Commencement Address for the 2024 Academic Year ( Graduate School )
本日、大学院修士課程、専門職学位課程及び博士課程を修了された皆様に、心よりのお祝いを申し上げます。皆様がこれまで積み重ねてこられた、たゆまぬ努力が、本日の学位取得という成果につながったことに、深い敬意を表します。また、皆様を支えてこられたご家族の皆様、指導にあたられた本学の教員をはじめ、関係各位にも、謹んでお慶びを申し上げます。
Now, I imagine that each of you will soon set out toward a new future, armed with your respective degrees. Some of you may choose to pursue further advanced studies and aim for another degree. The future is full of possibilities, and the paths you take will all be unique to you, but there is something I would like all of you who have completed your studies at this graduate school today to keep firmly in mind.
The world is currently facing numerous challenges. With protracted international conflicts, the rise of authoritarian states, global environmental issues, and the threat of new infectious diseases, we have truly entered an era of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity—the so-called VUCA era.Japan, too, is feeling the impact of these issues alongside a decline in international competitiveness, and our sustainability is becoming increasingly fragile due to rising geopolitical risks. Furthermore, here in Kochi Prefecture, challenges such as a declining birthrate and aging population, as well as increasing disaster risks, are becoming more acute than in the rest of the country, and urgent solutions are required.
There is ongoing debate regarding how to address these challenges. In particular, with regard to Japan’s declining international competitiveness, it is considered an urgent priority to increase national wealth through the generation and implementation of innovation, thereby leading the country toward sustainable development. As one solution, the importance of maintaining and increasing the “sum of knowledge” has been proposed. The “sum of knowledge” is expressed as the product of “population size” and “human capability.”Amid a declining population, maintaining and increasing this product requires a significant improvement in quality. Specifically, it is essential not only for more people to receive higher education but also to increase the number of individuals earning master’s and doctoral degrees.
現在、日本の大学院進学率はOECD諸国の中でも低く、博士号取得者の割合も決して多いとは言えません。その一方で、人口当たりの博士号取得者数と、各国の労働生産性には、正の相関があることが示唆されています。これを踏まえ、今後、博士号取得者を増やし、イノベーションを牽引するリーダーを育成することが、日本の発展にとって、極めて重要であるとの認識が高まっています。本日、学位を取得された皆様がまさにこの「知の総和」を増大させ、我が国の未来、さらに世界の未来を切り拓く存在となることを、心から期待しています。
Now, I have used the word “development” several times so far. The English word for “development” is “develop.” Its antonym is “envelop,” which means to wrap or enclose. Development is the process of breaking through one’s own limitations through inner growth—in other words, it is driven by “internal evolution.”The moment of breaking through the shell that once enveloped you is expressed in the prefix “de” of “develop.” In this sense, all of you who have received your master’s and doctoral degrees today are, indeed, at that very moment of breaking through that shell. As you look back on the journey that led to your degrees, I hope that by further enhancing your inner potential and continuing to evolve ceaselessly, you will thrive as leaders who create a sustainable and hopeful future.
I would like to offer my congratulations and wish you all continued success in the future. Congratulations on this special day.
March 24, 2025
Hiroyuki Uchida, President of Kochi University