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Â鶹AV (HU) held its 2025 Entrance Ceremony on April 3, welcoming a total of 4,092 new students. This year, among the newcomers, there are 2,584 undergraduate and advanced course students and 1,508 graduate students, all embarking on their new journeys.

The ceremony took place under clear skies at the Higashi-Hiroshima Sports Park. Families and new students gathered at the venue, where cherry blossoms in full bloom added a celebratory touch to the occasion.

In his speech, HU President Ochi spoke about the essence of learning at university. ¡°I hope that you will develop the habit of questioning why things happen the way they do, considering historical contexts and analyzing problems from various perspectives, not just focusing on the ¡®how¡¯ but also on the ¡®why,¡¯¡± he said.

¡°During your time at university, I hope you will not only focus on your academic work, but also actively engage in various challenges while refining yourself through extracurricular activities and other experiences.¡±

Following the ceremony, video messages welcoming the new students were presented, featuring Hajime Moriyasu, head coach of Japan¡¯s national soccer team; Takushi Tanaka, comedian and graduate of the School of Engineering; and Keiko Horikawa, non-fiction writer and alumna of the School of Integrated Arts and Sciences.

Furthermore, a mini concert was held featuring Michie Nakamaru, world-renowned opera singer and visiting professor at HU, accompanied by students from the Educational Design for Teacher Educators Program at the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Their performance filled the venue with beautiful music, warmly welcoming the new students.

President's full Ceremonial Speech (English) (Japanese)