The Monday start of the new academic year saw 3,154 freshmen enter the University of Tokyo.
At an entrance ceremony held at the Nippon Budokan stadium in Chiyoda Ward, University of Tokyo President Junichi Hamada told the freshmen, "As the driving force of the University of Tokyo's intellectual activities, I would like each of you to become a 'tough' Todai student."
Among the guest speakers was Yoichiro Nambu, an alumnus and a professor emeritus at the University of Chicago. Nambu, now a U.S. citizen, won the Nobel Prize for physics last year.
"Your academic achievements and your success in society are two separate matters," he said, emphasizing the importance of trying to become someone respected and loved by others.
Wataru Suzuki, 18, from Takazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, said after the entrance ceremony: "I'm excited about all the opportunities waiting for me. In the future, I want to become a pioneer in space exploration as an astronaut."
