• Undergraduate School of Science and Technology
• Graduate School of Science and Technology Master’s
• Graduate School of Science and Technology Doctoral

　

Undergraduate School of Science and Technology
Degree Conferral Ceremony for the 2022 Academic Year

　On behalf of Kyoto Institute of Technology, today I would like to express my sincere congratulations to all of you on this occasion of your graduation from the Faculty of Science and Technology of Kyoto Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Engineering or a Bachelor of Agriculture degree.
　Finally, this April, we will be able to return to an almost pre-corona lifestyle. Over the past three years, as we encountered wave after wave of novel coronavirus cases, you had an experience of university life that must have been far from the one you envisioned before entering KIT. It must have been quite uncomfortable and frustrating for you to be in a situation over which you had no control and where there was no end in sight. I understand that you chose to spend your precious time as a university student, even though you could have had so many other experiences.
　However, having steadily persisted with your studies and diligently worked away on your graduation research or graduation project, at last, you have now arrived at the moment of your commencement ceremony. For this, I salute you. I would also like to commend those of you who have devised ways to overcome adversity you faced, as well as those who, despite various limitations, have searched for what they could do and have achieved meaningful results.
　For you who are among the “Corona Generation,” it is likely that your stories of hardships not experienced by recent generations and your stories of your own efforts will become a distinguishing feature in your life. In the future, it will be meaningful for you to look back on these years.
　Now that I have conferred a bachelor’s degree on you, I would like to restate the Diploma and Degree Conferment Policies of Kyoto Institute of Technology School of Science and Technology to underline your accomplishment.　
　The Diploma Policy is a statement of the concepts and abilities required for the awarding of this undergraduate degree. It specifies the academics and guidance needed to achieve the “educational and research objectives” of each faculty and program. Further, KIT’s School of Science and Technology “Degree Conferment Policy” states that the purpose of education and research” is to nurture the international science and engineering professionals we call Tech Leaders, who have a broad education, high ethical standards, and can contribute to industry, society and culture in the 21st century by conceiving and leading the execution of solutions.
　You have earned credit for courses designed to enable you to acquire the four elements of technical competency in each course: professional competence, leadership, foreign language skills, and personal development. You have fulfilled these graduation requirements.
　As a member of the “Corona Generation,” however, you may lack face-to-face experience in international exchange and group work. This is by no means your own fault. It was unavoidable. We ask that you be keenly aware of this and make use of opportunities to improve on any deficits on your own.
　As you are aware, the world is facing not only new coronavirus infections, but also a combination of social unrest, including global warming issues, earthquake disasters and floods. This has been compounded by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. As stated in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, I believe that we are now entering an era in which the values of our post-Industrial Revolution social system are undergoing a major transformation. Some argue that the digital transformation known as DX will cause a great reset of social disparity, climate change, and the general status quo. More than ever before, we are looking to information technology and other fields for solutions.
　In Japan, we face the issues of a declining working population due to our aging demographic, a falling birthrate, and the decline of rural area populations due to the exodus of people to large cities. These issues remain unresolved and are increasing in severity. Nationwide, the number of people in your school year is about 1.2 million, while that of my generation was roughly 2 million. For the people born in 2022 this will be less than 800,000. This is equivalent to 40% of my generation’s population and less than 70% of yours. Technological innovation is necessary not only to improve productivity, but also to construct new value as it relates to individual ways of life.
　We have high expectations for those of you graduating today as Tech Leaders who will lead exactly this type of technological innovation.
　I do not think the “in my day” experiences of the older generation, including myself, will necessarily be useful to you. I hope that you will assess the situation on your own, think independently, lead innovation through discussions, make decisions, and cooperate with your colleagues.
　Whether you will be continuing your studies at graduate school or entering the workforce, I wish you Tech Leaders all the best and hope that you will contribute greatly to science, industry, and culture around the world in the years to come.
I am rooting for you!

Dr. Kiyotaka Morisako,
President, Kyoto Institute of Technology
March 24, 2023

Graduate School of Science and Technology Master’s
Degree Conferral Ceremony for the 2022 Academic Year

