CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATION DESIGNFOR SUSTAINABILITY, OSAKA UNIVERSITY

Newsletter

July. 2013

No.

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CEIDS’s “Project to Form Environmental Innovation Design Education and Research Center to Achieve a
Creative Technological Society” has entered its second year. This newsletter will continue to introduce its readers to
CEIDS’s wide-ranging initiatives. In this issue, we introduce the Co-creative Design Laboratory for Sustainability
that CEIDS opened in Umekita and report on an educational symposium CEIDS held in April. We are also startingtwo new series with this issue. “CEIDS Research” will take up one distinctive CEIDS research theme in each issue.
“Researcher Interview” will feature talks with researchers engaged in CEIDS activities.

1. Co-creative Design Laboratory for Sustainability
Opens at Grand Front Osaka KNOWLEDGE CAPITALOsaka University’s CEIDS has opened Co-creative
Design Laboratory for Sustainability at KNOWLEDGE
CAPITAL (in Grand Front Osaka). The purpose of
the design laboratory is to advance interdisciplinary
research and education for a sustainable society. By
promoting university–society collaboration, it will also
take sustainability science beyond the campus and out
into the community. This article features research andeducation programs to be conducted at the laboratory,
and describes its location and environment.
The lab is collaborating with Prof. Atsuko Kaga
(Osaka University Graduate School of Engineering,
Department of Business Engineering) on the topic ofurban and regional development. Together they are
analyzing city information needed for urban planningand development and pursuing planning techniquesthat take advantage of ICT technology and biomimicry.

The location in Umekita enables university–industry–
government collaboration and ensures that research ispractical.
The laboratory plans to offer two seminars forworking adults. One is the CEIDS Sustaina-Seminar.

Co-creative Design Laboratory for Sustainability is located in thesecond tower from the left (Tower C) here at Grand Front Osaka1

1. Co-creative Design Laboratory for Sustainability Opens at Grand Front Osaka KNOWLEDGE CAPITAL （2）[Co-creative Design Laboratory for Sustainability]
3-1 Ofukacho, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture
9th floor, Grand Front Osaka KNOWLEDGE CAPITALThis course readies working people and citizens toestablish a sustainable society, taking a workshop
approach to the actions essential to imagine and form
such a society. The other is the “Training Program for
Local Revitalization Coordinators for Creating Regional
Innovation.” Lab research partner Prof. Kaga also helps
run this program. The course will develop personnel
who can coordinate local revitalization by looking at
local issues from all angles and turning this perspective
into measures for addressing them. By invitation,
specialists and professionals will introduce participants
to the latest case studies and research. Participants will
gain a deeper understanding of the issues by conversing
and working together with these experts.
Co-creative Design Laboratory for Sustainability
is located on the 9th floor of KNOWLEDGE CAPITAL,
Tower C. The laboratory offers space that can be
flexibly used. In addition to the above seminars, it is set
up to host research-related meetings, small workshops
and lectures, and more. Besides CEIDS, many types oforganizations are located at KNOWLEDGE CAPITAL,
including university, research institute, government, andprivate enterprise offices. From this location, CEIDS
aims to expand its research and educational initiatives.

KNOWLEDGE PLAZA[Organizations located at KNOWLEDGE CAPITAL]
VisLab OSAKA (of which the Osaka University
Cybermedia Center is a collaborating partner), the Cityof Osaka, Kansai University, Osaka City University,
Osaka Institute of Technology, Keio University,
National Institute of Information and Communications
Technology (NICT), Urban Innovation Institute, Toshi
Miryoku Kenkyushitsu (Osaka Gas Research Institutefor Culture, Energy and Life), Asia Pacific Institute of
Research, and many private enterprises*Please contact the CEIDS office at the Suita Campus
if you would like to visit the lab (see the end of thenewsletter for contact information)*Please note that seminar course names are subject tochange.
(Hiroyuki Takeda, Assistant Professor, CEIDS)

