Autumn 2019

A news magazine presented by Hokkaido University

Litterae Populi Autumn 201901

R ec ent Ne w s f rom
Hok k a ido Un iver sit yContents

03

Feature: Support

16

Refining: Pharmacy

18

Alumni Interview

20

Letters from Ambassadors and Partners

22

140 Years of Challenge

24

Topics26

Campus Landscapes

04 Hokkaido University Botanic Garden
10 Student Advice and Counseling Center
14 Central Institute of Isotope Science

Mikako Ogawa
Professor, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Litterae Populi
Litterae Populi is a bi-annual magazine
with the latest news about Hokkaido
University. Its name is Latin for “lettersof the poplar trees.”

Kimiharu Saita
Meteorologist, Weather Forecaster
Himmel Consulting Co., Ltd.

Feature:Support

In 2019, Hokkaido University celebrated the 143rd anniversary
since its foundation as Sapporo Agricultural College.To further
promote educational and research programs geared toward
solving global and regional challenges, the university needs
organizations that support such initiatives.
Under the theme of “support,” this feature highlights theinitiatives being undertaken by three organizations at Hokkaido
University.
Litterae Populi Autumn 2019
Published by Public Relations Division
Kita 8, Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0808, JAPAN.
pr@oia.hokudai.ac.jp
https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp
Edited by the Litterae Populi Planning and Editing Team
Cover photo by Akihito Yamamoto (HARE-BARE SHA-SHINN)
Photos by Hiromi Terashima (Kotoha-sha)
Production assisted by Morikatsu Sato (Morikatsu Sato Design Office)Printing by Iword Co., Ltd.
Cover photo taken at Gingko Avenue

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Photo taken at the Graduate School of Engineering

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A Green Oasis That’sPassed Down History
Gazebo at North Lawn. The verdant space here is a place of relaxation for visitors.

Hokkaido University Botanic Garden
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Litterae Populi Autumn 2019

The moment you set foot in the Hokkaido University Botanic Garden nestled in
the heart of a bustling city, you’re instantly transported to a world of unspoiled
nature. The garden, which has shared the history of Hokkaido, not only supports
the university’s educational and research programs but also serves as a green
oasis for the local community.

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Feature: Support

Support | Hokkaido University Botanic Garden

Northern Peoples Museum, a showcase of invaluable objects collected between Hokkaido’s
pioneering era and the early Showa era (i.e., from the mid-19th to early 20th centuries).

Learning about plants and about indigenous
peoples

Miyabe Kingo Memorial Building. The Botanic Garden is in the city center packed with high-rise buildings.

The Hokkaido University Botanic Garden is right in theheart of the city, just a 10-minute walk from Sapporo
Station. This 13.3-hectare garden opened in 1886 as thesecond-oldest botanic garden in Japan and was the country’s
first modern-style botanic garden. This long-establishedbotanic garden has been popular among local residents for
its accessibility to the public as well as for its contributions
to the advancement of education and research.
It is believed to have begun in 1877, when Dr. William
Smith Clark, the first vice president of Sapporo Agricultural
College (SAC), today’s Hokkaido University, suggested to
the Hokkaido Development Commission that a botanic
garden would be needed to teach botany. The Commission
transferred the ownership of its museum and land to the
SAC for use as a botanic garden, and Dr. Kingo Miyabe,
who would become the first director of the Botanic Garden,planned and designed it.

A green oasis left behind in the city center
The Botanic Garden is located on the alluvial fan of the
Toyohira River, a tributary of Hokkaido’s longest river, the06

Litterae Populi Autumn 2019

Ishikari River. The area had been woods of deciduous broadleaved swamp trees until Hokkaido’s pioneering era (the mid19th century). However, the greenery disappeared as urban
development progressed, and the Botanic Garden became
the only woodland there that retained the atmosphere of
the pioneering days. Aerial photos of the garden and thesurrounding area clearly indicate how isolated this green
oasis looks amidst high-rise buildings.
Professor Fujita emphasizes that a main feature of the
Botanic Garden is that the woodland has been left untouched
as much as possible so that visitors can imagine how dense
the forests would have been during the pioneering days.
Designed by taking advantage of the area’s topography,
the Botanic Garden has a gently rolling terrain uniqueto alluvial fans. Until the late Taisho era (the early 20th
century), it was fertile ground where springs, or memu
in the language of the indigenous Ainu people, welled
up everywhere. Today, the landscape of the garden is
maintained by releasing pumped-up groundwater into thestream in the garden.

At the Hokkaido University Botanic Garden, visitors
can see various species of plants. The Alpine Plants Rock
Garden, designed as a miniature of the upper slopes of Mt.
Tomuraushi in Hokkaido, showcases some 600 speciesof alpine plants from Japan, centering on plants native to
the Taisetsuzan Mountains and Mt. Apoi. Professor Fujita
underscores its significance, as an alpine plant nursery
designated by the Japan Association of Botanical Gardens
is attached to the Botanic Garden. She says that few otherbotanic gardens in Japan are cool enough to grow alpine
plants outdoors.
The garden’s highlights also include the Northern
Peoples Ethnobotanical Garden, where some 200 speciesof plants used by the Northern peoples of East Asia—the
Ainu, Nivkh and Uilta—are displayed along with their uses,

such as for weaving, for dying, as food, as household andritual utensils, for medicine, and for hunting. The Northern
Peoples Museum on the 2nd floor of the main officebuilding features everyday items made from these plants,
providing a priceless opportunity for anyone looking for a
deeper understanding of such plants. The Botanic Garden
introduces visitors not merely to plants indispensable to thelives of Northern peoples, but also to the history of those
who have lived with plants throughout their lives.

Inheriting and protecting the invaluable
The museum in the Botanic Garden displays invaluable
taxidermy specimens. Of particular significance are thoseof animals native to Hokkaido, such as a brown bear anda Hokkaido sika deer, and extinct animals, including a
Hokkaido wolf and a Japanese river otter. Must-sees include
the stuffed body of a Sakhalin husky named Taro, a sled dog

Alpine Plants Rock Garden, one ofJapan’s largest rock gardens, where
flowers bloom in succession frommid-May.

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Feature: Support

Support | Hokkaido University Botanic Garden

The exterior of the museum, surrounded by historic structuresdesignated as National Important Cultural Properties.

The interior of the museum, with a stuffed brown bear in
the middle and the stuffed body of a Sakhalin husky named
Taro at the back on your right. Taro was popular for his
exploits in the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition.

on the cultivation of the Rebun lady’s slipper orchid(Cypripedium macranthos var. rebunense), which is foundonly on Hokkaido’s Rebun Island (Rebun Town). This rare
plant has been designated “a specified national endangered
species of wild flora,” but its population is rapidly decreasing
due to illegal collecting.
Since the seeds of the Rebun lady’s slipper orchid are as
small as powder and have no endosperm, which would store
nutrients essential for germination, they depend completely
on symbiotic fungi for their nutrition in the wild. The
collaborative research team succeeded in establishing
symbiosis by infecting the orchid seeds with fungi, thereby
enabling the cultivation of this orchid—a result longconsidered difficult to achieve.
The Botanic Garden is also engaged in wide-ranging
research on endangered wild flora species which areincluded on the Hokkaido Red List in collaboration withcountries near Hokkaido, including Russia, South Korea,
and China. Collaborative studies with these neighboring
countries have begun to reveal where these endangered
species originated and how they were brought to Hokkaido,
among other details.
Professor Fujita enthuses that analyses not only
reveal the history of species but also enables data-based
recommendations for the conservation of endangered
species, expressing her hope for continued development of
the networks with those countries.

