Today, congratulations to the seven students who have successfully completed the graduation requirements for the bachelor's program and become Bachelors of Science and Engineering. I also extend my respect and congratulations to the nine students who completed graduate school Master’s Course, and the fourteen who completed Doctoral Course and earned the highest degree, the Doctoral (Engineering) degree. I also extend my heartfelt blessings and respect to your families, friends, and academic advisors who have been eagerly awaiting your graduation and completion.

Upon graduation or completion of your studies, you will be moving on to various fields of society. Looking at society on a global scale, with the progress of globalization, problems such as food and resource depletion, climate change, and drastic environmental changes are becoming apparent and spreading on a global scale. Without even mentioning the examples of Iran and Ukraine, conflicts and divisions are occurring constantly. Furthermore, with the development and spread of generative AI such as ChatGPT, the cyber world, consisting of AI, big data, and the internet, is undergoing a major transformation, and our lives are changing dramatically as a result. In addition to this, Japan and Hokkaido are at the forefront of important global issues such as a declining birthrate and aging population, a decrease in the working-age population, and environmental, energy, and depopulation problems, making us, in a sense, a country at the forefront of addressing these challenges. It is up to you, who have deeply studied the fundamentals and applications of science and engineering and have an interest in a wide range of issues, to solve these problems. We expect that you will use the specialized knowledge you have gained at university, the general education you have acquired, and the problem-solving skills you have grasped, and especially those of you who have completed your doctoral studies, to tackle these challenges and create vitality and new value for society.

Our university's philosophy is "Turning dreams into reality through creative science and technology," but since the year before last, we have adopted "Creating future value through genuine curiosity" as our new slogan, based on this philosophy. We sincerely hope that all of you who are now setting sail into the world will put "value creation" into practice in various fields of society. Furthermore, our university strongly desires to continue to be a place that fosters the creation of future value for society.

Now, for those of you entering society, cooperation and collaboration from adjacent or different fields will be more necessary than being limited to a single specialized field. Based on confidence and ability in your area of expertise, keep in mind that collaboration and integration with other fields will lead to better problem-solving, and above all, make sure to communicate and work together with those around you. Around you, more than 40,000 graduates and alumni of our university are already active, raising the Muroran Institute of Technology 's reputation. Please do your best as one of them.

For those of you about to enter society, I am confident that you will make full use of the skills you have acquired at our university and overcome various difficulties, but if you ever hit a dead end in various situations, please consider relying on the university once again. Muroran Institute of Technology will continue to evolve not only as a place for consultations based on trust, but also as a place for collaboration and relearning.

Finally, I sincerely wish you all the many good encounters in Muroran Institute of Technology as your assets, enjoying life in this ever-changing era, feeling and thinking about many things, continuing to learn, and succeeding. I sincerely congratulate you on your glorious beginning, and I extend my greetings.

Congratulations on your graduation, completion of studies, and obtaining your degree today.

September 24, 2026
Muroran Institute of Technology Length Mizushi Matsuda