JSPSSAN
FRANCISCO
NEWSLETTER
VOL. 34 | JULY 2014

Message from Director Masayuki Izutsu
With life expectancy steadily increasing and birth rates declining, Japan is facing
demographic challenges which will have economic, social, political and environmental consequences. The massive surge of globalization together with the information and communication revolution demands we open up our society to the world. To survive under thesecircumstances, especially important is to establish an inclusive culture which accepts adiversity of opinions, ways of thinking, and/or philosophies while building a knowledgebased and innovative society.
Since 1932, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) has shouldered
the responsibility to provide researchers with a variety of programs crucial to promotescientific activities in Japan. JSPS now has ten overseas offices which serve as a foundationof international research-support networks for Japanese universities to expand their global foothold and activities. A diverse and inclusive culture is indispensable to remain competitive and to keep up with the rapid pace of globalization.
Among the ten overseas offices, JSPS San Francisco is now entering into its twelfth year after its opening in
2003. Professor Seishi Takeda, the former director of JSPS San Francisco played an extremely important role during
these years by establishing and developing this office into an active pivot of international scientific cooperation. It was agreat honor for me to succeed as the director of this office in April 2014.
This fiscal year, JSPS started to search for ways to strengthen academic relations with its counterparts in Latin
American countries, and put our office in charge. We also plan to forge links with surrounding offices from Japanese
universities, i.e., to enforce the Japanese University Network in the Bay Area (JUNBA). The JUNBA 2015 Symposium andSummit will be held next January on the theme of “Governance as a Major Leverage Tool for Improving Quality in Higher Education” by inviting senior level management from the University of California with top executives from Japanese
universities and also the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT).
JSPS San Francisco will carry out two symposia this fiscal year with the University of California, Berkeley, thiscoming September, and with the University of California, Santa Barbara next March. We will also continue to promoteseveral gatherings for young researchers and research fellows from universities in Japan studying at U.S. universities. In
these endeavors, we would like to thank all of you for your kind understanding and cooperation.

Inside This Issue
Message from the Director............ 1
Past Events
JSPS Fellowship Information Sessions
at UCB and UCSD ............................ 2
JUNBA General Assembly Meeting. 2
12th Meeting for University Administrative Officers in the U.S. .............. 3
26th Gathering of JSPS Fellows fromJapan in the U.S. ............................. 3
7th Meeting for Japanese University
Faculty Members in the U.S. ......... 4
Upcoming Event............................. 4
News from Japanese Universities
Hokkaido University .................... 5-6
Kobe University .............................. 7
Osaka University........................ 8-10

University of the Ryukyus ............ 10Interview with JSPS Fellows in the
U.S.
Mr. Naoki Takeishi ....................... 11
Dr. Tsunehiko Kohashi ................. 12
Office Staff Switch ....................... 13

JSPS SF Newsletter | Vol. 34

Past Events
JSPS Fellowship Information Sessions at UCB and UCSDJSPS fellowship information sessions took placeat the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) and the
University of California, San Diego (UCSD) on May 3 andMay 28 respectively. JSPS San Francisco holds fellowship
information sessions regularly to promote JSPS fellowship programs for foreign researchers in the West Coast.
The session at UCB was held during the lunch
break of the “Berkeley Japan Studies 2014 Graduate Conference on Ecology and Space” organized by the Center
for Japanese Studies (CJS), UCB. Both graduate students
and faculty members of CJS attended the session.
The session at UCSD was made possible thanks
to the kind support from Zoe Ziliak Michel, Graduate Fellowship Advisor. Following the presentation on the overview of JSPS fellowship programs and its application process, Bill Lennon, Ph.D. Candidate in the Electrical andComputer Engineering Department of UCSD, shared his
experience of participating in the JSPS summer program(NSF East Asia Pacific Summer Institute, 2013).