Overcoming disasters
that pulled for the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition,in which faculty members of Hokkaido University also
participated.
The museum also shows bird specimens collected byThomas Blakiston, the English naturalist who identified
the faunal boundary line (Blakiston’s Line) at the Tsugaru
Strait, as well as exhibits showing differences between thefauna of Hokkaido and that of southern Honshu.
Also on display are collections related to the Hokkaido
Development Commission, including replicas of canned
venison and salmon made at a government canning factoryand petrological and mineralogical specimens collected by
Benjamin Smith Lyman, an American engineer and advisor
to the Commission who conducted a thorough geologicalsurvey of Hokkaido. The museum has maintained andmanaged these invaluable collections inherited from theCommission. Professor Fujita says that the Botanic Garden’s
missions include protecting the collections while making
them available for research. The museum building itself was
designated as a National Important Cultural Property in
1989.

The powerful Typhoon Songda hit Japan in September
2004, causing severe damage to Hokkaido. It wrought
havoc among trees in the Botanic Garden, toppling or
snapping the trunks of roughly 680 of the 3,000 trees.
Professor Fujita looks back on those days and says,“Our garden, more than a century old, couldn’t allow thosefallen trees to just be thrown away, so we put them to use
in every way possible, such as by creating timber specimens
and sample stumps for counting annual rings. To utilize
them, we leveraged our strengths as a university botanic
garden and sought advice from faculty members who areexperts in a wide range of fields.”
When a massive earthquake hit the eastern Iburi regionof Hokkaido in September last year, dozens of windowpanes

Missions as a university botanic garden
Botanic gardens at universities have important roles to playalso in research and education.
The Hokkaido University Botanic Garden andResearch Faculty of Agriculture have begun joint research

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The greenhouse, which will be open as usual in the coming
winter.

were shattered in the greenhouse, which houses plants that
can’t overwinter outdoors in Hokkaido. This is the only
facility in the Botanic Garden where visitors can appreciateand learn about flowers and greenery during Hokkaido’slong winter, but the damage inflicted by that earthquake
forced its first temporary closure last winter.

For the sake of all visitors
An information board in Japanese and English was installedin front of the entrance to the Botanic Garden in April thisyear. Many visitors—Japanese and foreign alike—havecome to stop to take a good look at the board.
In recent years, the number of inbound visitors to
the Botanic Garden has been on the rise. To meet theirneeds, it’s become a pressing issue to install multilingual
signboards here.
Professor Fujita explains challenges facing the Botanic
Garden: “We were able to install a bilingual English-Japanese
information board at the entrance this year, thanks to adonation from a botanical artists’ group—flos society—but
we haven’t been able to keep up with the times because mostof the signs and panels in the garden remain written onlyin Japanese. The Northern Peoples Ethnobotanical Garden,
for example, appeals also to foreign visitors, but it has only
Japanese explanations. Providing English information withthe displays remains a significant challenge for us, because
without it, no matter how many foreign visitors we have, we
can’t convey the significance of our collections.”
There’s another issue with the facilities: the Northern
Peoples Museum, which showcases objects of historicalsignificance, is on the 2nd floor of the main office building
and doesn’t offer barrier-free access. Just to show how
significant the collections are, the museum displays roughly
250 items that highlight the culture of Northern peoples
native to Hokkaido and its vicinity, centering on the Ainu.
Approximately 2,500 folklore materials there have madethis one of the largest collections of its kind not only inJapan but throughout the world. Materials collectedprimarily in the Meiji era (the late 19th century) and theearly Showa era (the early 20th century) include clothes,ritual instruments, and hunting gear that were actuallyused, and models of a dwelling and hunting traps madefor educational and research purposes. On the side of adisplay of an altar at the back of the gallery, an invaluable
documentary of a bear sacrificial ritual of the Ainu people
is shown. “It’s unfortunate that these collections are notaccessible to all visitors,” says Professor Fujita.
The national center for the revival of Ainu culture,
the Symbolic Space for Ethnic Harmony (a.k.a. Upopoy),including the National Ainu Museum and Park, will open
in the Lake Poroto area of Shiraoi Town in April 2020.
“Given the flow of tourists to and from Upopoy and theBotanic Garden’s proximity to Sapporo Station, moretourists are anticipated to visit the garden. We may be able
to attract more domestic and overseas visitors to Hokkaido
by working closely with relevant municipalities,” says
Professor Fujita.

The Rose Garden, where some 20 varieties of roses bloom
primarily in July, but also from late June to autumn.

There are challenges that the Botanic Garden needs toaddress to make it even more enjoyable to all visitors.

Community-based initiatives
The Botanic Garden holds children’s events twice annuallyas part of its efforts to contribute to the local community.
The one held this past July was an open workshop
for elementary school students on how to make a pictorial
book of plants using leaves. In all, 38 students tried theirhand at making original pictorial books using leaves fromplants growing in the Botanic Garden. The workshop aims
to introduce students to the diversity of plants as they learn
that different plants have different leaf arrangements, sizes,
shapes, colors, and feels.
“The Botanic Garden’s primary missions are education

Professor Fujita gives an explanation to visitors using an
information board made possible via donations.

and research, because it was originally founded for the
Sapporo Agricultural College,” Professor Fujita says, “butit’s also kept its doors open to the public since it opened. It
may be a rare facility in Japan in that it’s continued to offer
adult education since the 19th century.”
The Hokkaido University Botanic Garden, which has
shared the history of Hokkaido, plays significant roles insupporting the university in research and education as wellas supporting the local community.

Litterae Populi Autumn 201909

Student Advice and Counseling Center
Hokkaido University launched the Student Advice and CounselingCenter (SACC) in August 2018, under which brought together theStudent Counseling Office, the Disability Services Office and theInternational Student Counseling Office. The staff members of theseoffices strive to provide effective support to students from a student
perspective to cater to their unique needs.

Meeting the Diverse Needsof Students
Organizational reforms
Professor Mari Koyano of the Graduate School of Law
is serving as the first director of the Student Advice andCounseling Center (SACC). When she was appointed in2017 to the directorship of both the Student Counseling
Office and the Disability Services Office as an advisor to

the university president, she realized the pressing need toreform the organizational structure for student counselingbecause it failed to meet the diverse needs of students. Her
years of experience in teaching students has made her awareof the issues around student support, and her research oninternational law led her to believe that the university should

provide student support services of a global standard—
services that protect each student’s human rights—tocontinue prospering in the age of globalization.
To define a direction for the reform, she worked withher frontline staff members to find a model that would best
suit Hokkaido University based on a thorough investigation
into the organizations in charge of student counseling andsupport services at other universities in Japan, including theseven former “imperial universities.” They also reviewed
the student counseling services then currently provided at
Hokkaido University to clarify their current situation andissues.
Looking back on those days, Professor Koyano says thefirst-hand accounts she heard during the review from those
involved convinced her that the best way to improve student
support services would be to create a comfortable working
environment for well-trained, highly motivated counselors.
She also found that as Hokkaido University promoted
globalization, it would need to extend strong support not
only to Japanese students but also to international students.
“Creating an environment where all can feel safe anddevote themselves to study or research should contributeenormously to the development of the university as awhole,” says Professor Koyano.
Following the investigation and review results, theuniversity decided to launch the Student Advice andCounseling Center (SACC) and to bring together under
SACC the three existing counseling organizations: theStudent Counseling Office, which offers counselingservices for virtually any issue; the International Student
Counseling Office, which provides counseling services tohelp international students deal with a wide-range of issues,
including cultural adjustment problems and academic
concerns; and the Disability Services Office (today’s
Accessibility Services Office), which provides support
to students who need assistance in their studies due todisability or illness. With these three offices working incloser cooperation than before, a system to provide student
support services even more flexibly has been put in place.
There was also a long-overdue increase in the number ofclinical staff, enabling them to offer training to teaching
and administrative staff and to more proactively engage in
research activities regarding student support services.

Above: The exterior of the Student Communication Station (SCS). SACC is on the 2nd
floor of this building.
Below: SACC multi-purpose space (on the 2nd floor of the SCS). The space is available tostudents visiting SACC for counseling, and also to their parents, etc.
Left: SACC staff meeting to regularly share information to ensure its smooth running.

