March 24th, 2023
Congratulatory Address in the 2023 Spring Commencement Ceremony

On this occasion that we are here to hold the 2023 Spring Commencement Ceremony
today, first of all, I would like to congratulate all of you who are making thisprosperous start after all your persistent efforts and diligent study. I also would liketo express my heartfelt congratulations to the parents and their families who havebeen providing much love and support for the graduating students until today.
Today is also an important opportunity for all of us to once again appreciate thesupport of your family, seniors, friends and associates, and supervisors who havesupported and guided you continuously.
Three years of living in the pandemic have been testing our response capabilities.
Under the constraints of people not being able to gather together, we have overcome
difficulties previously thought not to be easily realized through the ability of people
to break through and take action, such as the development of remote classes by using
communication technology, attending international conferences remotely andinteracting with researchers and friends overseas. As the covid-19 will soon becategorized down to the class 5 in the infection disease, it may bring a break from theanomalous state we have seen so far, but there is an extremely important lesson here.
It means that things that would have been difficult to move forward in peacetime
without precedent were realized in the wake of the coronavirus. This shows that weare not incompetent, but that our thinking and action to get through the difficulty
simply did not align well enough.
Now, I believe that the era of mass production and mass consumption which has
supported the improvement of our lives has passed and our society is conscious ofSDGs; and the demand for small quantities - large varieties products for individual
purpose is increasing. Linking flexible and sophisticated software and solid
underlying hardware in order to implement fine-grained and diversified functions isimportant, and a connected infrastructure combining communication technologies
plays an important role.
In the era of mass consumption, the concept of depreciation, in which products have1

the highest value when they are shipped and gradually lose their value as they age,
was common. On the other hand, smartphones for example, the evolution of hardwareand communication technology has created a mechanism that constantly upgrades
software and increases functions in response to changes in the times. This state iscalled appreciating accumulation in the sense that experience and knowledge areaccumulated and their value increases.
By the way, you have spent a certain period of time studying at Kyutech and you arehere today. I would like you to think that graduation is not the goal, but the beginningof a long life ahead; and therefore you should never be depreciated from now on.
During your academic life in Kyutech, you have prepared yourselves to accumulate
appreciation. Therefore, from now on, please continue to learn various things,
constantly upgrade yourself, and accumulate values. As a result, even if unexpecteddifficulties such as the COVID-19 pandemic occur, you will be able to use yourexperience, wisdom, and networks to pave the way for the future.
Kyutech is constantly exploring the world's latest technologies and are striving tokeep their strengths from becoming obsolete. If you feel uneasy or limited in your own
power, Kyutech will always be there for you to continue to play an active role byproviding various opportunities such as industry-academia collaboration, joint
research, and graduate schools to advance your study.
Looking around the world, unfortunately, there are always conflicts going on insomewhere. Despite of difficult relationships among countries, please remember yourfriends and classmates from all over the world whom you have interacted during yourtime at Kyutech, and live your life from now on by cherishing your personal bonds.
There is no doubt that these efforts will act as a powerful restoring force to bring theworld back to a state of tranquility.
In addition, please make full use of the accumulated power to bring about socialchange by utilizing the technical skills and human power that you have cultivated inevery situation. From now on, economic activities will be forced under many difficult
constraints, such as issues on environment, resource and energy, and theinternational political situation. It gives us great challenges, on the other hand,
whether you can overcome or not does depend on your flexible ideas and actions that
can turn problems into opportunities. I am looking forward to seeing your youthfulpower, action, and breakthrough power backed by the solid technical skills and global
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competencies you have cultivated at Kyutech, and to become a driving force for thedramatic development of world society in the future.
Last but not least, I hope that you will continue to enjoy life, feel many things,
think, learn, and play an active role in this ever-changing era, taking advantage ofthe many good encounters you have had at Kyutech. I would like to conclude mymessage to you by offering my heartfelt congratulations on your successful departure.
Thank you very much and congratulations.
Yasunori Mitani
President
Kyushu Institute of Technology3