People like to know how their brain works, including how it supports their mental activities. Such strong interest of lay people should be maintained in the right direction, without being deviated to mysticism. Abuse of brain science knowledge should be strictly avoided. Education in middle schools and junior and senior high schools will become increasingly important for appropriate transfer of brain science knowledge to society. The establishment of the new brain science research center will enable us to overcome various difficulties inherent to Japanese research systems.
Technicians seem to have almost disappeared from Japanese laboratories.
Animal supply systems have only small capacities. The center will become a key station for international collaboration. Early this week, we received a neuroscience delegation from Canada in Tokyo, and discussed how to connect their network of neuroscience centers of excellence to our networks. In line with the goal of making the new research center open to the world, one third of its laboratories will be chaired by non-Japanese scientists, and as many researchers as possible from abroad will be invited to work there. I hope that the new center will be a guiding light in making all Japanese research systems open to the world.