Inside Co-creative Design Laboratory for
Sustainability

2View from the lab

2. Educational Symposium“Nurturing People for a‘Creative TechnologicalSociety’: Invitation to Environmental Innovation Design Studies”
CEIDS held this educational symposium at the
Osaka University Suita Campus Convention Center on
Wednesday, April 10, 2013. The symposium focusedon imagining the professionals’ that support a societyof a Creative Technological Society and how to train
them. (a Creative Technological Society is one thatcan envision the future and work together to build thescience technology, products, and systems suitable to it.)One representative each from university, industry, andgovernment gave a talk. (See Table 1.) The lecturers got
into some lively discussions with the 109 participants,
who included 62 students (57% of all participants), 34
university teaching staff (31%), and 13 others (fromenterprises, non-profits, private citizens, etc.; 12%). The
high ratio of students reflected the particular focus of
the symposium.
The symposium consisted mainly of three sessions
as outlined in Table 1. To start things off, Prof. Itaru Yasui(Vice President Emeritus of United Nations University
and Trustee of National Institute of Technology and
Evaluation) gave the keynote speech on the topic of“Environmental Innovation in Advanced Education.” Hemade the point that a Creative Technological Society can
only be formed by inducing social transformation (i.e.,
innovation), and that developing the professionals capableof bringing about this innovation requires innovation of
the “advanced education environment” itself. In the firstlecture period, participants learned about the philosophy
and current state of research and education at CEIDS.
Additionally, student Ryusuke Tanimoto described a
CEIDS practical course he had taken, entitled “Theoryof Sustainability Evaluation and Technology,” and fellow
student Saori Wadagaki introduced activities of theProf. Itaru Yasui’s keynote
speechTable 1: Symposium schedule

13:00

Opening remarks (Tomoyuki Kakeshita, Director,
CEIDS)

Keynote speech: Environmental Innovation in
Advanced Education
13:10 - 14:00 (Prof. Itaru Yasui, Vice President Emeritus of
United Nations University and Trustee of National
Institute of Technology and Evaluation)
Lecture period 1: Philosophy of CEIDS Activities,
and Students at CEIDS
The Founding Principles and the Students of CEIDS(Keishiro Hara, Associate Professor, CEIDS)
Report on Environmental Innovation Design
Training Results
14:00 - 14:45 (Ryusuke Tanimoto, second-year student, Divisionof Global Architecture, Osaka University
Introduction to the Activities of Osaka University
Environmental Circle GECS
(Saori Wadagaki, third-year student, Department of
Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering,
School of Engineering)
Lecture period 2: Training of professionals for a
Creative Technological Society
Investigative Report on the Overseas Education
Program as well as The Current State of and
Suggestions Regarding the Curriculum forEnvironmental Innovation Design Studies(Yusuke Kishita, Assistant Professor, CEIDS;
Michinori Uwasu, Associate Professor, CEIDS)
15:00 - 16:30 Solving Environmental Problems Requires
Professionals : Based on My Experience in
Administrative Positions[Kenji Shiraishi, Business Manager of the Global
Environment Centre Foundation (on loan from
Ministry of the Environment)]
Professionals Sought for Global Corporations(Hideyuki Ohnishi, Japan representative for GE
Power & Water)
16:30

Closing remarks (Shinsuke Yamanaka, Deputy
Director, CEIDS)

Osaka University environmental circle, called GECS
(http://gecs.main.jp/). Their presentations were very easy
to understand. Then the second lecture period discussed

Speech by Mr. Kenji Shiraishi

Speech by Mr. Hideyuki Ohnishi

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Lively discussion ensued
between lecturers andparticipants2. Educational Symposium“Nurturing People for a‘Creative Technological Society’:Invitation to Environmental Innovation Design Studies”

results of a CEIDS survey, conducted in FY2012, ofuniversity educational programs outside Japan. There wasalso a report on the curriculum of CEIDS’s graduate-leveladvanced subprogram, Environmental Innovation Design
Studies. Following that, Mr. Kenji Shiraishi (Business
Manager of the Global Environment Centre Foundation)
gave a talk called “Solving Environmental Problems
requires Personnel” He used his abundant experience
with international cooperation to take on that question,
which he addressed primarily from a policy planningperspective. Mr. Hideyuki Ohnishi, Japan representative
for GE Power & Water, spoke on “Personnel sought by
Global Corporations.” He explained General Electric’s
philosophy and practice of human resources development
and the type of personnel they require.
Each lecturer, speaking from his or her own uniqueperspective, had hints for the audience on developing
the human resources necessary to achieving a Societyof original concept techniques. After the symposium,
several participants indicated they wanted to take thepractical course Mr. Tanimoto had described. Students
also indicated the lectures had increased their researchand study motivation. Students who were job-hunting（2）

