Kobe University Newsletter "Kaze"

Vol. 10
April 2021

SPOTLIGHT
Redefining the role of universities in the COVID-19 era
RESEARCH AT KOBE
Expanding horizons of insect ecology research
STUDENT FEATURE
Giving children the opportunity to observe the stars

KOBE INSIGHTSThe Roy Smith HouseThe Roy Smith House is situated about 1.3km to thewest of the Administrative Offices of Kobe
University. It is located in a hilly, quiet residential
area of Kobe up near the mountains.
It was built in 1935 as the residence of the trader
OTANI Shigeru. It is a two-storey house with a
Spanish-style tiled roof and a light, contemporaryinterior. SHIMIZU Eiji, the architect in charge of thehouse’s design, is known for other buildings in the
Kobe area such as Mikage Public Hall andKōnanzuke Shiryōkan (Former Takashima
Residence).

Kobe University Magazine “Kaze”
In this issue...
SPOTLIGHT
3

Redefining the role of universities in the COVID-19 era
RESEARCH AT KOBE

9Expanding horizons of insect ecology research-The thrilling discovery of a beetle’s active escape through a frog’s body-

STUDENT FEATURE

From the outside, it has a western appearance withhalf-timbering and triple windows. Inside it features stained glass with nautical motifs,
such as ships with sails, which reflect its location in the international port city of Kobe.
On the south side of the house is a beautiful Japanese-style garden.
After World War II, the house was used as the Canadian Academy’s girls’ dormitory
before becoming the home of Roy Smith, an invited professor at Kobe University, in
1960. It is currently the office of the Kobe University Rokkodai Foundation. The housebecame a registered tangible cultural property in October 2011.
Roy Smith, whom the house is named after, was born in Illinois, USA in June 1878. He
attained a B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) from the University of Illinois, a M. C. S. (Master ofCommercial Science) from New York University, and a M. Ph. (Master of Philosophy) fromThe University of Chicago. In 1909 at the age of 31, he took up a position at Kobe Higher
Commercial School (now Kobe University). Although he returned to America for a brief
period during the Pacific War, he taught at Kobe University until 1968 when he was 89,
becoming the first non-Japanese Professor Emeritus at the university. His teachingcareer at Kobe University spanned over half a century and he remains the longest
serving professor in the university’s history. In 1960, many of Professor Smith’s former
students banded together to buy the former Otani Residence andheld a naming ceremony and party on November 21 of that year on
which the house was given its current name: ‘The Roy Smith House’.
Professor Smith lived in the house for his last 8 years in Japan before
he retired and went back to America, where he passed away in June
1969.
Even today, you can see evidence of the fondness and regard that
Kobe University students had for Professor Emeritus Smith. The bustof Professor Smith that can be found in the garden in front of the
Rokkodai Main Building and the large mural by NAKAYAMA Masami
in the Library for Social Sciences were funded by donations from
Professor Smith’s former students.

13 Astronomia: Giving children the opportunity to observe the stars
INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION
15 Kobe University- Beijing Foreign Studies University Joint Symposium,
KAARb International Symposium,
Visegrad Project Workshop,
Visit from the EU Delegation to Japan,
Kobe Japanese Program January Session,
2021 Kobe University Winter Study Program: Real-time online lecture on JapanesecinemaEDUCATION
17 International Voices

Why “Kaze”?
There are two main concepts behind the title “Kaze”, meaning “wind”. Firstly, Kobe University’s goal toinnovate, creating a wind of change. Secondly, our location at the foot of Mt Rokkō, an area known for
the invigorating wind of Rokkō-oroshi that blows down from the mountain range.
The calligraphy on the cover of “Kaze” was created by Professor Emeritus UOZUMI Kazuaki, a researcherof calligraphy at Kobe University.

Stay connected - search for “Kobe University” on the following platforms:(The original Japanese version of this article was written by NOMURA Top left: Professor Emeritus Smith at a ceremony to mark 50 years ofcontinuous employment at Kobe University.
Rieko, deputy head of the Kobe University Archives.)
Top right: The entrance hall.
Middle: The front of the house.
The Roy Smith House is located at: Shinohara Kitamachi 4-11-5
Bottom: The stained glass windows look out onto the
Nada, Kobe, Japan.
Japanese-style garden.

Cover photo for Kobe University Magazine “Kaze” Issue 10:
The Research Center for Advanced Membrane and Film Technology on Rokko-dai 2nd Campus.
01

Contact us:

intl-relations@office.kobe-u.ac.jp(International Affairs Planning Division)
02

SPOTLIGHT

Redefining the role of universities in the COVID-19 era
A multidisciplinary approach to solving corona-related issues
yields varied contributions

Research, surveys and other eﬀorts regarding measures against the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Treatment methods

Hospital Facilities

High speed/precision

Hygiene products

Prediction &AnalysisEconomics

Replicon-based drug
screening

ICU establishment

Test kit platform

GS Medicine
Yamanaka/Okada

GS Engineering
Maruyama

New polyurethanematerials

Mathematicalprediction model

Impact on household
finances

GS Science
Tsuda

GS System Informatics
KuniyaGS Human Dev. & Eniv.
TabataGS Health Sciences
Kameoka/Kotaki
Innate immunity/
Inflammasome
GS Health Sciences
Komai

Triage AI
GS Medicine
Nakai

Monoclonal
antibodies
GS Medicine
Funakoshi

Santizer provision

Predicting virus
dispersion

SasabeGS System Informatics
Tsubokura

School of Medicine Facilities
Management Division

Agricultural impact &value creation
GS Agricultural Science
Nakatsuka

Vaccines

Medical Devices/
Instruments

Oral Vaccine

Application of 3D
Printers
Clinical & Translational
Research Center
Kakei

GS Science, Technology& Innovation
Shirakawa

Near infraredaquaphotomics
GS Agricultural Science
Tsenkova

Virus removal

Business

System forexterminating airborne
viruses

The impact on consumer
behavior and the use ofcontactless services

GS Business Admin.
Fujiwara

Center for Mathematical &Data Sciences

KimuraImmune response

Policies/Surveys/
Proposals

Information
Dissemination

Sitting time

Support for the Arts
and Culture

Website for sharing
academic information

GS Intercultural Studies
FujinoGS Health Sciences
Nakazawa

Comparing & proposing
anti-coronavirus
measuresMicrotourism:
Supporting the
tourism industry
GS Intercultural Studies
Karashima

