Speech at the 2024 Entrance Ceremony

This is the speech at the 2024 entrance ceremony.

Opening speech by President

Congratulations to all the new students on your admission. All the current students, faculty and staff are very happy to be able to spend time with you at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology and Technology, which you have entered today, is a national university that has played a major role in supporting Japan's development and connecting it to the world through science and technology, research and development, and nurturing excellent human resources to promote it throughout its long history, and this year marks the 150th anniversary of its founding. Agricultural Training School and the Sericulture Research Institute and Sericulture Experiment Section?, the predecessors of the current Faculty of Agriculture and Faculty of Engineering, were both established in the current Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden in 1874. Our university has played a central role in protecting Japan's food and natural resources, promoting the production and export of world-class silk thread, and becoming a core industry that supported the Japanese economy at the time. Looking back on these 150 years, it seems like an incredibly long and ancient story, but it was also the beginning of a turbulent era, and a time when science and technology evolved dramatically and the lives of human beings changed dramatically as a result of their benefits. Now, cutting-edge science and technology are connecting countries around the world, and in this major movement, opportunities for our students to engage in overseas activities are expanding dramatically.

The year 1874, when Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology was founded, coincidentally also marked the birth of Suzuki Umetaro, one of the renowned researchers whose work is engraved in the history of the university. Many people may already know Suzuki Umetaro, but he is the discoverer of oryzanin, or vitamin B1, as it is now widely known. At that time in Japan, many people lost their lives to a disease called beriberi, but the cause was completely unknown. During that time, Suzuki, as a researcher, made an effort to elucidate the various chemical components contained in food, and eventually discovered that a component contained in rice bran, later called oryzanin or vitamin B1, was the essence that immediately led to recovery from beriberi. Nowadays, everyone knows that vitamins are essential substances that we humans must ingest from food in order to live. However, Suzuki later spoke in his book "Recollections of Vitamin Research" about the unimaginable difficulties that led to this groundbreaking discovery. Even back then, there may have been some fundamental nutritional problem with the Japanese, whose staple food was white rice. Is the protein in wheat and meat eaten in the West better than rice, the staple food of Japan? Does rice carry bacteria that can cause disease? Or why do chickens that are raised only on hospital leftovers eventually become thin and die? While various questions like these arose, the fact that rice bran, which at the time had no value and could only be used as fertilizer, was the essence of uncovering the cause actually hindered many people's understanding and sympathy. Some people even said that there was no way that such a useless substance could contain an important substance that could cure an incurable disease like beriberi. It must have been very important for me to overcome these difficulties and meet people who sympathized with my thoughts and were willing to work with me on research, such as animal experiments and medical verification, which could not be done by a single expert alone.

What this story tells us is that the road to accomplishing great things is difficult, and the more unprecedented and original your ideas are, the harder it is to gain the understanding of those around you, and they are often rejected without any basis. This is not just a story from that time, but is still true in today's society, more than 100 years after the great achievement. In order to achieve great discoveries and important work, you need to have a strong conviction to follow through on your ideas, as well as meeting people who will help you and having the enthusiasm to persuade those around you to understand you. Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology University of Agriculture and Technology hopes to foster a mindset of people who can face such difficulties and to help you achieve great things, and is evolving its education and research environment to make it even better for this purpose. You will probably be able to experience cutting-edge facilities and equipment that you have never seen before on campus, and by meeting many people who gather there, you will have many opportunities to expand your big dreams. Please cherish these many new encounters.

In the same era in which our university is making its history, Chiyo Uno, a cutting-edge female writer who survived and engaged in a variety of talented activities, left behind a famous quote: "Be enthusiastic, be absorbed, and something will be born." I believe that these powerful words reflect the very image that we Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology should walk with our students. I am convinced that our university is a free world where we can fully expand our philosophy. The freedom to be enthusiastic, the freedom to be absorbed, and the freedom to create something. I strongly hope that you will wake up to new things that you can tackle in earnest, discover your own unique personalities and talents that you have not yet noticed, and finally find a purpose in life and find the end of the path that you should walk firmly here at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology of Agriculture and Technology.

I sincerely hope that this memorable day, a huge turning point in your lives as you enroll at this university, will be an irreplaceable and wonderful day of departure for you all, and I would like to conclude my remarks with my congratulations.

