President’s Address at the 2022 Saitama University Degree Awarding Ceremony

Thank you all for coming to today’s Saitama University Degree Awarding Ceremony, andcongratulations to our graduates and those who have successfully completed their graduateschool program. I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to those family members and others whohave warmly looked after and supported our students on their path to this day. Thanks also toour university personnel who have provided these students with guidance and assistance intheir studies and research. Today, 31 students are graduating from the undergraduate school,46 have completed a Master's Program, and 28 have completed a Doctoral Program. Of these,67 are international students.
Even in this very difficult environment, with all the uncertainty brought on by the Covid-19pandemic, you have continued going forward with your studies undeterred. All of you whohave achieved your graduation or program completion under these difficulties deserve ourearnest applause.
The Covid-19 pandemic in Japan is now in its seventh wave, and there is no telling when itwill subside. Then on February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine, launching a war that continuestoday with no end in sight. These circumstances are having deep impacts on many fronts,including the production and distribution of many manufactured goods and agriculturalproducts, and the supply of energy. Considering that two and a half years ago, no one foresawthe kind of global turmoil that has occurred, it truly feels like we are in an age described bythe VUCA acronym, one of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity.
Today I would like to talk briefly about two aspects of the coming age into which those of yougraduating from the University or completing your program will be living in.
The first is about the information society, including virtual spaces.
Information technology has achieved rapid progress, so that today people all over the worldcan connect instantly, without the constraints of time or place, and using social networks orother services, can share their own views or situation freely. According to a White Paper onInformation and Communications in Japan by the Ministry of Internal Affairs andCommunications, the 2030s will bring about an era of cyber-physical systems, as the socialimplementation of AI and IoT advances to realize the integration of cyber and physical spaces.
This progress will contribute greatly not only to the solving of problems in society andeconomic growth, but to achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). As

information technology advances further, it has the potential for sparking social change. Insuch a society, by gathering real world data in the cloud, analyzing it and obtaining feedbackfrom it, it should be possible to solve many issues for society quickly; or at the individual level,to enable flexible work styles, or communication overcoming language barriers. It will furtherbecome possible for each individual to reference the world’s data as 3D images, and tocommunicate with a diverse range of other people in the metaverse. Looking at suchpossibilities, it may seem at first that we can look forward to a rose-colored future; but weneed to be well aware that where there is light, there is also shadow. One issue, for example,is personal privacy. Putting together the internet services that we use daily, and the personalinformation we make known, it is possible to learn about the individual’s behavior, beliefs,and preferences. How to protect privacy will become an even bigger issue than today, whileanother difficult issue remaining is how to guarantee the reliability of information. What’smore, as virtual spaces become increasingly similar to the real world, the boundaries betweencyber and physical spaces will become less clear, which will inevitably have a major impact onhow people lead their lives. Without a doubt, Web 3.0 and AI will change the coming digitalsociety in ways beyond our imagination. To live a self-directed life in such an age, acquiringinformation literacy will of course be essential, along with the power of thinking and judgmentfor sifting and choosing information and acting on it. To that end, I hope you will alwaysmaintain a keen interest in phenomena in front of you, and in the unknown, along with aflexible heart to accept these, and an attitude of closely examining the essence at the root ofphenomena.
The second aspect is globalization.
The various issues brought about by globalization, and its limitations, have lately come to thefore, including the global gap between rich and poor and loss of jobs resulting from free trade,and the turmoil from the refugee problem. Then in the last two and a half years, we have seenCovid-19 quickly develop into a global pandemic, and conflict make national security issues areality for many nations due to their strong interdependence in food, energy and other areas.
In such ways, we have come to face new negative aspects of globalization. At the same time,it will be essential for the world to come together toward solving the many increasinglycomplex problems confronting us all, including global warming, energy problems, and thefood crisis causing some 828 million people to suffer. In that sense, globalization also offershope. My wish for all of you is that you never give up your interest in different countries andcultures, and that you will engage with the people of the world with tolerance and empathy,in recognition of the world-scale problems we all face, while not forgetting to take a broadview of matters that are complexly intertwined. Today all the more, when we have beenreminded how easy it is for conflict to cause divisions between nations and people, I stronglyfeel the importance of dialog and discussions. One step toward dialog is to empathize withand understand the history of other people and nations, their way of thinking, and their storyor “narrative.” As you go on to live in the global society, this will be essential for you.
Just as twenty years ago, we could not have imagined the society of today, we cannot imaginethe changes that will take place in the next twenty or thirty years. To live in such a time, thepower to think on your own and to empathize with others will be indispensable. This issomething I want you to always be mindful of.
In conclusion, I would like to note that the campus of this University where you spent yourtime is the starting point for character building. Think about those times when, on the lushlygreen Saitama University campus, you interacted with instructors, friends, and many others.
I am sure the expertise you gained in your major field, the broad education you obtained, andthe experience you gained in overcoming difficulties and conflict to go on with your lives, willgive you strong courage to take a new step forward when you are confronted with any of life’sdifficulties in the future. When you have a chance, please come back to visit the University.
The Saitama University campus is always ready to give you a warm welcome.
Let me end this address with a heartfelt desire that as graduates of Saitama University, youwill use your talents to build a better world, while living the rest of your life with strong mindsand cheerful hearts.
Congratulations once again on your graduation or program completion.

September 22, 2022Takafumi SakaiPresident, Saitama University