GS Health Sciences
Izawa
Changes in
Sleep/well-being
GS Human Dev. & Eniv.
Furutani
Supporting children
with developmental
disorders
GS Human Dev. & Eniv.
YamaneTerahertz
spectroscopy
GS Engineering
KojimaHealth/Welfare

Managerial accounting& BCP
GS Business Admin.
Miya

GS Science, Technology& Innovation
Kitagawa

Psychological &behavioral impacts inthe workplace

RI Economics &Business Admin.
EnatsuGS Business Admin.
Hattori
Consortium ofsmall to mid-sizedindustries
V. School
Kutsuna

Survey oforganizations’responses
GS Business Admin.
Hattori

Dependence on
online gaming
GS Medicine
Sora

Center for Social
Systems Innovation
KanekoEthics related to
infectious diseases
Organization for
Advanced & Integrated
Research
MatsudaPreventing dementia
in the corona era
GS Health Sciences
Kido

Lifestyle changes
Eating habits ofsingle parents
GS Agricultural Science
IshidaComparative historicalresearch on cities
GS Humanities
Okumura/Shiratori

GS Human Dev.& Eniv.
Katagiri

GS Agricultural Science
Uno

Foreigners’ lifestyles
GS Humanities
Hirai

Spatial Design
Competition
Graphics Literacy
Education & ResearchCenterSuzukiActuality of behavior/
lifestyle changes
GS Human Dev. & Eniv.
Aoki

Considering university
education in thecorona era
V. School
Tamaki
Graduation researh forsecondary school
students
Kobe University
Secondary School
Former Principle Fujita

GS Health Sciences
Ono

In the past year, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has become a worldwide pandemic and the spread of this virus is having a

One of Kobe University’s missions is to conduct research, surveys and other efforts into resolving corona-related issues in orderto surmount the threats posed by this virus, and present and promote these results both domestically and abroad. The
university has recognized that overcoming these difficult circumstances requires varied contributions that transcend theboundary between the sciences and humanities. Efforts to tackle the virus are not limited to the field of medicine but also
include science and technology, humanities and social sciences, educational support and volunteer activities. There are
currently over 50 projects underway at the university relating to the novel coronavirus including research and support efforts.
In July 2020, the ‘Kobe University ‘With COVID-19’ symposium: Considering how society can coexist with novel coronavirus’
was held. This online event introduced Kobe University’s research and survey projects related to upcoming infection prevention
policies. Subsequently, these projects surpassed the development stage
While remaining actively engaged with the current circumstances and needs of society, Kobe University is taking streamlined
and decisive action across many areas in order to get projects past the developmental stage, accelerate research, expedite
social implementation and set up educational support.

toolsbusiness

We interviewed Kobe University faculty from 4 academic areas (humanities and human sciences, social sciences, naturalsciences, and life and medical sciences) to find out about the efforts being made in each field to tackle the novel coronavirus.

education

Economics

LivingAcademia

Within the University/
OthersAbbreviations Key: GS: Graduate School of ・ RI: Research Institute

lifestyles

profound impact on Japanese society as well.

03

Data
Science

Educational materials
on infection rates

Lab classes withhousehold ingredients

Main factors & effectsof ‘stay home’ on
people’s lives

Infection
Prevention

Education/
Educational Materials

GS Science
Onishi

Risks facing theelderly

GS Health Sciences
Shiotani

Detection
Technology

Stress caused byenvironmental
changes
GS Medicine: HealthCenterAoyama/Mouri

Historical
Perspective

Proposal for
post-corona working
practices

Policies to Prevent
Treatment/Vaccine
Development Healthcare System Collapse

Staff/Student Carefuture?

medical care

Kobe University istackling over 50
novel coronavirus-related
research topics

04

SPOTLIGHT
From a Clinical Virology perspective

From a Business Studies perspective

The importance of resilience comes to the fore during the pandemic
One of my main interests is the research area where psychology and businessadministration overlap. I am studying how human resource systems and the
behavior of managers affect the attitudes and behavior of individuals inorganizations.

-Conducting antibody tests on 10,000 people in Hyogo PrefectureIndustry-level
ImpactFrequency ofleader communications
Level of special systems
established (Dec. 2019)

I am currently involved in two projects relating to the novel coronavirus. The
first is a survey project that looks at the psychological and behavioral effects
of novel coronavirus-related restrictions on employees. The project leader isProfessor ENATSU Ikutaro of Kobe University’s Research Institute of Business
Administration. This survey is conducted on an individual level (micro level);the same participants completed a questionnaire survey in April and August2020 and we looked for any changes in their responses. I am leading thesecond project, which is the company level (macro level) survey.
What became apparent from these results was that there were differences
between individuals (i.e. between individual people and between individualcompanies) in terms of the impact of the coronavirus. On an industry level,
there were not only differences in the scale and type of industry but it wasalso found that companies that were quick to introduce remote work werelikely to properly implement policies and advisory services. Companies thatare taking steps against the virus are implementing varied measures,
however in contrast to this; some companies are not taking any action at all.
These differences depended on what kind of systems the company had set
up pre-corona, as well as variations in the strength and flexibility of theirorganization and people; in other words, their resilience.

Associate Professor HATTORI Yasuhiro

Graduate School of Business Administration

05

Illuminating the mechanism behind severe COVID-19 and developing
control methods

Early implementationof remote work
Level of special systems
established (Jan. 2020~)

Resilience
Correlations were found between different coronavirus-related measures taken bycompanies, including remote work. In organizations that were quick to implement
remote working, there was also a high level of communication from the leaders andspecial systems were set up. At the heart of this is resilience (the arrows indicate
correlations).

