2025 Spring Entrance Ceremony speeches by Naoto Ohtake, president and CEO
Science Tokyo President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Naoto Ohtake
April 2, 2025
Speech to bachelor's program students
Good morning, everyone.
The Science Tokyo community is pleased to welcome students, parents, family members, staff, and friends to the 2025 Spring Entrance Ceremony for bachelor’s program students. We are here to celebrate all the new students joining us today.
We also want to acknowledge your guardians and families, and express our gratitude for the time and effort they have dedicated to your lives.
On this special day, we extend a warm welcome to the 1,471 students entering the bachelor's degree program, including the transfer students joining us from other institutions. I am sure all of you have been waiting eagerly for this day to come, and finally, it is here.
Congratulations！
Science Tokyo was established on October 1st, 2024, bringing together Tokyo Medical and Dental University and Tokyo Institute of Technology.
By the way, Can you imagine what these goods are? The Science Tokyo Lego Club prepared the university logos for the two predecessor universities and for Science Tokyo. I'd like to show them to you. The Plum, left hand side is the logo of TMDU, Swallow with a window, the right hand side, is the logo of Tokyo Tech, and the middle is Science S, our Science Tokyo’s logo. They are really wonderful! I hope you enjoy the extracurricular experiences as much as the classes.
You are the inaugural spring cohort to enroll at Science Tokyo. I would like to thank you for leading the way and writing the initial pages of the Institute's history. I encourage you to dedicate yourselves to study in your chosen fields of science, engineering, medicine, dentistry, and healthcare, while remembering your original goals. I also encourage you to socialize with people from different fields. As President and CAO Tanaka mentioned, there are various opportunities for first-year science and engineering students to study together with students from the medical and dental sciences.
In the 21st century, the world appears to be experiencing two remarkable changes. Firstly, while human beings still desire a convenient and comfortable life, there is a growing call to seek harmony with the Earth, and to achieve a productive yet agreeable coexistence with science and technology. This requires a greater understanding of society, including both people and the planet we inhabit. And secondly, the ways we use information continue to accelerate in various directions. This means that humans are increasingly conducting their activities in the virtual space, in addition to the physical world.
Science Tokyo is expected to play an important role in these changes. To do so, we must embrace diversity as a primary source of creativity and expand our global reach to help solve problems that affect all of humankind. Issues such as carbon neutrality and emerging infectious diseases cannot be tackled by individual nations alone. Through multicultural, cross-border collaboration that views problems from varying spatial and temporal perspectives, we can share not only the weight of these challenges and the accountability of our actions, but also the fruits of our efforts when we realize a better, brighter future together.
Science Tokyo is “a university dedicated to fostering a better and brighter life, society, and planet." From today, you are all important members of a courageous team that supports one another and devotes itself to creating a better tomorrow.
So, let me leave you with a question. As you begin your life at Science Tokyo, will you study simply to earn a degree from the Institute? Or will you explore the unknown, create your own way, and shape the future that you desire? From today, the choice is yours.
Once again, congratulations to you all. I warmly welcome you into this newly formed community of shared discovery -- and creation.
Thank you very much.
Speech to master's and doctoral program students
Good afternoon, everyone.
The Science Tokyo community is pleased to welcome students, parents, family members, staff, and friends to the 2025 Spring Entrance Ceremony for master’s and doctoral program students. We are here to celebrate all the new students joining us today.
We also want to acknowledge your guardians and families, and express our gratitude for the time and effort they have dedicated to your lives.
On this special day, 1,721students enter the master's degree program,
32 students enter the professional master's degree program, and 606 students enter the doctoral degree program at Science Tokyo. I am sure all of you have been waiting eagerly for this day to come, and finally, it is here.
Congratulations！
New students of Science Tokyo: I want to assure you that, starting from today, you are all part of a diverse, inclusive community. We are all here to support you, regardless of the path that has brought you here. Despite the difficult challenges that the world has faced in recent years, Science Tokyo is firmly committed to creating a better and brighter life, society, and planet while improving learning opportunities for students.
Science Tokyo was established on October 1, 2024, bringing together Tokyo Medical and Dental University and Tokyo Institute of Technology. You are the inaugural spring cohort to enroll at Science Tokyo. I would like to thank you for leading the way and writing the initial pages of the Institute's history. I encourage you to dedicate yourselves to study and research in your chosen fields of science, engineering, medicine, dentistry, and healthcare, while remembering your original goals. I also encourage you to socialize with people from different fields to create new friendships and opportunities for collaboration.
In the 21st century, the world appears to be experiencing two remarkable changes. Firstly, while human beings still desire a convenient and comfortable life, there is a growing call to seek harmony with the Earth, and to achieve a productive yet agreeable coexistence with science and technology. This requires a greater understanding of society, including both people and the planet we inhabit. And secondly, the ways we use information continue to accelerate in various directions. This means that humans are increasingly conducting their activities in the virtual space, in addition to the physical world.
Science Tokyo is expected to play an important role in these changes. To do so, we must embrace diversity as a primary source of creativity and expand our global reach to help solve problems that affect all of humankind. Issues such as carbon neutrality and emerging infectious diseases cannot be tackled by individual nations alone. Through multicultural, cross-border collaboration that views problems from varying spatial and temporal perspectives, we can share not only the weight of these challenges and the accountability of our actions, but also the fruits of our efforts when we realize a better, brighter future together.
With an open and global perspective, Science Tokyo aims to redefine science to include technology, medicine, and social systems. I also invite you, the founding students of the Institute, to adopt a broader, more inclusive approach — a pan-science approach — in your studies and research. Let us join forces so we can expand and develop academic fields based on our shared understanding of people, society, and nature, and create new value together.
Once again, congratulations to you all. I warmly welcome you into this newly formed community of shared discovery -- and creation.
Thank you very much.
Contact
Administrative Affairs Group, Administrative Affairs Division
Email adm.aff@adm.isct.ac.jp