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A training session for teaching and administrative staff hosted by SACC
entitled “Understanding and Responding to Developmental Disabilities at
Institutions of Higher Education.” The lecturer in the photo is Associate
Professor Ayumi Seki of the Faculty of Education.

Roles of the three offices, and a structure forcooperation
Of these three offices, the Student Counseling Office plays
a leading role and has the most users. Staffed with fulltime clinical psychologists, the office provides counselingservices to help students deal with all kinds of difficulties,
including academic concerns, issues with daily life andinterpersonal problems. One of the office’s most importantroles includes referring students who need more specializedcare to medical institutions. Consultations with a student’s
family members and pertinent teachers are also provided
when necessary. “Going forward, we’d like to put more
effort into promotional activities and outreach programs,”
says Associate Professor Choichiro Saito, director of theoffice, who doubles as deputy director of SACC, andLecture Daisuke Fujioka, deputy director of the office.
The International Student Counseling Office provides
counseling services to international students. Amidst
the ever-growing number of international students andresearchers, the roles played by the office grow every year.
Since graduate students account for a large percentage ofinternational students on campus, counseling services covera broad range of issues, including those regarding life andculture in Japan, academic issues, and matters concerning
partners and family in the students’ home countries. The
office has two bilingual counselors who provide counselingservices in English or Japanese. In the new international
student orientation sessions held every spring and fall,office staff talk about tips for cross-cultural adjustment andcommunication in Japan, as well as depression, anxiety
disorders and other common difficulties that international
students may experience, in order to smoothen theirtransition with preventive support. Staff members also
visit various international student programs to promote
the office by familiarizing students with it and encouraging
them to drop by for a session. Associate Professor Harue
Ishii, deputy-director of the office, passionately saysthat the office plans to offer more workshops and group
activities to reach out to students, including those who haveconcerns that do not rise to the level of requiring individual
counseling.
The Accessibility Services Office, which was renamed
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Litterae Populi Autumn 2019from the Disability Services Office this year, provides
support to students who need assistance or reasonableaccommodations in their academic learning due todisability or illness. The office was so named in the hopethat it would become more accessible to students rather thanjust providing “special accommodations.” It determines
methods of support depending on the disability or illnessof each student and enlists the cooperation of pertinentteaching and administrative staff members. To assist
students with disabilities, it is imperative that the teaching
and administrative staff understand what is needed by
students with disabilities, so the office holds staff training
sessions several times a year to deepen their understandingof what it takes for students with physical disabilities andthose with developmental disabilities to pursue their studies.
Nowadays, teaching and administrative staff members havea better understanding and are therefore more willing toaccommodate requests to provide assistance to students inclass and elsewhere.
Challenges that the Accessibility Services Office must
address include how to provide preventive support tostudents with developmental disabilities who may find it
difficult to live on their own for the first time, to understandthe university’s course registration system, or the like. Whilesome such students seek support upon enrolling in theuniversity, others may have difficulty acknowledging thatthey have a disability. Associate Professor Yuko Tatsuta,
deputy-director of the office, hopes to make the office aninviting place for students to drop by casually by sendingout the message “If you’re struggling with your academic
learning, we’re willing to listen regardless of whether you
have a disability.”
In recent years, there have been increasing numbersof requests for counseling from students with gender
dysphoria, so SACC is liaising with pertinent organizations
on campus to provide reasonable accommodations.

Peer Support Unit, a support organization run by
students
The Peer Support Unit, which straddles the three SACC
offices, is run by students with the aim of providing
assistance to fellow students. When the three offices werebrought together under SACC, the peer support programsof the offices were integrated into a “unit.” Peer supporters
work as professionals and get paid as part-time employeesof the university.
The Peer Support Room, supervised by the Student
Counseling Office, is where students can pop in for advice
from peer supporters if they have any issues or concerns
about their lives or studies. To be peer supporters, students
must receive training and understand the roles expectedof them. When necessary, peer supporters advise fellow
students to seek assistance from professional counselors orother specialists.
The International Student Counseling Office has
the Support Desk for international students, whereinternational students can ask any question ranging fromgeneral questions about living in Japan to how to makefriends with Japanese students. Students staffing the desk
also provide assistance if possible to help students solve
problems they encounter in everyday life, such as difficulty
understanding a manual written in Japanese. According
to Associate Professor Michelle La Fay, director of theoffice, the Support Desk also promotes exchanges between
Japanese and international students by holding events,
including the Language Corner and tea parties.
The peer support provided by the Accessibility Services
Office is more specialized and centers on note-takers,
who help hearing-impaired students by simultaneously
inputting into a laptop what is being said in class. Notetaking requires special skills, so students who have applied
to become peer supporters are trained to serve as notetakers. Those students who have received training become
able to take notes electronically irrespective of their field ofspecialization. With training, students with majors in theliberal arts arguably become capable of taking notes even in
specialized science classes.
In addition to providing peer support, students havealso played a leading role in publishing the “Support Guide
for Hokkaido University Students.” Knowing that students
and staff members were not that aware of the student
counseling and support services available on campus,
Professor Koyano in 2018 launched a student project topublish this guide—a brochure that provides an at-aglance view of contacts for student counseling and support
services. The students who volunteered for the project
hope that the published brochure is inviting and easy tounderstand. The English edition was published in 2019.
The brochure has been used as a tool for introducing theuniversity’s support system not only to students but also toteaching and administrative staff.

The future of SACC
A student receives advice at the International Student Support Desk.

It has not been long since the three offices were integrated
under SACC, so staff members are still considering how they

The Peer Support Room in the Student Counseling Office, where first-year
students are often seen seeking advice about course registration fromsenior-year peer supporters.

can take advantage of the integration to expand the scope of
their organizational activities, Professor Koyano says. SACC
has provided its staff and counselors in other departmentswith opportunities to discuss various cases and topics thatconcern them, but the question is how they can build onthese cooperative relationships to provide better services tostudents. Professor Koyano hopes to put more effort into
collaboration with the Health Care Center, where medical
specialists provide internal medical care and psychiatricconsultation, with the Harassment Consultation Office,which handles various harassment claims, and with the
Learning Support Office, which provides counseling aboutcareer paths, course registration and academic support.
SACC is a place for students to turn to for advice andto talk about their anxieties, concerns and uncertainties inlife. Staff members are committed to lending all students
a helping hand. SACC is expected to play an even moreproactive role as a center for student support that caters
to each student’s needs to help all Hokkaido University
students find the best way forward.

The Support Guide for Hokkaido University Students, with the Hokkaido
University Festival mascot (“Futto-kun”) on its cover. The guide has been wellreceived and contains reader-friendly content, including a flowchart that helps
students determine where to seek advice about their concerns.

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The Central Institute of Isotope Science (CIS) has among the largest, most well-appointed facilities of
their kind in Hokkaido and highly experienced staff. In addition to overseeing the overall management ofradioisotopes at Hokkaido University, the CIS as a joint-use facility supports radioisotope use in Hokkaido
as well as research and education involving radioisotopes.
The term isotope refers to any two or more nuclides of achemical element with different numbers of neutrons intheir nuclei. Among such nuclides, those which have an
unstable nucleus that decays spontaneously and emitsradiation are known as radioactive isotopes, or radioisotopes(RI). They have come to attract the interest of the generalpublic, as they have been used in medicine, and they havegained attention for their use in environmental studies.
Radioisotopes emit radiation in the form of alpha, beta,
gamma, and X rays—radiation which consists of highenergy particles and electromagnetic waves. Due to theiractions such as ionization, penetration, sensitization, andfluorescence, radioisotopes have been used in various fields,
including medicine (e.g., radiography, radiation therapy),
agriculture (e.g., cultivar improvement, germination
inhibition), airport security (e.g., baggage inspection),and other fields (e.g., nondestructive testing of internal
structures of buildings, artworks and the like). However, ittakes expertise to handle radioisotopes.