The same trends can also be observed on an individual level.
Individuals with neurotic tendencies and low self-confidence
were more likely to be heavily impacted by the novel
coronavirus and suffer from anxiety. In other words, there was a
big difference in impact depending on the person’s existing
characteristics and personality. Resilience has become an
important factor in the face of societal changes brought about
by novel coronavirus.
Next, it is vital to begin the discussion on how to increase
resilience. There are many possible ways that we can achievethis. For example, colleagues who share information about
various non-work related topics with each other are able tomaintain good working relationships even when work is
conducted online. When work-related information overlaps
with this so-called redundant or useless information, it is easierfor employees to carry out their tasks. We believe that thepresence or absence of this characteristic can affect not only
individual productivity but could also be connected tofirm-level productivity. Therefore, we should try to create thiskind of workplace.
Ironically, the coronavirus has brought to light problems thatexisted beforehand but had remained unnoticed. We would liketo find a positive side to these circumstances brought about by
the coronavirus. One potential beneficial outcome is that it will
be possible to improve resilience. As researchers, we would liketo support real life decision-making based on our data.

In our laboratory, we are conducting research on herpesviruses. We have been
striving to illuminate the molecular mechanisms through which these viruses
cause illness and to develop ways to supress it. Using our previous work as abasis, we have been researching the SARS-CoV-2 (which is a novel coronavirus)
by analyzing clinical samples that we receive from hospitals.
First of all, we performed various analyses on blood samples from patients andfound that their bodies had produced substances such as neutralizing
antibodies and cytokines which cause inflammation. Furthermore, we
revealed that neutralizing antibody levels were higher in patients with severe
symptoms and that cytokine storms occur within such patients. We have also
shown that it is vital for patients with severe symptoms to be treated withantiviral drugs in the early stage and anti-inflammatory drugs during thecritical stage.

Professor MORI Yasuko
In addition, our research team conducted antibody tests on over 500 medical
Center for Infectious Diseases, Graduate School of Medicine
personnel working at hospitals treating patients with COVID-19, and foundthat all of them tested negative for antibodies (i.e., they had not been infected). This result confirms that hospitals’ infection prevention standards
are effective. In other words, we showed that when doctors, nurses and other medical staff thoroughly follow prevention measures, they can
avoid catching the virus from patients. I believe that this will improve confidence in the safety of medical establishments.
We extended the scope of the study to cover all regions of Hyogo prefecture and carried out antibody tests on 10,000 outpatients at five hospitals
and medical examination facilities to investigate the rate of infection. Only 0.15% of patients were positive for SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies
in the tests conducted between August and October of 2020. It is believed that this percentage of positive test results indicates cases that were
mostly asymptomatic. At the same time, the results highlight the need to be aware that there are many people who have yet to be infected. We
conducted this research with Hyogo Prefecture and thanks to them we were able to obtain the cooperation of the doctors and testing
departments in each hospital. There has been a wonderful sense of solidarity among all the people involved in this research including the staff
of Kobe University Hospital’s clinical laboratory and division of clinical virology, and the students.
Currently, we are focusing on research into illuminating the mechanism behind the development of severe COVID-19 symptoms. We would liketo find the answers as to why the majority of young people
are asymptomatic or exhibit only mild symptoms, whereas
many elderly people exhibit severe life-threatening
symptoms. It is vital to illuminate these aspects in order topromote thorough understanding of this unknown virus.
We are also conducting research into developing antibody
drugs and vaccines for SARS-CoV-2. Given that it is a newvirus, we are making discoveries just through studying it. This
research is beneficial as the results will contribute towards
the development of treatments.

06

SPOTLIGHT
From a System Informatics perspective

From a treatment perspective

Graduate School of Health Sciences

Using mathematical models to predict the spread of the novel
coronavirus

There is an urgent need to develop new medical treatments for novel
coronavirus infections. Normally, the infectious virus is used to evaluate
new drug candidates. However, due to the highly pathogenic andinfectious nature of the novel coronavirus, the infectious virus can only
be handled in a biosafety level-3 (BSL-3) laboratory. This presents an
obstacle for treatment development. In light of this, we have modified
the virus’s genes to create a non-infectious self-replicative coronavirus
gene (a replicon), which can be both safely and easily utilized to evaluate
newly developed treatments. We will make further improvements to thisreplicon in the hope that it can accelerate the development of new
drugs for novel coronavirus infections.

Towards creating a new model that also shows the impact on the economy
I am currently conducting research into mathematical models to show infection prevalence. The majority of my research involves theoreticallyanalyzing the mathematical characteristics of these models (such as SEIR models), but recently I have become interested in applying
mathematical models to specific data on novel coronavirus infections.
I began by using changes in the numbers of infected people in the period from January to February 2020 to predict future changes, and wasable to correctly predict the dynamics of the epidemic up until a month and a half after this period (until mid-April 2020). Actually, based on mycalculations, the prevalence of the infection in Japan would have peaked in summer with tens of thousands of new cases in a single day, as seen
during that time in countries such as the USA and India. Fortunately, my prediction turned out to be wrong and the number of cases in Japandecreased from mid-April. I hypothesized that this was due to the state of emergency that was declared on April 7 2020, and investigated thisusing the model.

Assistant Professor KOTAKI Tomohiro

From a vaccination perspective

Professor Shirakawa Toshio

Graduate School of Science, Technology & Innovation

Infection control measures against the current novel coronavirus(COVID-19) pandemic are required on a global scale, and this includes
developing countries. The development of vaccines is one effective toolthat is contributing greatly towards controlling COVID-19. However, themajority of vaccines are administered by injection and this method is notvery suitable for use in developing countries due to issues such as needle
disposal. We are currently striving to develop a highly versatile, safe andeffective oral vaccine against COVID-19 using an oral vaccine platform
technology based on probiotic bifidobacteria. With government andindustry support we are endeavouring to bring this new vaccine topeople worldwide as soon as possible.

From an information
dissemination perspective
Although a sharp rise in cases was predicted (the graph on the left), the number of infections actually decreased from mid-April 2020 (the graph on the right). Dr. Kuniya used thisdata to work out the contact rate during the state of emergency.