Presentation by Bill Lennon

JUNBA General Assembly Meeting
The Japanese University Network in the Bay Area
(JUNBA) held its 8th general assembly meeting on May 9,2014 at Hakone Estate and Gardens in Saratoga, CA. The
purpose of this annual meeting is to broadly report on
JUNBA’s affairs over the course of an entire year. It
brought together 23 participants. The meeting started
with remarks from JUNBA president Dr. Matsuo followedby the report on JUNBA’s affairs of FY2013 and a plan for
FY2014 by JUNBA director-general Dr. Izutsu.
In the second half of the meeting, Dr. Chiho
Ochiai, Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Global

Environmental Studies, Kyoto University (visiting scholar
at the Institute of Urban and Regional Development, University of California, Berkeley), delivered a lecture titled“Living on the Terrace.” In her engaging lecture, Dr. Ochiai introduced one of the towns in Miyagi Prefecture
which was severely afflicted by the Great East Japan
Earthquake in 2011 and talked about the living environment before the disaster and the impact of the tsunamion the community. Community preparedness and reactions to earthquakes and wildfires in the Bay Area werealso discussed.

Opening remarks by Dr. Matsuo

Lecture by Dr. Ochiai

2

JSPS SF Newsletter | Vol. 34

12th Workshop for Japanese University Administrative Staff in the U.S.
JSPS San Francisco office held the 12th workshop
for Japanese university administrative staff in the U.S. on
May 29, 2014 in San Diego, CA during the week of the
NAFSA 2014 Annual Conference.
The purpose of this workshop is to exchange information and establish a network between administrative staff from Japanese universities. Twenty-three participants attended the workshop from Fukuoka University of Education, Gifu University, Hitotsubashi University,
Kochi University of Technology, Kyoto University, Kyushu

University, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology (MEXT), Nagoya University, Obirin University, Osaka University, Research Organizationof Information and Systems, Tokyo Medical University,
Tottori University, and the University of Tokyo. In themeeting, participants briefly introduced themselves andshared information and ideas they acquired throughattending the NAFSA Conference.
The next workshop will be held in January 2015
in Berkeley, CA.

26th Gathering of JSPS Fellows from Japan in the U.S.
JSPS San Francisco held the 26th Gathering of
JSPS fellows from Japan in the U.S. on June 28 at the Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California,
Berkeley. The gathering is held three times a year for
researchers in the U.S. under Postdoctoral Fellowships
for Research Abroad, Research Fellowships for Young
Scientists, and other JSPS programs which promote theinternational mobility of excellent young researchers.
This time, 25 fellows, including 4 fellows from outside ofCalifornia, attended the gathering.
The meeting started with warm greetings fromDr. Masayuki Izutsu, Director of JSPS San Francisco, followed by Masashi Kajiyama, Director of Human Resource
Development Program Department of JSPS, who gave apresentation on JSPS fellowship programs for doctoraland postdoctoral researchers in Japan. He also introduced the programs which facilitate the internationalization of Japanese universities.
Next, each fellow introduced themselves andtheir current research activities with a short Q&A session
following. The fellows then divided into 2 groups anddiscussed their observations on the strengths of the U.S.
higher education system and their ideas and suggestions
for improving Japan’s system. The fellows appreciatedthis networking opportunity and chance to share theirexperiences in the U.S. and views on their future research and career with other researchers.
The next gathering for JSPS fellows from Japan
will be held in the East Coast in September.

3

JSPS SF Newsletter | Vol. 34

7th Meeting for Japanese University Faculty Members in the U.S.
On July 18th, JSPS San Francisco Office held the
7th meeting for Japanese university faculty members in
the U.S.
The purpose of this meeting is to exchange information and establish mutual networks among Japanese
university educators and researchers staying in the U.S.
Nine faculty members of Japanese universities, who are
doing research at San Francisco State University, Stanford University, and the University of California, Berkeley, attended the meeting.
The meeting started with greetings from Masayuki Izutsu, Director of JSPS San Francisco followed bybrief self-introductions from the participants and a discussion session. The topic of the discussion was “How toenhance the global competitiveness of Japanese universities – insights from the experience of conducting research at U.S. universities.”
After the meeting, the participants engaged eachother in a free discussion about their research activities
and living environment in the U.S. in a relaxed atmosphere.
JSPS San Francisco will continue to hold networking events to promote the exchange among researchers
from Japan in the U.S.

*Upcoming Event*“Long-Term Sustainability through Place-Based, Small-Scale Economies”
Symposium co-organized by JSPS San Francisco and
the Center for Japanese Studies, University of California, Berkeley
This symposium aims to discuss the past and present practice and importance of place-based, smallscale food production systems, evaluate their advantages and limitations, and express their future potential to build the long-term sustainability of human societies.

