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I would like to welcome all of you, as new students, to Keio University. Today marks the beginning of the phenomenal student life experience that awaits you all. I would also like to extend my warm wishes to your families and guardians.

To start off, I would like to read you the Mission of Keio University written by our founder, Yukichi Fukuzawa.

Keio Gijuku is not merely a place for academic pursuit. Its mission is to be a constant source of honorable character and a paragon of intellect and morals for the entire nation and for each member to apply this spirit to elucidate the essence of family, society, and nation. They will not only articulate this essence in words, but also demonstrate it in their actions, and by so doing make Keio a leader of society.

While I imagine that you each have various reasons for choosing to study at Keio University out of the available options, I think that all new students can and should aspire towards the objectives which were introduced in the Mission of Keio University. Each of you will, from this point on, diligently apply yourselves to your studies, pour your heart into extracurricular activities, and meet lifelong friends here, fueled by this mission to achieve excellence as sources of honorable character and paragons of intellect so that you may lead society, and the wider world, in the right direction.

The "Gijuku" of Keio Gijuku is a translation of the British model of the "public school." This school is precisely that, a gathering place for students who have high aspirations to improve and progress the public sphere. Maintaining such aspirations, and persisting in the pursuit of one’s ideals, is no easy matter. However, you have no reason to worry. Your upcoming university life will be spent in the company of your wonderful peers, relying on each other for help, and pushing each other to ever impressive achievements. However, for this to happen, you must stand on your own two feet. Each of you, as individuals, are responsible for upholding your own resolutions and principles. This is the Keio spirit of independence and self-respect; it will be a staunch ally in maintaining your personal integrity and ensuring that you aspire and commit yourself to ever greater heights.　This ethos is also what drives you to esteem the dignity of your fellow students and strive alongside them to further society. Our philosophy here at Keio University means that each and every one of you here is a member of a "leaders' club" where you will seek to understand higher ideals and recognize that this is intrinsically connected to creating a better world. This is the pursuit of the very tenets of democracy.

When you enroll at Keio University, the school sends you a copy of The Autobiography of Fukuzawa Yukichi. This autobiography is one that Fukuzawa completed a mere four years before his death. He spoke candidly about his experiences in front of a stenographer, later adding the finishing touches to the script with his own hand. It's an insightful and moving account, a book that can serve as a compass for the type of life we should aspire to live.

While you are reading through the autobiography, I also would strongly suggest reading Gakumon no Susume (An Encouragement of Learning) as well. If you go to the Japanese version of Keio University's website, there should be a yellow banner with Gakumon no Susume written in katakana. When you click on this, it leads you to a page with a few different imbedded videos. The first couple include Sho Sakurai from the popular band, Arashi. The other videos on the page showcase five athletes: rugby player Wakaba Hara, Paralympian Saki Takakuwa, soccer player Yoshinori Muto, sprinter Ryota Yamagata, and tennis player Shuzo Matsuoka. They all read through An Encouragement of Learning and discussed at length what they appreciated about it. When you pick it up, I highly recommend getting the original and then keeping a modern translation to the side to use for reference. But, of course, any version will suffice.

You might be asking why I am spending so much effort trying to persuade you all to read An Encouragement of Learning. This is because in the days ahead of us, in a time when scientific and medical discoveries are being made at an ever-increasing rate, at a time when businesses evolve at a dizzying pace, it is essential that we preserve our humanity. To do this, the most important ability that a person can possess is the ability to continue learning, to always improve yourself and your surroundings.

The learning environment we have prepared for you here at Keio University is truly diverse. In addition to general education courses and other offerings through your major or faculty, if you just keep your ears open, there are opportunities for you to take a variety of classes, including those offered by leading figures from all over the world. In the space of only two months, Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of NATO, Csaba Kőrösi, the president of the United Nations General Assembly, and Yoon Suk Yeol, the current president of South Korea, all gave talks to students here at Keio, openly engaging with them and answering their questions. We have also created the AI and Advanced Programming Consortium (AIC) so that students from any academic background or year can learn more about programming and artificial intelligence.

Furthermore, the most important role for universities, in some ways, is for students to meet lifelong friends, practice working as a team towards common goals, and to see these goals through to completion, to achieve something. This is why we have such extensive athletic and extracurricular clubs. I hope that you make the most of them.

