National Vision, New Energy and Agricultural Policy

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Since the start of New Year, I’ve been posting number of columns in my blog concerning national vision of Japan.

Starting from January 1st, they continue to 7th, 20th , and 21st.  In the posting of 13th , I also touched upon the policy of Obama administration.

Today, I would like to report to you that an article on my lecture which I delivered in December and January appeared in The Asahi Shinbun newspaper of January 22nd.  Judging from the fact that the articles commenting on those lectures are getting longer and longer, I feel that people are gradually getting the picture of my “Story” which I have been telling. 

I really appreciate those comments on articles and other media when I think of current dynamic change in global society, disastrous situation Japan is facing, beginning of the new administration led by president Obama, movement of Japan, United States, and the world.

Now, how do we move from here? What is the next step? Please join in and take actions.

Out from “Reasons for why something cannot be done”

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The Asahi Shinbun newspaper evening edition has a column named “Mado (windw)” written by editorial committee members.

Mr. Murayama, an editorial member, who listened to my lecture of December wrote a piece of the column by the title of “Out from ‘Reasons for why something cannot be done’”.  I am delighted.  I also received many e-mails saying “I’m all for it!” or “You are right!” Thanks to each one of them.

The column goes as below.

■Japan will be an exporting country of food and clean energy by 2050.

■Dr. Kiyoshi Kurokawa, Professor of National Graduate Institute of Policy Studies (GRIPS) advised a year ago to the then Prime Minister Abe of setting up such objectives.  This was during the time when Dr. Kurokawa was the Science Advisor to the Cabinet.

■Responses from the related government offices to the Prime Minister’s office were solely negative – chorus of “No way!”

■Japanese food self-sufficiency is only 40%.  When it comes to energy, the rate even lowers to 4%.  It doesn’t take an government official at Kasumigaseki to see that achieving this goal is an extremely difficult task.

■“But listing up reasons why something can’t be done is no good”, says Dr. Kurokawa in a strong tone. Set a goal that has a strong impact, and communicate it in easy words to the public so that everybody can pose a question “what can I do?” to themselves.  Bringing about changes to the society through these kinds of actions is what politics is all about, according to Kurokawa.

■President elect Barack Obama is sending out a clear message of overcoming the recession through Green New Deal Policy.  Other countries responded to this and started to ask themselves the question of “What can we do to realize the low carbon society?”

■Japan today has no political leadership.  So the “Reasons why something cannot be done” has strong impacts and influences.

■These days, Dr. Kurokawa is preaching at variety of places and occasions -“We can achieve the goal of exporting food and clean energy even by 2030”

<Tomohiro Murayama>

(Source: The Asahi Newspaper evening edition of Monday, January 19th page2)

Thank you, Mr. Murayama.

Now, what do you think about it?

The National Vision of Japan-at the new year meeting of Japan Science and Technology Agency

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Soon after returning back from Washington, on January 14th , I was at the new year meeting of JST (Japan Science and Technology Agency) where a large number of people from government, academia, and industry sectors related to science and technology gathered.  The venue was full to its capacity, as is always the case.

I was appointed to give the keynote lecture for this year, so I talked about my impression of the new administration of the United States as well as about my two lectures in December where I drew a picture of the national vision of Japan as I see it ( please refer to my posting of January 1st etc.).

20090114jst02dsc_04701Photo1: Myself lecturing

Content of my lecture is also summarized and posted on internet sites (in Japanese) by former journalists Mr. Koiwai and Mr. Deguchi, who were also present at the meeting.  Thanks to both of them for expanding my opinion.  I truly appreciate it.

From Washington－Part2: A new cooperation between scientists

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I spent almost all three days in Washington inside the US National Academies.  I even asked some people to come see me here for meetings.

On January 8, I checked into my hotel room and first got some rest.  Then in the afternoon I attended a press briefing on a new report from the National Research Council.  Stanford University president John Hennessy and former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft (Ref.1 ) are co-chairs of the study committee that produced the report.  Besides them, three others also appeared before reporters.  All are impressive people.  Study committees include not only Academy members but also experts necessary to deliberate specific topics.

I knew that Dr. John Gage and Dr. Norman Neureiter were also at the press conference as committee members.  But since I slipped out in the middle I was unable to see them.  But I was able to meet with Dr. John Gage the following day.

I saw him in the morning at a public lecture by Harvard professor Calestous Juma at the NAS.