First, I mathematically estimated the infectiousness of the novel coronavirus by taking into account aspects such as the changes in the numberof cases, the percentage of asymptomatic people, and the average period during which an infected person can pass on the virus to others. Next,
I added the data on the changes in the number of cases during the state of emergency and calculated using the mathematical model how muchdirect contact between people had decreased during this period compared to normal circumstances. The results revealed that the contact rate
was 0.14 during the state of emergency, which means that contact between people decreased by 86%.
I think that the reduced contact between people during the state of emergency
had an impact on suppressing the spread of infection. However, we need toconsider this fall in the infection rate in a slightly broader sense. Rather thansaying that the number of people going out decreased by 80%, we need to take
into account the effect of people keeping their distance from each other andwearing masks due to the state of emergency. Therefore, we must understandthat there was a good reduction in the number of cases because all these efforts
combined resulted in the contact rate falling by 80% percent.

Associate Professor KUNIYA Toshikazu
Graduate School of System Informatics

07

Next, I would like to work on a model that can show the changes in the numberof infected people from the end of May onwards. With this model, I would like toshow that there are cyclical wave-like trends in the number of infections, whichreflect the risks posed by people’s behaviour. For example, people are more
careful when they know that infections are increasing but on the other hand,people are less vigilant when they hear that infections are decreasing. In addition,
my next challenge is to create a mathematical model that can also consider theeffect on the economy based on the big impact that the state of emergency andother factors have had.

Associate Professor KARASHIMA Masato

Graduate School of Intercultural Studies
Microtourism (taking a short vacation in your local area) is currently
receiving much attention as a method of reviving tourism in areas where
the industry has been severely impacted by the pandemic. However it
has been said that attracting private travellers from abroad could be thekey to reviving the travel industry in the long term. In the Graduate
School of Intercultural Studies we are currently conducting several
projects to regenerate tourism through intersecting global and local
cultural phenomena. Among these, there is a project that aims to
produce tourism resources that are attractive to Jewish tourists byuncovering historical resources and trajectories which tell of therelationship between Kobe and the Jewish world. It is being funded by
Kobe City (Urban Innovation KOBE) as a project that is tackling focal
policy issues in a with/post-corona society.

From an education & educational
resources perspective

Associate Professor SUZUKI Hirotaka

Graduate School of Engineering

I believe that the coronavirus will bring about a paradigm shift inarchitectural space design.
Therefore, we established a competition in order to gather ideas basedon the focal concept of ‘separate but connected’ in the post-corona
period (Target: an open space in Faculty of Engineering, Applicants: Kobe
University students). A first prize and 2 runner-up prizes were awarded in
the Spatial Design category and a first prize was given in the Technical
Proposal category.
For more details about the awarding guidelines and a report on theaward ceremony (where the prizes were presented by the former Deanof the Graduate School of Engineering, Professor OHMURA Naoto),
please visit the Graphics Literacy Education and Research Center’s
homepage: http://www.research.kobe-u.ac.jp/eng-glec/ (mostly inJapanese).

08

RESEARCH AT KOBE
Researching insect defense mechanisms
Q. What kind of discipline is ecology?
Prof. Sugiura: It is generally defined as research into the interactions
between organisms and their environment. I am dealing with theinteractions between various species and between individuals of the-The thrilling discovery of a beetle’s active escape through a frog’s body-same species.

Q. What is the difference between biology and ecology?
Ecology is a branch of biology. I think that most fields of biology
involve conducting research on a cellular level and below, forexample DNA, however ecology mainly deals with matters on an
individual level and above.
Of course, ecology also involves studying DNA but it covers an

100
Percentage of successful escapes from︵％︶cloacal aperture

Expanding horizons of insect ecology research

Successful escape rates of R.attenuata from 5 frog
species.

80
60
40
20
0

extremely broad range of areas including research into
environmental aspects like carbon and nitrogen cycles. My research

I am a member of the Laboratory of Insect Biodiversity andEcosystems. The study of insects has always been conducted as partof the field of agriculture because research into controlling pests has
been important for agricultural industries. Consequently,
entomology began under the umbrella of agricultural studies andthis is why I conduct ecology research using insects.

What does researching insect biodiversity and ecology
involve?
First of all, it involves taxonomy; describing a new species that does
not have a scientific name yet. Secondly, it involves biodiversity
studies, which includes defining how diverse insects are. Thirdly, italso involves ecology, which consists of describing insect life histories
and behaviors. For example, this includes identifying pest insects andWhat is Regimbartia attenuata? R. attenuata is a small aquatic beetle that is between 3.8mm to 5.0mm inlength. Adults eat aquatic plants in habitats such as paddy fields. They normally swim under the water andsometimes fly above the water’s surface.

natural enemies in a specific area and investigating the structure ofInterviewee Profile

SUGIURA Shinji

Associate Professor Sugiura Shinji’s discovery that a species of beetle can survive being eaten by a frog by escaping via
its cloacal aperture has received much attention and has been widely covered by international media. The insect inquestion is Regimbartia attenuata, a small aquatic beetle often found in paddy fields on Japan’s main island and in thesouth of the country.
Professor Sugiura’s research is not just limited to this beetle; he has been investigating the interactions between various
insects and other living things (such as plants) from an ecological viewpoint. He describes this research on R.attenuata
as the ‘discovery of an amusing aspect of insect ecology’, however investigating interspecific interactions, such as thosebetween predator and prey, is also important for the conservation of threatened ecosystems.
In addition, research into the forms and functions of plants and animals is presenting increasing possibilities forbiomimetics, in which structures and properties found in nature are applied to the creation of new products that
contribute to society. We asked Professor Sugiura about the hidden potential of research on insects.

09(Associate Professor, Graduate Schoolof Agricultural Science)

Dr. Sugiura graduated from Kyoto University in 2004.
Before taking up his current position at Kobe University in2013, he was a researcher at the Forestry and Forest
Products Research Institute. He has received the 18th
Denzaburo Miyadi Award from the Ecological Society ofJapan and the Young Scientist Award from the
Entomological Society of Japan for his work that has
focused on the ecological roles of insects and species
interactions. He is interested in insects’ interactions withvarious other organisms, including plants, birds,
mammals, amphibians, fungi and slime molds.