In aiming to be leaders of society, you must go out, spread your wings, and experience the world. To help you do this, Keio University has formed relationships with over 140 universities and colleges throughout the world so that you can participate in exchange programs, earn a double degree, or engage in other academic pursuits. For students to be selected for official Keio University study abroad programs, they must demonstrate a certain level of proficiency through recognized language exams such as TOEFL or IELTS for English or similar exams for other study abroad locations, acquire these certifications as soon as possible, make an individual plan for what they want to study while abroad and communicate their intentions confidently during screening interviews. Then, when these students take their first step out into the wider world, I believe they will grasp just how important the contributions we all make as individuals are to the healthy and peaceful progress of global society in the future. Even after learning the importance of becoming a lifelong learner here at Keio, the vision and humanity needed to lead this world down the right path can only be gained by combining the experiences found in diverse cultures, people groups, and genders. Go out and experience the world.

In essence, I want you to exhaust all the resources that Keio has and will continue to make available in the future. To give an analogy, picture yourself buying a ticket to go to Tokyo Disneyland. You will want to enjoy the various attractions there, right? It's the same thing. When you pay your tuition to attend Keio University, I want you to have fun and make the absolute most of your student experience by taking the time to read An Encouragement of Learning so that it can shape your mindset of what it means to be a Keio student, keeping a lookout for interesting classes or events on the course registration guide and school website, and appreciating the "attractions" that the faculty and staff here have prepared for you.

More important, though, than any of these resources we have created for you at this university is your determination to refine and enhance your abilities so that you can make society a better place. Here at Hiyoshi Campus, Keio has created the "SDGs Student Conference" as a component of Keio University's "Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)" initiatives. Students are selected from across all of Keio's undergraduate faculties to discuss and propose an overall vision, specific objectives, and attainable targets for Keio University to accomplish to make progress towards its SDGs. This initiative will be accepting new members soon, so don’t take a back seat. Be proactive and participate in activities that will shape society.

We here at Keio believe that it is important for our own progress to reflect the constructive ideas that students propose about how to improve their experiences in our community and society at large. To do this, I would recommend participating in the autonomous student-run "All Keio Student Council." The underlying philosophy of this group is "To cultivate the university and its culture based on the consensus of Keio students." Every year until your graduation, as students at this university, you will pay 750 yen (as a fund collected by Keio along with other academic expenses) for the All Keio Student Council membership fee. At the end of each year, you will then vote to choose a student representative, and any student at Keio is eligible to attend the Student Senate's regular meetings. I would definitely recommend getting a head start on learning how to put together proposals to better society while you are still a student.

Up until now I have focused on the positives, but I would also like to add a final word of caution. In An Encouragement of Learning, Fukuzawa argues that "arresting the wicked and protecting the innocent" is one of the roles of government. In the same way, Keio University will not tolerate anything that attacks the dignity of another person. Keio University demands good character from its community and, should anyone demean the personhood of another individual, even if it cannot be treated as an offense under the law, the university will deal with it strictly. We ask that you be model citizens in our society, living in freedom while also avoiding disturbances to the public good.

At today's ceremony, we are joined by some Keio alumni who graduated from this university fifty years ago. They have come to show their support for you. This represents the biggest point of pride for Keio University. You, along with those who came before, will stand together at the end of this ceremony, and sing the "Juku-ka," our university's alma mater. While the first and third verses are wonderful, I find that the lyrics in the second verse, "Now tread this path of learning far and deep," are a powerful proclamation to continue learning to improve society and to persistently pursue one's ideals. I get chills every time we get to the line, "Our torches in hand will glow with the torches of learning, and they will surely be shining and shining on the path of learning rightly, brightly, too." To chase after ideals, leaders must always bear their torches in hand. During your time here at Keio University and even after you graduate, you will sing this anthem again and again. When you begin to sing the second verse, I hope that you remember this day and the determination that you harbor within you right now.

This is my address to you, the new students of Keio University, as you gather here on the Hill of Hiyoshi and stand at the starting line of your journeys to become leaders: enjoy and make the most of your student experience.

Congratulations to you all.