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Photo1-3: Prof. Juma during lecture; a girl with laptop from Negroponte’s One Laptop per Child, Dr. John Gage, Prof. Juma and myself

For the first two days, I locked myself up in the National Academies and met many people one after another. 

I held meetings separately with the heads of the three organizations of the National Academies; Dr. Harvey Fineberg from the Institute of Medicine, Dr. Charles Vest from the National Academy of Engineering, and Dr. Ralph Cicerone from the Academy of Sciences.  We discussed plans for cooperation between scientists of Japan and the US under the new administration. Most of the time I went around with Dr. John Boright, executive director of international affairs.

I also held various discussions with major figures from the World Bank and the Atlantic Council of the United States including Mr. Fred Kempe.

Dsc00467 Photo4: With Dr. Vest

Dsc00469 Photo5: STS Forum conference, (from left) myself, Dr. Rita Colwell, Dr. Yuan Tseh Lee (Ref.1)

On January 10th, I spent the day in heated discussions at a committee for the STS Forum that will be organized by Koji Omi, a member of Japan’s parliament.  I look forward to seeing a lot of friends and acquaintances there too.

I think I had three very, very fruitful days to start the New Year.

A lot of the people that I mentioned in this column are those I have already introduced on this blog in the past.  Please try to search for the articles.

From Washington－Part1: High hopes for Obama and his “outstanding” cabinet choices

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I have spent New Year’s in Washington for the past three years.  But the atmosphere this year is completely different.  The wave of hope and expectations for the new president Barack Obama is growing even more in Washington as he has so far picked an extremely smart, top-notch team of cabinet members and advisors. 

He has assembled brilliant scientists to advise him on science policies.  Steve Chu, a Nobel prize-winning physicist and Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, was chosen to be Secretary of Energy.  Lawrence Summers who is currently the Charles W. Eliot University Professor at Harvard University was named to head the National Economic Council.  Obama’s Science Advisors include Harvard physicist John Holdren, Harold Varmus, a Nobel laureate who ran the NIH and is now President of Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and MIT genome professor Eric Lander.  The former president of the ICSU Jane Lubchencho will head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  The team is made up of top academics who have actively been speaking out about climate change and other environmental issues.  They are all highly respected and trusted people within scientific circles.  It’s a very impressive roster. 

Confirmation congressional hearings will begin one after another this week.  I have heard that contacting the nominees is strictly forbidden as it could be viewed as government post hunting.   

With these appointments the direction of the Obama administration’s energy and environmental policies seems pretty clear.  Meanwhile, in Japan the only top-notch or great thing (?) seems to be technology.  Nothing gets done in politics, finance, industry, government, media, and academia because of continual wrangling with vested interests or those resisting change.  All you hear about are reasons why something can’t be done.  If this continues, I am very worried that we will be left behind from the rest of the world.  I am waiting for a new and different trend to emerge in Japan too.      

Over the last couple of days Obama has announced parts of his economic policies.  A feeling of pride seems to be spreading among the American people over having chosen a great leader at this difficult time and turning point in the world’s history (At least that’s the sense I get from talking to the people around me.) .  They are gradually starting to feel confident that they can overcome problems together even though it will take time to realize the goals.  The challenges are enormous, but I can sense the will of the nation or the American mind that is striving to be the leader of the world.   

I wish a new trend like this would emerge in Japan.  Do you feel it coming?  It is so frustrating. 

However, once the Obama administration is inaugurated it does have a mountain of problems to climb.  The US economic woes, the war on terror in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the Gaza conflict etc.  Not only are they extremely complex problems, but they also demand urgency. 

Japan has its hands full with domestic problems. Maybe it is fortunate after all that it has less influence and faces lower expectations from the rest of the world?  I am not sure if that is really okay.

Visits of passionate young people

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Recently, I received mails from 2 groups of young people seeking for advice.

In the morning, 5 university students (mostly from Keio University) came to visit me. Each of them was passionate, seeking for advice about their possibilities and career amid this global era. We discussed a lot, about what is happening in the world, the reason for my message and what can and should be done.

Towards the end of their visit, William Saito and Michiko Sugita came (recently, I’ve been to Kyoto with them), so I introduced them to the students. William and Michiko definitely have “out of the box” background. I’m sure none of the students could have imagined such a career in any people around.