Date: September 26-27, 2014
Venue: Room 180 Doe Library, UC Berkeley
For further information, please contact JSPS San Francisco at: webmaster@jspsusa-sf.org

4

JSPS SF Newsletter | Vol. 34

News from Japanese Universities
Hokkaido University Establishes the Global Institution
for Collaborative Research and Education (GI-CORE)
In order to bring together world-class researchers from around the world and within the university,
Hokkaido University established the Global Institution for
Collaborative Research and Education (GI-CoRE) on April
1, 2014.
GI-CoRE is an educational research organization
under the direct control of the president which invites
researchers from the world’s top universities. Compared
to individual researcher exchanges, inviting the whole
research unit enables the university to promote further
intensive international collaborative research and education that leverages the university's strengths and distinctive features. GI-CoRE also aims to provide support for
furthering international collaborative research and education by faculties or schools.
At present, GI-CoRE consists of two global stations; the Global Station for Quantum Medical Scienceand Engineering (GSQ) and the Global Station for Zoonosis Control (GSZ). Actual research activity is carried out in
the Graduate School of Medicine and the Proton Beam
Therapy Center for GSQ, and the Research Center for
Zoonosis Control and the Graduate School of Veterinary
Medicine for GSZ.
The Global Station for Quantum Medical Scienceand Engineering started collaborative research with theRadiation Oncology Department at Stanford University(USA). The Global Station for Zoonosis Control will invite
researchers from the University of Melbourne(Australia), University College Dublin (Ireland), and King
Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Saudi
Arabia). These Global Stations are expected to become aresearch hub to contribute to world-class innovative research.

(From left) Prof. Shirato, Prof. Quynh-Thu Le (Stanford University),
President Yamaguchi, Executive and Vice President Prof. Uyeda at
the press conference at Hokkaido University on April 23, 2014.

5

JSPS SF Newsletter | Vol. 34

On Aristotelian Essence ―‘At last or once again- man will say’—
Kei Chiba, Professor, Hokkaido University
In the JSPS San Francisco Newsletter Vol. XIX(October 2010), I submitted an article summarizing mypaper, ‘Aristotle on Essence and Defining-Phrase in his
Dialectic’ based on my hunch how the Aristotelian notionof ‘Essence (to ti ēn einai (TEE))’ is introduced in his philosophical system. This paper was the result of a joint
project with Professor D. Charles (Oxford University)
sponsored by JSPS and the British Academy (2005-7) andwas eventually published in Definition in Greek Philosophy (OUP 2010) by Professor Charles. My theory has
been accepted by scholars and developed since then.
Aristotle developed his theory of dialectic in an
attempt to systematize and improve on the Socratic
method of dialogue. The theory of dialectic is based on
the theory of predicables (i.e. types of terms) and thus ofcategories of predications and entities, and is developedby the method of ‘formal’ (logikos) argument in a philosophical analysis of being and identity. The four predicables point to possible answers to the Socratic “What isF?” question. What is signified by the phrase TEE is a definable entity, specified in a successful predicable called‘defining-phrase’ and grasped by a process which differentiates it from the other three predicables. The phrase
TEE is designed to capture the ideal answer which Socrates was seeking in his “What is F?” question. TEE emerges from his reformulation of the Socratic question “Whatis F?” from the context in which the interlocutor had
overlooked what Socrates sought. The question “TEE F?”,in using the past tense, reminds the interlocutor that hehas overlooked the thing F itself in his initial answer,
offering, for instance, only an example of F. Zenon Culverhouse (Stanford University) in his review assessed myidea as follows: “Aristotle’s debt to Socrates is seldom
discussed in much detail, so K. Chiba’s essay on the Socratic source of Aristotle’s phrase TEE is an especiallywelcome addition. There is little scholarly consensus on
the meaning of this phrase, particularly when it comes tomaking sense of the imperfect ‘ēn’ or ‘was’” (Journal of
Hellenic Studies, vol. 132 (Nov. 2012), 274-275).
Professor David Lefebvre (Université ParisSorbonne) wrote as follows : “Sur Aristote, l’article de Kei
Chiba retiendra l’attention des antiquisants car son auteur prend à bras le corps (enfin ou encore une fois, dirat-on) la question lancinante du sens exact de l’expression
réputée intraduisible to ti en einai” (On Aristotle, the article by Kei Chiba received the attention of classical scho-

