Ever since assuming the leadership of the University of Tokyo, I’ve wanted to share my thoughts and activities as president with members of the university, as well as the larger community outside our institution. With my research field being connected to the ocean, I’d always kept a log during my time conducting surveys and being out at sea. Now, having embarked on my journey as ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app’s skipper, I would like to share with all of you my record of this latest voyage, through the ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app President’s Log.
Teruo Fujii, 31st President of the University of Tokyo
April 2023
´ºÓêÖ±²¥app PLog #2023-E-04
Date & Time: April 12, 2023
Location: Ito International Research Center
Latitude/Longitude: 35°42'36.6"N / 139°45'37.5"E¡¡
We welcomed Dr. Vera Songwe to campus on the same day she delivered a congratulatory message at the graduate matriculation ceremony held at the Budokan. She joined a discussion session with doctoral students participating in , a project aimed at producing highly competent individuals to lead the “green transformation” to better manage the global environment.
The lively discussion ensuing from the participants’ diverse areas of interest and expertise proved very stimulating and fulfilling, and was time well spent.
´ºÓêÖ±²¥app PLog #2023-V-01
Date & Time: April 10, 2023
Location: Main Building, NAOJ Mitaka Campus
Latitude/Longitude: 35°40'31.5"N / 139°32'13.2"E¡¡
´ºÓêÖ±²¥app and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) renewed the memorandum of understanding between our two institutions for the operation of the 6.5-meter telescope of the University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory (TAO) project.
The infrared telescope is currently being built at an altitude of 5,640 meters on the summit of Cerro Chajnantor in Chile’s Atacama Desert.
After the signing of the MoU, I toured NAOJ’s facilities and the Institute of Astronomy of ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app’s Graduate School of Science, located on the same grounds.
´ºÓêÖ±²¥app PLog #2023-UT-05
Date & Time: April 3, 2023
Location: Go Global Center, Hongo Campus
Latitude/Longitude: 35°42'49.3"N / 139°45'49.4"E¡¡
I attended the inaugural ceremony celebrating the launch of .
´ºÓêÖ±²¥app GlobE provides opportunities for ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app students to gain global experience through programs such as the Global Liberal Arts Courses, open to all senior division undergraduates and graduate students, which are taught in English and cover topics relating to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
March 2023
´ºÓêÖ±²¥app PLog #2023-E-03
Date & Time: March 31, 2023
Location: Faculty of Engineering Bldg. 1, Hongo Campus
Latitude/Longitude: 35°42'51.8"N / 139°45'35.9"E¡¡
I attended the ceremony marking , the newly renovated historical lecture space in the Faculty of Engineering/Graduate School of Engineering.
The original lecture room was designed by renowned architect and former ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app President Yoshikazu Uchida and completed in 1935. In the spring of 2020, the year marking the 85th anniversary of the lecture room’s completion and 25 years since its last renovation, the university received a donation from major construction company Kajima Corp. to design and build a state-of-the-art research and education base incorporating advanced technology, while carrying on the heritage of the historical space.
We will endeavor to utilize this space for demonstration experiments of cutting-edge research and as a venue that can accommodate a variety of lecture formats.
´ºÓêÖ±²¥app PLog #2023-G-04
Date & Time: March 17, 2023
Location: East Research Building, Mita Campus, Keio University Global Research Lab (G-Lab)
Latitude/Longitude: 35°38'57.5"N / 139°44'40.3"E¡¡
I attended the fifth annual U7+ Alliance of World Universities Presidential Summit hosted by Keio University in Tokyo. The international university alliance was launched at Sciences Po, or the Paris Institute of Political Studies, in 2019, when France held the presidency of the Group of Seven organization of leading industrial countries. The U7+ Alliance of World Universities comprises more than 50 universities from over 20 countries, including the G7 and other countries.
I chaired the “Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression” session, in which we discussed the roles and responsibilities of universities in various contexts and settings around the world.
´ºÓêÖ±²¥app PLog #2023-UT-04
Date & Time: March 15, 2023
Location: Yasuda Auditorium, Hongo Campus
Latitude/Longitude: 35°42'48.3"N / 139°45'44.2"E¡¡
We held the presentation ceremony of the University of Tokyo President’s Award for Students. This award presented by the president recognizes individuals or groups who have attained outstanding academic achievement, demonstrated excellence in extracurricular activities or gained recognition in various social activities, thus serving as role models for other students and contributing to enhance the university’s reputation.
We are very proud of the winners for their involvement in distinctive, wonderful activities.
´ºÓêÖ±²¥app PLog #2023-E-02
Date & Time: March 13, 2023
Location: Hongo Campus
Latitude/Longitude: 35°42'48.3"N / 139°45'44.2"E¡¡
´ºÓêÖ±²¥app concluded a comprehensive agreement for research collaboration and cooperation with Teikyo University in Tokyo.
After signing the agreement, Teikyo University Chairman and President Yoshihito Okinaga and I discussed the future prospects of this partnership between our institutions.
´ºÓêÖ±²¥app PLog #2023-UT-03
Date & Time: March 11, 2023
Location: Ito Hall
Latitude/Longitude: 35°42'36.6"N / 139°45'37.5"E¡¡
I attended the graduation ceremony for Round 27 of .
I presented certificates in person to all 24 graduates.
We will continue to draw on ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app’s extensive academic resources to enhance the program and cultivate the next generation of leaders who will contribute to society in the future.
´ºÓêÖ±²¥app PLog #2023-UT-02
Date & Time: March 8, 2023
Location: B2 Fukutake Learning Theater, Fukutake Hall, Hongo Campus
Latitude/Longitude: 35°42'41.0"N/ 139°45'36.2"E¡¡
We welcomed John Hennessy, president emeritus of Stanford University in the U.S. and current director of Knight-Hennessy Scholars and chairman of Alphabet, the parent company of Google. We organized a special talk event on the Hongo Campus, in which President Emeritus Hennessy and I held a dialogue session.
Following our conversation, in which President Emeritus Hennessy introduced graduate-level scholarship program at Stanford University and we covered topics such as career development and industry-academia collaboration, we engaged in a lively exchange with the undergraduate and graduate students attending the event.
´ºÓêÖ±²¥app PLog #2023-E-01
Date & Time: March 1, 2023
Location: Ito Hall
Latitude/Longitude: 35°42'36.6"N/ 139°45'37.5"E¡¡
I attended a symposium organized to announce internally and externally the implementation of ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app Gender Equity Initiative #WeChange, a campuswide scheme aimed at developing female leaders, and to discuss our vision for the future.
I participated as a panelist in a discussion with essayist and ´ºÓêÖ±²¥app visiting researcher Keiko Kojima and President Yasuko Sasaki of Ochanomizu University, on nurturing female researchers into global leaders.