Kurokawaandstudents_20081Photo1: the 5 students from the morning visit and Mr.Saito (next to me) and Ms.Sugita (left)

In the afternoon, likewise, a group of six young passionate people came. This group was led by 3 sophomores from Waseda University. They traveled to Bangladesh this year and were shocked by the terrible difference of its situation as compared to Japan, so during their short stay, tried everything they could think of to be of any help. They also knew about the Grameen Bank and were eager to bring change to the situation as well as to Japan. So after coming back, they worked hard to gather information at universities etc., but no satisfying response was given. It was when their motivation was growing even stronger that they came across my blog, and that’s why they sent me an e-mail saying that they had to see me.

20081216c6lPhoto2: the six students in the afternoon.

They all had some knowledge about “Social entrepreneurs”, but since it is a career new to Japan, they didn’t quite know what to do. We talked and discussed about topics like you see in my blog, and by the time they left they were nicely high spirited.

In short, these young people are aware of primordial issues, but they don’t know how to deal with them or even where to begin. Everything is in a mist. Of course, they get lost. Since those primordial issues are something way different from what has been taught or from any social values of Japan which they had taken to be a common sense, it is only natural that they are at a loss. However, on the other hand, a good number of young people and future leaders of the world are taking such paths (Peace Corp, Teach for America etc.) at the beginning of their career, and this kind of first step is now quite popular.

I advised them to begin by seeing and listening to the speech of Steve Jobs from Apple (links). I already got reactions from some students by e-mails.

Because I use “blog”, a “means of web age”, as the tool for sending out messages, getting to see such young people is so easily possible. Isn’t it wonderful?

I shall be seeing them from time to time.

Symposium on “Preservation of Bioresources”, memorial speech of His Majesty the Emperor on Linne

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On December 9th, I was invited to deliver a keynote speech (its full text (link and PDF ) can be seen, but in Japanese) at the symposium on “preservation of bioresources” at scientific meeting in Kobe.  Before the speech, I had a chance to visit the exhibition of the preserved biological resources.  It was impressive that such a variety of resources were being gathered and studied and exhibited.  Obviously, lots of work were put into this.  I asked to young people around me “Isn’t it hard to believe that every single samples of this huge collection is identified and given a name?  How was it done, I wonder?”
I did the speech along the handouts which I’ve prepared beforehand (recently, I basically don’t use powerpoint), and I think if you are a frequent reader of my blog, you can tell what I said in it.
Although I talked along the sequence in the handouts, what I really wanted to say was the latter half.
Firstly, Their Majesties Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan visited Sweden last year (2007) in celebration of the 300th anniversary of the birth of Linne, and was nominated to Honorary Member of Uppsala University (established in 1477).  I understand that there are only four Honorary Members including the King of Sweden. (more photos).
Emperor and Empress then visited Linnean Society http://www.linnean.org/ （Ref. 1 、 2 ） to deliver an elegant memorial speech. I read the script and was deeply moved.  In the background of this speech, I think, there exists the basis for respect and honor that the people of Japan feel for the royal family.  It is truly elegant and moving both in content and structure. The speech also touches to the contribution of Linne in giving academic names to so many animals and plants.  I strongly recommend that you read it for yourself.

Uppsala02Photo： At the embassy of Sweden, when the president of Uppsala University, Dr. Hallberg and delegation visited.  Emperor’s visit to Sweden was among the topics.

Who do you think wrote the draft?  I can’t think of anyone else but the Emperor himself, for the most part.  It is truly amazing.  If you think about the overwhelming amount of his public duties, if you just imagine that, it is easy to understand how much effort was needed for this.  I’ve always wanted to ask people to read the script, and this keynote speech was a good opportunity.
Second is the recent topic “Is Ainu of Japan the first humans to colonize in America?” It is very important to gather samples and keep them organized, whatever they may be. Progress of technologies for analysis is of no use if samples are not available.

Science, or whatever, is built on the basis of accumulation of effort by long lines of our predecessors.  We owe to their works.  Asking questions like “what is the merit for this?” in academic policy making, grant distribution, petition to government officials is such a shortsighted attitude, poor way of thinking.

Jet Li in TIME

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Do you know Jet Li? He is a very famous Chinese Kunfu master and one of major film stars and I am one of his fans. I have reported on his new life through One Foundation.

Recent TIME Magazine provides an article ‘The Libaration of Jet Li’.

Such activities initially know to limited circles, the make a major coverage by global media as happened for Bill Gates on his ‘Creative Capitalism’ as you may see in my earlier report .

