J Med Ultrasonics (2013) 40:505
DOI 10.1007/s10396-013-0486-8

EDITOR’S NOTE

Ó The Japan Society of Ultrasonics in Medicine 2013

Thanks to the remarkable progress made in science andtechnology during the 100 years of the 20th century, thequality of contemporary life has improved, and we haveachieved material wealth, but we are approaching a turning
point where we can no longer continue to destroy theenvironment by using all of Earth’s resources while
maintaining mass consumption. I think that the recent
Great East Japan Earthquake has accelerated this process,and that the importance of science and technology thatconnects nature and human society will only increase in thefuture. In addition, in Japan the birthrate is declining andthe proportion of elderly people is growing faster than in
any other country in the world, while its economy is on thedownturn amidst the sudden turbulence of globalization as
emerging nations catch up. Resources other than humanresources, including energy and food, are scarce in Japan,
forcing it to secure the capital necessary to maintain theinflow of a large volume of resources.
I will explain how winning a Nobel Prize is not anunattainable dream if one has passion. A prime example isDr. Shinya Yamanaka, who won the Nobel Prize forPhysiology or Medicine in the fall of 2012. Dr. Yamanaka
began his research on iPS cells in earnest in 1999, when he
was an assistant professor at Nara Institute of Science andTechnology. He subsequently received large-scale funding
from the Japan Science and Technology Agency in 2003, at
which time Dr. Tadamitsu Kishimoto (former president ofOsaka University), who served as an interviewer during theselection process, commented, ‘‘I didn’t think he stood achance of succeeding, but I admired his great drive during
the interview.’’ Dr. Yamanaka went on to win the Nobel

Prize in the short span of 12 years after beginning hisresearch on iPS cells. The contributions to society that thefruits of his research will bring are only just beginning tobecome apparent; thus, it was an exceptional win.
However, not all was smooth sailing along the way.
Dr. Yamanaka was originally an orthopedic specialist, but
he resigned in 1989 and enrolled in Osaka City University,where he acquired expertise in pharmacology. He went onto study abroad in the United States in 1993, where hisacademic supervisor told him to have a vision and work
hard, which reportedly brought home to him his lack of along-term vision. I think that this valuable experiencetaught him the importance of passion and long-term vision,and that his many years of hard work resulted in the creativity that led to his win.
This demonstrates the need for practical and organizedknowledge, intellectual curiosity and passion, long-term
vision, and creativity in order to make a success of suchoriginal research. The last attribute on the list, creativity,
does not appear to be something that can be acquired
through studying or training. I think it refers to an unexpected and lucky discovery that one makes as part of one’s
continued quiet dedication. It is my hope that you willcontribute to society and lead a proud and glorious life bybuilding a truly affluent society, performing original
research that results in a major discovery or turning abreakthrough into a useful product, while possessing theabove four attributes.
Hiroshi KANAI
Editor-in-Chief

123