Hyla japonica

What is the significance of researching and teachingecology at the Graduate School of Agricultural Science?

Fejervarya
kawamuraithat my field is insect ecology.

Glandirana
rugosaecology. My research often involves insects, so you could also say

Pelophylax
porosus

Pelophylax
nigromaculatus

fields are community ecology, species interactions and behavioral

Professor Sugiura discovered that even after being
swallowed by one of the five frog species above, R.attenuata individuals are highly likely to escape alive via thecloacal aperture.※

insect communities, or which insect species function aspollinators of flowering plants.
One of the likely reasons that pest populations are increasing isthat their natural enemies do not often eat them. Why is this thecase? I am interested in how insects defend themselves against
their natural enemies, so I conduct research into their defense
mechanisms.

Are all these research topics related to agriculture?
This has always been the case. Actually, some students are
moving away from the agricultural angle and conduct research
purely on insect ecology. My research on R. attenuata is a result of
this movement. I hope that this story entertains ordinary people(laughs).

How R. attenuata escape from frogs
Have you been researching the ecology of R.
attenuata for a long time?
No, this discovery happened by chance. Some years ago, I began
studying the defensive behaviors of various insect species thatlive in farmland areas. Up until now, I have provided frogs withover 50 insect species to investigate their defenses against frogs. I
place a frog and an insect in a plastic case and observe theirinteraction. Frogs can catch insects with their tongues in the blinkof an eye. In order to investigate what kind of defense mechanism
the insect used, and to confirm whether it was eaten or managed
to escape, I film this interaction and then play it back in slow
motion.
※Sugiura (2020) Current Biology 30: R867-R868

10

RESEARCH AT KOBE
R.attenuata escaping from a blackspotted frog (P. nigromaculatus)

So you continued filming the frog and then discovered that the beetle had
escaped about an hour or so later, right?
a half after it had eaten the beetle, I noticed that the beetle was in the case too. I always check thefrog’s mouths after they have eaten to see if the insect has been swallowed. I was certain that thefrog had eaten this insect so I realized that it may have escaped from the frog. At that point, I
didn’t know whether it had escaped by being regurgitated, like the bombardier beetle, or if it had
escaped via the frog’s behind (i.e. through the cloacal aperture*). Subsequently, I was able tocapture the beetle’s escape on video and could confirm that it came out of the frog’s behind.

1

Is it rare for a creature to be able to escape via the predator’s behind?
Yes, it is. Although there are some species that are known to do this, they are usually expelled at
Normally, consumed insects are expelled from the frog’s body as excrement 1 to 2 days after
being eaten. R. attenuata is able to escape alive after a period of time ranging from a few minutes
to six hours at the longest, without having to wait for the frog to excrete it. I think that it does thiseither by actively trying to escape or by stimulating the frog’s gut to promote excretion. I believethat this is the first time that such a quick, active escape of prey from the body of a predator has
been documented.

There are some species of frog found overseas that have translucent skin. You
can see the frogs’ internal organs from the outside, therefore if I fed
R.attenuata to these species it may be possible to observe the beetles’
been developed in Japan. I hope that I can use these frogs in my experiments.

Insect research and its contribution to society

The beetles were unable to escape from the predator’s body in these cases. I am not yet sureexactly how R.attenuata escapes but I believe that it uses its legs and movement to promote
excretion rather than producing a chemical substance. For example, people use suppositories as alaxative. Suppositories work by causing gas to build up when they are inserted into the rectum,
which in turn puts pressure on the digestive tract and promotes excretion. I think the movementsof R.attenuata might have a similar effect, as in they put pressure on the frog’s digestive tract
which promotes excretion. However, I recorded video footage of an R.attenuata crawling out of
the cloacal aperture, so it is not completely impossible thatthe beetle is able to escape using its own strength.

Beyond that, I think it would be good if my research could contribute tosociety in an interesting way. Rather than contributing directly via my own
research, I would be happy if another researcher or research group could

80
60

Mean

40

Min.

20
0
Alive

n = 14

Deceased Deceased
n=1

R. attenuata

n = 13

Other species

15 out of 14 R. attenuata individuals escaped alive from thefrog’s cloacal aperture. Only one individual was alreadydead when it was excreted. However all 13 the Enochrus
japonicus individuals (from the same family of beetles) did
not survive.

apply my results to their own work. For example, research on insects could be
useful for the biomimetics field, in which researchers engineer new products
or devices by imitating nature, such as the structures, functions and forms oforganisms. Research on insects could be utilized in such a field.

So your research results could be applied to the creation ofrobotics technology, for example?
That is also a possibility but let me give you another example. There is a
species of beetle that lives in the desert. On misty mornings, this beetle isable to trap water from the air on the surface of its body and consume theseaperture.

100

mechanisms. I hope to examine the issue as to why certain pest species arewhich may provide protection against theescape from the cloacal

120

For the moment, I would like to focus on researching insect defense

Also, R. attenuata has a tough, streamlined body,frog’s digestive juices and aid its

Max.

140

You have conducted research on a wide range of insects andplants. Is there a research topic that you are particularly intent
on pursuing?

enemies.

I have conducted experiments where the frog was given an R. attenuata that cannot move its legs.

4

How can you investigate the beetle’s actions inside the frog’s
body?

increasing in number by elucidating their defensive behaviors against natural

Do you have any plans to research how the beetle promotes its excretion?

3

160

movements inside the frogs. In addition, a modified translucent frog has

the same time as the excrement.

2Time required for R.attenuata and other beetles
to pass through the frog (P. nigromaculatus)
Time required for escape (excretion) fromcloacal aperture (in hours)

I did not film the escape the first time it happened. When I checked on the frog about an hour andClarifying the structure of
species interactions

R. attenuata’s escaperoute through the bodyof P.nigromaculatus

droplets of moisture. The surface structure of this insect has been illuminated, and products such as sheets and bottles that can accumulate

Esophagus

molecules) generated by the fine hairs on the soles of its feet enables it to stick to the surface. A new type of adhesive tape was actuallywater even in a desert environment are being developed by physically recreating the surface structure.
Although this is not related to insects, geckos are able to climb slippery walls because the van der Waals force (i.e. the attraction between
developed by mimicking the hairs on the gecko’s feet.

