To the 381 graduates and degree recipients who have reached this important milestone today, as well as to your families, please accept my heartfelt congratulations. On behalf of Hiroshima University, I am truly delighted to celebrate this special occasion with you.

I would especially like to acknowledge our international students, who came to Japan from countries around the world and successfully completed their studies while adapting to a different culture, language, and way of life. I have the deepest respect for your dedication and perseverance. At the same time, I hope that you will never forget to express your gratitude to the family members and friends who have supported you throughout your journey.

As we turn our eyes to the world into which you are about to embark, more than four and a half years have passed since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, and six months have passed since the United States and Israel launched military attacks against Iran. Yet there is still no end to these conflicts in sight, and even the long-standing taboo against the use of nuclear weapons is in danger of eroding. As you leave Hiroshima University and set out into a world in such profound turmoil, I would like to offer you some heartfelt words of encouragement.

Hiroshima University was founded in 1949 in Hiroshima, the first city in human history to suffer an atomic bombing. Since its establishment, the University has upheld “the pursuit of peace” as the first of its Guiding Principles. As graduates of Hiroshima University, I hope that you will continue to think deeply about peace, engage in dialogue with your family, friends, and those around you, and, above all, take action in whatever way you can.

In the field of weather forecasting, there is a phenomenon known as the ‘butterfly effect,’ in which even a very small change in initial conditions can, over time, lead to far-reaching consequences. If we apply this idea to our efforts for peace, even the smallest actions taken by each one of us may eventually grow into a powerful force capable of making a profound difference to the future. I firmly believe in the power of such individual actions.

Hiroshima University has carried forward the aspirations of all those connected with the University, including the members of our predecessor schools who lost their lives in the atomic bombing. These aspirations—the pursuit of peace, the quest for knowledge, and a commitment to serving society—have been passed down from generation to generation. To give tangible form to our determination to carry them into the future, on 7th August we erected a monument called ‘The Inextinguishable Lamp of Learning’ at the Higashi-Senda Campus, the birthplace of Hiroshima University.

Behind the monument, we will install a commemorative display bearing the names of successive presidents of the University, as well as current and former faculty and staff members and alumni who have expressed their support for the purpose of the monument. I sincerely hope that those of you receiving your degrees today will also consider adding your names to this enduring legacy. Further details are available on Hiroshima University’s website.

‘We must not ask what we expect from life, but rather what life expects from us.’

These are the words of Viktor Frankl, the Austrian psychiatrist best known for Man’s Search for Meaning, his account of his experiences in Nazi concentration camps. His words remind us that human beings can find meaning even amid some of the darkest circumstances in human history.

As you set sail upon the ‘sea of turmoil’ that lies ahead of you, I hope that you will keep this question close to your hearts: “As someone who has studied at Hiroshima University, what does the world expect of me?” What will sustain you on this voyage are the specialized knowledge and broad education that you have acquired at Hiroshima University, together with the bonds that you have forged with your mentors, friends, seniors, and juniors. When you encounter challenges unlike any you have faced before, these will surely give you strength and serve as a guiding light on your journey.

Hiroshima University will continue to carry forward the aspirations embodied in ‘The Inextinguishable Lamp of Learning’ and move forward as a ‘University of Peace’ dedicated to the pursuit of peace. Together with all of you, we will continue to keep the light of hope burning, striving to become a ‘University of World-Wide Repute and Splendor for Years into the Future’, even 100 years from now. With this pledge, I extend my heartfelt wishes to each and every one of you as you embark on the next chapter of your lives.

18th September 2026 (Reiwa 8)
Mitsuo Ochi
President, Hiroshima University