2025 Autumn Entrance Ceremony held at TUFS

Today we have 21 students entering the degree programs offered at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. 8 entering the doctoral program, 10 entering the master’s program, and 3 entering the School of Japan Studies undergraduate program

Welcome to Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. I will not say congratulations today. Let me save that word for later, to the day you graduate from this university with a degree.

9 of the new MA students and 2 of the new PhD students are majoring in Peace and Conflict Studies. 4 others among the new PhD students are majoring in Sustainability Research. Needless to say, these two fields are issue-driven, not discipline-driven. The research will be conducted through a dialogue with the real world, not within a confined sphere of inter-related theories and concepts. Let me first deliver a message especially to these 15 students.

Please be aware of the meaning your research has in the real world. Your description of the current state of affairs and your prescription for future actions will contain suggestions for the real world.

Building and maintaining peace in a conflict-ridden region requires a significant change in how the residents and other stakeholders view the situation and view each other.

As for restoring sustainability in our societies, a greater number of people may have to reconsider their ways of living. Actually in 2020, 5 scientists endorsed by 11,258 other scientists claimed in the journal BioScience “To secure a sustainable future, we must change how we live.” “We” means everyone on earth.

The research of the new students majoring in other fields may be more theory-driven. Even if that is the case, please be aware of how your research may contribute to society outside the campus and outside academia. Without contribution we cannot expect funding and other forms of support from society.

Research in humanities and social sciences always has contact points with society. You must have received ideas and materials from outside academia. People outside the world of academia may become readers of your work in the future.

Finally, I have a message for the 3 students entering the School of Japan Studies.

You have all come from Brazil, from Rio de Janeiro State University to complete the latter half of the dual degree program. I believe that you are both excited and nervous. You came to Tokyo from the opposite side of the earth. You took on an admirable challenge.

Don’t worry too much. You will soon find a lot of students from Brazil studying on our campus. They are all ready to help you whenever necessary.

But please keep in mind not to rely too much on the Brazilian community. You can communicate both in English and Japanese with not only all students in the School of Japan Studies but all the students on our campus as well.

You have come to Tokyo to brush up your Japanese language skills and to acquire knowledge of Japan not found in textbooks. To complete your mission, you will have to step outside our campus and communicate with people outside our campus. Please make the most of the environment and the opportunities you have.

We have different groups of students together at this ceremony. So, I delivered separate messages for each group. However, you might have noticed that the messages were similar in content.

I want all of you to be aware of society outside our campus, outside academia. Interact with society and prepare yourself to make intellectual contributions to society after completing your academic training.

Welcome to Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Your training period begins today. Make the most of what this university has to offer throughout your new stage of life.

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2025.9.26

President, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
HARUNA Nobuo