Your research is a treasure trove of possibilities for biomimetics?
I am not able to come up with designs for these products myself as I do not have the engineering knowledge, however I hope my research

5

can be used to create something useful for people.

Asics

In terms of social contribution, research into interactions between living things may be beneficial for the conservation of natural ecosystems.
That is to say, if we can establish what kind of interactions exist between organisms; we can understand whether environmental factors will

Stomachhave a strong impact on the ecosystem. For example, some natural forests are able to protect themselves from invasive species. Even if aninvasive insect species manages to enter the forest, there are animals that will consume it and the highly competitive native trees exclude
invasive plant species.

*Cloacal aperture: This is the openingof the cloaca- a hole through which
undigested food, urine, eggs andsperm are passed. It is mainly found in
cartilaginous fish, reptiles, amphibians
and birds. Some mammals also have acloaca.

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In other words, the competition between organisms and the relationships between predators and prey are intertwined in such a complex

CloacalAperture

way that species from outside are not able to participate. In addition to this, such rich forests also help to minimize the impact of species
proliferation and extinction. Species interactions encompass competition and predator-prey relationships among a wide variety of species.

Small
Intestine
Large
Intestine

By conducting research into these interactions, we can get a sense of the strength of a particular ecosystem and be able to explain it in a
logical way.

It is a fascinating area of research. Thank you very much for your time.

12

STUDENT FEATURE

Astronomia

Giving children the opportunity
to observe the stars
Astronomia is an astronomy group made up of student volunteers who plan and run astronomical observation
events held at elementary schools to foster children’s awareness and interest in constellations and science as awhole. It was established in 2009 as part of ‘Kobe University Science Shop’, an initiative that aimed to support
renewed interest in science among the community by providing a place for dialogue between local residents andscientific experts. The group’s activities were developed under its student leadership.
We asked Astronomia’s leader URAKAWA Shohei and PR officer TAMURA Sho about the appeal of giving children
the opportunity to view stars through a telescope and the club’s activities during the pandemic.

Holding astronomical observation events at elementary schools

Members of Astronomia

viewing that day. After that we go outside to look at the stars. We have three telescopes and one of them has a large 20cm lens.

But you don’t know whether the sky will be clear or not on the day.
Urakawa: It really depends on luck. Actually, there have been events where it was too cloudy to see any stars on the day. On these occasions,

Tell us about Astronomia’s activities

the children have been happy to listen to our talks about stars and the myths surrounding them. If it is even slightly possible to view

Urakawa: We visit elementary schools and hold astronomical observations (viewing events) for the children.

constellations, we will set up the telescopes so that we can see different stars to the ones we originally planned to show and change our

Tamura: At Kobe University, there is an Astronomy Society and there are also volunteer groups. Astronomia is like a combination of these

explanations accordingly- we adapt to the situation. For this reason, we check beforehand as a group what stars can be seen during the time

two types of groups and its unique appeal is that it is easy for students to join whether they are majoring in fields related to the Sciences or

period and in what direction.

the Humanities.

What part do the children most enjoy?

So you are a volunteer group?

Urakawa: The moon and nebula observations are popular. They were very happy when we could see Saturn’s rings.

Urakawa: That’s right. We visit elementary schools, show the children the stars through a telescope and teach the elementary school students

Tamura: The guardians also really enjoy those occasions too. As the club’s PR officer, I take photos during the viewing events and post them

about these celestial objects to foster their interest in science as a whole. However we are not overly conscious of the fact that we areon social media.

volunteers.

Giving children a hands-on experience of astronomy

Do only students run the group’s activities?

As students of the sciences, why did you choose to join Astronomia instead of the more specialized Astronomy
Society?

Urakawa: Professor ITO Masayuki (Graduate School of Human Development andEnvironment) supports our group, however all our activity procedures are generally carried

Tamura: Of course, I am interested in constellations but I also wanted to try planning events and creating learning resources. We workout by students- these include planning, making appointments with elementary schools,

together to make the resources for the children to look at. We try to explain things in a fun way by making resources containing photos ofsubmitting and coordinating the event plans with school staff, and running the event on theconstellations and images that make the myths easy to understand.

day.

Urakawa: The enduring aims of the Astronomia group involve thinking about ‘How can we capture elementary school children’s interest?’

Do you contact the elementary schools first?
Urakawa: There have been times when elementary schools have invited us and other times

and ‘How can we explain this in a way that is easy for children to understand?’ with regard to well-known astronomical bodies. There is nodivision between the humanities and the sciences. The members of the group have various reasons forwhen we have contacted the schools with our plan first. Most of our events are held at

joining, such as liking stars or liking children, and these differences also allow us to divide tasks between

elementary schools near the university- we go to Tsurukabuto Elementary School every year.

the group members well.

One of our former members is now an elementary school teacher, so we have been invited
to that school too.

Adapting events on the fly depending on the weather
Do elementary school teachers object to their students gathering atnight?

Astronomia Leader
URAKAWA Shohei
4th year mechanicalengineering student
Faculty of Engineering

Tamura: In addition to the elementary school events, we also conduct regular viewing events for ourgroup members to allow them to build up experience in operating telescopes. During these events,
members can enjoy talking to each other and we have a meal together afterwards. However, overthe past year it has been difficult for us to carry out our activities as usual due to the coronavirus
situation.

Urakawa: This is the part that we discuss the most with teachers. We try not to hold the

Urakawa: Due to the impact of the coronavirus, we have been unable to recruit new students

events too late- we start the viewing at 6pm and finish by 8pm at the latest. In summer, theand as a result our membership has decreased by about 10 people. Last year we couldn’t
hold any viewing events and it probably won’t be possible to conduct elementary school

sky is still light, so we try to organize events at times of the year when the stars can be seen

events this winter.

well even during the evening. Our main event for elementary schools is a moon viewing

What about online events?

party. In winter, we can offer them a more varied experience as we can also show them

Tamura: Recently, we received an offer to collaborate on an online planetarium andwell-known constellations such as Orion and the Winter Triangle.

night sky viewing event.
Urakawa: I think it is necessary for us to move our activities online, however the main

Do the students’ guardians also come to the events?
Urakawa: Yes. We tell the schools that children should attend the event with their guardian.

appeal of the Astronomia group is that we offer children a real life experience, which

The application form that the schools distribute before the event specifies this and the

involves interacting with the elementary school students in person and giving them theattendees’ names must be written down. We then make a register and check the attendanceon the day. This procedure provides reassurance to the schools.