　Congratulations to all of you who are to receive your master’s degrees from the Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kyoto Institute of Technology (KIT) today. On behalf of Kyoto Institute of Technology, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to you.
Since the establishment of the Graduate School of Science and Technology in 1988, we have conferred master’s degrees to 12,014 students. Today, we are pleased to announce the conferral of master’s degrees No. 12,015 through 12,501.
　During the period of your master’s degree studies, you may have experienced various restrictions due to the spread of the pandemic that interrupted your study and/or research. As president of KIT, I commend all of you who are here to receive a master’s degree at today’s commencement ceremony, for your continued efforts in pursuing your studies and persisting with your master’s research or projects,
I would also like to express my gratitude to the faculty members who supervised you, and to your family and other concerned individuals who have provided additional support.
　Now that you have earned your Master’s of Engineering or Master’s of Agriculture degree, you have also become a “Tech Leader.” This is a master’s level of advanced professional engineer competence as defined by our university. Many of you will go out into the world as Tech Leaders. Some of you will continue with your studies and become doctoral-level Tech Leaders. You may be familiar with the definition of a tech leader, but on this, the occasion of your master’s degree completion, I would like to remind you that a Tech Leader is “a person who can successfully lead projects that address a range of social issues by exercising leadership in a global setting using specialized knowledge and skills.
　By the way, I am sure you have noticed that social and living conditions in our country have visibly changed over the past three years. For example, online classes, web conferencing, and teleworking have become commonplace. The information society, which the Japanese government has been referring to as “Society 4.0” since the late 1990s, has become our new normal. Furthermore, you may have noticed that we are entering the world of “Society 5.0,” where IoT and AI are being used in a variety of ways, and new values are transforming industry and society through systems that fuse cyberspace and physical space.
　The world has also experienced a combination of social unrest, not only from COVID-19, but also from global warming issues, earthquakes, floods, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Japan is seeing inflationary trends for the first time in decades as imports of energy, grains, and other commodities have tightened. While the country has continued to struggle to escape the economic stagnation and industrial slump that followed the bursting of the bubble economy in the early 1990s,
I am pleased to note that some shifts toward a reversal of this are beginning to emerge. We are relying on you, as tech leaders, to be a part of these reforms.
　One such reform is the spread of skills-based and performance-based hiring. Many Japanese companies have had a membership-based (lifetime) employment system, but this is gradually being replaced by a system where people are employed to fill specific roles. In addition, the conventional seniority-based personnel system is beginning to be questioned even in major Japanese corporations.Many of you will be joining a company in April. What system does that company follow?
　Skill-based employment with annual salaries, where a job description, the ability to handle it, and performance are the basis for compensation, is an advantageous system for Tech Leaders, but you will need to constantly update and expand your technical skills.
　As I have explained, we are in the midst of major change taking place in a variety of phases. I am from your grandparents’ generation, but we now live in a world where the experiences of our parents’ generation do not necessarily apply. Will “This is the way it’s always been done.” continue to work? I don’t think so.
　Once again, those of you receiving your master’s degree today are qualified Tech Leaders. I ask that you remain aware of this status and maintain a “This is exciting!” and “This is energizing!” attitude toward the projects you undertake. I believe that KIT’s “design thinking” and “art thinking” will prove to be invaluable to you.
　We at KIT are sincere in our support of you and your work. I wish you all the very best in your contributions to science, industry, and culture around the world, and again, extend my heartfelt congratulations to you.

Dr. Kiyotaka Morisako,
President, Kyoto Institute of Technology
March 24, 2023

Graduate School of Science and Technology Doctoral
Degree Conferral Ceremony for the 2022 Academic Year

　Today, I am pleased to congratulate all of you who have completed the Kyoto Institute of Technology Graduate School of Science and Technology doctoral program, and will receive your doctoral degree in either science or engineering. On behalf of Kyoto Institute of Technology, I sincerely applaud your effort and achievements.
　I am prepared to confer Doctor of Engineering degrees 1070 through 1096 on this occasion and excited to know that your research findings will now be added to the library of KIT’s intellectual property. Your dissertation will now be available to the public. We all expect your research results to be utilized for future technological and industrial innovation in your respective fields, and that you will go on to contribute to the development of science and the expansion of culture. I would like to extend my heartfelt compliments to all of you for your perseverance in carrying out your research and for succeeding in compiling your dissertations during the challenging circumstances surrounding the spread of the pandemic. I would also like to express my gratitude to the faculty members who supervised you, and to your family and other concerned individuals who have provided additional support.
　Over the past three years, as we encountered wave after wave of COVID-19 cases, it became clear that the purpose of information technology in Japan is not simply for games, cell phones, and internet use. It is also a utility, a fundamental and essential technology that enables our survival and by extension, that of society. During your study for this degree, you have most certainly had occasion to present papers at virtual academic conferences, participate in online research group report sharing, and attend international conferences online. The time has now come for face-to-face meetings to begin, but not everything will revert to pre-pandemic ways and means. I believe that times have changed and we will see a combination of online and in-person meetings prevailing in the future. I think that you will find that from now on, organizers will adopt either actual or virtual meeting styles according to what is best suited to the aims of a particular event.
　As you are aware, the pandemic caused a shortage of semiconductors, and supply chain problems have emerged. This has been compounded by the energy and food supply problems accompanying Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. There is also pressure to address the United Nations’Sustainable Development Goals of carbon neutrality and zero carbon emissions.
　I believe that we are now entering an era in which the values of our post-Industrial Revolution social system are undergoing a major transformation. Worldwide, the digital transformation known as DX is upon us. Some argue that DX will induce and promote innovation in all technologies and cause a great reset of social disparity, climate change, and general status quo. Our expectations of solutions from information technology and other fields are higher than ever.
　The fact that you have completed your doctoral degree is itself, highly commendable. You have a right to be proud and elated. I ask that you be aware that you now stand on a new platform, with a view of a different landscape, and can take action with regard to new challenges. It is my hope that you will go beyond what you have been assigned to do, while maintaining an awareness of what is required of you and of what you must do as the holder of a doctoral degree in order to realize a desirable future for us all. I know you will be active in your respective fields.
　After you leave KIT, we hope that you, in your role as doctoral engineer or researcher, will think back on your time here and offer us your frank opinions on, and cooperation with, our undertakings.
　In closing, once again I congratulate you and wish you all the best in your future contributions to science, industry, and culture around the world.

Dr. Kiyotaka Morisako,
President, Kyoto Institute of Technology
March 24, 2023