Vol.2 No.4 2010

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Interview : Restoration of engineering and Synthesiology−285−Synthesiology - English edition Vol.2 No.4 (2010) Technology backed by science is sought by industry (Nagai)No, I mean that they will accelerate. Looking at the trend of the number of research papers published, the number has increased dramatically with the participation of China and India. As more people participate, new information comes out worldwide at a greater speed. While the probability of serendipity does not change, according to the principle of “more shots more hits,” new concepts will emerge more quickly than before. In this age, anyone who can make use of novelty will win. While there will be chances for scientists and engineers to make big profits, we may end up with terrible consequences for society and humankind. In the sense that science and technology will have to play their significant role with care, a totally new age may arrive.(Ono)Does that mean an age where technology and science come closer? (Nagai)The speed at which new scientific knowledge and technologies are born and the speed at which they are learned will continue to accelerate. Therefore, unless the technology is excellent and is backed by science from the beginning, it will weaken when adopted by industry. Technology must be supported by science, so I think science and technology must become closer. However, from the standpoint of science, it doesn’t really have to approach technology. We do not want to choke science, and I understand very well when Dr. Masatoshi Koshiba says that he’d want to be doing whatever he likes even after several thousand years.Japanese science, technology, and engineering (Ono)I would like to ask about Japanese science, technology, and engineering education. There was a time when Japanese technology was called “copycat technology,” but now Japan is considered to be one of the most successful countries in technological innovation. (Nagai)Japanese technology is considered to be extremely advanced by other countries, and I think there are three important aspects to consider. Military technology progress is overwhelmingly dominated by the United States, but not in Japan. So-called civilian technology is regarded hotly by competitors both in Japan and around the world, and as long as Japan and the Japanese possess the capability to handle them, we will continue to create overwhelmingly wonderful things. (Ono)I think the fact that the Japanese users are highly quality conscious makes a difference. (Nagai)Yes. Second, there is a keen awareness that Japanese products are to be sold around the world. Three, and this is often disregarded, but I speak from the perspective of a metal materials researcher: there is no other country that is so densely populated and experiences serious earthquake damage like Japan, and therefore, the materials used here are the toughest in the world.As there are several factors that make Japanese technology strong, it has been required to be strong and robust against accidents or disasters, which, in turn, established the Japan brand, and I expect this will continue into the future.(Ono)Technologies have developed in their respective regions of the world and have their own logic. In Japan, there is the background of earthquakes, the societal situation of low birth rate and aging, and issues regarding energy. These factors provide mechanisms that nurture the growth of technology, and with a proper mindset, it has worked very well so far.While it has excellent technology, how about Japanese science?(Nagai)It is quite difficult to respond in a simple way to the question, “why do we do science?” In terms of matching up to first-class science in the world overall, Japan does not hold a good position. At this point, we are number one in the field of materials, but China is close behind us.We have entered an age of mass globalization, and all information diffuses widely. However, when seeking optimal solution, localization becomes very important. We cannot solve a problem if we are simply copying other countries. This is true for science. However if we say, “Don’t copy other countries,” people won’t copy at all, but we must copy certain things. There must be diversity. I think if we look back at the excellence of Japanese technology, we can find its origins in various new topics of research.(Ono)For Japanese technology, I can describe characteristics that make it excellent, but I cannot find any for science. At this point, the only good point I can see is “we don’t copy,” and that is a harsh reality.There was a time when Japanese engineering shined.

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