It is now the season of university entrance ceremonies around Japan, where words of encouragement are bestowed upon new students by university presidents.

What messages have the presidents offered this year? I read their ceremonial addresses in search of some distinctive signs of the times.

“Please do not even dream of using them for writing your reports,” pleaded the president of Shinshu University in reference to artificial intelligence chatbots such as ChatGPT. “What you obtain easily will be lost in the blink of an eye,” he warned.

All universities must now be struggling to determine how best to incorporate such cutting-edge technology into learning.

The president of Hiroshima University voiced his concerns about the current preoccupation with “time performance,” a "Japanglish" term derived from “cost performance” by replacing “cost” with “time.”

“Is knowledge obtained by ‘time performance’ (efficient use of time) good enough?” the president asked.

It raises questions about the current societal tendency to prioritize efficiency above all, an example of which would be to fast-forward videos to save time. He quoted Albert Einstein (1879-1955) who famously said, “The important thing is not to stop questioning.”

Many of the ceremonies were mask free for the first time in four years, since wearing masks became obligatory during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The president of Kyoto University told the new students, “Now is the time to consider going overseas to study.”

He said the years he spent as a researcher in the United States “made a decisive impact on how I chose the trajectory of my life.”

His message boiled down to the importance of experiencing foreign cultures up close--something not possible on the internet.

Whether it’s global warming or the Russian invasion of Ukraine, what our turbulent world will bring tomorrow is anyone’s guess. The president of Rikkyo University said, “We can no longer live with just one fixed yardstick.”

And he encouraged his students to “refine your yardsticks in order to understand diverse values and thoughts.”

I stopped to think what words of encouragement I received at my university entrance ceremony. I regret that all I can remember is that I was in a daze.

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 14

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.