Working to fulfill its missions

The Central Institute of Isotope Science (CIS) plays a crucialrole in ensuring the safety of radioisotope use at Hokkaido
University. Its director, Professor Shigetsugu Hatakeyama,
says that the CIS has four primary missions: (1) providing
facilities where radioisotopes are used for education andresearch, (2) ensuring the overall safe management ofradioisotopes, (3) providing education and training for thesafe use and handling of radioisotopes, and (4) developing
radioisotope applications and management techniques.
The CIS has its origin in the Radioactive Isotope
Laboratory, which was established in the School of
Medicine in 1951. After several reorganizations, the present
organization was set up in 1978. Between 2014 and 2016,
the north building was reconstructed and the south building
renovated. Now, various new facilities and apparatuses areup and running.

The CIS, most of whose staff members are certifiedclass-1 radiation protection supervisors with expert
knowledge and skills, oversees RI facilities operated by nine
individual schools and institutes on campus and provides
assistance to CIS users, who belong to more than 20 schools
and institutes on campus. The center also opens its doors
to other research and education institutions in Hokkaido,
allowing the shared use of its facilities, measuring andanalytical instruments, and more than 80 radioisotopes.

The CIS: At the forefront of radioisotope use
and research

Partly due to its proximity to medical research facilities
on campus, the CIS is used by numerous researchers inmedicine, the life sciences and pharmaceutical sciences.
Among its facilities and instruments, the PET/SPECT/CT
small-animal imaging system has been attracting particularattention in recent years. This is how it works: When a shortlived radioisotope is administered in the body of an animal
with cancer, the radioisotope is attracted to cancer cells
and accumulates in them so they look brighter on the PET
scan. By combining the scan with computed tomography(CT), this system shows where exactly the cancer cells are

Central Institute of Isotope Science

Supporting Hokkaido
University and the Local
Community with Advanced
Expertise

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A PET/SPECT/CT small-animal imaging system which can identify
cancer cells in the body of an animal by detecting radiation emitted from aradioisotope.

A mass spectrometry imaging system. It is characterized by its ability tosimultaneously visualize a large variety of molecules by having a laser scan
the surface of a tissue. It is used for analyses that are difficult for other imaging
techniques to accomplish, including analyses of lipids and of the localizationand structural changes of administered drugs (analyses of metabolites).

in the body. At veterinary institutions, this system is used to
identify whether cancer is present, its stage, whether it has
spread or relapsed, and whether it is benign or malignant,among other uses.
Professor Hatakeyama, who is an MD himself, stresses
the significance of PET scanning, saying: “Previously, toremove cancer, the healthy surrounding tissue was also
removed to ensure that all the cancer cells were gone, but
the spread of PET scanning has dramatically reduced therisk of after-effects from extensive tissue removal and nerve
injury during surgery. In fact, Hokkaido University is oneof the first institutions in Japan to offer insured medicalcare using [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG), the mostwidely used radiopharmaceutical in PET scanning.”
In addition to medical research, the CIS is also used forresearch in science and engineering. Since the 2011 nuclear
accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station,
there has been growing public interest in the safe handlingof radioactive materials, in detection and decontamination
technologies, and in technologies to monitor the spreadof radioactive materials to the environment. Professor
Hatakeyama says that the responsibilities of universities
include advancing research that can turn a crisis into an
opportunity, expressing his hope to promote research on
nuclear safety. By way of example, the CIS is engaged inextensive simulations to clarify how cesium penetrates
concrete and other environmental specimens. There are few
facilities at which nuclides can be used in an unsealed state,
and the CIS is the most well-appointed facility of its kind in
Hokkaido.

because of the increased maintenance costs associated withenhanced management and equipment upgrading. As theconsolidation of such facilities is under way, CIS staff help
with procedures for decommissioning decrepit facilities
based on their expertise and experience.

At the heart of Hokkaido University and thecommunity

The CIS organizes various lecture meetings and study
sessions, in addition to giving practical training to students
majoring in medicine, science and engineering. The centeris also playing a greater role than ever in the academic
community, with users from other research institutions in
Hokkaido.
“Radioisotope utilization may enable novel research
and allow the quick and accurate implementation of timeconsuming experiments,” Professor Hatakeyama says.
“Since we offer various support services, including expert
advice, I hope that anyone interested in radioisotope use
will contact us and use our facilities.” The CIS offers
Bruker’s mass spectrometry imaging systems for shared use
and accepts users from research institutions not only on
campus but also across Japan.
The Central Institute of Isotope Science (CIS) supports
radioisotope use at Hokkaido University and in the local
community as a core radioisotope facility in Hokkaido.

Amid the trend of regulatory tightening

In line with the enforcement of the amended and retitled“Act on Regulations for the Use of Radioisotopes, etc.,”
the CIS introduced new rules in August 2019 to bolster
its security measures and improve its safety management
system.
These rules are rigorously enforced. Radioisotopes are
stored under strict control in a controlled area accessible
only to authorized personnel. Anyone entering thecontrolled area must wear a radiation dosimeter, and CIS
staff members are ready to immediately handle any detected
abnormalities. The water used in the controlled area is also
temporarily stored in a tank and drained only after tests
confirm that the radiation has decreased to an acceptablelevel.
Under these circumstances, Hokkaido University
has found it increasingly difficult to maintain small RI
facilities operated by individual schools and institutes

The contamination inspection room. To enter the controlled area, you mustput on a special laboratory coat (a.k.a. a yellow coat) and footwear to prevent
contamination. Before leaving the controlled area, you must measure yourradiation exposure.

CIS summer training session for international students in July 2019.
The lecturer in the photo is CIS Assistant Professor Kei Higashikawa.

Litterae Populi Autumn 201915

Refining:
Pharmacy

Photoimmunotherapy (PIT), a Driver of Transformation forCancer Treatment
Mikako Ogawa
Professor, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Mikako Ogawa specializes in pharmaceutical sciences
and bioscience. After receiving her Ph.D. and Master’s
Degree from Kyoto University’s Graduate School of
Pharmaceutical Sciences, she continued to pursue her
research at medical institutions before joining Hamamatsu
University’s School of Medicine. While at the university,
she became a visiting fellow at the United States National
Cancer Institute. Since 2015, she has been a professorat Hokkaido University’s Faculty of Pharmaceutical
Sciences. Also serving as a researcher of the Japan Scienceand Technology Agency (JST) Precursory Research for
Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO), she isexpected to play an even more significant role in the years
and decades to come.

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Litterae Populi Autumn 2019

In pursuit of cancer therapies with fewer side
effects
Today, three major cancer therapies are available: surgicaltherapy, radiation therapy, and drug therapy (e.g.,chemotherapy, hormone therapy). Surgical therapy is amethod by which cancer cells are surgically removed and is
the most fundamental and often preferred option for cancer
treatment. Radiation therapy aims to kill cancer cells by
irradiating them and surrounding tissue with ionizing
radiation, such as gamma rays, and is used on its own or
combined with surgical therapy and/or drug therapy.
Chemotherapy, which is a drug therapy, uses anticancer
drugs to prevent cancer cells from dividing and to destroy
them.