How many people attend each event?
Urakawa: Including the guardians, there are usually around 50 people. First of all, everyone
gathers in the classroom and we teach the attendees about the constellations that we will be

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One of the group’s meetings

Astronomia PR
TAMURA Sho

4th year planetology student
Faculty of Science

opportunity to actually handle the telescopes. This may not be possible for now, but I
think that we will soon be able to hold club members’ only viewing events again. We
would like to restart our activities, so if you are interested, please consider joining
Astronomia.

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INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION

Visit from the EU Delegation to JapanOn November 11, Mr. Haitze Siemers (Minister, Deputy Head of theDelegation of the European Union to Japan) visited Kobe University

Asia

The Fifth Kobe University – Beijing Foreign Studies University Joint Symposium was held

and met with Professor YOSHII Masahiko (the then Executive Vice

The Fifth Kobe University – Beijing Foreign Studies University Joint

Even though it was not possible to hold the event in Beijing as planned

President in Charge of Human Resources, International Exchange andSymposium took place online on November 28 and 29. The event wasdue to the pandemic, we were still able to further our exchange of

Evaluation).

jointly hosted by Kobe University and the Beijing Center for Japanese

research on this topical theme. It is hoped that the success of thisProfessor Yoshii began the meeting with an explanation of Kobe

Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University.

symposium will strengthen the cooperative relationship between

University’s activities in Europe. This included aspects of Kobe University’s

The theme of this year’s symposium was “Epidemics and People/Society"our universities.

history, the establishment of overseas offices in Europe and theirin light of the great impact that the novel coronavirus has had on

respective activities, academic cooperation agreements with European

people’s social lives. It featured a keynote lecture from Prof. NAKAZAWA

institutions, and the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, which is an

Minato (Graduate School of Health Sciences) on the theme of the "History

EU-focused educational and research center.

of Infectious Diseases and Human Adaptation to the Environment".

Minister Siemers expressed his views on the great importance of furthering scientific and technological progress in order to build a better

Seven researchers from Japan and China gave presentations on whatsociety for future generations and exchanged opinions on how Kobe University can increase its active participation in the Europeankind of impact the pandemic has had on people and society; how weresearch-funding scheme Horizon Europe. The discussion covered a wide range of topics, including Kobe University’s EU-related education,

have responded to it; and what measures we should take to live

the Japan-EU Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA), the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and SDGs.

alongside the virus. These topics were tackled from various standpoints,

Kobe University will continue to strengthen its connections with the Delegation of the European Union to Japan, as well as leveraging theincluding historical, literary, cultural and sociological perspectives.

Kobe University Brussels European Centre as a base for expanding the University’s international exchange activities in Europe.

Minister Haitze Siemers and Professor Yoshii Masahiko.

During the Q & A sessions, the presenters received many questions
from researchers, even those in different fields, and a lively exchangeof opinions took place. This was followed by presentations from doctoral

CIE holds short-term exchange program for Australian students

Symposium participants at Beijing Foreign Studies University.

students on the 29th.

From January 6th~27th 2021, the Kobe University Center for International Education (CIE) held the Kobe Japanese Program January Session

KAARb International Symposium highlights the importance of collaboration between East
Asian countries in the COVID-19 era

in Australia. The first session took place in-person in 2020, but the 2021 session was held completely online due to the pandemic. Sixteen

Oceania

2021 (Discover the Kobe Area and Japan- Australia つながり! ). The program caters to students studying Japanese at our partner universities

Four presentations were given during the symposium to address theinternational symposium on ‘COVID-19 and the older adults in Asia’.

impacts of COVID-19 in China, Korea, Hong Kong and Japan. All

Three esteemed directors of aging and social welfare research centersspeakers expressed serious concerns about the social isolation of

at Shanghai Jiaotong University, Ewha Womans University, and The

older adults and reductions in the availability of both health and care

University of Hong Kong respectively were invited to speak at theservices. They pointed out the importance of utilizing AI and ICT to

The Area Studies component focused on Kobe City and Hyogo Prefecture. Through virtual tours, video footage and live lectures from guest

symposium. The online event attracted over 60 attendees from countries

help bridge the gap. The presentations covered a wide range of key

speakers, students learned about prominent locations as well as history, geological characteristics, various industries, and the effects of thesuch as China, Singapore, France and the United States.

topics such as government policies, COVID-19’s impact on health andGreat Hanshin Earthquake.

Chaired by Professor KATAGIRI Keiko (Director of Kobe Active Aging

welfare systems, behavioral changes in elderly people, and mass

In the Final Presentation, students utilized the vocabulary and grammar obtained on the course to present their personal findings about a つ

Research Hub at Kobe University), the symposium began with anmedia and ageism, which greatly interested the symposium’s

ながり (link) between Australia and Japan. These presentations demonstrated the students’ avid interest in and deep understanding of the

opening speech from Professor KIMURA Kan (Director of Kobe

attendees.

various themes introduced in this course.

University’s Center for Asian Academic Collaboration at Kobe University).

In her closing remarks, Professor KATAGIRI thanked the speakers andHe expressed his hopes for enhancing research collaboration in theattendees for making the symposium a success and expressed her

East Asian region, which is home to the world’s fastest aging societies

hopes for the continued expansion of research collaboration amongthat also have similar COVID-19 outbreak trends.

research centers in East Asia.

Over the three weeks, the students took both Japanese Language and Area Studies from Monday to Saturday. The Japanese Language classes
were designed as preparation for the Area Studies sessions, introducing relevant vocabulary and grammar. Having the chance to apply the
new grammar points in a smaller group proved very popular with the students. In order to mitigate the lack of interaction that comes with
online programs, CIE implemented a “Buddy system”, pairing each program participant with a Kobe University student.