6lars. This is because the author bravely comes to grip(man will say ‘At last or once again’) with the piercing
problem of the exact meaning of the expression ‘to ti ēneinai’ which has been notoriously taken to be untranslatable.) (Revue Philosophique de Louvain, Tome 110 no1,
169-172 février 2012).
Professor Christopher Shields who read my paper on essence while still in the proof stage invited me tocontribute a paper on Aristotle’s inquiry theory for his
edition of the Oxford Handbook of Aristotle (Oxford,2012). In this paper, I argued that essence is made into a
causal notion in Aristotle’s heuristic demonstrative inquiry theory. L.P. Gerson (Toronto University) wrote a
review as follows: “I shall limit myself to some brief remarks about these essays whose perspectives and conclusions I found particularly thought-provoking. Chiba’s‘Aristotle on Heuristic Inquiry and Demonstration ofWhat It Is’ begins with an arresting claim” (Notre Dame
Philosophical Reviews, Feb. 2013).
Since the notion of essence is a central one inAristotle’s philosophy, we can further develop many areas, such as his modal ontology and natural philosophy,
on the basis of this discovery.

JSPS SF Newsletter | Vol. 34

Research Institute for Economics and Business Administration
Kobe University
Established in 1919 as the Commercial ResearchInstitute of Kobe Higher Commercial School, the Research Institute for Economics and Business Administration (RIEB) boasts the longest history of all social science
research institutes affiliated to national universities inJapan. It is also the only research institute among all universities in Japan that focuses on the dual fields of economics and business administration.
Our primary objective is to advance the frontierof academic research in the fields of economics and business administration, emphasizing publications in international refereed journals. On the basis of RePEc (Research
Papers in Economics) rankings, RIEB is the 6th academic
institution in economics and related fields in Japan, the24th in Asia, and among the top 8% in the world.
In pursuit of our primary objective, RIEB has vigorously involved itself in cutting-edge research activities.
Areas of particular focus where notable results havebeen achieved include: (i) the development of global
economy with diversity; (ii) finance and macroeconomic
dynamics; (iii) technology management and international
competitiveness; and (iv) theoretical and empirical studies on accounting systems.
In 2011, RIEB launched The Japanese Accounting
Review (TJAR), currently the only international refereed
journal in accounting based in Japan. The TJAR welcomes
innovative works in all areas of accounting related not
only to the Asia-Pacific region, but to all parts of theworld. Along with the regular publication of the TJAR, theannual TJAR International Conference is held every year.
The 5th TJAR International Conference (to be held on
December 21st,2014) is now
calling for submissions. In addition to the
TJAR
conferences,
RIEB
hosts
variousseminars
andsymposia at bothnational and international levels throughout the year.
Another important objective of RIEB is to collectand maintain historically valuable materials. The affiliat-

ed Integrated Center for Corporate Archives collects andmaintains historical documents pertaining to businessadministration. Our collections include highly-regarded
archives such as the “Kanebo Collection” and the“Kanematsu Collection.” Earlier this year, the RIEB Business Mechanization Exhibition was certified as a ‘Satellite
Museum of Historical Computers’ by the Information
Processing Society of Japan for its collection of earlycomputing machines including the first punch-card sorter
manufactured in Japan, which was developed throughcooperation between Kobe University
andKanegafuchi
Jitsugyo in the
1940s. The one
displayed here is
the only punchcard sorter produced in Japanthat has survived
until today.
In addition to our academic objectives describedabove, we also seek to contribute to society through educational activities that are founded upon our academic
achievements as well as industry-academia collaborative
projects.

For further details regarding RIEB, please visit our website at: http://www.rieb.kobe-u.ac.jp/index-e.html

