Bringing Forth ‘the Nail that Sticks out’ and the Importance of ‘Difference, Disagreement and Dissidence’

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Perhaps you have all noticed already from the evening paper of Nikkei released on November 17 (Saturday) in the section “Senior Reporter’s Kokoro Page” (published every Saturday in the evening paper), an article posted by Editor Masami Shimizu interviewing me, entitled
“Japan must not repeat its foolishness, interview with Dr. Kiyoshi Kurokawa”. I have known Mr. Shimizu since the time he was an editorial staff of science and technology, and he has often written perceptive editorials.

The main headline of the article is “Develop Difference and Change Society” and the subheading is “To the Youth: Be ‘the Nail that Sticks Out’” which are the main messages I have repeatedly advocated whenever there was an opportunity, including this column. Here again, I am emphasizing the importance of ‘difference, disagreement and dissidence.’

Ms. Yoko Ishikura also mentions this article in her own column and states that she is “flabbergasted, or rather shocked” by the fact that while the world is changing so much, Japan has not changed at all since the time she wrote ‘The Management of Difference’ in her work with Mr. Kenichi Omae and Mr. Hirotaka Takeuchi 20 years ago.

Overcoming the weaknesses of Japan which became apparent on 3.11, constructing and advancing the future of Japan depend on the young people. Observing Japan since 3.11, I feel the danger that the industry, the government, the academia, the media and other existing powers will go back to the previous state; despite the fact that the world is going through unstable and unpredictable current of changes that we have never experienced before.

I would be happy if you could take a look at my interview-based article. I have received some positive reactions from number of people.

A week later in the November 24 (Saturday) edition of the same paper, there is an interview article of Mr. Toshio Arima and on the left side below there is a small column titled ‘From Kokoro Editing Room.’

There you find the public response to the article from the 17th in which “Professor of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, Dr. Kurokawa Kiyoshi Recommends ‘to the Youth: Be the ‘Nail that Sticks Out.’” A mother with two children apparently clipped out the article hoping that her sons will be that way. It also states that “building a society which tolerates difference, disagreement and dissidence is our duty for the next generation (Sachi).”

This made me a bit happy. Thank you, Mr. Shimizu.

 

To Taipei, a Series of Coincidences

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Prof-Kurokawa-CGMH-visit
Prof. Yang 2nd from left. Next to the right between Prof. Yang and me is Prof. Tomino of Juntendo University.

After having spent the first day of GEW, I set off to Taipei on the following morning. A small workshop that I　promised to have with Chang Gung Medical Center was postponed last year due to the disastrous event of 3.11. I　have known Professor Chih-Wei Yang for some time; he is currently the coucillor of International Society of　Nephrology and the Dean of Chang Gung College of Medicine. I felt grateful to him for welcoming me at the　airport despite his busy schedule.

The other day, although it was a coincidence, I was consulted by an American friend about the innovative project　‘Biosignatures’(1) which is partnering with Chang Gung Medical Centers, Arizona State University and also Mayo　Clinic. Hence, it was by chance that this was one the topics that came up in the discussion with Professor Yang.

The next day, along with Professor Yang I attended the workshop, which involved presentations by the younger members, and by four o’clock in the afternoon I headed back to Haneda. It was a short stay in Taipei.

I believe that what may seem like an ordinary coincidence such as the one above is in fact not a coincidence, but a result of expanding different kinds of people and establishing relationships of mutual trust along the way. I also believe that the series of coincidences and the unique relationships are based upon trust in the special “attributes” of your own abilities that are not limited to the organization to which you belong and are built throughout your career. In today’s borderless, global world, these are indispensable and most valuable assets.

Creating your own value from a young age involves finding opportunities to develop your “attributes” from your teens, 20s and early 30s by interacting with the world’s professionals, and it is important to have a strong sense of your own objectives and the efforts required to fulfill that your own goal.

I think that finding your own unique value, being humble, and setting your own position in this world will help you build a successful career.

After I return, in the following evening of November 11, I am setting off to Dubai from Narita.

 

Meeting the Prime Ministers of Malaysia and Norway in two Consecutive Days

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The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mohd Najib Abdul Razak(1) set up a ‘Global Advisory Board of Science and Innovation’ and I was also invited as a committee member.

This time the event took place in Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru from 1st to 3rd of November. I departed Narita in the morning of October 31st. From Kuala Lumpur Airport it took roughly an hour and a half to arrive to the hotel, and in the evening I attended the reception.