noted that Mr. Ohnishi’s talk had given them much toconsider as they thought out their path going forward.
These comments and the lecturers’ messages backed
CEIDS’s direction for developing the professionals
to support the Creative Technological Society. On
the other hand, “something” is missing from current
Environmental Innovation Design for Sustainability
curricula seeking to develop the professionals describedin the speeches of Prof. Yasui, Mr. Shiraishi, andMr. Ohnishi. Starting this fiscal year, CEIDS plansto add new practical courses to further enrich theEnvironmental Innovation Design for Sustainability
advanced subprogram (http://www.ceids.osaka-u.ac.jp/
education/02.html [English version is “http://www.
ceids.osaka-u.ac.jp/english/education/02.html”]). It willbe essential, through these courses, to gradually identify
that missing “something.” Though the job is only
halfway done, CEIDS will put every effort into botheducation and research. We hope we can count on yourcontinued support.
(Yusuke Kishita, Assistant Professor, CEIDS)

3. CEIDS Research 1: Seventh-Generation Vision ResearchMarkets are usually described as a mechanism
for efficiently allocating resources. Humanity’s skilled
use of this market mechanism has helped many nations
achieve economic growth. Democracy, on the other
hand, is a mechanism for society to make decisions bymajority rule. In a representative democracy, societies
hold elections to pick their political representatives.
While this mechanism cannot guarantee social andeconomic development, it can prevent a dictator, forexample, from controlling a nation for a long period.
These mechanisms at the core of our society
are eroding. Although markets can allocate resources
efficiently to people alive today, this allocation does notaccount for the resources that future generations willuse. The present generation is using too much of theresources that future generations would otherwise use,

An experiment in discussing issues

43. CEIDS Research 1: Seventh-Generation Vision Researchand this is clearly a cause of global warming and theloss of biodiversity. The market mechanism accelerates
these phenomena, so that mechanism is not a solution
in itself. Other problems are involved, too, including thecurrent problem of fairness: societies and individuals
that do not use the mechanism well do not enjoy theadvantages of growth. But democracy has also been
seriously eroded. For one thing, the problems facing
modern societies are so complex that decision-making
by majority rule cannot guarantee the right answer.
Even the experts cannot always agree on how to solve
economic and environmental problems. Another issue isthe trend in industrialized nations whereby people arehaving fewer children and the population is aging. Thisis said to be significantly skewing the results of elections
to decide our political representatives. In an aging
society, policies favoring senior citizens take priority,
while investment in the future (younger generation) is
neglected. The failure of many industrialized nations to
put the brakes on their budget deficits may be related
to both of these.
In recognition of this problem, CEIDS has begun
the “Seventh-Generation Vision Research Project,”bringing together researchers from a broad range of
disciplines, including economics, design engineering,
environmental engineering, urban planning, sociology,
and forestry. We propose to put these experts together asa group (the “seven generations into the future group”)
to represent the future in today’s society and involve
this group in decision-making processes. In terms ofgovernmental organization, such a group could perhaps
be called a “Ministry of the Future.” Or if it were a thinktank, it might be called a “Future Research Institute.”
Whatever we call it, we need to test exactly what kindof group would be able to generate the information (avision as seen by the present generation) to represent the
future (i.e., make decisions on its behalf) and what kindof mechanism it would take for such a group to become
involved in present-day decision-making processes.
The objective of this research project is to devise
a negotiating framework to ensure the fair allocationof resources. Realistically, most of the problems faced（2）

by modern civilization, such as those related to global
warming and energy systems, are massive and complex.
Society’s decision-making processes are characterized
by insufficient scientific understanding, uncertainty, andvalue judgment. Experiments in the fields of politicalscience and communication are seeking to build visions
by getting all types of stakeholders to participate in anddiscuss issues. However, this participatory discussion
approach does not have well-established vision-creating
techniques or methodologies, so its effectiveness has notbeen adequately verified. Moreover, such initiatives arenegotiations between present-generation stakeholders, soneither future generations nor conscientious present-day
groups are necessarily participating in a clear way. The
research project seeks to help establish a methodology
for the participatory discussion approach by testing
three things: 1) What kind of group can represent
future generations? 2) What kind of methods are there
for negotiating issues such that future generations also
participate? 3) How will the participation of future
generations alter the decision-making of the present
generation?
[Project members]
Kochi University of Technology (Osaka University
CEIDS, Visiting Professor): Tatsuyoshi Saijo;
Osaka Prefecture University College of Economics:
Tatsuhiro Shichijo;
Hitotsubashi University Institute of Economic Research:
Reiko Aoki;
Kobe University Research Institute for Economics &Business Administration: Shen Junyi;
Osaka University Graduate School of Economics:
Masahiko Ozaki;
Osaka University Graduate School of Engineering:Masashi Kuroda;
Osaka University CEIDS: Michinori Uwasu, KeishiroHara, Yusuke Kishita, Hiroyuki Takeda, Yukari Fuchigami(Michinori Uwasu, Associate Professor, CEIDS)