Congratulations today.

April 3, 2024
Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Kazuhiro Chiba

Ceremonial Address

Congratulations to all new students on your enrollment. It is a great pleasure for all of us, current students and faculty members, to be with you at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT). TUAT is a national university with a long history of playing a major role in science, technology, and research and development that have supported Japan's development that links Japan to the world, and in fostering outstanding human resources to promote such development. In 1874, both predecessors of the current Faculty of Agriculture and the Faculty of Engineering were established in the same area what is now the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden area, as the Agricultural Training School and the Sericultural Experiment Station, respectively. The University has played a central role in the development of these key industries that supported Japan's economy at that time. Looking back over the past 150 years, it may seem like an incredibly long time ago, but it was the beginning of an era of great upheaval and dramatic advances in science and technology, the benefits of which have greatly changed the lives of humankind. Now, with the world's most advanced science With the advances of technology and leadership, we are connected to countries around the world, and opportunities for our students to engage in overseas activities are dramatically expanding in that great movement.

The year 1874, when TUAT was born, coincidentally also happens to be the birth year of Dr. Umetaro Suzuki, one of the most famous researchers in the history of TUAT. As many of you may know, Dr. Umetaro Suzuki was the discoverer of Oryzanin, or Vitamin B1, which is now widely known. At that time, many people in Japan were dying from a disease called beriberi, the cause of which was not known at all. In those days, Dr. Umetaro Suzuki, as a researcher, devoted himself to the elucidation of various chemical components in foods, and eventually discovered that one component in rice bran, later called Oryzanin or Vitamin B1, was the essence of what immediately brought about the recovery of beriberi. Today, everyone knows that vitamins are essential substances that we must ingest externally in order to live. However, he later wrote in his book, "Retrospective of Vitamine Research" that the process leading up to this major discovery was unimaginably difficult. Since that time, he has He wondered whether there might be some intrinsic nutritional problem with Japanese people who eat white rice as their staple food. Is the protein in wheat and meat eaten in the West superior to that in Japanese rice? Whether rice has some disease-causing bacteria attached to it, or whether raising chickens fed only hospital leftovers would eventually lead to the chickens becoming thin and dying. Amidst these various questions, the fact that rice bran, which at the time had no value at all and could only be used as a fertilizer at best, was the essence of the cause of the disease, conversely, hindered the understanding and sympathy of many people. Some people even suggested that there could not possibly be an important substance in such a useless substance that could cure beriberi. Overcoming such difficulties, he said that it was very important to meet people who sympathized with his wishes and were willing to help him with animal experiments and medical verifications, which one expert alone could not do, as well as to promote his research.

What this story tells us is that the road to accomplishing a great work is a difficult one, and the more unprecedented and original it is, the harder it is to gain the understanding of those around you, and the more often you are denied without any basis in fact. This is by no means a story only of those days, but is exactly the same today, already more than 100 years later since that feat. In order to make a great discovery or accomplish an important task, it is essential to have strong conviction, to meet people who can help you, and to have the enthusiasm to persuade others to understand you. TUAT strongly hopes to nurture your mindset as a person who can face such difficulties, and to encourage you to play an active role in your field. We are sure that, in the campuses, you will have opportunities to experience state-of-the-art facilities and equipment that you have probably never seen before, and to meet many people who will collaborate and help you develop your dreams. Please cherish these new encounters.

In the powerful words of Ms. Chiyo Uno, who lived through the same era of TUAT's history as a leading female writer and developed various activities with full of talent, "Be passionate, become absorbed, and something is born" is exactly the way we walk with our students at TUAT. And I am convinced that TUAT has a world of freedom that greatly expands this philosophy. The freedom to be enthusiastic, the freedom to be absorbed, and the freedom to create something. I strongly hope that you will wake up to something new and serious, discover your personality and talents that you have not yet noticed, and finally find your purpose in life and the path that you should firmly follow here at TUAT.

I would like to conclude my words of congratulations by wishing you all a wonderful and irreplaceable start on this momentous and memorable day of your life, the moment you enter TUAT. I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to you today.

April 4, 2024
Kazuhiro Chiba,
President of Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology