March 24, 2026

2026 Spring Graduation Ceremony, President Address

　Distinguished graduates,
　Congratulations on being awarded your degrees today and on completing your studies at SOKENDAI.

　I would like to express my deep respect for your tireless efforts. I also extend my sincere gratitude to the faculty members who have guided you and to your families who have supported you along the way.

　As you are aware, SOKENDAI underwent an important reform in the 2023 academic year, transitioning to the Institute for Advanced Studies with a 20-course system. Among today’s graduates are the first to complete their studies under this new framework. Allow me, therefore, to briefly reflect on this reform.

　Through this change, the 20 majors previously organized under six graduate schools were integrated into a single structure within the Institute for Advanced Studies. Under this unified framework, degrees are awarded across eight fields, transcending conventional disciplinary boundaries. Such a transformation was made possible precisely because SOKENDAI is a graduate university. At the same time, it is important to emphasize that this reform did not alter our fundamental philosophy. Whether you completed your studies under the former system or the new one, you are all equally graduates of SOKENDAI.

　What, then, was the purpose of this reform? I believe it lies in more clearly articulating the qualities that SOKENDAI seeks to cultivate in its doctoral graduates. Today, both society and academia are evolving so rapidly that even the near future is difficult to predict. The specialized knowledge you have acquired during your graduate studies will soon be renewed and replaced by new knowledge. Yet the true value of doctoral talent does not reside solely in a particular field of expertise. Rather, it lies in the ability to identify challenges independently, to confront them with courage, and to lead them toward solutions through persistent effort and inquiry. This is the essential strength you have cultivated during your time here, and it is the very principle that SOKENDAI upholds.

　As you leave SOKENDAI today and embark upon the next stage of your lives — wherever you may go and whatever path you may pursue — I encourage you to carry this principle with you.

　Once again, congratulations. I wish you every success in your future endeavors.

March 24, 2026
Takashi Nagata, President
The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI