Congratulatory Address

Congratulations on your graduation from the prestigious Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University.

My heartfelt greeting also extends to your families, who have shown you love and support along the way. Furthermore, I would like to express my gratitude to all APU faculty and staff, including President Deguchi and Vice President Yoneyama, for their steadfast guidance.

Since opening in April 2000, APU has produced many talented graduates who have made contributions to the international community. The work of APU’s alumni is highly regarded both within Japan and abroad. And still, APU continues to hone its reputation as a world-class international university as evidenced by its acquisition of the Tourism Education Quality (TedQual) accreditation from the United Nations World Tourism Organization, the world's largest international organization dedicated to tourism. Additionally, APU has earned high rankings from Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a company specializing in the evaluation of higher education around the world. APU’s presence is also deeply appreciated by its local community – by engaging in a range of activities including raising awareness of intercultural understanding, teaching the English language in local elementary and junior high schools as well as participating in local festivals, APU has proven itself a strong partner in the internationalization and revitalization of Oita Prefecture.

On APU's multicultural campus, where students from approximately 90 countries and regions live and learn together, you have devoted yourselves to your studies to become people who can play an active role in the international community. Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic and other factors, some of you may not have been able to lead the student lives you had initially envisioned. Nonetheless, you were able to overcome various adversities with your ingenuity and ability to adapt to new learning environments – I am convinced that these experiences will sustain you in this age of constant change and give you the power needed for the creation of a new era.

Now that you have graduated, I anticipate that you will utilize the global mindset and networks you have developed at APU. I greatly look forward to seeing your contributions in the development of the Asia Pacific region in the various fields that you have chosen to enter.

In closing, I hope that you will always feel affection for Oita as your "home away from home" and a place full of fond memories. I also hope that you will serve to bridge the gap between different countries, regions, and people as well as between Oita and the wider world. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors, and pray for the continued prosperity of Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University.

On behalf of the citizens of Beppu, please allow me to express my warmest congratulations to you, the graduating class of Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, and your families.

Today, as you graduate, I am certain you are reflecting on your many experiences during your time at APU. While there are surely many enjoyable memories, I imagine there are many of you with mixed feelings attending this graduation ceremony remotely.

My heart goes out to all of those who have experienced unforeseeable difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These include those who were forced to give up on re-entering Japan , unable to meet their friends and mentors in person, those who were forced to halt their education for financial reasons, and those who are struggling to secure a job.

However, life must go on, even after graduation. The joys and frustrations you experienced while in school will become what makes you who you are. I will continue supporting you all as you embark on your path to the future. And even after you leave this university, I hope you feel some peace as you think back on the days you spent in this city.

This has been a difficult time for Beppu City as well, with the number of tourists plummeting over the past year and a half. However, vaccinations are progressing, and we are starting to see some light at the end of the long tunnel. After overcoming this crisis, I hope that many people from all over the world will visit Beppu again, that the city will regain its vitality and liveliness, and that it will become a multicultural hub where various cultures and ethnic groups coexist. I kindly ask you to all lend a hand to make this happen.

In closing, as you start your new lives today, I sincerely wish you all great success and I look forward to seeing you again in Beppu someday.

I would like to congratulate all students who today graduate or receive their degrees from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU). On behalf of The Ritsumeikan Trust, I offer my sincerest congratulations to both you and your families.
This is a message of congratulations for your graduation and completion, but I greatly regret that I will not be able to deliver it to you in person, in light of current conditions in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that began last year.

One and a half years have already passed since COVID-19 began sweeping the world. Yet we have still not been able to find a way out of this crisis. I imagine it was a huge strain for you to spend a whole year and a half of your precious time as a university student under these conditions. Your study and research activities, study abroad plans, extracurricular activities, job-hunting activities, and everyday life all underwent dramatic changes. This was not the kind of student life you expected.
Contemporary society is founded on extensive communication with a diverse range of people across the world, so having to avoid close contact with others and stay in one place to prevent the spread of infection has had a great social impact on humanity. I am sure you experienced some confusion in the shift toward online learning and away from the environments for learning and student life on campus, surrounded by your friends and instructors. I have been deeply impressed by your capacity to absorb this new style of living and to seek out the things you CAN do rather than lamenting the things you cannot. Now your ingenuity and hard work have paid off, as today you will each receive your degree certificates. The entire Ritsumeikan community joins me in paying tribute to your tireless efforts.

As I mentioned earlier, communication is an essential part of social life. Due to the pandemic, digital transformation (DX) is currently progressing rapidly not only in learning environments in the education sphere but also right across wider society. I believe that as DX evolves as a new tool for communication, we will see the development of a hybrid lifestyle model that involves sophisticated integration of the real-life and digital realms. Predicting exactly what form this will take is not an easy task, but not only by adjusting yourself to changing circumstances, but also by discovering and creating new value through cycles of careful consideration and trial-and-error, you will develop the capacity to contribute to society both globally and locally. I am sure that you have taken on many challenges during your life as a university student. You also have confronted an unprecedented crisis and gained valuable experiences. As graduates of APU, you are equipped with the convictions, knowledge, capacity for action, and global networks that will be needed to lead our world into the anticipated “new normal” era. I hope you will leverage the experiences you have gained here to achieve great things in wider society, and become people who can truly “Shape Your World.”
APU fosters “global citizens” who appreciate and understand one another’s different cultures and value outlooks and work to create a free and peaceful world. Each of you is now one of these global citizens. My hope is that you will continue to cherish the idea of understanding and respecting one another as you go on to careers in all parts of the world.
Precisely because we live in uncertain, insecure times, I encourage you to have the courage to tackle new challenges without fear of failure. Uncertainty is also opportunity. Keep challenging yourself. I am confident that this free spirit of challenge help create the future of our world and will open up pathways to success in your own lives.

Let me conclude by once again congratulating all of you who are graduating and completing your degrees today.

The world may seem unkind. The future may seem uncertain and overwhelming. And yet, in spite of this, I urge you to celebrate your accomplishments and rejoice in new possibilities.

The latter half of your academic life at APU was not how you envisioned it, taking your classes and spending time with your classmates and friends. “You are muted” was definitely not something you expected to hear. Some words have probably been lost in translation, or your intentions have perhaps been misunderstood despite all the technologies you had to communicate through. There were probably days when you felt sick or tired, both physically and mentally. Yet, you attended your classes, you did your group projects, you completed your coursework, you even managed to engage in new activities, you learned new things, and most importantly of all, you stayed connected.

May this day remind you of your resilience, of your courage. May this day also remind you how privileged you are; you are blessed with an education that many don’t have access to. You have the knowledge, skills, and resources to make a positive impact not only on your life but also on the lives of others. No matter what career path you take, believe that you can effect change. Do not underestimate the power of simple gestures of kindness in making a difference in another person’s life. Do not underestimate your potential to influence the world so that years from now when you look back on this day, you can say, “Things have gotten better.”

Congratulations!

Congratulations on an important milestone of your life-long journey.

This day marks your achievement and accomplishment at APU, where you and your peers lived, studied, and nurtured friendships. The hardships you have experienced in your life as a student will be bitter-sweet memories, forming the bones and muscles to carry you forward.

The knowledge and skills you have acquired will guide you in your next journey, whatever that might be. The change maker that you have become will carry the APU label wherever you go. The network of friends you built globally will be your ears, your eyes, and your brain, collectively informing your decisions. Strive to create positive changes, small or large, in today's increasingly complex society.