Kazuo OIKE
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. It is a real pleasure and privilege for me to participate in the opening ceremony of the 16th International Conference on Nucleation and Atmospheric Aerosols. As president of Kyoto University, I am proud to have been asked to make opening remarks on this important occasion- the first to be held in Asia in this series of conferences.
It is also my great honor to welcome you all to at Kyoto University, one of the leading academic and educational centers in Japan.
Kyoto, with a history of more than 1200 years as Japan's capital, is endowed with an impressive legacy of traditional Japanese culture, including ancient Buddhist temples, refined palaces and gardens of every size and description, not to mention some of the country's most important works of art. The city still attracts a large number of tourists from both inside and outside of the country.
Kyoto also has been the center of culture and commerce throughout the history of Japan continuing to influence the rest of the country even after the capital relocated to Tokyo in the late 19th century. This influence is evident in the city's vitality and entrepreneurship, which provides leadership to many of the country's industries. We are proud of having hosted the COP3 conference in the city, which ignited much debate about the great challenge of global warming that we are facing.
We wish to make sure that the city keeps sending information and innovative ideas not only to the rest of this country, but also to the world.
Kyoto University was established in 1897 as the second oldest national university in Japan, and has played a leading role in the country. It's commitment to produce results in research and nurture human resources remains firm.
During the past century, the University has developed rapidly as a comprehensive university and is highly regarded today both within Japan and abroad as one of the most prestigious, large-scale research universities, which houses 10 departments, 16 graduate schools, 13 research institutes and 19 other centers. The teaching and managerial staffs total 5,300 and the student body is counts 21,800.
The most outstanding feature of Kyoto University's academic traditions is a respect for the spirit of freedom and independence characteristics, which arise from the university's distance from the capital of Tokyo, and Kyoto's cultural and philosophical traditions.
And it is well known Japanese Nobel Prizewinners for the natural sciences have mostly come from Kyoto University. Kyoto University has produced 5 Nobel Prizewinners in the fields of theoretical physics, chemistry and molecular biology.
Respect for the spirit of freedom and independence is also deeply woven into the research and study today. The university's researchers vigorously pursue original research based on individual objectives and interests in spirit of academic freedom. To this end, researchers have produced globally significant results in a multitude of fields. There are also several researchers who have played a leading role in joint research with other scholars both from Japan and abroad.
We are glad that our university was able to provide a venue for this international conference, and believe this conference will certainly provide a valuable opportunity for the participants from all over the world to share subjects of mutual interest, enhance everyone's knowledge, courage exchange and stimulate new ideas, renew old friendships and make new acquaintances.
I would like to express my deepest appreciation to all those who have made this conference possible, and extend a warm welcome to the participants. We hope you take advantage of seeing two fascinating city while you are here and enjoy all the sight it affords. Thank you.