Surgery and radiation are effective local treatments,
but may not be used for patients with advanced metastatic
cancer. In contrast, chemotherapy—based on the approachof “poison with poison”—is a systemic therapy effective forboth early and advanced cancer, but it can cause serious side
effects because the anticancer drugs used are toxic not only
to cancer cells but also to normal cells, particularly immune
cells. Against this backdrop, Professor Mikako Ogawa of
the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences has been engaged inpioneering research to develop cancer therapies with fewerside effects, with a focus on photoimmunotherapy (PIT),
which can kill cancer cells based on newly discovered
photoreactions.
Professor Ogawa says she has always liked independent
research as a child. She entered Kyoto University’s Facultyof Pharmaceutical Sciences in 1994, where her supervisor
encouraged her to engage in research, which led her to pursue
a career as a researcher. After receiving her Master’s Degreefrom Kyoto University’s Graduate School of Pharmaceutical
Sciences in 2000, she continued her research at the
National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology and thenat the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, before
joining Hamamatsu University’s School of Medicine in
2002. It was then decided that she would become a visiting
fellow at the United States National Cancer Institute from2007 to 2009. “I was introduced to the National Cancer
Institute (NCI) in the United States to learn to work on
optical imaging, a theme of research being conducted at thelab to which I partly belonged because I was doing research
related to positron emission tomography (PET) at thattime,” Professor Ogawa says.
At the NCI, she engaged in research on optical imaging
under the supervision of Dr. Hisataka Kobayashi, a seniorinvestigator. Her career reached a major turning point justbefore she completed her fellowship. She looks back on
those days and says, “I scattered an optical imaging agent
on the surface of a cell and looked into the microscope tofind the cells dead. I thought my experiment had failed, but
Dr. Kobayashi suggested that this phenomenon might beused for cancer treatment. The fortuitous discovery of thisphenomenon during my research on optical imaging sowed
the seeds of my research on photoimmunotherapy (PIT).”An “optical remote control switch” that kills only
cancer cells
Upon returning to Japan, Professor Ogawa continued her
research at the Hamamatsu University School of Medicine
until she became a professor at Hokkaido University’s
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2015. She worked
with Dr. Kobayashi of the NCI and other researchers to
elucidate the mechanism behind PIT, a new form of cancer
therapy. They proved that PIT kills cancer cells based on
newly discovered photoreactions and that near-infrared(NIR) light turns on a “death switch” in targeted cells andtherefore can selectively kill cells.
This photoimmunotherapy uses an antibody to whicha chemical, IR700, is attached (a.k.a. the antibody-IR700
conjugate). When injected into a patient with cancer, theWater-soluble
IRDye700DX(IR700)Aggregate

Near-infrared light

Antibody
Damage!

Cancer cells

Using near-infrared light to kill cancer cells

Near-infrared (NIR) light, which is harmless to the body, activatesa chemical on the membranes of cancer cells and kills them. In thisphotoimmunotherapy, NIR light turns the chemical that has bound tothe cancer cells into poison, without affecting nearby normal cells. This
therapy is attracting attention as an effective treatment with fewer side
effects.

conjugate binds to the surface of cancer cells. Those cells
are killed when the cell-bound conjugate is irradiated with
NIR light. Focusing on the changes in chemical structureof IR700 after NIR light irradiation, Professor Ogawa andother members of her research group used organic chemical
synthesis and various analytical methods to analyze thechemical structure of IR700 after NIR light irradiation
with that chemical and with the conjugate in various
environments. They also examined the stereostructureof the conjugate after NIR light irradiation using atomic
force microscopy and obtained images showing how thephotoreactions alter the structure of the antibody. They
also used mice to prove that NIR light irradiation induces
photoreactions in vivo.
Ultimately, the researchers found that the chemical
structural changes of IR700 which are caused by NIR
light-induced photoreactions and the resulting changes inphysical properties are a “death switch” that kills cancer
cells and that NIR light, which is harmless to the body,acts as an “optical remote controller” that can turn thatswitch off and on. They made clear that near-infrared
photoimmunotherapy is a novel cancer therapy whereby
light can turn a drug only targeting cancer cells into thepoison. Professor Ogawa says, “A pharmacist friend of mind
from college died of cancer. I’ll never forget how watching
her suffer through chemotherapy fortified my resolve toeliminate its side effects. I hope to deliver this new therapy
to cancer patients soon.” She is committed to developing
cancer therapies with fewer side effects.

Skiing for a change!
Professor Ogawa skies in Hokkaido every winter, and she had
been doing so even before taking up her position at Hokkaido
University. In winter, she goes out to a local ski resort, where
she enjoys skiing and then hot spring bathing. The photo shows
Professor Ogawa (at the far right) and other faculty members.

Litterae Populi Autumn 201917

Alumni Interview

Serving as a Communicator of Meteorological Events
to Safeguard Human Life
Pursuing Compelling, Viewer-Friendly Weather Storytelling from Various Approaches

What impression did you have of Hokkaido University inthose days?
To put it positively, it was unique, but I actually had theimpression that it was an assemblage of odd people who’dgathered from across Japan. Students in the School of Fisheries
Sciences were particularly unique in their own ways, and someof them had already started businesses when entrepreneurship
was a rare pursuit.
What motivated you to become certified to work as a
meteorologist?
In my third year at college, I realized how important weather
information was while checking weather and wave conditions
while training aboard a training ship. This experience motivatedme to take the examination to become a meteorologist. I took
one in the summer of that year, but I failed. So I studied all overagain and was able to pass in the winter.
What made you decide to enter the Hokkaido Cultural
Broadcasting Corporation (UHB) upon graduation, andhow did you come to work as a meteorologist?
The meteorologist exam results were announced about thetime I started looking for work. I applied to several media andweather-related companies, and I decided to enter UHB because

Kimiharu Saita

Meteorologist/Weather Forecaster, Himmel Consulting Co., Ltd.
| School of Fisheries Sciences Graduate |Mr. Kimiharu Saita has been wearing the three hats ofmeteorologist, disaster-relief specialist, and emergency manager.
He appears on “News Watch 9,” presenting weather informationin this flagship weekday evening news program of Japan’s
public broadcaster, NHK. He works vigorously to raise publicawareness of weather impacts and disaster risk, and he shared
his thoughts on his career and college days during an interview.
Where were you born?
I was born in Tokyo, but moved around Japan because of thetransfers of my father, who worked for the Forestry Agencyof Japan. Even in the short period until my graduation fromelementary school, I moved to Akita, Tokyo, Osaka, back toTokyo, and then to Kumamoto.
What was your childhood like?
I had to change elementary schools four times. Every time I
transferred to a new school, I watched other students and saw
what they were doing without talking much with them, but
before long I bonded and became friends with them throughsports, which I excelled at. Having lived in various places,
I became interested in differences in weather conditions indifferent places. My parents once said that when I saw snow for
the first time in Akita, I stared at the sky, transfixed.
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What were your junior high school and high school days
like?
I was kind of a serious student in junior high school, on student
council and the like, but I didn’t study much in my high-school
years, as I devoted my waking hours to playing rugby. I was
selected to play for the prefecture where I lived, and I played
preliminary games for the National Sports Festival. In thesummer of my third year of high school, I was so busy at a training
camp and with other sessions as a member of the prefectural
team that I didn’t have the time to study for university entrance
examinations. But my experience in winning a championshipgave me confidence in myself.
What made you decide to enter the School of Fisheries
Sciences of Hokkaido University?
I gathered information about Hokkaido and Hokkaido
University because I wanted to live in Hokkaido, partly because
my family lived there before I was born. I liked the School ofFisheries Sciences because it has its own training ships, theOshoro-Maru and the Hokusei-Maru, offering opportunities forfieldwork in the ocean and not just lectures in the classroom.

A foam container of instantnoodles which he and his college
classmates sank to ocean depthsof up to 2,000 meters using lab
equipment aboard a training ship.
Due to high water pressure, it has
shrunk by about five centimeters.

it was the first to give me an unofficial job offer. I joined thecompany with the hope of working as a weathercaster, but I
was assigned to the business department, where I engaged inevent production and the like, and then to the news department,
where I covered news stories, sometimes aboard a helicopter.
After that, I took the entrance exam for admission to a medical
school once again, as I’d once aspired to study medicine, but I
failed again. After much soul-searching, I made up my mind to
become a weathercaster by taking advantage of my skills.
Has anyone influenced you in your career?
Mr. Akira Yoshitake, a veteran weathercaster in Fukuoka
and an interviewer for my job interview at the Japan Weather
Association Kyushu Branch, told me that solid skills as aweathercaster would guarantee my success in career no matter
where I choose to work. And Mr. Tatsuro Ikeda, the newscasterfor the local TV program in Kumamoto Prefecture, where I
landed my first job as a weathercaster, helped me develop various
skills. I owe what I am to both of them.
You moved to NHK Tokyo after working at NHK
Kumamoto, didn’t you?
I’d worked in Kumamoto for three and a half years, when I
found that NHK Tokyo was looking for a successor to a retiring