On the following day, November 1st, I had a conference at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Kuala Lumpur. Other than the Prime Minister, several cabinet ministers had attended, and updates were given on issues including food security, nutrition and environment. We exchanged various ideas and engaged in debates concerning reflection on policy, and instructions were given based on the discussion. Part of the conference focused especially on the site visit to ‘Iskandar; Malaysia Smart City Framework’ centralizing in Johor Bahr. Unfortunately I had to excuse myself from the site visit on the second and third day, and after day1, I left Kuala Lumpur and got back to Narita on the 2nd, early in the morning.

After returning home and taking a short break, I met Norway’s Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg(1) at noon, and we had a meal together. I was the only representative from Japan and we exchanged opinions concerning various risks and government responses based on our reports, which included the National Diet of Japan Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission's (NAIIC) report on Fukushima nuclear power plants and the report by Norway’s independent committee on the mass shooting in Norway from last summer.

NAIIC’s report on Fukushima’s nuclear power plants seems to be widely read in  the world and I am delighted that there are many people who are interested in exchanging opinions on this matter, including those who hold important posts in the government.

Prime Minister Stoltenberg also made suggestions regarding exchange of opinions on ‘Global Health.’ In this particular field, Norway is known for showing great interest in global health and support for organizations such as GAVI(1) and the Prime Minister is also very keen on promoting such program. We spoke that HGPI which I am part of, recently organized a conference in collaboration with GAVI, and the mechanisms of financing global health programs as I previously discussed in early September at the Kavli Science Forum in Oslo. There, the Prime Minister emphasized the mission of Norway.

Time went by very quickly and afterwards we had interviews from Norway’s TV station and Kyodo news.

In the evening I was invited to the reception of Prime Minister Stoltenberg. Reconstruction Minister Hirano also attended the event, together with number of parties concerned and we all enjoyed seafood dishes such as salmon of Norway.

Meeting two different Prime Ministers in two consecutive days was an experience I could not have imagined. 

 

My Comments on Dr. Yamanaka’s Nobel Prize

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It is wonderful that Shinya Yamanaka was recently awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. In October, I met Dr. Yamanaka when he attended the STS Forum in Kyoto. I have touched upon this briefly in a　previous blog post.

It is an amazing achievement with a very significant impact and the world had been waiting with high expectations. The first report was published only in 2006, so it goes to show how large an impact Dr. Yamanaka’s findings on the iPS had. I am truly overjoyed.

Regarding the Nobel Prize, I have written about it many times on this site, and this time I was asked by many newspapers to give my comments. I continue to hold the same view as I have in the past(in Japanese).

My opinion focuses on the issue that faces Japanese universities and society at large, and is thought to be the norm in Japan- the “vertical society.”

I have explained my views in the following articles:

1.  “The University of Tokyo and the Nobel Prize” (in Japanese)

2.  “Why it is Difficult for the University of Tokyo to Create Nobel Laureates” (in Japanese)

3.  “The Noble Prize and the Academy Awards” (in Japanese)

4.  “Cultivation of the Future Generation is Fundamental to the Nation” (in Japanese)

5.  “Celebrating the 100th Year of the Nobel Prize” (in Japanese)

6.  “Japan’s Challenges for Training Future Scientists” (in Japanese)

7.  “Cultivating the ‘Nail that Sticks Out’ through World Exchange” (in Japanese)

The impact of the research conducted by Dｒ. Yamanaka and others like him is not merely something that can be measured by the “impact factor.” Rather, it has IMPACT on the whole world.

This kind of research is often born out of the rebellious spirit that comes not from the mainstream way of thinking, but from the "crazy ones."(1)

At this time in the twenty-first century, there have been eleven Japanese who have been awarded the Nobel Prize. Out of these eleven, Dr Nanbu (Noble Prize in Physics), Dr. Shimomura (Chemistry), and Dr. Negishi (Chemistry) have built their careers abroad, in the United States. Dr Tonegawa is also a similar case, having worked in San Diego and in Basel.

You must not be afraid to be “the nail that sticks out” or one of the “crazy ones.” For it is the nail that sticks out that changes the world. 

 

From Nairobi -3: Returning to the Olympic School, where the foundations of diplomacy begin

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Day three in Nairobi.  Today, as I took no part in the conference, I visited the Olympic School(1) accompanied by a member of UZIMA.  This is a public school for children of Kibera slum and located at an edge of the slum, which is known as the ‘largest slum in the world.’

