Address by the President of UTokyo for the AY 2026 Spring Graduate Matriculation Ceremony [Translated Version]

　Congratulations to all of you on your admission. I extend my heartfelt congratulations as you gather here and open new doors to the graduate programs at the University of Tokyo, where you will further cultivate your specialized knowledge and research abilities. I also offer my warmest congratulations to your families who have steadfastly supported your efforts and to everyone else in attendance, for whom this is likewise a joyous occasion.

　The University of Tokyo has embraced as its mission the pursuit of unknown phenomena and truth across a broad spectrum of disciplines—from the humanities and social sciences to the natural sciences—and the broad sharing with society of knowledge generated across the full spectrum from basic to applied research.

　Yet the world we now face is changing with such speed and intensity that the word “upheaval” is no longer adequate to describe it.

　The United Nations, which for eighty years has restrained the escalation of conflict and upheld the international order, now finds itself in unprecedented difficulty. Even while countless people suffering the ravages of war remain neglected, new tensions and escalating conflicts are being reported. Deep antagonisms and divisions not easily mended are widening across the globe, even as humanity simultaneously confronts a host of challenges that demand collective action on a planetary scale, among them global warming and environmental destruction.

　In a world so complex and bewildering, what can universities do now? And what should those of us who study, inquire deeply, and seek to clarify the truth at universities do? I believe we are being asked these questions anew. They are immensely important questions, ones that bear deeply on the ethics and fairness of the people who sustain scholarship.

　Precisely because of these challenges, I urge you not to flinch, not to fear, and not to give up, but to think seriously about what a better society and a better form of scholarship should look like.

　I heard recently that the term yume-hara (“dream harassment”) has been attracting attention among young people in Japan. Behind this, it seems, is a growing number of people who feel uncomfortable being criticized for not having a dream or being urged to “find what you want to do” and aim for lofty goals. They experience such exhortations as unwelcome impositions.

　It is certainly true that dreams should not be forced upon others. As for goals, if one cannot genuinely believe they are worth pursuing, achieving them may bring nothing but emptiness.

　Nevertheless, dreams are a driving force toward the future. In Buddhism, it is said that bodhisattvas dream, while the Buddha, having attained enlightenment, does not. This is presumably because bodhisattvas are still in training and still beset by doubt. Human beings are perpetually beset by such uncertainty. As the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud argued, if dreams are manifestations of the values that sustain our present selves, expressions of our desires and wishes, then listening carefully to that inner voice is itself a vital form of learning. I encourage you not only to attend closely to your own inner voice, but also to create time to speak openly and with enjoyment about your dreams and ideals with the new friends you will encounter at this university.

　During Japan’s era of rapid economic growth, when the dream of pursuing material prosperity was widely shared, the durable consumer goods of the refrigerator, the television, and the washing machine were hailed as the “three sacred treasures.” Before long, obtaining a color television, an air conditioner, and a car—the so-called “three Cs”—came to symbolize an affluent lifestyle. The spread of these goods also played a major role in the development of industrial society.

　Today, markets for daily necessities have already matured, and people’s interests and concerns have diversified. We now enjoy new forms of abundance made possible by new technologies. With the global expansion of social media and the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, the information we access through our smartphones and computers is becoming part of the infrastructure of everyday life, turning once-unimaginable conveniences into everyday expectations. To satisfy our diverse interests, we can connect with a far wider range of people and find out what we want to know much more easily.

　At the same time, we face difficulties unlike any we have experienced before. In both our daily lives and in our studies and research, we must now confront head-on the new problems created by information overload.

　Consider, for example, how the mechanisms of the attention economy have developed in our era, in which the degree of attention and interest that something attracts generates economic value. Great emphasis is placed on adapting the information provided according to each individual’s interests and concerns. As a result, algorithms and systems that feed each user only the information they prefer have proliferated across today’s internet. Without our even noticing, these algorithms—which deliver the same kinds of information again and again—frequently give rise to a filter bubble, rendering invisible anything that lies beyond the boundaries of our own interests. An echo chamber phenomenon has also become more common, in which only affirming information circulates within closed groups and information containing errors or biases is amplified.

　The changes are not limited to the information environment alone. We also encounter situations in which our very sense of certainty in our own knowledge and judgment is shaken.

　Many of you are likely using generative AI in various contexts. It is well known that generative AI often makes erroneous assertions and biased responses rooted in its training data. Its applications extend beyond text generation to visual information as well. Various AI-powered features for altering backgrounds and attire in online meeting systems have begun to appear, and recent research has pointed out that such modifications can influence impressions of a person’s seriousness or intelligence. If images that are difficult to verify as depicting real events are used extensively alongside fragments of facts, there is a real danger that it will become genuinely difficult to determine what is true.

　Throughout history, rumors and false reports have caused social upheaval on many occasions. But what makes the current situation fundamentally different is its immediacy and scale. False information is intentionally deployed to stoke anger and steer judgments, and narratives that fabricate convenient villains, much like conspiracy theories, are even deliberately planted. These phenomena risk fueling social division, xenophobia, and discrimination. In many countries, elections have come under the influence of social media, and it is no longer unusual for the outcomes to defy the predictions of the mainstream media. The very foundations of democracy—a system whose guiding ideal has been the attainment of freedom for all people—are being profoundly shaken by the proliferation of so-called fake news.

　How, then, can we live without being swept up in an environment of false information?

　There is no foolproof, one-size-fits-all preventive measure. We should begin by acknowledging a fundamental risk: it is not easy to recognize biases in our own information environment. Rather than facing anxiety alone, we should engage in dialogue with diverse others, encounter a variety of perspectives, and verify and think through issues together. What matters is that we confront the situation calmly, armed with our critical thinking, analytical skills, and imagination. I hope you will use our university in every possible way as a free space for generating such dialogue and exchange, and that you will come to appreciate its significance. Doing so will lead you to open the doors that filter bubbles have closed and to recognize the echo chambers in which you may be caught.

　When individuals become isolated and their horizons narrow, their dreams inevitably turn self-centered. To realize great dreams, one must seek new connections and think deeply about what others are interested in and what they seek. In an age that prizes the relentless optimization of every minute, conversations that seem unproductive are easily discarded. Yet it is through sustained dialogue that it becomes possible to re-examine our own dreams.

　I once spent about a year doing research in the Swiss city of Neuchâtel. What left the deepest impression on me was the culture of frank discussion among researchers who differed in background, discipline, and interests, yet respected one another. During lunch breaks, a dozen people from different countries and cultures would gather and talk freely and openly about all kinds of topics, not only our research. Those occasions were just part of everyday life there.

　Recently, we had the great honor of welcoming President Emmanuel Macron of France to our Institute of Industrial Science. The main purpose of his visit was to tour the Laboratory for Integrated Micro-Mechatronic Systems (LIMMS), a joint Franco-Japanese laboratory housed at the institute. There, researchers, students, and staff from France with diverse backgrounds have been engaged in collaborative research for more than thirty years, producing many outstanding results. I myself served as director of the laboratory for some seven years. Today, including LIMMS, there are five Franco-Japanese joint laboratories spanning different research fields across the University of Tokyo, all conducting their work in richly international environments.

　I encourage all of you, too, as you pursue your studies and research here, to actively seek out as many opportunities as possible to meet others, connect with diverse people, and engage in dialogue. It is through such experiences that you will cultivate the critical thinking, analytical skills, and imagination needed to advance your research.

　Once again, congratulations on your admission. I sincerely look forward to your future achievements. Welcome to graduate school at the University of Tokyo.