It occasionally rained on the
day of this interview. In thisphoto, Mr. Saita was checking
cloud movements in front of
his office.

weathercaster. I applied for the post because I thought I should
seize the opportunity.
What are things you always keep in mind as a communicator?
I believe that weather information helps safeguard lives. While
research is improving the accuracy of such information, I always
consider what I can do to encourage the public to pay attention
to weather reports and act when necessary. I always try to convey
accurate information to viewers.
What made you decide to obtain the qualifications ofdisaster-relief specialist and emergency manager in addition
to those of meteorologist?
Many meteorologists have the qualification to work as disasterrelief specialists because expertise in disaster-relief operations is
a plus for them in the event of a major earthquake, for example.
I acquired the qualification of emergency manager because
I wanted to learn how to use weather information and what
information is needed in crisis management. There are lots ofthings you can learn only from fellow emergency managers.
What was a turning point in your career?
The turning point came when a massive earthquake and tsunami
struck Japan in March 2011. It was weeks short of one year since
I’d come to Tokyo, and the disaster made me contemplate what
weather information should be communicated to the public. I
also realized how important it is to present weather forecasts asa daily routine.
Why did you name your company Himmel Consulting Inc.?
Himmel is a Danish word for “sky.” I chose it because I wanted
to work extensively—like the sky, without limits.
What are your career aspirations?
Ideally, I’d like to create a new position as a communicator not
only for weather information but also disaster information, andto ensure that the information I communicate will be useful fordisaster risk reduction.
Finally, do you have anything to say to current Hokkaido
University students?
There’s no doubt I was able to broaden my world because I went
to Hokkaido University. The friends with whom I studied there
have been friends for life. I hope that the current students of
the university will enjoy their college days while taking in thenatural splendor of Hokkaido.

PROFILEKimiharu Saita, born in Tokyo in 1975, graduated from the Departmentof Fisheries Oceanography and Marine Science at Hokkaido University’s
School of Fisheries Sciences in 2000. After working at the Hokkaido Cultural
Broadcasting Corporation and then at the Japan Weather Association Kyushu
Branch, he became a weathercaster for the Kumamoto Station of Japan’s publicbroadcaster NHK in 2006. He moved to NHK Tokyo in 2010, where he madeappearances on weekday weather programs and news programs aired in theTokyo metropolitan area. Since 2016, he has been on “News Watch 9,” NHK’s
flagship evening news program. He founded Himmel Consulting Corporationin 2018 and has been active in various fields, publishing books and giving
lectures, both of which are well received.
Litterae Populi Autumn 2019

19

From

Vietnam/U.S.A.
U.S.A.

Letters from Ambassadors and Partners

This issue features contributions from HU Ambassador Akihito Ikushima, Chairperson of the Hokkaido
University Hanoi Elm Association, and HU Ambassador Kenneth J. Ruoff, Professor of Portland State
University. We interviewed them to commemorate the opening of our brand-new satellite offices in Hanoi,
which manages Vietnam and other ASEAN countries, and in Portland, which manages the west coast of
the U.S.A.

1

2

1

Dr. Akihito Ikushima

Dr. Kenneth J. Ruoff

Dentist, General Manager of the Mikuni Dental Clinic Hanoi Corporation, Chairperson of the Hokkaido University Hanoi Elm Association,
appointed as a Hokkaido University Ambassador in November 2018

W

hen I received an offer to become a Hokkaido University
Ambassador, I was amazed at how far
Hokkaido University (HU) had expanded its overseas alumni network.
At first, I was of two minds about accepting the offer, because I’d played
only a coordinating role for a local
alumni association. When I learned
about the university’s commitment to
its globalization, however, I thought
it would be an honor to serve as anambassador to help my alma materfulfill its commitment.
I’m from Sapporo and I’ve known
about HU since childhood, and I’d
dreamed of going to university there.
Looking back, I can find only goodmemories from my college days, partly because my generation benefited
from the economic bubble. The vast,
verdant campus is the best place I
could ever hope to be in Sapporo andthe place I never fail to visit when I
temporarily return to my home country.
After graduating from HU, I
joined the Japan Voluntary Dental
Organization (JAVDO) and visited
Vietnam three times to provide freedental services while working for a
Hokkaido company. Through thisexperience, I formed an attachment
to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam,

3

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Litterae Populi Autumn 20192

which ultimately led me to take up
the position of representative among
the inaugurating members of Mikuni
Dental Clinic Hanoi in 2015. Since
2018, I’ve also served as an instructorat Tra Vinh University, a public university in Vietnam.
As a Hokkaido University Ambassador, I’ve been helping with theuniversity’s international promotional activities by forwarding e-mailnewsletters to Hanoi Elm Association members, distributing promotional brochures that arrive by post,
and by explaining the university’s
globalization at get-togethers of theassociation. As was the case before I
became a Hokkaido University Ambassador, I also give send-off parties
for Vietnamese students going to HU
and hold welcome parties for Japanese HU students visiting Hanoi forinternships, study-abroad programs,
and the like.
There’s a world of difference between Hanoi and Sapporo. While theaverage age of Japanese citizens is 46,
the highest in the world, that of Vietnam is 30. It’s a country whose cities
overflow with young people and giveeveryone a sense of vitality. Cities areflooded with motorbikes, with noisefrom horns sounding through thestreets all the time, and the skies are4always hazy from pollution. Even so,
Vietnam is a pleasant place to live,
because it’s warm year-round and has
no pollen, the cause of hay fever.
In July 2019, the Hokkaido
University ASEAN Office in Hanoi
opened at a joint office with the Vietnam National University, Hanoi –University of Science (VNU-HUS).
With the establishment of a point ofcontact nearby, HU has greater potential for engaging in activities in awide range of fields.
HU alumni in Vietnam are happy to welcome visitors from Japan.
I believe that in-person exchanges
with HU representatives will enablelocal alumni to better understandthe university’s initiatives for internationalization and their present
situation, which in turn helps establish a local structure for cooperation
with HU’s international programs.
If a Vietnamese Alumni Association
is founded, local alumni will work
closely with the Hokkaido University Elm Alumni Association, not tomention the Hanoi Elm Association,
to provide opportunities for Japaneseand Vietnamese people to do business together. The breadth of theiractivities will further expand if they
have information about Vietnamesestudents enrolled at HU.

1. Lotte Center Hanoi, a landmark completed in September 2014.
This high-rise complex tops out at 267 meters, with 65 stories
above ground and 5 stories below ground, and it houses anobservation deck, business offices, a hotel, serviced apartments
and more. Mikuni Dental Clinic Hanoi is on the 8th floor of thisbuilding.
2. Staff at Mikuni Dental Clinic Hanoi.
3. Hanoi flooded with motorbikes.
4. Members of the Hokkaido University Saigon Elm Association at
the 11th Seven Universities Golf Competition in Ho Chi MinhCity.

