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Commencement Address

Soichiro Nakamura
President, Shinshu University

Congratulations on your graduation and the completion of your degrees.
Together with our distinguished guests, families, and friends, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to each of you.

Standing here today and looking at all of you, I feel a deep sense of pride and emotion. Your years at this university were not always easy. There were moments of joy and moments of uncertainty. There were days when things did not go as planned. Yet every step you have taken has brought you to this day.

When many of you first entered this university, society was in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Classes were conducted mainly online. Face-to-face discussions were limited, and even casual conversations with friends were often restricted. In those uncertain times, some of you may have wondered what to study and what path to pursue. Yet despite these challenges, you never stopped learning.

Today, our world stands at a profound turning point.

The very foundations of the international order are being shaken. In many places, cooperation is giving way to the logic of power. Across the world, intolerance is quietly but steadily spreading. Differences of opinion increasingly lead not to dialogue but to division. Careful deliberation is often replaced by quick judgment. Complex problems are simplified, and differing perspectives are excluded in the search for reassurance.

At the same time, the rapid development of generative AI has brought us unprecedented convenience. When we enter a question, an answer appears instantly. Vast amounts of information are organized for us, and what appears to be an optimal solution is presented with remarkable speed.

Yet behind this convenience, an important question arises.

Are we gradually surrendering our ability to think deeply for ourselves?

The habit of seeking answers before deepening our questions, the tendency to rush to conclusions before careful reflection—in our pursuit of efficiency, we may be quietly losing the precious time for thoughtful reflection.

The expansion of intolerance and the outsourcing of thinking are not unrelated.

If we lose the ability to continue questioning, we also lose the ability to imagine the perspectives of others.
If we do not take time to think deeply, we lose the capacity to accept different views.

That is why what is needed today is human inner strength.

This strength does not appear only when circumstances are favorable.
It is the ability to pose our own questions, to think for ourselves, and to take responsibility for our decisions even in uncertain conditions. It is the resilience to rise again after failure. It is the strength to resist easy answers and to endure complexity.

This is the strength that will truly matter in the years ahead.

AI can provide answers.
But human beings choose meaning.
AI can suggest optimal solutions.
But human beings bear responsibility for the consequences.

I believe this human inner strength the ability to transform chaos into order.

It is the capacity to continue engaging in dialogue and to weave a better order even in the midst of uncertainty. It is a strength grounded not in the quantity of knowledge, but in character and experience.

A university exists to cultivate precisely this kind of depth.

At Shinshu University, we have sought to nurture individuals who can respond to the demands of such times and create new value for society. We call them Transformers.

A true Transformer possesses both the power to implement social change and the capacity to continue adapting to change. Such individuals combine firm conviction with resilient flexibility.

The question before you is simple.
Will you be shaped by circumstances or will you shape them?

The answer lies within you.
The future does not improve on its own. It must be shaped by your actions.

Through challenge. Through failure. Through the strength to stand up again.
This is resilience.

In our time, it is possible to remain within a safe and predictable path. Yet true growth lies beyond comfort and guarantees.

Here at this university, you have learned to find meaning within chaos and to create order through dialogue. You have encountered different perspectives, engaged in discussion, and strengthened your ability to think.

These experiences will enable you to move beyond intolerance and help open the way toward a richer future.
Ultimately, the power to overcome difficulty is the power that shapes a better future.

Curiosity gives birth to questions.
Questions lead to challenge.
Continuous improvement sustains that challenge.

Beyond challenge there may be failure or setbacks. Yet through those experiences you gain resilience. And that resilience becomes your own unique and irreplaceable strength.

Life will have mountains and valleys. But no experience is ever wasted.

To rise after falling.
To continue thinking when uncertain.
To hold on to your aspirations despite setbacks.

This is human dignity.
No matter how advanced AI becomes, it can never possess this quality.

After leaving this campus, continue learning. Learning never ends. In many ways, it begins anew. As long as you live, continue the pursuit of knowledge.

As you continue learning throughout your lives, Shinshu University will also continue to challenge itself.

As a J-PEAKS research university, we strive to serve as an engine of social transformation. From our region to Japan, and from Japan to the world, we remain committed to addressing global challenges that face our planet.

You graduate from the very midst of that ongoing endeavor. Please take pride in what you have learned here.

Like the snow that falls upon the Northern Alps, which becomes streams, rivers, and eventually the sea, may your journeys expand outward, nourishing society and shaping the future.

Please never lose your curiosity.
Never stop challenging yourself.

Stay curious, and keep improving.

I sincerely wish you good health, true happiness, and a future of boundless possibility.

Congratulations once again.