7

JSPS SF Newsletter | Vol. 34

Developing Single Particle Analysis in Liquid for
Analytical Service
Makoto Kawano*, Nobutoshi Ota*
*Osaka University Office for University-Industry Collaboration
kawano@chem.sci.osaka-u.ac.jp
Rapid progress in manufacturing technologies
supplies useful particles that improve our lives. Meanwhile, uniformity in the quality of individual particles influences overall performance so it is important to analyze
them individually. Single particle analysis contributes tothe control of overall quality and uniformity of particles,
improving particle functionality through rationalizing theparticle manufacturing processes. In industry, particle
products are qualified through methods to check average
properties of particles such as the angle of repose, while
research and development for sophisticated particles relyon single particle analysis such as Raman microscopy. The
methods for average properties of particles are simple
and fast while the degree of deviation of manufactured
particles are difficult to recognize. The conventional
methods for single particle analysis provide detailed information with the tendency of manufactured particles.
However, these methods take a long time to analyze so it
is labor intensive to measure several hundreds of particles to find the tendency in a particle sample.
We are developing a new analytical techniquebased on the measurement of magnetic susceptibility.
This technique, with the development of an appropriate
instrument and software for single particle analysis,
measures several hundred or more of individual particles
with reduced time and labor for analysis. Magnetic susceptibility of a particle composed of polymer or othernonmagnetic material is obtained from magnetophoresisof the particle in a magnetic circuit where a strong magnetic field is applied without power supply. In the measurement, the consumption of a sample is small; it uses a

8

few milligrams or less of dry particles to prepare the dispersion liquid which gives several tens of samples formagnetophoretic measurements. The obtained data isprocessed through software analysis which makes analysis short and simple. The instrument is also compact andwill be portable. This setting makes this technology compatible with other analytical equipment and useful insome particular situations such as on-site analysis of environmental particles during fieldwork.
Magnetic susceptibility is a useful parameter toanalyze the bulk and surface of a particle. Chemical modification of particle surface, for example, changes magnetic susceptibility of a particle. Thus, efficiency of chemical modification can be monitored through magnetic
susceptibility measurements. Another interesting example is to find porosity of a particle with this method. The
porous part of a particle affects magnetic susceptibility
because bulk material and filling substance for pores (e.g.
solvent) have different values of magnetic susceptibility.
These characteristics of magnetic susceptibility measurements shed light on some parameters of particles thathave not yet been investigated.
Commercializing this instrument is our current
goal and we are working on improving usability of the
instrument which is an ongoing challenge. Further automation of the instrument is the key for instrumental usability so we are confident to overcome this challenge. We
hope this technology is widely recognized to improveresearch, development, and manufacturing of particles in
the near future.

JSPS SF Newsletter | Vol. 34

Symposium held by the AKIRA Project (FIRST Program)
The symposium entitled, "Future Medical Treatment Created by Immunology" was held for a generalaudience at the Miraikan Hall, National Museum of
Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan), on Saturday,
February 1, 2014, and saw a total of 167 participants. The
purpose of the symposium was to present four years’
worth of research achievements by the AKIRA Project:“Comprehensive understanding of immune dynamism:
toward manipulation of immune responses” funded by
the FIRST Program* which is supported by the Cabinet
Office, Government of Japan and JSPS.
At the beginning of the symposium, core researcher of the AKIRA Project, Professor Shizuo Akira,Osaka University, gave a lecture on the "Potential of New
Treatments Created by Immunology." Among the research outcomes of the AKIRA Project, three outstanding
topics obtained through interdisciplinary research of imaging, structural biology, and systems biology were introduced. One is the discovery of Regnase-1, a specific
RNase of cytokine-encoding mRNA. This enzyme works
like a brake on inflammation; therefore, the inhibition ofRegnase-1 was expected to accelerate immune responses
and increase the efficiency of cancer immunotherapy.
The second is the disease specific M2 macrophages. Until
now, it was considered that there was only one type ofM2 macrophage that had several functions, but the Akira
group found specific M2 macrophages for allergy, metabolic syndrome, cancer, and intractable diseases respectively and opened up the way for entirely novel treat-

Discussion session: "Future Medical Treatment Createdby Immunology"

