I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the special care you have extended towards the development of the Faculty of Science and Technology and the Graduate School of Science and Technology, both from within and without the university. Although I am glad that we have emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic and are now able to act freely without constraints, it saddens me to witness the ongoing disputes around the world. I cannot say with confidence that the global situation is necessarily on the path of stable development. Furthermore, while it is undeniable that the desire to achieve carbon neutrality and other SDGs is strongly influenced by societal and political factors, it is also a fact that the occurrence of abnormal weather and natural disasters has created a demand for a proactive response in the field of science and technology. In addition, recently more and more people have begun to voice concerns over the adverse influence resulting from the rapid development of generative AI.

Under these circumstances, I believe that the concept of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) will become even more important. In light of the DE&I trends around the world, we have decided to examine the current state of diversity, equity and inclusion in the Faculty of Science and Technology and the Graduate School of Science and Technology, and consider how it should be going forward as we look towards the 100th anniversary of the Faculty of Science and Technology 20 years from now. To this end, we have established the Faculty of Science and Technology Diversity and Inclusion Working Group with the aim of tackling related issues such as improving the gender ratio and gender gap, as well as endeavoring to clearly define the future course of action on various matters related to diversity.

This is also exemplified in Fukuzawa-sensei’s writings in An Outline of a Theory of Civilization, where he states that “Civilization is the progress of human knowledge and virtue.” “Thus, if there be here a man of knowledge and virtue, should he be called a civilized person?” “Indeed, he should be called a civilized person.” Bearing those words in mind, I sincerely hope that our research and educational activities will contribute towards realizing our ideal civilized society as we continue to remain cognizant of DE&I issues.