When I was WHO Commissioner six years ago (June 2006), I visited this place and was extremely moved.  As one of the public elementary schools in Kenya (they have grades 1-8 and there are about 200 schools in total), it attained the highest grade in Kenya (actually the top in the country; although slightly dropping recently, still in the top 10), and this result enabled the students to progress to public high school.  The top ten percent of students with the highest grades can continue their studies in the public high school (4 academic years).

Over last 10 years, the number of students enrolled increased from about 1,700 to 3,000 and the twenty-six (26) teachers seem extremely busy.  With the class full of students, one textbook is shared among six to eight students (the textbooks cannot be brought back home, which is in the slum district) and they study together.  Some of the rooms are very dark as there are no lights, but they are still packed with students.  One class has approximately seventy to ninety students.

Lunchtime is about forty minutes and the lunch is boiled corn (maize).  I tried a bit myself, and could imagine how tough the situation was for the students and was amazed at how they coped with it.  To understand that this kind of world exists through experience is certainly important.

When I visited some of the classrooms I was greeted by all the students and their teachers.  I could notice that they were disciplined as well.

Since we could not immediately find visitor’s notebook in the principal’s office of 2006 when I visited six years ago, I wrote a similar message again on this occasion.  Whenever the young people I know go outside of Japan and to Africa and e-mail or tweet “Off to Nairobi…” I recommend them to visit this school.  A few of such young people I know read my entry of 2006.

What I wrote there was the following:

Most moving experience of my life

I saw the future of the nation

When you have the opportunity to go to Kenya, I suggest you to visit the Olympic School.

In the afternoon I visited the CEO of NCST (National Council of Science and Technology) of Kenya, Prof. Shaukat Abdulrazak (1).  The chairman of the board of directors, Prof. Vasey Mwaja, was also present, and we had a pleasant chat for about an hour. Both of them once studied and lived in Japan and one can feel their passion for Japan.  This is the process that is most valuable for international contribution.

GRIPS National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, one of the bases of my work, is a graduate school that encourages this process.

My stay in Nairobi is almost over. In a few hours I will be leaving the hotel and heading back home.

London and Onwards to Nairobi: The Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize

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Photos in Nairobi by Mr O.T. Belarga of Osaka University Graduate School of Human Sciences.

My flight for London was
delayed in its departure from New York, and so I was informed beforehand that I
would not be reaching Heathrow in time for the connecting flight to Nairobi.
Luckily, I had some leeway in terms of my schedule in Nairobi, and so there
were no major problems. I booked a night at the Sofitel Hotel close to the
Heathrow airport.

I had dinner in London with
one of my friends and his family, as well as a Japanese student who interned at
NAIIC and is currently studying political science at Oxford. We went to a
Japanese restaurant and had a lively talk (photo).

I headed to Nairobi the
next day, reaching my destination at around 9 p.m where I was greeted by an
official of the foreign ministry of Japan and then escorted to my hotel. The 8th
International Conference on the MCH Booklet would be held over a period of 4
days starting the next day  . This is a conference that is set up and run jointly by Professor
Yasuhide Nakamura of Osaka University and HANDS.

As you might know, the
Maternal and Child Health (MCH) booklet is one of the successes of the ODA of
Japan in the Asian region. The next region being targeted was Africa and elsewhere
this was the theme of the conference.

I’ve heard that the Kenyan
Government and Dr. Miriam Were, who was a recipient of the 1st Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize 4 years ago
were doing their utmost to make the conference a success. Not only were there
some international organizations, but also representatives from various African
and Asian countries as well as Palestinian countries. All in all, there were
participants from around 30 countries.

The session started early
the next day at the Multimedia University of Kenya. In Kenya, the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation (MPHS) and Ministry of Medical Services are separate entities, and I felt
that this was a very practical and logical approach.

I took part in the Opening
Plenary Panel with Dr. Were, the Minister of Public Health and Sanitation
Honorable Beth Mugo. The current Japanese Deputy Chief of Mission to Kenya H.E
Yoichiro Yamada used his own MCH booklet in his explanations, and this was very
persuasive. In this panel, I had a 25 minute talk titled “Japan Support
for Global Health and the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize”.

During the break, I was
able to mix with a lot of people from different nations, but I talked to many
young Japanese working Kenya and elsewhere overseas, the majority of whom were
women. I also met a nurse who was part of my team in Phayao, Thailand where I
was in charge of a project for prevention and control of AIDS. After that
project, she had gone to Africa where she was currently working. I thought it
wonderful that one could have reunions like this. The lively contribution of
young Japanese to the world gladdens me.

