I would like to congratulate all the new students here today at the 2010 Entrance Ceremony, and welcome you to Hiroshima University. It is my hope that your new life at Hiroshima University will be fulfilling and steadfast. I would also like to express my congratulations to the parents and those related to these new students.

Hiroshima University was established in 1874 as Hakushima School, but after various transitions, was combined with eight schools such as Hiroshima University of Literature and Science, Hiroshima Higher School, and Hiroshima School of Secondary Education to be re-established on May 31, 1949 as the new Hiroshima University with its main campus being in Higashi-Senda, Hiroshima City, an area that was devastated by the atomic bomb. Inheriting the founding spirit of “a single, unified university, free and pursuing peace,” as was set forth by our first president, Tatsuo Morito, we protect the integrity of our Five Guiding Principles: (1) the Pursuit of Peace, (2) the Creation of New Forms of Knowledge, (3) the Nurturing of Well-Rounded Human Beings, (4) the Collaboration With the Local, Regional, and International Community, (5) Continuous Self-Development. And while we continue to develop as a leading comprehensive university in Japan, last year we welcomed Hiroshima University’s 60th anniversary.

Hiroshima University is a prominent university in Japan, and we are proud to boast our 11 faculties, 12 graduate schools, a hospital, as well as 11 attached schools, and the national collaborative joint-research facilities such as the Synchrotron Radiation Center and the Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine. As a comprehensive university, we make use of our fruitful education and research environments and abundant resources to formulate a foundation to produce talents who will contribute to society.

Hiroshima University, located in the region where the first atomic bomb was dropped, was the first university to establish an Institute for Peace Science in 1975, in an attempt to make advancements towards international peace. All students at Hiroshima University also visit monuments such as the Peace Memorial Museum, and we encourage our students to think about world peace. Along with the rapid advancement of academic research, human society has been undergoing a globalization. Along with the 21st century leading towards a more knowledge-based society, I believe internationalization will also continue to progress. After pursuing your studies at Hiroshima University, the society you will be entering and making an impact in will be an international society. This is why I would like for you to deepen your understanding of international cultures and contribute to the fulfillment of world peace. Hiroshima University aggressively reaches out to accept foreign students and has a system to send our own students abroad, and in doing so have been perpetuating international relations. It is my wish that using what you learn at Hiroshima University as a motivator, your international understanding deepens, and embrace more opportunities to come together with friends and family to discuss international peace.

Hiroshima University has constructed an enriched liberal arts education system to cultivate broad, deep, comprehensive acumen, and provide for the development of an abundance of life experiences. Included here is our recommendation that you intrepidly accept any new challenges. If you boldly challenge yourself without the fear of failure, even if the outcome is a disappointing one, it will serve as a great learning experience, one that is sure to be of use in your future life. And by already having undergone these experiences, I am confident that you will be able to overcome many obstacles that you will later encounter as a full-fledged member of society.

One could say that a truly meaningful life is one in which your abilities are fully realized; and when we begin to see that the goals and efforts we have put forth for ourselves are connected to the future, that is when we can truly feel that our lives have meaning. It is my greatest hope that you, who are entering Hiroshima University today as new students, will endeavor hard in your studies, keeping steadfast goals in mind, and that that effort will lead you to a more meaningful life in the near future.

Today, we welcome all 3,778 new students, who face a grand dream to fulfill “a future abundant with hopes.” Let us walk as one, students and faculty together, embracing each headstrong step toward this goal.

Once again, congratulations, and welcome to Hiroshima University.

April 3, 2010

Toshimasa Asahara
President, Hirohima University