13 March, 2020

Tetsuo Arakawa
President, Osaka City University

To the New Students of the 2020 Academic Year

Congratulations to all of you for entering OCU.

The crisis of the new coronavirus has spread throughout the world and many have fallen victim to it. It is a shame that the entrance ceremony will be canceled, but now it is time to work together to stop the spread of the infection. You must be afraid of this virus. (Please refer here for how to deal with it.) 

Currently, various activities are restricted and you are forced to live in a state that is less than ideal, but you will soon be able to return to your normal life. Treat this time of "social distancing" as a rare opportunity for some positive thinking about your life.

The situation was different then, but in 1969 when I enrolled at Osaka City University, schools were in an intense dispute nationwide. University of Tokyo's entrance examinations were canceled and OCU was closed - without an entrance ceremony. I went on a bicycle trip for a month and was able to meet a variety of people and analyze my life. This time changed my outlook on life. Please treat your time away from the crowds as special, and of course, do everything you can to prevent the spread of the virus. See you on campus soon!