Professor, Director of the Center for Japanese Studies (CJS), Portland State University,
appointed as a Hokkaido University Ambassador in July 2019W

the status of the emperor, etc.
My overall impression of Hokkaido University’s research programs
and initiatives is world-class. Hokkaido University has long been theacademic home of leading scientists
such as Ukichiro Nakaya and leadingsocial scientists such as the constitutional scholar Mutsuo Nakamura,and so many other scholars whose
work enjoys a worldwide following. I
just became an HU ambassador, but
I very much want to deepen exchange
programs between HU and Portland
State University, not only student exchanges but faculty exchanges too.
The opening of the new Hokkaido University Portland Office is a fascinating new development to which
we must give positive shape. I would
imagine that HU's new Portland Office can play an important role infacilitating all sorts of collaborative
projects that go far beyond JapaneseStudies (my own field).
Like Sapporo, Portland is a genial city that enjoys a high qualityof life. It also attracts a large numberof tourists, but not to the extent thatthey become an annoyance. Like Sapporo does with Hokkaido, Portland

hen I was offered the appointment of HU Ambassador, I
remembered the amazing time that
I spent at Hokkaido University as ajoshu (research associate) and thenkõshi (lecturer) in the Faculty of Law,from 1994-96. I also rememberedin particular amazing Seijigaku kõzakenkyūkai (Study Group for the Political Science Course), after which
all of us would go to a local restaurant such as Tõhoku hanten (Chinese
restaurant which is still in business in
Sapporo) and continue the discussion
while eating delicious food.
When I was at Hokkaido University from 1994-1996 I was researching my Ph.D. dissertation
which then became the book The
People's Emperor: Democracy and theJapanese Monarchy, 1945-1995, awork that I suspect that some Hokkaido University alumni are familiar.
There were numerous professors in
the Faculty of Law who helped mewith my research, but it was Professor
Takami Katsutoshi in particular who
spent hours and hours helping me understand various constitutional issues
related to the emperor, for example
constitutional interpretation about3

enjoys, in terms of food, the incredible richesse of the Pacific Northwest. Portland is only one hour fromthe ocean and one hour from Mt.
Hood*. So, in addition to Portland,
one can easily enjoy all that the stunningly beautiful coast has to offer, or
go to Mt. Hood for everything fromhiking to skiing.
Please keep Hokkaido University the wonderful place that it is!
What I mean by that is that it isimportant to maintain both the delightful physical environment thatdefines Hokkaido University, andthe cultural environment, which
when I was there was incredibly
open, promoting a non-hierarchicalpursuit of the truth, or at least multiple ways of interpreting any issue.
What I enjoyed most of all about mytime at the Faculty of Law is that at
kenkyūkai, graduate students felt as
free as to ask questions of the speakers as did senior professors.
* A stratovolcano located 80km southeast of Portland. The
highest peak in Oregon at an altitude of 3,429 m. There is theTimberline ski resort where is the only place you can enjoy
skiing throughout the year.

4

1. The Appointment Ceremony for Prof. Ruoff in
Portland, U.S.A. (June 2019)
2. Professor Larry Kominz introducing to theaudience the famed scholar Donald Keene who
made a special trip to see an English-language
kabuki version of the “Revenge of the 47 Loyal
Samurai” (Chushingura) directed by Dr. Kominz,a disciple of Dr. Keene. PSU is renowned for its
rich public programming about Japan.
3. Sea lions resting on a dock in the Port of Astoria,
where the mighty Columbia River meets the
Pacific Ocean.
4. Patrick Ruoff at Trillium Lake with Mt. Hoodin the background, in the incredible Mt. Hood
National Forest.

Litterae Populi Autumn 201921

Hokkaido University Archives

140 yearsofchallenge

1
4

SCENE-11

1899-1909
Relocation of the SAC to
North 8th Street

89
1. Office of experimental farms (ca. 1900, Hokkaido University Archives).
It became the main SAC office and later the headquarters of Hokkaido University.

2

2. Completion of the lecture hall for agricultural chemistry(1903, Hokkaido University Archives).
3. Architectural rendering of new lecture halls and other buildings(1901, Hokkaido University Archives).
A lecture hall for fisheries was built where a large lecture hall had been planned.
4. Architectural drawing for the lecture hall for agricultural policy prepared by Seiichiro
Chujo (Hokkaido University Archives).

5

5. Takeo Arishima and other members of the 19th graduating class, who planted trees
where the construction of new buildings was planned(1901, Hokkaido University Archives).
6. Lecture hall for agriculture after completion (1901, Hokkaido University Archives).
7. Roof-laying ceremony for the lecture hall for botany and zoology(1901, Hokkaido University Archives).
8. Library reading room and book storehouse on the left, and the lecture hall forentomology and sericulture at the far right (ca. 1903, Hokkaido University Archives).
9. From left: the lecture hall for fisheries, the herbarium room, and the lecture hall forbotany and zoology (1908, Hokkaido University Archives).

3

6

7

A short distance from the city’s urban district, the Farm 1
site included farm facilities with views of facilities on Farm 2.
Sapporo Agricultural College (SAC), which opened in 1876,
Just to give a sense of where the proposed new buildings were on
saw its enrollment continue to rise. By the time its inaugural
the North 8th Street Campus, after passing through the mainclass had graduated in 1881, enrollment had increased to 89:48
gate, you would take in views of farm facilities on Farm 1 andstudents in the regular course and 41 in the preparatory course
Farm 2 on both sides of the road for a while until new buildings
designed for students planning to enter the regular course. The
would come into view. In reality, however, people could not takenumber of faculty members teaching regular and preparatory
in such views because those farm facilities were relocated whencourses also increased to nine (five Japanese and four foreign).
the relocation of Farm 1 and Farm 2 began in 1904 and 1909,
In 1895, the 19th year after its foundation, the SAC had 179
respectively. The office managing the experimental farms had
students (72 in the regular course and 107 in the preparatory
been located at the intersection of the roads extending from thecourse) and 23 faculty members (six professors, nine assistantmain gate and south gate, which were constructed at the time
professors and eight part-time instructors). In other words, thethe campus was relocated. It was converted into the main SAC
SAC had more than doubled in terms of the numbers of students
office as the headquarters of Hokkaido University until 1966.
and teachers. During this time, the expansion of lecture halls
and other buildings on campus was limited to the construction
New buildings on the North 8th Street Campus
of a dissecting room, a library office and a gymnasium and to the
New lecture halls and other buildings stood in a U shape.
reconstruction of the North Auditorium that had burned down.
Surrounding the front yard were a lecture hall for agriculture
The existing buildings were also becoming old and decrepit.
in the middle (front), three buildings—a lecture hall for botany
Meanwhile, the population of Sapporo rapidly increased
and zoology, a lecture hall for fisheries, and a lecture hall forfrom roughly 9,000 in 1882 to nearly 24,000 in 1895. As the
agricultural economics and agricultural policy on the left-handcity’s urban development progressed, the SAC, located in theheart of the city, was being surroundedby hustle and bustle. This put the SAC“The clock tower building, which was sold to the city government,
under pressure for the expansion of its
Since it was used for military drills during which students kept
campus from within and beyond due
floor would eventually collapse. But the building has been used
to the increasing size of the college
and due to the expansion of the city’sside, and another three buildings—a lecture hall for agriculturalurban district. In those days, the campus stretched over the area
chemistry, a library, and a lecture hall for entomology andbordered by North 1st and North 2nd streets and West 1st andsericulture on the right-hand side. These buildings wereWest 2nd streets.
designed by Seiichiro Chujo (the father of the novelist Yuriko
Miyamoto), an architect of the Ministry of Education. After
Relocation to North 8th Street
those buildings were completed in July 1903 (and a lecture hallAfter repeated requests by the SAC to construct new lecture halls
for fisheries was built in 1906), the SAC relocated from Northand other buildings, the Ministry of Education gave its approval
1st Street to North 8th Street. The campus remained here evenin the 1899 fiscal budget. The new campus was where the SAC’s
after the SAC was elevated to university status and was later
Experimental Farm No.1 was situated, and the construction ofrenamed Hokkaido University.
new buildings was planned at the western back of that farm site,
Along with the lecture halls and other buildings, the student
near the North 8th West 6th area. It was where Edwin Dun,dorm was also relocated to the new campus. The new dormitory,
hired by the Hokkaido Development Commission to assist withcompleted in November 1903, was at a far-off place on campus,
the region’s modernization, built a racecourse in 1876 (the year
200 to 300 meters away from other buildings. The dorm, later
the SAC was founded).
named Keiteki-Ryo, was relocated twice more, each time farther

Under pressure both within and beyond the campus

22

Litterae Populi Autumn 2019

10. Former racecourse site to which the SAC campus was later relocated(1878, Hokkaido University Archives). The area is near today’s School of Agriculture.