ments targeting macrophages. The third is the elucidation of the activation mechanism of NLRP3 inflammasome which causes gout, neurodegenerative disease,and so on. Professor Akira showed many fruitful seeds for
future therapeutics and intelligibly explained them to thegeneral audience using CG movies.
Following this, Dr. Kunihiro Hattori (Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) gave a lecture entitled, "Antibody
Drugs - the Potential and Prospect." He showed the audience how medicines using antibodies were developedand explained the novel technologies for next generation
antibodies. He also mentioned the rapidly growing market in recent years of biomedicines including antibody
drugs, although it requires an extended period of time tomake into a product.
Subsequent to the two lectures, there was a discussion session about "Future Medical Treatment Created by Immunology". Under the coordination of Ms. Yukiko Motomura, a member of the Editorial Board of theMainichi Newspaper, Dr. Tomohiro Kurosaki, Specially
Appointed Professor (Osaka University), Dr. Junichi
Taguchi, Director of the Tokyo Midtown Clinic, and Ms.
Yuri Kato, television personality, took the podium, in addition to the two lecturers previously mentioned. In thissession, opinions from various viewpoints were submitted and a deep discussion was held on how the development of immunology research could pave the way forcreating new medical treatments for diseases such as
cancer and allergic diseases.
The AKIRA Project also held a lecture for the public entitled, "To the Milky Way of the Inside of the Human
Body - the Movements and Functions of Immune Cells
Viewed through the Two-Photon Excitation Microscopy -"at the planetarium in Sophia Sakai, Sakai City, on November 24, 2013. This lecture consisted of two sessions, and
231 participants from primary school children to adults
joined the event. Live cell imaging movies from various
regions of the human body taken by two-photon microscopy were projected onto the dome screen.
Dr. Masaru Ishii (Professor, Osaka University),
one of the sub-project leaders of the AKIRA Project and
Dr. Joji Fujisaki, an assistant professor at Columbia University, got up on stage. They explained the content of(Continued on page 10)*FIRST Program: “Funding program for World-Leading Innovative R&D on Science and Technology”

9JSPS SF Newsletter | Vol. 34

18th International Congress on
Renal Nutrition and Metabolism 2016 (ICRNM2016)
April 19 (Tue.) to 23 (Sat.), 2016, Okinawa, JAPAN
WelcomeOn behalf of the International Society on Nutrition and Metabolism in Renal Disease (ISRNM) and Okinawa Dialysis andTransplant Association (ODTA), it is our privilege and pleasure to invite you to visit Okinawa, Japan, and attend the 18th
International Congress on Renal Nutrition and Metabolism 2016 (ICRNM2016) on April 19-23, 2016.
The purpose of this society is to advance the knowledge on nutritional and dietary therapy in chronic kidney disease(CKD) and to foster communication on the advancements of this knowledge by means of scientific meetings and cooperation with dieticians and other scientific societies of nephrology and dialysis.
Preparations are underway to offer you an interesting world-class program including state-of-the-art lectures by eminent speakers from all over the world. However, the success of our meeting still depends on your presence and active
participation.
We hope that this meeting will give new insights into the understanding and therapeutic strategy of CKD, and provide
an excellent opportunity for promoting and renewing friendship.
At ICRNM2016, we will make every effort to support the Scientific Program Committee of ISRNM to compile exciting,cutting-edge programs, including high quality worldwide research in nephrology, dieticians and related fields. Translational medicine will be emphasized in each session mixing basic science, clinical pharmacology and health care delivery
which will undoubtedly strengthen our ties with ISRNM. It will also provide an excellent source of information, inspiration, and motivation for young scholars, dieticians, and other health-care workers, particularly in the Asian region andso contribute to the further globalization of ISRNM.
We look forward to welcoming you in Okinawa!
Prof. Kunitoshi Iseki, Congress President
Director and Clinical Professor; Dialysis Unit, University Hospital of the Ryukyus
207 Uehara, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0215, Japan
Okinawa Heart and Renal Association (OHRA)(Continued from page 9)
the movies and interesting aspects of conducting research
as well as what inspired them to become scientists.
Cheers arose from the audience when real cells
started blinking like stars in the dark sky on the planetarium dome. A high school student said, “It is very interesting
because they are not made by computer graphics but realcells.”
According to the questionnaire, participants
seemed to enjoy the real adventure world inside the human body and understood the phrase, “Seeing is believing.”

