Notes from the President

Distinguished guests, faculty and staff, families, and graduates,

Today, we gather to celebrate one of the most significant milestones in your lives. As graduates of Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, you stand at the threshold of a world that is both challenging and full of opportunities.

You have come far to this campus on Jumonjibaru Hill in Beppu, you have overcome your initial anxieties and solitude and made lifelong global networks of friends you never imagined to meet before, you have studied hard to earn the knowledge, analytical and creative skills worthy of the name of the degree you receive today, and finally, you sit here with your fellow graduates, ready to take on new challenges.

I congratulate you on your achievements and phenomenal growth, and admire every moment of your efforts — sleepless nights, stomach pains, adrenaline surges, a sense of intense camaraderie with project team members, and joyous gohankai afterward.

Your achievements are remarkable, yet they come at a time when the world urgently needs exactly what you offer — your diverse perspectives, your collaborative spirit, and your determination to create positive change. Today’s world faces unprecedented challenges — from displacement crises affecting millions in Sudan and Myanmar to humanitarian disasters in Gaza and Ukraine. Yet these aren’t distant problems for someone else to solve. They’re exactly why your education matters.

You might wonder how individual action matters amid such vast challenges. Yet history shows us that transformation begins with people exactly like you — educated, globally minded, and unafraid to bridge divides others see as unbridgeable. At APU, you haven’t just studied international relations or business or sustainability — you have lived them. You’ve navigated language barriers, resolved conflicts in group projects with teammates from six different countries, and learned that solutions emerge when diverse minds collaborate with mutual respect.

As you step into your careers and communities, you’ll face moments that test everything you’ve learned here. Let me paint four pictures of your future:

Picture this first moment: You’re in a boardroom in Tokyo, or a development project in Jakarta, or a startup in Silicon Valley. The room divides along cultural lines — East versus West, traditional versus modern, local versus global perspectives. Others see conflict. You’ll see collaboration waiting to happen. When you encounter someone whose background differs vastly from yours, you’ll embrace that diversity as your competitive advantage — because at APU, you learned that the most innovative solutions emerge when different worldviews collide and create something entirely new. This is embracing diversity as strength.

Picture your second challenge: The industry you enter will transform completely — not once, but multiple times during your career. Artificial intelligence, climate change, and geopolitical shifts will rewrite the rules while you’re still learning them. Others will fear obsolescence. You’ll pursue lifelong learning as an opportunity, not a threat — because here at APU, you discovered that adapting to change isn’t just survival, it’s how you stay relevant and valuable in a dynamic world. This is lifelong learning in action.

Picture your third crossroads: You’ll face a choice between what’s profitable and what’s right, between advancing your career and protecting someone vulnerable, between speaking truth and staying silent. The pressure to compromise will be intense. In those moments, you’ll act with integrity — because your time here taught you that justice, human dignity, and equal value of every person aren’t ideals to abandon under pressure, but principles that define who you are when no one is watching. This is how your integrity will define your life.

Picture your fourth opportunity: You’ll see a problem that everyone accepts as “just how things are” — whether it’s inefficient processes in your company, inequality in your community, or unsustainable practices in your industry. Others might just say, “That’s not how we do things.” You will innovate and lead with bold ideas and actions — because APU taught you that positive change doesn’t require permission; it requires courage, creativity, and the conviction that a better way is always possible. This is your path to becoming an innovative leader.

Class of September 2025, you graduate not into uncertainty, but into possibility. The world doesn’t need you to solve everything — it needs you to contribute your unique piece to humanity’s greatest collaborative project: building a more peaceful, just, inclusive, and sustainable future.

That work begins today.

Congratulations, Class of September 2025! We are immensely proud of you and excited to see the incredible impact you will make.

Thank you and bon voyage!

YONEYAMA Hiroshi
President
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
September 19, 2025