Tomorrow evening is the
session for the Hideyo Noguchi African Prize, 4th Anniversary. Since I am
acting as a chairperson, I participated, particularly as a run-up to the TICAD
5 conference.

It is a good opportunity to
meet new people and to understand Japan’s place in the
ever expanding world.

 

National Diet of Japan Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission (NAIIC)　-12: New York City, Speech at the Japan Society, and the Challenging Yourself in the World

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Photo credit to Mr. Ken Levinson for 3 photos at Japan Society Lecture, and to Dr. Y. Kuwama for 6 photos at its private reception.

After spending two days in Washington D.C., I traveled to New York City, where I gave a speech at the Japan Society.

As there has been high global awareness of the Fukushima nuclear plant and NAIIC, many Japanese and Americans alike came to the speech.

My speech was a part of the “Yoko Makino Policy Series,” with Daniel Bases of Thomson Reuters as the moderator.  I talked for half an hour about the significance of NAIIC for the world, our activities, the report and the recommendations. Afterwards, Mr. Bases and I had a discussion on two or three topics and then had a question and answer session with the audience.

You can view its video at http://www.japansociety.org/(needs Adobe Flash Player) in my ‘Japanese’ English(see this article).

It was a very energetic and lively session and the time spent with the audience was very fulfilling. Just a week ago, William Saito, my colleague or “representative”, had also given a speech here and had pointed out the same problems that I did about Japanese society.  It seems that the audience was very energized and stimulated.  I give my thanks to President Sakurai of the Japan Society and to Ms. Yoko Makino.

Among people who came to the speech were young doctors from Japan who are training in hospitals in New York in a clinical training program launched by Mr. Nishimoto (though it was only for a while, I was also involved in the program).  Dr. Kuwama, who is a clinician in New York and was a student at the University of Tokyo when I taught there, also came to the talk.  I was invited as the guest of honor to the Japan Society reception, as well as the Private Reception, which was held in a condo on the fortieth floor of the Trump Tower that overlooks Manhattan.

The next day was a beautiful, clear day and I enjoyed walking through New York in the autumn weather.  I had lunch with the Consul General Hiroki and Mr. Kaneko of the Public Relations Center and enjoyed conversing about many topics.

In the afternoon, I went to the Harvard Club where I met with Ms. Yoko Makino and local young doctors, and then off to see the Broadway musical Chicago with Ms. Makino and her three friends.  It was an amazing piece of work by incredible professionals.

This past summer, Ryoko Yonekura (1, 2) played the role of Roxie in Chicago.  She had trained intensively for a year before taking on the role. It is no mean feat, for the performance is on the world stage among fierce competition.  She plays opposite Amra-Faye Wright (1).

Taking on this challenge must have been a breakthrough experience and an enormous step forward for Ms. Yonekura.  To perform on the world stage at this top level must be an incredible experience that will lead to confidence that is unattainable by many, as it is won by competing with the world.

I wish that more young Japanese would go out into the world and challenge themselves at the top level, in any area or field.  You may face many hardships and may not succeed right away, but this experience is priceless and irreplaceable.  It will lead to greater confidence in yourself in the future, and will provide a good chance to examine the path you are taking in life.

There is no denying that more Japanese can play an active role in the world.  So let’s try and challenge ourselves- there is much more to gain than to lose.  The world is becoming more global.

 

Why not begin your global career by studying at OIST, it is already part of Global World

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I have introduced several times on OIST in this blog posting site.  OIST is now open for graduate students for 2013.  Read the attached brochure, visit its website, think of applying, contact the office, think of visiting OIST.  OIST is completely different from any other graduate university of Japan, beginning of your global career, it is already a leading Graduate University of Global World.

OIST Brochure English (PDF)

********
Call for applications: PhD Program
 
The deadline for applicants living in Japan is December 31, 2012.
 
The deadline for international applicants is November 15, 2012.*

*The earlier international deadline is to allow time for visa processing.

The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University is now accepting applications for admission to the PhD program for the September 2013 intake.  We are looking across the globe for students who will flourish in an atmosphere of encouragement for discovery and innovation.  With over half of OIST students and faculty coming from outside Japan, OIST offers the highest level of graduate education while embedded in a truly international environment.  About 50 cutting-edge laboratories conducting research in a range of fields form the hub of the OIST Graduate University.  Based on a firm foundation in the basic sciences, we promote education that is highly interdisciplinary.  The graduate program features interactive teaching with tutorial-style courses providing preparation for thesis research.  Course design is customised to the unique needs of individual students.  From the beginning, students work side by side with world-class faculty and researchers in well-equipped laboratories.

