The AY 2022 Undergraduate Entrance Ceremonies were held on Friday, April 1, at the Hiyoshi Commemorative Hall. This spring, Keio University welcomed a total of 6,578 students into 10 undergraduate faculties, including students entering the Japanese Language Program.
The proceedings were split into two ceremonies, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and participation was limited to new students and some related parties in order to give the utmost consideration to preventing the spread of COVID-19. The morning ceremony was held for the students entering the Faculty of Law, Faculty of Business and Commerce, Faculty of Science and Technology, and the Japanese Language Program. The afternoon ceremony was for students entering the Faculty of Letters, Faculty of Economics, School of Medicine, Faculty of Policy Management, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care, and Faculty of Pharmacy.
At the ceremonies, Vice-President Yoshimitsu Matsuura gave the Incoming Class Report, which was followed by a Welcome Address by President Kohei Itoh. In his address, President Itoh presented the "Mission of Keio University," first conveyed by the founder of Keio University Yukichi Fukuzawa, expressing his hope that each member of the incoming class would become leaders who pursue their ideals. President Itoh's address was followed by the Congratulatory Address, delivered by Professor Keigo Komamura of the Faculty of Law in the morning ceremony, and Professor Yoko Hasebe from the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies in the afternoon ceremony. This was followed by the Matriculation Address, which was delivered by incoming students Keisuke Hara of the Faculty of Law in the morning ceremony, and Tatsuhiro Chiba from the School of Medicine in the afternoon ceremony.
This year's ceremonies were also attended by Keio alumni who graduated 50 years ago. At the end of the ceremonies, the alumni association from their graduating class, the 1972 Mita-kai, presented an inventory of items donated by the association and delivered a speech to the incoming students. The ceremonies then concluded with the "Juku-ka," Keio University’s alma mater, performed by the Wagner Society Orchestra, Wagner Society Male Choir, and Wagner Society Female Chorus, a spectacle not seen at an entrance ceremony for three years.