to train and produce engineers who support Japaneseindustrial development such as engineering operation and support of theHigashida No. 1 Blast Furnace started operation in 1901, supporting therelated technology of the government-owned Yawata Steel Works since
1901 which was positioned at the top of the national industrial policy at thetime.
Our school’s founding spirit was to “educate a student to become a personof learning and virtue with excellent technology proficiency” and when
Kyutech became a national university, this spirit has been carried on byenrichment of education programs, research, and social contribution. Morethan 70,000 graduates have been produced so far, and they are playing
active roles not only in Japan but also on the global stage.
Dr. Kenjiro Yamakawa, who served as the first president of the Meiji
College of Technology, spend his youth in the turbulent Aizu region,
mobilized as a member of the Byakkotai (White Tiger) military unit in thelate years of the Tokugawa Shogunate through to the early years of theMeiji era. After various escapades and close encounters with death hedecided to pursue a career in science, and had the opportunity to study inthe United States, where after he overcame various difficulties in hisstudies he became the first-ever Japanese to earn a Doctor of ScienceDegree. There is no doubt that the time he spent studying in a foreigncountry had an enormous impact on Dr. Yamakawa’s life and career, and it
is definitely an important opportunity for personality development when
you pursue to know the real world outside.
The covid-19 pandemic has taken away our opportunities to travel aroundthe world since 2020. Before the pandemic, for example around 700
Kyutech students in 2019 travelled overseas to experience study andresearch abroad. In the past 3 years, while overseas travel has been
restricted, remote communication systems have been providing students
with opportunities to connect and exchange with other countries; and someof our students decided to take chances on long-term study abroad forvarious physical international experiences. As the old adage says, “To see

is to believe,” and being able to go or not does make a big different
experience. By seeing and experiencing the real world with your own eyes,
you can encounter events that will transform your outlook on life anddevelop your personality. I and our staff have been inspired by thesepioneering students who have reopened the door to the world so that thenumber of real activities overseas has gradually been increasing, and thishas given us a great deal of courage. All new students of Kyutech areencouraged to try various things. We are waiting for you with a wide varietyof opportunities you can try at Kyutech.
Currently, with the aim of becoming a “campus where you can encounter
future technologies,” we have prepared some facilities for learning andinteraction that creates interaction on the campus, and a test environment
for national projects related to Beyond 5G, the next-generation
communication technology after 5G. We are waiting for you by sequentiallybuilding various mechanisms such as a co-creation space that means aplace where people gather and create together. These many mechanisms
will make it possible for not only students and academic staff, but also
entrepreneurs and enthusiastic people to enhance start-up activities
together on campus and share some role models for you when you think
about your future career.
The interactions of people and technologies in different fields creates
innovation and challenges advance technology; and technological progress
also creates new challenges whereas Japanese industry is now getting
behind the rest of the world in terms of new market scheme development
despite of still-being superior in technology. Whenever I go abroad, I see
that the young people, including students, are actively involved in thinking
and working on creating various new business models and they are playing
active roles to vitalize industries. It is important for you to interact withmany people, create new technologies and methods based on flexible
thinking, and solve them.
I hope you will study and experience many things during your life withKyutech to learn to accept diverse thinking, share wisdom, discern the risks

behind technology, and contribute to problem solving that overcomes risks
and creates social values since we have such environment to welcome youall.
Last but not least, the covid-19 still leaves its risks, however there can be
no zero risk in the real world. Therefore I would like to express my sincere
hope that all of you who are jointing Kyutech today will be able to manage
risks well in your life, appreciate your irreplaceable daily life, be mindfulof your own health, and enjoy living and learning with your new friends
and Kyutech.
Once again, congratulations.
Yasunori Mitani
President
Kyushu Institute of Technology