→ English
Good morning, everyone. Congratulations on your admission to Hosei University.
I am sure that some of you who have enrolled in Hosei University have entered Japan just before, or are still unable to enter Japan. The spread of the new corona (COVID-19) to the rest of the world has made me keenly aware, along with you, of how much of an international place the university has become. Universities are greatly affected by the state of the world. We must continue to learn and be more aware of how the world is changing.
In the six months prior to entering Hosei University, I am sure that you have had unprecedented experiences in your respective places. What did you feel and think? I think it was a special six months. Students from all over Japan and all over the world have attended lectures online. This special experience in your life will be a great source of nourishment for you later on. I urge you all to look back on these six months when you have a little more time so that you do not waste this special experience in this limited environment.
Most of my meetings and events are now online. Every time I have a meeting online, I am keenly aware of the importance of language. There is an expression in Japanese, "reading the atmosphere. This does not apply online. Although we can see faces and hear voices, we cannot read the subtle expressions on the faces and voices of multiple people at the same time. We chair most of our meetings only through clear verbal and non-verbal exchanges, without being able to see those subtle expressions. Considering this, how appropriate the expression "reading the air" is. One is present and receives the emotions of a relatively large number of people at the same time, from very minute elements indeed. In plays, concerts, and lectures, the best performers, actors, and speakers are able to subtly change their acting, playing, and speech while receiving these emotions. I have a new awareness of the wonder of the human senses that can do this. Reading the atmosphere" is not a bad thing. It is important not to be in tune with the atmosphere, but to receive it and then sharpen one's own expression within that atmosphere. In today's environment, however, we have to change the way we communicate. The new way is to become more sensitive to language and to refine our language.
When the new semester began with online classes at our university, I opened the "Message from the President" page on the university's website. I began by telling first-year students who had never been to campus because they were taking classes at home or abroad, undergraduate and graduate students who had no access to the library, and those who had no part-time jobs, no friends, and no choice but to stay at home how to read books even if they couldn't get into the library. We then introduced books written by alumni who have become authors, as well as books written by former and current faculty members. Once the summer break was over, we solicited submissions from everyone. Then, once the fall semester begins, we will resume again. The library offers digital access to books and articles in English as well as Japanese, so please give it a try.
What I have keenly realized through the "Message from the President" is that neither the university nor myself wish to limit you to your academic work. I hope that you will meet people from countries and regions you have never met before, engage in dialogues with faculty members, and engage in activities you have never done before. I took it for granted that I would be able to do these things in my university life. However, in the past few months, when I was no longer able to do so, I realized anew the importance of such activities.
Under these circumstances, the key is reading. When reading, we are very active in using our logical, investigative, and imaginative faculties: we consult dictionaries for words we don't understand, keep the plot straight in our minds, flip through encyclopedias and timelines for places, seasons, and periods we are unsure of, and try to imagine the characters. As a result, they develop a very tough brain. The tough brain develops writing skills before you know it. Once your writing skills have developed to a certain degree, you will be able to read and write at the same time. In other words, read and write about what you have read. Although everyone's Japanese language ability is different, you should try to read Japanese books, even if only a little at a time. However, reading is not for the purpose of improving your language skills. It is also important to increase the amount of reading in the language you use in your daily life.
In the online class held this spring semester, we heard some students say that it was very difficult for them to complete the assignments. You may experience the same thing in the future. However, as I just mentioned, that difficult experience will definitely help you. If it was a fulfilling time, it will one day become less of a painful memory. I entered Hosei University exactly 50 years ago. After entering the university, I read, wrote, and studied more than I had ever done in my life. What I remember now is how fulfilling and enjoyable it was. I was not forced by anyone, but I chose my own path and was able to do what I wanted to do to the fullest while being shown the way to follow that path by my teachers.
Now, after experiencing this new corona (COVID-19) pandemic, the world and society are changing drastically. The strength of many companies around the world has weakened, but new and unexpected jobs are sure to be created in this situation. Therefore, I hope that you will not give up, but make full use of your own characteristics and abilities and study to the fullest at Hosei University. As you study, please keep your eyes on the trends of society and the world. The world is changing rapidly. The founders of this university also created a school to impart the knowledge necessary for a new society in early modern Japan, a country that has changed dramatically. In this way, the words of the Hosei University Charter, "Practical Wisdom for Freedom," are to aim for an ideal while responding to reality.
