Speech Text

Congratulations to all of you here today who have earned your doctoral or master's degrees. Your constant perseverance in your studies and research has brought you to this auspicious day. I also want to acknowledge and celebrate the family and other supporters who have aided you along your journeys.

Today, the percentage of 18-year-olds in Japan who go on to a four-year university is over 57%. By global standards, this enrollment rate is very high. If we also include those entering junior colleges and vocational schools, the percentage of high school graduates who go on to higher education rises to 84%. It is very reasonable to say that higher education, especially at universities, is a prevalent presence in Japan.

But what of the data for those going on to graduate school? The percentage of those in Japan under 30 years old who go on to a master's program is extremely low at only 7.4%, a mere third of the average for OECD countries, which is measured at 20.4%. The percentage of the same age group who go on to a doctoral program is 0.7%. That's half the OECD average of 1.5% and less than a fifth of Switzerland, the top OECD country, which boasts a percentage of 3.8%. What do these low percentages mean? Does Japanese society not value doctoral or master's degrees? Are the people who go on to graduate programs a peculiar phenomenon? Keio University does not see it that way.

When I was born some sixty years ago in the 1960s, the enrollment rate in Japan for four-year universities was around 20%. Since only one in five high school graduates continued on to university, being able to go to one was extraordinarily special. However, after sixty years, the percentage of students going on to higher education nearly tripled, reaching 57%. As Japanese society developed, going to university went from being an unrealistic aspiration to a feasible goal. People in general have come to see it as a natural extension of compulsory education. The university went from being something extraordinary to being something ordinary. If that's the case, what is the next special thing? In other words, what kind of education is "special" now? The answer, as you know, is graduate school.

In fact, all of you who are receiving your degrees today know better than anyone else that the research and studies you pursued in graduate school will be treasured for a lifetime.

First of all, you have demonstrated more curiosity than most and possess the ability to immerse yourselves completely in what you love. That curiosity is the driving force that moves society forward. Curiosity compels you to dive into your field of study and to explore various other disciplines and social issues. Curiosity is the key to knowing different people and having a diverse array of exchanges. Without curiosity, there can be no new ideas or questions. People who ask good questions at lectures and comparable forums are invariably curious people. As a result of their curiosity, they accumulate a plethora of rich educational experiences and consequently demonstrate extensive knowledge and a high level of logical thinking. Curious people know also how to spark curiosity among others. They are interesting and persuasive when speaking because they can be in tune with others' inquisitive natures. They are also good writers. They are able to impress readers because they know how to craft their words to suit their audience. Curiosity leads to a positive life. Curious people are able to actively do things rather than waiting around passively for things to happen. All of you receiving your degrees today have truly honed your curiosity and have completed your doctoral or master's program, attaining something more than what you would get from a four-year university. You excel in the ability to identify the root of a problem on your own and find a solution, just as you excel in the ability to learn how to confront whatever challenge is presented to you. As such, you are true graduates of higher education.

The faculty and staff of Keio University all believe that your experience at Keio University will be the start of a virtuous cycle in your life. You have studied and researched with the best faculty at Keio. I believe that the advanced level of research offered here will make itself especially apparent once you enter the workforce. You will be surrounded by some of the world's best minds as you work on your research and projects. At that time, you will be surprised to find that you are not lacking in abilities at all, and you will gain a great deal of confidence. You will then naturally go on to play an important role at the global level. True to the purpose of Keio University, each of you will develop as leaders of all society. Leaders enhance each other through synergy. It is precisely this synergy that makes Keio's alumni network so strong. Moving forward, I hope that you will make full use of the Mita-kai alumni network, and connect with graduates from other universities and people around the world to develop a more prosperous, peaceful, and rewarding world in the future. Continue to connect with Keio University as your alma mater. After graduating, please continue to support our community by keeping up to date with the latest news on Keio's website and other social media platforms.

In addition to staying connected to Keio throughout the remainder of your life, I have one more request. The Keio website periodically publishes my "Notes from the President's Office," which you can read there. In my most recent entry, I introduce an article I had written titled The Crisis of Japan and the University: A Reconsideration. I would like you to read it. The article begins as follows:

In Aesop's fable, The Tortoise and the Hare, a race is held between two creatures. The hare is faster, but due to letting its guard down to take a nap, it loses the race to the tortoise who continued at a slow and steady pace the entire time. The moral of the story as it was told to us in Japan was that "good things come to those who persevere like the tortoise." However, everything is a matter of perspective. In Disney's animated adaptation of the Tortoise and the Hare, the lesson for American children watching was that "If you are lazy like the rabbit, you'll lose even when your opponent, like the tortoise, seems destined to fail." In the end, it appears as though Americans see themselves as the rabbit, while Japanese people identify with the tortoise.

In my article, I then move on to compare the rabbit and the tortoise and what they signify, asking whether universities and Japan are actually in crisis. If they are, what are these crises? I would like to conclude my speech by saying that "Notes from the President's Office No. 11" carries many themes relevant to those of you here today, so I challenge you to think of it as one final prerequisite for earning your degree. I hope, and indeed trust, that you will all contribute to academia and society on the world stage. Congratulations once again on your graduation!