Osaka University was founded in 1931 as the sixth imperial university of Japan through strong demand from the business and government sectors of Osaka and the people of Osaka City and Prefecture. The roots of Osaka University can be found in Kaitokudo and Tekijuku of the Edo period. The academic culture and spirit of these two places of scholarship are inherited even today. The spirit of innovation and a restless spirit of challenge serve as the cornerstone for our education and research endeavors. And after a considerable undertaking merging Osaka University with Osaka University of Foreign Studies in 2007, the university has shown that it will continue to develop as one of Japan's leading comprehensive research universities.
As you may already know, the environment surrounding national universities is rapidly changing. The current wave of globalization is surging at a furious pace. There are a firm expectation and demand for human resources and industry-education collaboration from the nation and society. An essential responsibility of the university is to answer the mandates of the citizens and society alongside promoting the very best in education and research.
Even in the circumstances such as these, Osaka University has accepted diversity, displayed its flexibility toward change, and sports traits that value the individual. Also, Osaka University possesses an excellent "foundation" and "strength" woven by high-level education and research ability, the strength of faculty harmony, the weight of tradition, and the land advantage that is Osaka. I resolve to build a firm foundation for Osaka University by utilizing this outstanding potential and connecting the true worth of each individual with the evolution of Osaka University. Also, I intend to fully pursue the mutual linkage of the diverse knowledge possessed by Osaka University, like an orchestration of knowledge and the continued creation of this outstanding knowledge by students, faculty, and staff, a co-creation of sorts, and its contribution to society. Simply put, I will push this "orchestration and co-creation of knowledge" to its limits.
Promotion of dialogue and adhering to autonomy are both advocated in the Osaka University Charter, enacted in March 2003. In other words, this represents the mutual respect between faculty, staff, and students through dialogue, regardless of position, as well as the belief in one's solutions to the challenges that lie ahead. I aim to place a particular focus on these fundamental principles while widely implementing them campus-wide.
In haiku, there is a principle of being both fluid and unchanging, and in the mission and role of a national university, I believe that there are things that we must not change and things that we must. It is essential to flexibly answer society's call and its citizens while also maintaining a festive tradition. I intend to emphasize this approach while exerting all of my energy for the evolution and expansion of Osaka University.
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