Now, I would like to introduce to you, new students, the history of Hosei University as I have just mentioned. The predecessor of Hosei University, Tokyo Hogakusha, started in 1880. This school was founded by three young men in their twenties. They were Kanamaru Magane, 28, Ito Osamu, 25, and Sattva Masakuni, 24. The Ichigaya campus has a multipurpose hall called Sattva Hall. It is named after one of the three founders, the youngest of the three. On the same Ichigaya campus, there is a high-rise school building on the 27th floor. It is called the Boissonade Tower. It is named after Dr. Gustave Émile Boissonade, a Frenchman, whose scholarship formed the basis of the knowledge of Tokyo Hogakusha, where three young men studied law.
Although we Japanese first learned law from the French, the Japanese had already developed a method of learning during the Edo period (1603-1867). The Japanese had already developed a method of learning during the Edo period (1603-1867) in which students not only listened to lectures, but also took turns lecturing to each other and engaging in lively discussions. This was the method of higher education at clan schools and private schools. The three founders of Hosei University were born and raised in the Edo period, and they already possessed the power of discussion and the core of "Practical Wisdom for Freedom," the spirit of the Hosei University Charter.
Since all of you who enroll at Hosei University will also study under the spirit of the Charter, let me introduce the Charter to you here. First of all, the Charter has a motto. We call the motto "Promise. It means the university's promise to society. That promise is the "Practical Wisdom for Freedom" that I have already introduced. The Hosei University Charter is a charter for a broad view of the future of Japan and the world. When you enroll at Hosei University, your studies will be based on this spirit.
Hosei University Charter
Practical Wisdom for Freedom
Hosei University was established at the dawn of modern society,
Aiming at the consciousness of rights and seeking knowledge of law
for the benefit of the many ordinary people who were awakening to a sense of rights and seeking knowledge of the law,
Hosei University was founded by a group of young men and women who were not well known.
Good teachers and good friends gather together, which is expressed in the school's school song,
and a "free academic culture" that respects people's rights and recognizes diversity,
and "enterprising spirit" that aims to realize a fair society without being bound by anything.
The school has nurtured an "enterprising spirit" that seeks to realize a just society without being bound by any preconceptions.
Inheriting this spirit since its foundation
Our mission is to contribute to solving the problems of global society.
To fulfill this mission
To fulfill this mission, we will engage in research with diverse perspectives and foresight,
We will produce independent citizens who are truly committed to free thinking and action for the benefit of society and people.
We will produce independent citizens who are truly committed to free thought and action for the benefit of society and people.
We will produce independent citizens who have a sound critical spirit based on empathy for people from all walks of life, from the local community to the global community, and
and a sound critical spirit based on empathy for people from all walks of life, from the local community to the global community,
We will continue to create "Practical wisdom" that leads to solutions to social issues,
with the ability to survive anywhere in the world.
With the help of our many alumni,
Hosei University will contribute to the future of a sustainable society.
This is the Hosei University Charter. What is "Practical Wisdom for Freedom"? Freedom here means to think for oneself without leaning on authority or organizations, and to live by one's own strength and self-discipline based on one's own ideas. Practical wisdom does not just mean knowledge that is useful in practice, but intelligence that is demonstrated in each field toward an ideal or something socially valuable.
Hosei University is committed to "Practical Wisdom for Freedom," and as part of this commitment, many of our students study abroad, and many come from abroad, making Hosei University one of the global universities in Japan. Many of our graduates are active overseas. Currently, the spread of the new type of coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused a delay in the number of students studying abroad. Some of you may be listening to (or reading) this Commencement Ceremony in your own countries. We will be offering you a variety of ways to learn, including online, on-demand, and, when possible, in-person. The globalization of learning in the future will require a combination of various new methods that respond to the circumstances of the time. We hope that you will not give up on learning in Japan, but rather deepen your learning by finding a method that suits you best, or if you find a better method, by suggesting it to your teachers.
Welcome to Hosei University. I sincerely welcome you all.