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4. Researcher Interview No. 1,“Collaboration is
Like Writing a Table of Contents for a Textbook”
Prof. Yasuo Takahashi (Professor, Joining andpiece but a compound of pieces, you get compound
problems. Theory and idealism do not always help in
the process of commercializing a product, and one typeof material is not enough to make a single automotive
part. Looked at this way, you could say there is a kindof “issues fractal.”

Welding Research Institute, Osaka University)

Visited: June 11, 2013
Visited by: Keishiro Hara, Yukari Fuchigami
Hara: Tell us about your specialty, meaning
your research themes up to now, and research
themes going forward.
Lately, I mainly study material science, but myresearch also includes joining and welding science,system science, and environmental science. Materialscience is a very practical form of engineering, but toreally spread it widely requires systems thinking. And
my research has further branched into environmental
science as I have started to take environmental problems
into account. Every researcher probably feels the same,
but as I get older, I find it necessary to get more
involved with management and see the big picture in
my research endeavors. I find there is really no choice
but to reach into all sorts of fields and broaden myresearch.
My main research theme at this time is joining
solids. I am very interested in the bonding of solids, injoining and pressure-bonding them without adhesives.
Such technologies are being used in electronics andpower devices, for example. At the heart of every
automobile is a power control element. I partner withenterprises to develop this type of device.

Hara: Going forward, what kind of issues do you
see at the meso level to ensure that technicaldevelopment is used to solve society’s problems?
One aspect of meso-level research is the making
and industrialization of things. In research that actuallyuses individual technologies for the benefit of society,the efforts of the individual researcher are important,but at the same time it is also important to consider how
the national government allocates funds for research.
I often hear people say that the way the Japanese
government allocates its backing, that is to say, its
budget, scatters its funds too much as compared tocountries such as South Korea and America. Certainly,
the national government’s investment system could
use some improvements. In basic research, or
research that specializes in a single phenomenon,
individual researchers may achieve a degree of successdepending on their skills. But problems that involve
complex systems, such as the relationship between
technology and society, are ultimately economic andindustrialization problems. It is extremely important todesign a social vision and from there allocate researchfunds strategically. In that sense, the government that is
responsible for deciding major policy directions has animportant role to play.

Hara: When did you first get involved in
automotive research with business enterprises?
Nearly 20 years ago. When I make things withpeople who work in the business world, I am reminded
how a single problem has within it all types of issues
and problems of different levels. In the business world,
you are considered successful if one idea out of 100
leads to an actual product. But in the process of actuallyturning an idea into a product, you have to solve all sorts
of problems that appear along the way. It is not just a
matter of nano-level or macro-level technology. And
when you handle items that are not made of a single

Hara: Tell us what it looks like when researchers
on the vision side collaborate with researchers
on the technical seeds side.
Just bringing together people with different
expertise does not cause anything to start automatically.
You do not get people together first and then try to dosomething; that is the wrong order to proceed. First, youneed to clarify your objective and then get everyone
64. Researcher Interview No. 1,“Collaboration is Like Writing a Table of Contents for a Textbook” （2）pointed toward that same objective. Researchers in thefields of conceptual design and marketing, for example,
may not completely grasp the struggles and actual
conditions of technical development. However, when
everyone has clear, common objectives, it is possible
for researchers from different fields to work together.
The leader should have a comprehensive, bird’s-eyeview of the project, and then, in some sense, propose
working together under a system in which each member
has responsibility. When that happens, cooperation is
the result. But such cooperative work is very difficult,so it is important that leaders and followers tradeplaces from time to time and that everyone is flexible
as they work. Of course, it is not necessary that every
single member have the talent to serve as the leader ofa large organization. However, if members can form
groups that support the leader in the spirit of team play,collaborative research will go that much more smoothly.

