October 06, 2026

2026 Autumn Entrance Ceremony, President Address

2026 Autumn Entrance Ceremony, President Address

　Congratulations on your admission to SOKENDAI. On behalf of all the faculty and staff, I would like to warmly welcome you to our university.

　SOKENDAI was established in 1988 to train doctoral researchers at national research institutes across Japan. Since then, we have sent approximately 2,700 doctoral graduates out into the world. Today marks the beginning of your journey toward a doctoral degree. I’m sure you are excited about what lies ahead.

　One of the unique features of SOKENDAI is that your graduate education is deeply connected to cutting-edge research at national research institutes. Another is that our graduate institute brings together a wide range of academic disciplines. I hope you will take full advantage of these unique opportunities and learn not only within your own field, but also from other fields and from the people around you.

　Now, I’m not very good at giving long speeches, so I’ll keep my message simple. Let me express what I would like to say to you in just one phrase:

　I’m sure you have entered graduate school to gain specialized knowledge and research skills, and ultimately to earn a doctoral degree. But a degree should not be your destination. Your real goal is to go on to make the most of your expertise and contribute to society after earning your degree.

　So, what will you need to continue making meaningful contributions throughout your professional life? I believe one answer is research intuition.

　The knowledge and methods you learn in graduate school will inevitably evolve—and some will eventually become outdated. At the same time, as we enter the age of AI, our ability to search, organize, and make use of the enormous amount of knowledge accumulated by humanity will improve dramatically. In such a world, what will matter increasingly is the ability to recognize, almost intuitively, what is interesting, where the unknown lies, and what is truly essential. That is what I mean by research intuition.

　As you begin your graduate life, I encourage you not only to acquire knowledge and skills, but also to cultivate your research intuition. It cannot simply be taught by someone else. You must cultivate it yourself, and each of you will have to find your own way of developing it.

　We, the faculty and staff of SOKENDAI, will do everything we can to support you along the way.

　Once again, congratulations, and welcome to SOKENDAI. I wish every one of you a truly rewarding and inspiring graduate journey.

October 6, 2026
Takashi Nagata, President
The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI