New Year’s greeting from the President of the University of Osaka

Happy New Year to everyone.

First, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for your continued support for the educational and research activities of the University of Osaka.

The year 2025 was a year of university reform, which we have been promoting since the inauguration of a new executive team in April.

The last year also saw significant improvement of our research infrastructure, with the completion of the Infectious Disease Education and Research Building, the Integrated Medical Care Building of the University of Osaka Hospital and the Toyonaka Co-Creation Building B, and the relocation of the Tokyo Office.

In addition, the construction of the Suita Agora and Toyonaka Agora Buildings has just started as a main project funded by the university bond. Thus, a new research and co-creation hub, which will bring together talent and knowledge both internally and externally, is finally beginning to take its shape.

Research-wise, the University of Osaka continues to prove its standing as a world-leading research-oriented university anew, especially in the fields of life science, including immunology in which the university is renowned as the world’s leader, quantum computing, and power lasers. We showcased this by exhibiting some of our cutting-edge research results at the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan.

In 2025, we received great news many times, including: our student team’s victory in the Japan International Birdman Rally for the first time in the university’s history; the designation of the Machikane Crocodylidae fossil as a National Natural Treasure; the selection of Professor Emeritus KAWASHIMA Yasunaru (surgery) and former Professor KOMATSU Kazuhiko (cultural anthropology and yokai studies) for the Order of Culture; and the selection of Distinguished Honorary Professor SAKAGUCHI Shimon (immunology) for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. These remarkable accomplishments are a source of great pride and inspiration for the University of Osaka.

Against this backdrop, our institution must promote radical reform and achieve breakthroughs this year to prepare for the coming era. Now, let me reflect on our strengths as a comprehensive university.

The University of Osaka’s biggest strength stems is our basic research ability to pursue timeless truths combined with the ability to create practical knowledge to address various social issues head-on, which together constitute profound integrated knowledge. As the only Japanese national university with a School of Foreign Studies, we are also distinguished by our ability to connect directly with the world while rooted locally.

We have the ability to delve deeply into specialized, one-of-a-kind research topics, or in other words, the ability to conduct ambitious cutting-edge research, and the integrated knowledge that enables us, as a comprehensive university, to organize a range of insights gained from such research across different disciplines. We can effectively and flexibly take advantage of such ability and knowledge, which is what makes us uniquely strong and distinctive. Looking ahead, we must continue to promote world-class research and pursue timeless truth transcending the boundaries of medical, dental, pharmaceutical and life sciences, engineering and information sciences and humanities and social science. The most important mission entrusted to me is to maximize the University of Osaka’s unique strengths, enhance our research ability furthermore to make it an unshakable core of the university management, and nurture next-generation leaders through research activities.

In this light, we must accelerate ambitious cutting-edge research on one-of-a-kind topics, in which our strength lies, confidently and strategically looking toward the next generation. At the same time, we will make it top priority to nurture young researchers and discover future research seeds.

Much to our regret, the University of Osaka was not selected for the University for International Research Excellence last year, as you already know. However, we remain firmly committed to enhancing the quality of our research and promoting educational reform, while clearly defining and adhering to the direction of reform to meet the needs of society. At the same time, we will continue to ask ourselves: “What makes the University of Osaka special and strong?” “What is actually needed to make us stronger?” “How can we enhance our research ability in substance?”

Taking pride in the belief that “A university’s quality is determined by the breadth of its academic community,” we will steadily implement measures to enhance the quality of our research and education across the boundaries of academic fields and specialties.

The university is a place where individuals with diverse dreams and aspirations meet and inspire each other to open the way to a future. We, the faculty and staff, will join efforts with firm determination to ensure the University of Osaka will continue to attract motivated researchers and students, encourage them to pursue their ambitions to the fullest, and enable them to grow and go global.

In conclusion, I hope that the year 2026 will lay a foundation for the University of Osaka to achieve greater success, and I wish you all good health and prosperity.

January 20, 2026

KUMANOGOH Atsushi
President, The University of Osaka