AY 2026 Undergraduate Entrance Ceremony Address
April 1, 2026
Professor Kohei Itoh
President, Keio University
To all new students here today at Keio University, welcome. I would also like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the family members and friends gathered for this special occasion. At today's ceremony, we are joined by Keio alumni who graduated from this university fifty years ago. They have come to show their support for you.
As we begin, I would first like to read "The Mission of Keio University" as articulated by our founder, Yukichi Fukuzawa. It reads as follows.
"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 doing so make Keio a leader of society."
In line with this mission, 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 desire 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. Your upcoming life as Keio students will be spent with your wonderful peers, excellent faculty members, and a rich environment. You will rely on each other for help and push each other to ever increasing and impressive achievements. Each of you, as individuals, is 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 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 at Keio University means that each and every one of you here is a member of a "pioneers' 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. The alumni celebrating this occasion with you here today on their fiftieth anniversary have themselves lived out these ideals and contributed greatly to the development of Keio. I hope you will participate in this ceremony while taking their encouragement and expectations to heart.
Ultimately, each of you chose this university for one reason: to aspire to become a modern-day Yukichi Fukuzawa. To that end, when you enroll at Keio, the school sends you a copy of The Autobiography of Fukuzawa Yukichi. Reading it reveals that Fukuzawa was a person brimming with curiosity who lived a life of extraordinary freedom. However, this freedom was not something handed down to him. For those with the ambition to study, work, build up their skills, and produce results, the feudal system in which he spent his youth was a highly restrictive environment. No matter how hard you tried, your position in society was fixed. Yet in spite of these circumstances, Fukuzawa pushed forward in his learning in order to gain his personal freedom and independence.
Fukuzawa once said, "Support the nation, but do not rely upon the nation." Looking at Japan today, you sometimes see people expressing opinions that show a heavy reliance on what the country can do for them, such as demanding it to lower the consumption tax or to fund industries they're personally involved in. Many people tend to set modest goals: to enter what society deems a good university, join a good company, earn a decent salary, live in an adequately comfortable home, and have a reasonably pleasant family life. And if they can check those boxes, they're satisfied. Fukuzawa warned against this way of thinking as far back as 150 years ago. The promise that a nation's people make to the heavens should be far greater than that; it should be a commitment to contribute to society's progress. Fukuzawa argued that the most essential foundation for making such contributions is freedom and independence. For that reason, the role of the state is to guarantee the freedom and independence of its citizens while restraining any wrongdoing. Although guaranteeing freedom and independence is the most challenging task for any country to accomplish, that is precisely what its people must demand from it. It is when each and every citizen is truly free that they can exercise their own will to step up to the challenge of supporting their country. They can look beyond the horizon and compete boldly on the world stage, whether in research or in the global marketplace. At the same time, one cannot overstate the importance of security. It is the country's responsibility to restrain those who would do harm.
The most important qualities an individual needs to have to support their country are high aspirations and an insatiable sense of curiosity. That means having the drive to take on formidable challenges for the sake of your peers, Japan, and the development of the world. It would be very difficult to hone this drive later in life. That is why during your university years you must broaden your global perspective, set high-reaching goals, and learn to strive toward them. There are no shortcuts. Like Fukuzawa, become a bundle of curiosity. Take an interest in everything you encounter and in every person you meet. Try many different things, and when you discover something you truly love, devote yourself to it wholly. This kind of path led by your curiosity, which may be seen only as a waste of time or a detour by some people, is the most valuable of all. If you look up the antonym of curiosity, you may find words like apathy or indifference. But in my view, the true opposite of curiosity is calculation: acting only after weighing your personal gains and losses. If you can already calculate the outcome, it means you are considering only choices with predictable results. Instead of simply following the rails laid out before you, ask yourselves: what might the world have in store for you if you venture beyond them? During your time as Keio students, dispel those conventional goals of just entering a good university and joining a good company. Instead, follow your curiosity and engage it with gusto every day. I hope you will cultivate that sense of excitement for challenges here at Keio.
Keio University provides meticulously thought-out curricula for you, as well as extracurricular activities like the athletic association clubs and other student groups. It offers opportunities to hone your global mindset by hosting lectures by prominent figures from abroad and offering exchange programs. Our greatest joy as a university is to see students filled with curiosity make full use of these resources. Lead free and independent lives as Keio students, transcending all boundaries like Fukuzawa did, voraciously deepening your studies, immersing yourself in books and electronic resources from the world's largest libraries, interacting with faculty and staff, and actively engaging with the community even beyond the campus. Right now is the time you have the privilege of youth, a flexible mind, good health, and the leeway to fail and pick yourself up again and again. This is this precise time that you should continue to take on real challenges during your time as an undergraduate student, letting your curiosity lead you to new places. By challenging yourself in this way, you will naturally find high-reaching aspirations taking root within you.
Now, I have some good news for you. Over the next three years, Keio University has set itself to become the world's top human-centered AI-native university. We will build this together with you, and so you have entered Keio at exactly the right moment. When I say "human-centered," I mean a campus that brings people together to develop cutting-edge AI systems, and compete at the vanguard of AI technology. Generative AI can answer almost any question, so it is easy to see it as your friend. But you must push further. Use AI to elevate your aspirations and refine your own abilities. To that end, you must constantly feel as though you are competing with AI. When using AI for study or work, you must always act as its supervisor. You must not only give it precise instructions, examine its output carefully, correct its mistakes, and fill in gaps, but you must also provide it new directions as you continue to apply your own originality and creativity in order to reach higher levels. Generative AI excels at problems when there are clear-cut answers. But when there is no single correct answer, only you, as students of Keio, have the ability and the drive to find one.
Last month, Japan's Prime Minister Takaichi meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump became a big topic of discussion. During the meeting, President Trump requested for Japan to dispatch naval vessels to reopen the closed Strait of Hormuz. It was reported that in response, Prime Minister Takaichi explained in clear and exact terms that legally, there are things that Japan can and cannot do, to which the president nodded. The Prime Minister's main point seemed to be to explain that in the Constitution of Japan exists Article 9, under which certain constraints are placed, and that Japan is bound through such regulations and laws. It would not have been possible for members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to give this kind of explanation. Should we protect our independence with the sword or with the pen? Japan chooses the latter through its constitution and laws. We pursue academics and discourse for freedom and independence. That is why I ask you to deepen your learning for that very purpose here at Keio University. The more complex and far-reaching an issue is, the more vital it is to collaborate with other people. AI can assist with preparing and analyzing materials, but the final decisions must be made through cooperation with other human beings. You must work together in these collaborative endeavors. At the end of today's ceremony we will sing the Juku-ka, the school anthem of Keio University. Reflect on the meaning of the lyrics, paying special heed to the second verse: "Taking up the torch, the burning light of wisdom, to light our righteous journey." When you sing this part, imagine yourselves raising that torch in your hearts and continuing to elevate your aspirations.
My speech has focused on the positive aspects of life at Keio up to now, but I would like to make one final note of warning. At Keio, we do not tolerate any infringements upon the dignity of others. Recall that Keio's purpose is to be a "source of honorable character." The standard required here is thus extremely high, and the university will take strict action against any inappropriate behavior, even if it is not punishable by law. Be role models for society even when enjoying your freedom. With the support of your community, spread your wings, and take flight!
Today, I am delighted to stand together with all of you incoming students here on the hilltop of Hiyoshi Campus to deliver these words of encouragement. This is the starting line for your leadership journey. Enjoy your college life to the fullest. Congratulations to you all!