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公益社団法人 日本工学アカデミー

日本工学アカデミーは、工学・科学技術全般の発展に寄与する目的で設立された産学官の指導的技術者の団体です

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Email: academy(at)eaj.or.jp
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03-6811-0586
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President’s Message

EAJ President Yoshimitsu Kobayashi
2024 New Year’s Greetings

January 1, 2024

Happy New Year.

As you will no doubt be aware, last year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Drew Weissman and Katalin Karikó for their success in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic by developing messenger RNA (mRNA) technology and enabling vaccines to be put to practical use. In explaining their reasons for choosing these two prizewinners, the members of the Nobel Committee said that “The discoveries by the two Nobel Laureates were critical for developing effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 during the pandemic…their groundbreaking findings…have fundamentally changed our understanding of how mRNA interacts with our immune system…” This work is an outstanding example of science, technology, and innovation that drives progress in the world, and its flexibility offers potential for use in vaccines against a wide range of illnesses going forward.

However, the problems now facing the world as a whole extend far beyond the pandemic to include the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian government, the war in Gaza, the risk of nuclear war, energy and food crises, and “global boiling.” These problems, in conjunction with disparities arising from the continuation of conventional capitalism, and the waning of global governance, are threatening human security and well-being, global peace and safety, and sustainable development. The survival of humankind, and the entire planet, is now beset by complex challenges of all kinds. Meanwhile, it seems to me that, as humankind seeks solutions to its global agenda of challenges, increasingly high expectations are focused on science and engineering, which are now advancing dramatically as a result of the gradual accumulation of knowledge over thousands of years.

Examples of science and engineering directly connected to our own lives encompass all kinds of initiatives and technological development spanning hardware, software, and everything in between. This includes the efforts made at the COP28 climate conference to implement the global stocktake as a worldwide initiative to address climate change, as well as attempts to achieve real-world implementation of the “land and air mobility revolution” represented by autonomous driving, flying cars and the like. Another example is the rapid development and penetration of generative AI models such as ChatGPT, which are capable of instantly producing literate text to a high standard. Generative AI, in particular, could stand head-to-head with humanity before too long; its fields of application and societal influence are changing dramatically, as are the skills required of human beings. Looking back over history, the industrial revolution, which involved innovations such as the invention of the steam engine, and information technology, has had a massive impact on our planet, our societies, and humankind as a whole in a wide range of fields. In that respect, it is fair to say that we are once more at a turning point right now.

I believe that such an environment requires us to recombine information that has until now become increasingly fragmented, or has been lost from one generation to the next, and to question the established consensus in order to identify the fundamental issues we face. It is essential to establish the various technologies and systems as tools to forge a new future, developing them in a sound way, and using them effectively, while focusing on both their positives and negatives. It is also important, moreover, to continue aiming to establish societies in which science, technology, and innovation coexist alongside nature and humans.

We must reaffirm the Engineering Academy of Japan’s purpose of engineering the future society for human security and well-being, believe in the future of humankind, face up to our own role in it, and fulfill our own mission through collective intelligence that draws on knowledge encompassing both the humanities and the sciences.

In closing, I would like to offer my very best wishes for your good health and success during the year to come.

 

Yoshimitsu Kobayashi
EAJ President

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