The world is continuously moving and often initiated by a few individuals. It would be important not to be blinded, but know what may be happening out there. You cannot be blinded what is going on. Yes, you live in a connected world.

From Bellagio. “G8 Summit and Global Health” shifts from Japan to Italy

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I came to Rockfeller foundation Bellagio center located besides Lake Como in Northern Italy.  It is October 29 today and there was a snowfall several days ago.  Regret to say that the weather is not too wonderful.

Photos 1-4:  An overview of Lake Como seen from the meeting room in the center.

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Early this year, our “Think Tank,” Health Policy Institute co-hosted “Global Health Summit” with World Bank to help draft agenda for the Toyako G8 Summit by a process independent from government. To see if the same kind of mechanism can work in Italy, we invited several people concerned to discuss on its possibility and find ways.  Aside from the official transition from Japan to Italy as the host country of Summit, this is an independent action of our Think Tank for continuing the agenda which we helped in coordinating.  Policymaking process that involves Multistakeholders is such a trend in this “flattening” world, that the attitude of government on how to handle this is apparently the target of evaluation in any government today. See, for example, “Transparency”.

Bellagioetable01Photo 5:  Dr. Linda Dorment, delegate of the Rockefeller foundation, myself, Dr. Kondo and Mr. Banno of the Health Policy Institute at the meeting.

President Yamamoto of JCIE presented a report (Ref. 1) which JCIE prepared in collaboration with ministry of foreign affairs and other related ministries.  He also joined in the discussion. In a global era like today, nation’s politics does not work effectively without taking into account the activities of Multistakeholders with global networks or related NGOs.  I have already pointed this out in my keynote lecture of this year’s G8 Environment ministers’ meeting. I am planning to listen to various opinions in the course of exploring the possibilities of participating in the policymaking process of Italy.  Tomorrow, I will be heading to Rome.

 

Global Entrepreneurship Week, NPO nurturing young entrepreneurs

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Kauffman foundation is a foundation devoted to Entrepreneurship.

From November 17 to 23, the foundation orgnaized  “Global Entrepreneurship Week” involving about 80 countries of the world to promote global understanding of entrepreneurial spirit and actions. Japan hosted two meetings, each in Tokyo and Kyoto, under the initiatives of Honda Foundation, GRIPS where I belong, Asia Productivity Organization, etc. By the way, Honda prize awarding ceremony was held a day before the Tokyo meeting. Official language was English for all meetings.

The meeting in Tokyo was opened with a lecture, followed by a project named “Elevator Pitch”.  Participants must “sell their idea(s) or project(s) to an angel investor in 30 seconds in an elevator which they happened to meet”. Three teams were selected from nearly 40 applications by screening of video presentations, and each presented as a team of three persons. The winners of the game were Asia Pacific University and Akita International University. Students from Akita were all females and no Japanese was included. Let me point out that those two universities are exceptionally internationalized compared to most of other universities in Japan.

To illustrate how "internationalized" they are, for example, 50% of 5000 Asia Pacific University undergraduates are from overseas and half of the courses are offered in English.

At Akita International University, T-score of students is over “80” at the time of admission, as I was told. It is a small university but with full liberal arts education. All students are required to reside in dormitory during their junior year, will study for one year at overseas universities during their enrollment, and 40% of the students in campus are international students because of this student exchange program. All courses are basically given in English with exceptions of elective language courses such as Japanese, French, etc.

In Kyoto, the venue was Ritsumeikan University. The lecturers here were also energetic and I enjoyed very much.

Photo: At Kyoto University. Kid entrepreneurs participated, too.

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Photo: At Kyoto University. Kid entrepreneurs participated, too.

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Next day, at Kyoto University clock tower in the midst of university festival, there were presentations and booth exhibition hosted by NPO Center for Entrepreneurship Education. It’s topic was businesses targeting on practical local ecology, and even primary school children were participating. Visit the Web site of the event (in Japanese but photos are nice) to catch the idea of its atmosphere. They were quite entertaining and also a good opportunity to understand the unique and interesting ideas those children and students have. I even thought that some of them already had potentials of flourshing just with a little help from existing corporations. Apparently, this kind of event provides a wonderful education and good experience for young people. I hope you will extend support for those activities.

Ms. Kikuko Harada, the leader of this NPO is doing a good job. Your support and personal or institutional donations are welcome here also. I urge you to visit its web site. The children looks nicely high spirited and motivated, don’t they?