Since its foundation in 1897, Kyoto University has cultivated academic freedom under a spirit of self-reliance and self-respect and opened up new horizons in the creative scholarly endeavor. The university has also sought to contribute to peaceful coexistence across the global community.
Our world is currently experiencing several rapid changes that would have been unimaginable in the 20th century. The global conflict structure, which was expected to be resolved with the end of the Cold War, is growing in both complexity and intensity due to ethnic and religious tensions. Simultaneously, the pace of global environmental degradation accelerates, unprecedented major disasters and deadly infectious diseases wreak havoc across the world, and financial crises shake both national economies and individual lives to the very core. Universities need to think seriously about what they stand for in these turbulent times.
The three core missions of a university are education, research, and social contribution. Two of these, research and social contribution, are apt to change in response to global trends. Education, however, has an essential nature that I believe to be unchangeable. In line with its commitment to independent learning, Kyoto University must maintain its position as a bastion of academic freedom, slightly detached from general society and unconstrained by convention. To do so, the university must be a place where academic endeavors can proceed undisturbed while also providing windows into the world and society. These windows can be opened by faculty members equipped with cutting-edge knowledge of the world and society that lies beyond. However, the most crucial role in our university is played by students who venture outside the windows. We must work carefully with industry and government partners to provide windows that allow students to make the best practical use of abilities they have developed at the university.
Many changes are currently underway in universities' financial affairs, including a decline in general operating subsidies and a growing emphasis on competitive funding. It has become essential for us to secure our funds to undertake improvements to the educational environment. We must make a case to broader society regarding the need for these improvements, in the hope of receiving generous support from the businesses that expect so much of Kyoto University and from our alumni. I also look forward to building stronger partnerships with the local community, maximizing the benefits of our location in Kyoto—the world-renowned capital of Japanese culture—and working with other universities to develop the city itself into a rich and varied academic campus. Furthermore, suppose we are to attract outstanding faculty and students from universities across the world. In that case, we need to develop original curricula and joint research projects that capitalize on Kyoto's attractions and make them known internationally. I am confident that these efforts will contribute significantly to our region's development and the future of Japan and the world as a whole.
As a comprehensive, research-oriented institution, Kyoto University must integrate its liberal arts and foundation education, specialized undergraduate education, and graduate education programs in ways that equip students with creativity and practical capability. To do so requires the development of educational pathways offering a hierarchical arrangement of diverse disciplinary knowledge and facilitating a wide variety of learning choices. It takes time for students to realize their abilities to the fullest extent. I hope that we can provide a supportive learning environment in which students are not rushed into making decisions regarding their future and instead can follow a positive trial and error process that will enable them to be more confident in the futures that they eventually choose.
To cultivate students with abundant inventive capabilities, all faculty and administrative staff members must be committed to pursuing research and social contribution initiatives that attract international attention. Kyoto University has ten faculties, 18 graduate schools, 14 research institutes (more than any other university in Japan), and much other education and research facilities. I will be doing my utmost to ensure that our goals are advanced across all these different branches of the university community.
Kyoto is a city of rich cultural heritage with over 1,200 years of history. Many in Japan regard it as the country's spiritual wellspring and cultural heartland.
Its numerous historic locations, including the approximately 2,000 shrines and temples, are classified as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
This ancient cultural legacy coexists side by side with technological innovation and entrepreneurship Kyoto is home to several major technology companies, including Nintendo, Kyocera, and Omron, and a broad range of modern cultural facilities, such as the Kyoto International Manga Museum.
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