Kobe University’s real-time online lecture on early Japanese cinema attracts students fromall over the globe

Visegrad Project Workshop held online

On February 1st, the Program Coordination Section of Kobe University

taking lectures in Japanese and studying abroad in Japan in the future.

CIE hosted a real-time online lecture in Japanese on the topic of early

The lecture, entitled “Introduction to Japanese Cinema”, introduced

Japanese film, as part of the 2021 Kobe University Winter Study

the roles of Benshi (who provided live interpretation) and their

On October 23 and November 5 2020, Kobe University held an online

The workshop was attended by Professor Emeritus YUI Kiyomitsu andProgram.

accompanying music, which were features unique to Japanese culture

Visegrad Project Workshop entitled "Comparing Responses to Global

Professor SHIRATORI Yoshihiko (Graduate School of Humanities) and

Undergraduate and graduate students from across the globe wereduring the era of silent movies in 1910s. The presentation also included

Transformations - Regime Changes in the V4 and Japan".

FUJII Mami (director of the Japan Foundation, Budapest). They

warmly welcomed to Kobe University’s Zoom classroom, where

an introduction to and an actual screening of cutout animation, aKobe University was selected to receive the Visegrad Grants in 2020,

discussed course management and future projects with researchers

participants were encouraged to learn, talk, and connect with eachtechnique that began in 1917 and was used in early Japanese animatedand began offering a new course on social structure and global society

from each of the V4 countries. Patrick Vittet-Philippe, advisor to theother on the topic of Japanese movies, with the session being

films. Support was provided during the event to make the lecture more

post-corona. This course involves comparing aspects of Japan with

Kobe University Brussels European Centre, was also invited to exchange

facilitated by Associate Prof. ITAKURA Fumiaki of Graduate School ofeasily understandable for overseas students.

those of countries in Central and Eastern Europe, which haveviews on the future expansion of international exchange activities

Intercultural Studies.

Throughout the event, participants exchanged comments and asked

experienced systemic changes and are dealing with globalization. It is

between Kobe University and the V4 universities.

The 120 students who took part in the lecture hailed from academic

questions through the Chat function in Japanese and enthusiasticallyrun in cooperation with researchers from the following partner

Kobe University will continue to promote further cooperation in

institutions including University of California Irvine, Beijing Foreign

made the most of this online opportunity for learning and exchange.

universities in V4 countries: Jagiellonian University (Poland), Eötvös

education and research between Japan and Central and EasternStudies University, and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

The excitement, demonstrated by the ten-minute extension added to

Loránd University (Hungary), Comenius University (Slovakia), andEuropean countries.

Participants were motivated to join the event due to their interest in

the 60-minute lecture, was tangible even through the screen.

World

Europeparticipants from five Australian universities participated in the course.

On March 16, Kobe Active Aging Research Hub (KAARb) held an online

Charles University (Czech Republic).

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16

EDUCATION
Fundamental research for the future:

International
voicesInvestigating how organisms develop theiranatomical structures

Q

What were you doing before you came to Kobe University?
This was quite a while ago but I read the novel Parasite Eve which made me realize how
miraculous animal’s cellular structures are and I became interested in how these comeinto being according to the law from genes to behavior.
This made me want to learn about evolution. So, I researched animal evolution at thePrefectural University of Hiroshima. The model organism I researched was Capsaspora,
which is one of the closest unicellular relatives to multicellular animals. Then to provide
background knowledge for researching evolution, I decided that I wanted to know
more about the how an initially single cell (zygote) constructs multicellulararchitectures via differentiation. So I entered Kobe University where I can conductQ

research that matches my interests.

What kind of research are you doing at Kobe University?
I am researching embryology and morphology mechanisms using common fruit flies.
To be more specific, I am investigating the nanostructure formation mechanism on thesurface of their exoskeletons. For example, morpho butterflies have colorful wings,
which do not actually have any pigment. Instead, the surface structure is strictly
ordered to reflect the same length waves to produce colors. However, various
methodological issues need to be overcome in order to research the nanostructuresof morpho butterflies. Therefore, I am conducting experiments using the common fruit
fly, which is a model organism that can be genetically manipulated. It is different fromthe previous research I was conducting on a unicellular organism. Cultivating fruit flies
involves keeping the room at a warm temperature and changing the vials frequently

Sun Zhengkuan
1st year doctoral student studying biology in the
Graduate School of Science.
Hailing from Qingdao in China’s Shandong
Province, his hobbies are travelling and playing
the keyboard. He has previously studied abroadin England and Australia too. One of his favorite
Japanese foods is sashimi. .

to keep their “cells” comfortable, so maybe I need “antennae” to receive updates onQtheir living conditions.

What surprised you when you first came to Japan?
I thought the streets were very clean. There are litter bins in my home town but I was
surprised that in Japan, the streets are kept clean even in areas where there are no litterQ

bins. Also, I have travelled to many countries but Japan is without a doubt the safest.

What are your future goals?

I would like to continue conducting research. Within the big topic of evolution, I’minterested in the gene that unicellular organisms have that is necessary for
differentiation in multicellular organisms, and how it functions. If I can illuminate this,I think that I will gradually be able to understand more about the functions ofdifferentiation-control genes that originate in ancestral unicellular organisms. The
location or country where I conduct my research is not a priority for me. I prefer to focus
on what I want to finally accomplish and choose research themes that interest me.

The surface of an olfactory
sensillum of a fruit fly.

Sydney in May 2018 during his
study abroad in Australia.

People’s Republic of China
Qingdao (previously romanized as Tsingtao) is aport city located on the southern coast of Shandong
peninsula. It is home to a population of
approximately 9.5 million. Lots of architecture fromthe German occupation still remains and the sceneryand culture lend the city a unique atmosphere.
Tsingtao beer, a non-bitter lager, is famous.

He previously studied at the
University of Canberra.

At Prambanan temple in Java.

Approximately 1,400 international students from countries around the world are currently studying at Kobe University.
In this corner, our international students introduce their native countries and offer some insights on studying abroad in Japan.

17