Congratulations to the Faculty of Marine Life Sciences, Faculty of Marine Engineering, and Faculty of Marine Resources and Environment for graduating today. Congratulations to everyone in the Department of Marine Science and the Graduate School of Marine Science and Technology. I would like to express my heartfelt respect to all of you who stuck to your initial intentions when you entered the university and went on to higher education, and achieved your major goal of graduating and completing your studies.

　Looking back, a lot of things happened while you were in school. The pandemic caused by the new coronavirus has directly affected the lives of all people on the planet, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine caused numerous casualties and caused soaring energy and food prices, which continues to have a negative impact on our lives. continues to have an impact. Having endured such harsh conditions, you are now standing at a new starting line in your life. Be sure to praise yourself for working hard and overcoming many hardships. And I would like you to share that joy with your family and friends.

　Now, in my speech at the degree ceremony so far, I haveSDGsI have stated that I look forward to the success of our graduates and graduates in our efforts to achieve carbon neutrality and carbon neutrality. sustainable development goals2030What to achieve by 2020,2050This is because I empathize with the idea that the world should work together as one to set a time limit to solve problems, such as realizing a decarbonized society by 2020, without putting off solving them. This is because we hope that our graduates will play an active role in this situation.

　However, recently we have started hearing the term "decarbonization fatigue." This word seems to be caused by the recent rise in energy and food prices mentioned earlier.EUIn developed countries, including the United States, a number of policies have been announced to retreat from decarbonization, such as extending the operation of coal-fired power plants. Even in the private sector, Mercedes-Benz 2030Although the company had declared that all its sales vehicles would be completely electric by 2020, it has been reported that it has resumed development of an internal combustion engine model for hybrid vehicles. In the field of renewable energy, Denmark's ?rsted, the world's largest offshore wind power developer, has decided to discontinue its development projects in the United States and withdraw from the offshore wind power markets in Norway, Spain, and Portugal. It's been reported. In this way, the society you will be leaving in the future seems to be losing its vitality from the perspective of achieving goals through cooperation, and is instead moving in the direction of compromise.

　What I would like to tell you here is that the opportunities for you to play an active role are not getting narrower, but are expanding. Carbon neutralSDGsAchieving this will require changes in our lifestyle and social system itself, such as the use of fossil fuels and mass consumption without consideration for recycling. Various technologies are required for social implementation. I believe that young people's free thinking, unfettered by past common sense and customs, will lead to such social change, or "innovation." In other words, you are the closest to "innovation."

　I'm sure you all know the German astronomer Johannes Kepler, who is famous for ``Kepler's laws.'' he25When I was 10 years old, I wrote a book called ``Mysterium Cosmographcum,'' which described the relative positions of the six planets in the solar system (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn), with the sun centered at the center. He said that it can be explained using a model that combines five regular polyhedra (tetrahedron, hexahedron, octahedron, dodecahedron, and icosahedron) that are circumscribed and inscribed as . Mathematically, there are only five regular polyhedra, and at the time it was believed that there were only six planets, so Kepler, who was also a mathematician, believed that there was a mysterious and harmonious grandeur between the two. I thought there was a relationship. It can be said that this was the natural idea of ??a young person. Of course, Kepler's idea was completely wrong, but his free thinking without being bound by convention gave rise to Kepler's three later famous laws.1000It is very exciting to know that this was an opportunity for an ``innovation'' that rejected the geocentric theory that had been believed for many years.

　Another interesting thing is that Kepler28At the age of 10, he worked as an assistant to Tycho Brahe, a prominent Danish astronomical observer. Kepler desperately needed Tycho Brahe's accurate observational data to complete his theory. However, Tycho Brahe supported the geocentric theory and did not show his observational data to Kepler. Tycho Brahe is the1He died a year and a half later, but just before that,16Kepler was entrusted with completing years of precise astronomical observation data and astronomical tables ordered by the emperor, the so-called "Rudolph tables." after that8Years later, Kepler proposed the first and second laws, and10Years later, he published the third law and expanded the Rudolph table further.8It was completed a year later. For Kepler, the year and a half he spent with Tycho Brahe was stressful and his research tended to stagnate, but he managed to cooperate with someone with different principles and ultimately achieved his goal. I think we should learn from what they have achieved.

　Old customs and outdated common sense may still exist in the ship of society you are about to board. I hope that all of you will be able to use your free thinking to bring in new ideas and bring about innovation. When I encounter severe stormy weather on a ship, I hope that I will be able to stand up to my colleagues who have different beliefs and row the oars together to overcome them. If you encounter rough waves that you cannot overcome, please contact your academic advisor or the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology Alumni Association. I'm sure you'll get some tips on how to overcome it.

　Our university would like to support you at all times and forever. I would like to conclude my address with the hope of seeing everyone's energetic smiles again.

Reiwa6Years3Month25Day
Toshio Iseki, President of Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology