President Speech 2023

Today, we all gather here to congratulate our class of 2023 as they finish their graduate study at International University of Japan. IUJ happily announces that we can send out 92 masters students from Graduate School of International Relations, 54 masters student from Graduate School of International Management, and 2 PhD student from Graduate School of International Relations.

I would like to congratulate all the graduating students and their families for their hard work during your years of intensive study here on our campus. Both you and all of us can be proud of your wonderful achievement.

Very unfortunately, however, we cannot have Mr. Osoba from Nigeria today with us because he passed away due to illness on May 31^st, less than a month ago. Since we could judge that he has finished all the academic requirements for graduation, we had the special graduation ceremony for him on June 2^nd, attended by his beloved wife and many fellow students. Our staff and many of our students also planned a special candle light service for his memory the next afternoon. He was loved and cherished by many people around him and we all miss him so much.

Now, today is the day that marks the dividing line between the past and the future for all the graduating students. The past you end today is your campus life as students. To commemorate that day, the term graduation is perhaps appropriate. You also begin, however, your new future tomorrow. The future you will begin is your professional life out in the society where you are going to contribute as global leaders. To commemorate that day of beginning, the term commencement seems more appropriate. As many of you know, it is customary to call the graduation ceremony a commencement ceremony in the US for this reason.

Looking back from the commencement day perspective to your past here on our campus, I hope that all of you remember IUJ as two kinds of places, the place where the students can learn about the world and learn about Japan, as well as the place where the world cooperates. These are the two concepts we started to emphasize since I became the president of IUJ six years ago.

We are the place where you can learn the world standard theories in various fields, as well as where you can learn the many logics behind the development history of Japan as the first country in the non-Western world who could industrialize itself.

The second concept of our university is: we are the place ‘where the world cooperates’. We used to say we are the place where the world gathers. It is better, I think, to cooperate rather than just to gather from around the world. We are a place where international cooperation, large and small, emerges so naturally and so often and a place where the students learn how to cooperate smoothly across cultures. International cooperation can be a very natural outcome of our setting.

A wonderful and symbolic example of ‘where the world cooperates’ was an international chorus at the International Festival about a month ago, by our students from many countries together with the Japanese high school students of Kokusai Joho Koko nearby. I was so impressed by both the beautiful harmony I heard and the earnest preparation by many of you.

Looking forward from the commencement day perspective into your future out in the society, the famous passage from Steve Jobs’ commencement address comes to my mind very naturally. Jobs himself never graduated from college, but he gave the commencement address at Stanford University back in 2005, when he was the CEO of Apple.

He ended his impressive speech by quoting two simple sentences he liked so much from his favorite book: Stay hungry. Stay foolish.

I like this so much too.

Please stay hungry for what you want to accomplish in your life after commencement. A whole new life and new future will begin tomorrow, the future with much uncertainty where the only certainty is that you will encounter many difficulties and many obstacles. But we can overcome those obstacles if we stay hungry and stay foolish. Only those who are foolish and optimistic enough and hungry enough for the uncertain future can achieve something very special.

And I believe we are foolish enough, indeed. You were foolish enough to come to IUJ, Isolated University of Japan, in this little town of Urasa two years ago because you expected something very special. I was foolish enough to accept, six years ago, the president job at IUJ, because I thought this unique university with such international diversity is a treasure for Japan.

But, after arriving and spending some time here, all of us have found we were not that foolish after all, because we found this place is like a precious jewel. Jewel like people like you and jewel like countryside and nature. There is something spiritual about the nature around our campus.

People can get energy, on and near campus, from the green fields in summer, the massive white snow in winter and beautiful mountains all year round. Maybe not a spectacular scenery, but from morning mist, bright sunshine, thin clouds and glittering snow, I very often feel I am revived by getting energy from this jewel-like nature. I hope that many of you agree with me.

I know that many students jokingly call IUJ as I and U in Jail. But, IUJ should stand for I and U in Jewel, not Jail.

So, to end my speech today, let us remember to stay foolish and stay hungry. Also, let us remember this special place called IUJ, where both the best cross-cultural interaction among people and the best spiritual interaction with nature occur. You can be proud of such a university and I hope that this is the place you will want to come back often in the future, both in your memory and in person. We will always welcome you.

Congratulations again and good luck to all of you.

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