10

Live cell imaging projected onto theplanetarium dome

JSPS SF Newsletter | Vol. 34

Interview with JSPS Fellows in the U.S.
Mr. Naoki Takeishi

2011
2013
201320142014-

B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Shizuoka University
M.S., Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University
Ph.D. student, Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University
JSPS Research Fellow (DC2)
Visiting Student, Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Naoki Takeishi is a JSPS research fellow in the Biological
Flow Studies Laboratory of Prof. Takuji Ishikawa at Tohoku University. He is now also a visiting student in the
MechanoBiology Laboratory of Prof. Roger D. Kamm at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His research fields and interests are biomechanics in microcirculation, computational fluid dynamics and cancer metastasis.
Why did you choose the U.S. to conduct your research?
I have been anxious to prove my insight into biologicalmechanisms in cancer metastasis by using computer simulation techniques. In the MIT MechanoBiology Laboratory, experiments are tightly coupled with computationalmodels for investigating biological phenomena, andmany of their outstanding performances in biomechanics
are well known throughout the world. I thought thiswould be the best place for me to tackle the challenges
of modeling cancer metastasis. In addition, Prof. Roger D.
Kamm, my supervisor at MIT, is a world leading scholar in
Biomechanics. I am sure that this experience in his laboratory allows me to not only enhance my knowledge, butalso broaden my perspective on biomechanics research.
Another motivation for conducting research in the U.S. isthat I would like to gain insight into the biomechanics ofcancer metastasis from the standpoint of my background, mechanical engineering.
What is your impression of the research environment in
the U.S.?
The biggest impression is the speed of the research cycle.
It is much faster than that of a laboratory in Japan. We,
in Prof. Kamm’s laboratory, have a meeting with him
every week to share the progress in our research. We
either have to achieve something or propose questions
in a time span of a week. Therefore, we have to totally
manage our research by ourselves, where we make aspeedy decision about our goal in one week, raise questions in our current work, create a strategy for a goal,
etc. This was a challenge and a rather stressful thing forme at first, but now I enjoy it. I have confidence in myself
in terms of continuously and consistently coming up witha question and protocol for a goal. It was a new discovery for me, and one of the best benefits of doing research at MIT. If I had not come here, I would never havebeen able to handle my projects better or find a way toderive my potential. We also have another groupmeeting with a research group at the National Universityof Singapore from 8:00 AM every week to share leading
knowledge in biomechanics. Such international collaboration helps me not only to broaden my knowledge but
also to be a morning person.
How do you take advantage of your experiences in the
U.S. and apply it to your research or career?
I would like to apply my developing model based on experimental data to clarify not only cancer metastasis but
also other pathological or physiological processes such as
the inflammation reaction of leukocytes and the maintenance of hemostasis by platelets. In that case, my experience at MIT will be helpful to understand such biologically complex phenomena through biomechanics and proveinsight into them from a mechanical perspective. I would
like to have a continuous impact on the field of biomechanics or biomedical engineering, and synthesize what I
have done so far as “Biomechanics of Microcirculation”.
There is still much work to do for this, but I am sure thatthe research networks I have made in the U.S. will help
me achieve it.

11JSPS SF Newsletter | Vol. 34

Dr. Tsunehiko Kohashi
2002 B.E., School of Engineering Science, Osaka University
2009 Ph.D., Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University
2009-10 and 2011-13
Postdoctoral Fellow, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University
2010- Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biology, Washington University
in St. Louis
2013- JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow
I am interested in how animals can respond‘appropriately’ to their environment, in other words,
generation of adaptive behaviors by the nervous system.
This field of research is roughly divided into two parts:
sensory processing to extract useful information fromthe environment and motor control to let the animals
move in manners adaptive or ‘logically correct’ to theinformation. I was studying the latter part during my
Ph.D. and am currently studying the former issue in theU.S.
Why did you choose the U.S. to conduct your research?
This is because my current project is only possible at thecurrent lab in the U.S. In the last year of my Ph.D., I met
Dr. Carl Hopkins at Cornel University who is studying sensory processing in African electric fish. I was fascinatedby his research about how elegantly the nervous systemof the fish processes fine temporal structure of electric
signals that they generate to communicate with eachother, which involves common computational challenges
in human auditory communication. Later on when I
asked Dr. Hopkins for a postdoc opening in his lab, heinstead suggested I join one of his successors, Dr. Bruce
Carlson at Washington University in St. Louis. I joined
Carlson Lab in 2010.
What is your impression of the research environment in
the U.S.?
Overall, faculty in the U.S. seems to have more control
over actively shaping their own research environment
than in Japan. Here I list two specific examples in the U.S.
system that I really appreciate at my current institution.
1. Stockroom
Consumable lab supplies, paper towels for instance, aresometimes purchased only in large quantities at one
time, meaning that each lab needs to have a large storage space. In my department, there is a facility called astockroom which performs the acceptance inspection ofpurchased goods as well as functions as an on-campus
store for common lab supplies. Stockroom purchases,
such as a giant box full of paper towels, are made inde-