10

away from the middle of the sprawling campus. The fact that acertain distance has been maintained from the center of campus
may have resulted in the cultivation of a unique culture at thedorm.
Of all the buildings constructed at that time, the library andthe lecture hall for entomology and sericulture still remain after
nearly 120 years, although they have been partially renovated.
They are now Registered Tangible Cultural Properties. AnotherRegistered Tangible Cultural Property on campus is the Miyabe
Kingo Memorial Building, which was the former lecture hall forbotany and zoology (the main building and its east wing). The
building was relocated to the Botanic Garden in 1942 to be usedas the garden’s main office building.

also said that the auditorium for the preparatory course (North
Auditorium) “had changed direction and served as Sousei
Hospital” (in the North 1st West 2nd area), and that “a smallbuilding to its southeast used to be the library reading room.”
If Dr. Sato’s recollections are correct, it appears that thebuildings on the North 1st Street Campus were still serving
other purposes as of 1930, four to five decades after theirconstruction. Those buildings fulfilled their roles thereafter andno longer exist today, except the SAC drill hall, which is now
the Sapporo Clock Tower. Nestled in a street canyon in central
Sapporo, the clock tower continues to sound a bell like in thedays long gone.
Ho k k a i d o Un i ve r s i t y

HISTORY

The buildings on the North 1st Street Campus after thecampus relocation

Official documents state that after the campus relocation wascompleted, the buildings on the former campus were sold or
demolished by the end of 1904.
Shosuke Sato, president of Hokkaido Imperial University(previously Sapporo Agricultural College), delivered a lecture

did not have the beams that are used today.
stamping their feet, it was thought that thesince its repair.” — Shosuke Sato
entitled “Looking Back on My Dorm Life” at a Keiteki-Ryo
Kaishikisha meeting on November 19, 1930, and talked about
what had become of the buildings on the former campus. Dr.
Sato said that the student dormitory was “a small building of
three residences behind the youth dormitory,” which indicatesthat the dorm was located near the North 5th West 9th area as of1930. He also said that the lecture hall for chemistry was being
used as a girls’ school run by Honganji Temple, which indicatesthat it had been relocated to the North 16th East 9th area foruse as Hokkai Girls’ High School (today’s Ohtani Junior Highand High Schools). “The dining hall became a meeting place formilitary officers,” he said, indicating that the dining hall, which
consisted of a first-floor dining room and a second-floor study
room, had been relocated to where Tsukisamu Park is today
for use as a facility for Japan’s 25th infantry regiment. Dr. Sato

1899-1909

1899 FebruaryJune1901 January
June
November
December

The decision is made to relocate the campus to the North 8th Street
area.
A groundbreaking ceremony for new school buildings on the
North 8th Street Campus is held.
Members of the 19th graduating class plant trees at the site of the
new school buildings.
A lecture hall for agriculture is constructed.
A lecture hall for botany and zoology is constructed.
A lecture hall for agricultural economics and agricultural policy
and a lecture hall for entomology and sericulture are constructed.

1902 December

An herbarium room, a lecture hall for agricultural chemistry, alibrary reading room, and a book storehouse are constructed.

1903 July

New lecture halls and other buildings are completed, and the SAC
relocates to North 8th Street.
A dorm (later named Keiteki-Ryo) is constructed.
A gym is constructed.

November
December
1904 March
October

The relocation of Farm 1 begins.
The main gate, the middle gate and the gatehouse are constructed.
By the end of this year, the buildings on the North 1st Street
Campus are sold or demolished.

1906 November

The drill hall (today’s Sapporo Clock Tower) is sold to the Sapporo
Government.
A lecture hall for fisheries is constructed.

December
1909 September

Relocation of Farm 2 begins.

Hokkaido University Archives
This facility collects, classifies and preserves historical documents andrecords of Hokkaido University. It also conducts investigations andresearch on its history.
Litterae Populi Autumn 201923

To p i c s
Center for Human-Nature, Artificial Intelligence,and Neuroscience (CHAIN) establishedThe signing ceremony for the collaboration agreement.

Hokkaido University concludes an agreementwith the City of Iwamizawa and three NTT Group
companies based on government-industryacademia collaboration
Hokkaido University, the City of Iwamizawa and three
NTT Group companies (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone
Corporation [NTT], Nippon Telegraph and Telephone
East Corporation [NTT East] and NTT Docomo,Inc.) concluded an agreement at the Iwamizawa Local
Government Network Center in Iwamizawa on June 28,
2019. The agreement is aimed at realizing world-class smart
agriculture and making Iwamizawa a “sustainable smart
agri-city” using state-of-the-art agricultural robotics andinformation and communications technology (ICT) basedon government-industry-academia collaboration.
Before the signing ceremony for the agreement,
Professor Noboru Noguchi of the Research Faculty ofAgriculture held a demonstration of autonomous tractors
using vehicle robotics technology, an outcome of his
research, at Hamamoto Farm in Iwamizawa. The demo

attracted some 100 people, including members of themedia.
During the signing ceremony, Satoru Matsuno, Mayorof Iwamizawa, explained how the agreement would achieve
its aim of making Iwamizawa a “sustainable smart agricity,” followed by a presentation by Professor Noguchi about
the efforts being made to use self-driving farm machines todemonstrate “near-future smart agricultural technology.”
The presentation was followed by the signing of theagreement and a speech by Hokkaido University Executive
Vice-President Junji Nishii, who expressed his enthusiasm.
The Q&A session that followed demonstrated the highlevel of interest with many questions being asked about
the initiatives to be undertaken, including implementation
schedules.

Demonstration of the autonomous
tractors using vehicle robotics.

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Litterae Populi Autumn 2019

Hokkaido University launched the Center for HumanNature, Artificial Intelligence, and Neuroscience, or
CHAIN, in July 2019. It will conduct interdisciplinary
research and education at the intersection of humanities,
artificial intelligence, and neuroscience. The inauguralsymposium was held at the university’s Sapporo Campus
on July 23rd to unravel its vision and ambitious plans forresearch and graduate-level education.
At the symposium, Professor Shigeru Taguchi, theDirector of CHAIN, said, “Recent developments inneuroscience and artificial intelligence have made it possible
for scientists to tackle problems that have been traditionallyexplored in humanities, such as consciousness, emotion,and self,” explaining the ever-increasing demand for the
integration of humanities and science. “We would like toopen up new directions in understanding ‘what humanbeings are.’ ”
It’s not a one-way process, however. “The knowledge andwisdom accumulated in the humanities in its long history
have a great potential to inspire modern neuroscience andartificial intelligence,” claimed Shigeru Taguchi. The center
aims, in particular, to integrate highly philosophical ideas
with mathematical and empirical scientific methods andfindings.

The faculty members of CHAIN will be looselyorganized into groups corresponding to four major themes— the self, consciousness, sociality, and rationality. They
will collaborate with researchers from external institutions
and industries including Ruhr University Bochum,
University of Trento, Monash University, Caltech, andNational Yang Ming University.
Graduate-level education will start in April 2020 for
Master’s and Ph.D. students. Participants will engage injoint interdisciplinary research on one of the four major
themes. Coursework and internship programs will also be
provided.

Executive Vice-President Masanori Kasahara giving the welcome
address at the inaugural symposium.

Center Director Shigeru Taguchi speaking at theinaugural symposium.

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Campus Landscapes

An Autumn Campus
Photographer: Akihito Yamamotoa

Even with the Japanese era name changing from Heisei to Reiwa, the seasons will continue
as they have throughout history.
Hokkaido University has organized a great many public events again this year. These
events, including the university festival, beer garden on the green and open campus day,bustled with visitors. Homecoming Day in September gave alumni and local residents
lending their support to the university the opportunity to drop by this verdant campus
and see what the university is up to.
In Autumn, the trees lining Gingko Avenue change their colors, attracting many
visitors to the campus.

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Litterae Populi Autumn 2019

b

c

d

e

a. Around the North 18 Gate
b. Health Care Centerc. The Second Farm
d

e

b a

d. Furukawa Hallce. The Hokkaido University Museum
N

Main
Gate

North13
Gate

Litterae Populi Autumn 201927

https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/

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Litterae Populi Autumn 2019