a little high. If your objectives are too easy to meet, yourteam will meet them and progress will stop there. You
ought to broaden your objectives and set high hurdles
to a point where you think the team probably cannot
reach them. This gives each member a clear awarenessof his or her own role. Members will cooperate if they
feel “this project will not succeed without me.” It’s mybelief that a leader needs two skills: the ability to talkthe big talk when they set goals, and the ability to build
connections and networks between people so that they
can achieve those goals. If they can do that, then even if
the project is a failure, it will still leave a trail to follow
the next time.
Hara: Can we get your comment on meso-levelresearch?
When you’re young, you can find research funds
as long as there is someone who supports your research.
However, as your research develops and grows larger,
for example, if it grows to the meso level, so-called
capital becomes essential. Ultimately it is important tohave a vision that brings in capital (research resources)
and also to have some demonstrated results from yourresearch. Demonstrated results are necessary to get
research funds. To produce results (i.e., write research
papers), you have to read a lot of papers by otherpeople.
What I would like to tell young people is, “Youcannot write papers unless you read them. Read a lot of
papers, understand the excellent research that has been
performed in the past, and then generate new ideas andnew value that will take your own research to a higher
level.”

Hara: So it is important to divide up roles withinteams.
The leader begins by clearly outlining specificresearch content based on the vision, that is to say, theobjective. Outlining the content is an important partof advancing meso-level research or any cooperative
project or business. A vision by itself is not enoughto get anyone moving. But if the content is clear, thenit will soon become clear what it is that people haveto do. It might be easier to understand if you imagine
writing a table of contents for a textbook or any otherbook. A textbook has a detailed table of contents thatspecifically explains the themes and content of thebook. We frame our research to create such a table ofcontents. Then following that table of contents, you
clearly describe the role of each researcher. That is theleader’s job. Doing this will promote cooperation.
Vaguely defined projects without a table ofcontents will not go smoothly. Of course, even projects
with clear objectives can end in failure, but if there is adefinite table of contents, then you can use it the nexttime you have a chance.
Also, it is a good idea to set your vision and goals(Keishiro Hara, Associate Professor, CEIDS;
Yukari Fuchigami, Project Researcher, CEIDS)

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5. Introduction of a New Member
A young faculty member joining CEIDS in
FY2013 introduces himself.

education and research. I hope you will give me youradvice and encouragement.

Hikari Shimadera, Assistant Professor
My name is Hikari Shimadera, and I took thepost of assistant professor at CEIDS in April 2013. I
earned my PhD in engineering from Osaka University’s
Division of Sustainable Energy and Environmental
Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering in March
2011. Subsequently, I worked at the Environmental
Science Research Laboratory of the Central ResearchInstitute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI) for two
years before joining CEIDS.
My main research theme is dynamic analysis ofenvironmental substances through numerical simulation
models. I have done analyses on various subjects,
with a focus on air pollutants on scales ranging fromindividual cities to the entire Asian continent. At
CRIEPI, I did research mainly on fine particulatematter (PM2.5), which has become a widely recognizedproblem since January 2013. There has been a lot of
research on Asia-wide air pollution since the 1990s,
and I also knew that there has not been much change
in PM2.5 levels in Japan, so the sudden increase in
the public’s interest in PM2.5 was greater than I had
imagined it would be. It reminded me that there is a big
difference in awareness of things between specialists
and non-specialists, and even between specialists fromdifferent disciplines. So I have come to believe in theimportance of interdisciplinary exchange for mutual
understanding.
My specialty, numerical simulation, is an essential
technology for quantitatively evaluating the impact
of human activity on the environment. It also has animportant role to play for studying and evaluating
measures for social sustainability. CEIDS already has
faculty with a wide range of expertise. I hope thatmy joining the staff further adds to the scholarly
diversity of the organization and helps advance its
interdisciplinary research. I will also do my best
to expand the scope of my own academic pursuitsand help advance environmental innovation design

Publisher

Contact information
Osaka University, Center for Environmental Innovation
Design for Sustainability (CEIDS)
Office for University-Industry Collaboration,
Building D, 6F
2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, Japan 565-0871
Tel: +81-6-6879-4150 / Fax: +81-6-6875-6271
HP: http://www.ceids.osaka-u.ac.jp/english/

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