We are currently selecting our next class of graduate students and we would like the opportunities for PhD study at OIST to be as widely known as possible.  Our intake is limited to about 20 students per year, and we aim to recruit excellent students.  All students receive an internationally competitive support package, health insurance, and subsidized on-campus housing.

More information about the program and how to apply on-line is available at:
http://www.oist.jp/graduate-school
 
Students who are interested in applying but have difficulty meeting the deadline should contact us for assistance at:
study@oist.jp

Jeff Wickens
Dean, OIST Graduate School

 

The Science and Technology Society (STS) Forum in Kyoto, Broadening Horizons, Professor Yamanaka’s Nobel Prize among others

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As in past years, I was able to catch up with a lot of old friends as well as make new ones at the Science and Technology Society (STS) Forum (1).

On the previous afternoon, I was able to talk about the NAIIC (National Diet Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Committee) report at the EU-Japan forum, including its objectives, its contents and the reasons for executing such an investigation.  The report was received warmly by the attending members.  It also attracted the notice of Lauren Stricker, the chairman of WANO <http://www.wano.info/> (World Association of Nuclear Operators), who commented that this report was very important and would provide future reference.

I received an invitation for the reception in the evening that was being held for Genevieve Fioraso, the French minister for Higher Education and Research.  There were about 20 other important dignitaries of France as well, including H.E Mr. Christian Masset the French Ambassador to Japan, and it was indeed an honor to rub shoulders with ministers as well as Lauren Stricker (chairman of WANO).  I am very thankful for this gesture, especially since I was asked to make the opening speech.  This speaks volumes of France’s level of awareness and evaluation of the NAIIC report.

The official program for the first day of the STS Forum included some plenary panels, all of which were exemplary.  Many of them focused on energy-related topics, a result perhaps of the Fukushima Nuclear disaster.

In one plenary panel, Professor Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University, who discovered the ways to make iPS cells, was on the panel for Global Health, with the president of the Karolinska Institute, Professor Harriet Wallberg-Henriksson, acting as the moderator.  Although many people might have guessed that, by the time the reception was taking place the next evening, news of Professor Yamanaka getting the Nobel Prize came.  Needless to say, he was not there at the reception and we all share our joy.

On the second day, there was one presenter who was unable to attend, and I was asked to act as a moderator in the absentee’s place.  The panel discussion was about “Capacity Building.”  Charged with this new responsibility, I wondered how to moderate it considering several factors such as the layout of the venue, the backgrounds of the panelists and the number of people in the audience and decided to take a different approach from the one originally planned.  In return, the participants seemed very satisfied and we all spent a fruitful time.  However, as each panelist came from a different background and different challenges, there was some difficulty bringing them all under one roof.  There were some dignitaries from Kenya, including the minister for Science and Technology, and I commented on the Olympic School in the Kibera slum area of Nairobi to the audience, which I had visited a few years ago.  I talked to them about my upcoming visit to Nairobi on the 22nd of this month, and they of course welcomed me. Perhaps I will be meeting them there.

Such interactions with different people are important to me because they constantly remind me that the world is ever-changing, borders are constantly expanding and we are all being connected.

 

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) and the Science and Technology Society (STS) Forum in Kyoto

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The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) is a completely new research graduate school in Japan, and out of many students who have received the support of the world, thirty-four students have matriculated.  I have supported this project from the beginning.  It is a graduate school very different from those in the past in Japan, as over half of the professors, research staff and students have come from abroad.  Of course, the official language is English.

The buildings are also designed with this new spirit and there is also a four o’clock tea that is held once a week and creates time for everyone to come together.

I left for Okinawa the next day after my talk at the Harvard Club of Japan.  I came to take part in the OIST board members meeting.  At the board meeting, there was a reporting of activities and discussion of several topics.  Later, I visited some research rooms and met with the new students.

Nice research rooms, offices, lecture halls, dormitories and the beautiful weather and the blue sea are all here.  All of this and many excellent programs welcome young people who wish to embark on a research path.

After staying for two nights, I took the last flight back to Tokyo.  The next morning, I went to Kyoto, where I took part in the Science and Technology Society (STS) Form (1).  I was reunited with many friends and have attended every year, as it is also a good place to meet new people.

Time flies and this is now the ninth year that I have attended the STS Forum.