12

pendently of the labs, split into small batches and resold
to the labs. Thanks to this system, you can buy as many
paper towels as you need at one time and save a lot of
precious lab space.
2. Graduate stipend
This is not only good for students, but for faculty as well.
The fact that the faculty and department fund their students from their limited budget serves as a good motivation for faculty to be responsible for their mentees: you
do not want to have more students than you can actually
supervise because it comes at a cost. In this context, I
also appreciate the emphasis placed on the qualifying
exams in the U.S. If a student fails the exams, he or she
has to leave school in the middle of the graduate program because the faculty can determine that the student
does not have the capability to become a good scientist
so there’s no sufficient reason to fund the student anymore. This is harsh for the student, but in my opinion,
the earlier the better, especially in a country like Japan,
where ageism was not illegal up until very recently.
How do you take advantage of your experiences in the
U.S. and apply it to your research or career?
In the U.S., I have learned a top-down approach to conduct research projects in which you collect data towards
research goals. This is opposite to a bottom-up approach
I had taken during my Ph.D. in which you accumulate
data to discover something. I want to be able to flexibly
switch between the two approaches to maximize
productivity.
Mentoring students, particularly undergraduate students, has also been a wonderful opportunity for me tothink about how I should communicate with students
from various social/cultural backgrounds. In short, you
can never expect that they do what they are supposed to
until you clearly tell them to do so.

JSPS SF Newsletter | Vol. 34

Office Staff Switch
Introducing New Program Coordinators
Takayuki Kurahashi joined our office as the Program Coordinator and is in charge of theaccounting affairs and managing the office website. He is also in charge of coordinating
gatherings for researchers and administrative staff of Japanese universities in the U.S. Last
year he worked in the Research Cooperation Division at JSPS headquarters and was incharge of supporting multilateral research collaboration between research institutions inJapan and other countries. Prior to that, he had been working for the department of entrance examinations and public relations at Kochi University of Technology, where he wasengaged in the recruitment of new students and arrangement of entrance examinations. He is interested in the admissions system and its background in American universities, especially how to gather highly-motivated students withgreat talent. During his stay here, he wants to improve his English skills, visit a lot of ballparks in the U.S. and study
American card games and its strategy.
Makiko Toyoda joined our office as the Program Coordinator and is in charge of administrative affairs for the Japanese University Network in the Bay Area (JUNBA) along withcoordinating meetings for Japanese university faculty members in the U.S. and editing
the office newsletter. Last year, she worked in the Bilateral Cooperation Division at JSPS
headquarters, where she coordinated bilateral joint research programs in cooperation
with overseas science-promotion organizations in Asian and African countries. Prior tothat, she had been working in the International Affairs Office of Hitotsubashi University,where she was mainly engaged in international student services. During her stay here, she looks forward to enjoying
the beautiful weather and beaches in California.

Heartfelt Farewell to Our Advisor, Nobukazu Hinata
Nobukazu Hinata is completing his appointment as a visiting scholar at the University of California, Office of the President (UCOP) and returning to Japan inAugust. He is the 13th fellow sent to UCOP from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT). During his 10-month stayin California, he also worked at JSPS San Francisco office as an advisor. From
May of this year, he acted as an advisor to the Japanese University Network in
the Bay Area (JUNBA) as well.
At UCOP, he mainly researched the recent trends in California higher education.
The University of California (UC) system has two major issues: one is tuition
freezes and budget cuts, and the other is transfer from community colleges to UC. He attended the UC Regents
meetings, state legislature hearings, seminars organized by universities, and also interviewed UC staff and read papers
to learn how these issues arose and how UC attempts to solve them. UC is trying to overcome these problems in cooperation with California State University (CSU) and community colleges. But some researchers mention California needs
more drastic reform, such as changing the Master Plan for Higher Education in California. We need to keep thesetrends under review from now on because it is useful for Japanese universities to learn from them.
His warm and strong support for our activities was truly appreciated and all of us at JSPS San Francisco wish him all thebest in his future endeavors!

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)
San Francisco Office
2001 Addison St., #260, Berkeley, CA 94704
Email: webmaster@jspsusa-sf.org

13