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Round-table talks−236−Synthesiology - English edition Vol.4 No.4 (2012) When I worked on measurements and standards, I had experiences where original papers of our research results would not be accepted in a straightforward way by the academic societies. Our mission was to create highly accurate national measurement standards and to calibrate measuring instruments at the highest accuracy. Since the calibration work extended to business in the private sector, we worked not only on raising the accuracy of the standards, but also on making the calibration work as simple as possible and even on considering cost performance to establish a national traceability system in Japan. Yet, results obtained in these research efforts were not very easy to be accepted as original research papers by the academic societies. We were often asked by the reviewers, “What are the novelty and originality of your work?”We envisaged a scenario for the national traceability system that best fits the Japanese society. For example, we designed a traceability system by thinking which private calibration labs had sufficient levels of technology, what equipment they had, and how many engineers they had. However, such stories were said not to be appropriate as original research papers. Then we had to write papers only about new elemental technologies that were introduced to the national standards system.Although it may be more or less different in different disciplines, the Japanese academic societies are mainly for “academia” itself and are not for “engineers” as in the United States, and therefore, it tends to pursue academic novelty. AkamatsuAIST promotes the Type 2 Basic Research, because we feel that the research results cannot be utilized fully in society with analytical research alone, and we need to establish a methodology for the science of manufacturing “things” or the synthetic research.Mr. Kuwahara emphasizes the importance of systems building. Manufacturing “things” leads to enhancement of the system, and in terms of how to build without falling into reductionism, I feel that the aim of systems is similar to the aim of synthesiology, although the terminologies may be slightly different. This is why we wanted to hear from Mr. Kuwahara.Based on your experiences, Dr. Ono, please introduce AIST’s synthesiology. Then we would like to ask Mr. Kuwahara to discuss systems building.Synthetic research and analytic researchOnoI was a student of the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science in my university days. After graduation I studied temperature measurements and standards at the former National Research Laboratory of Metrology, Agency of Industrial Science and Technology. The Laboratory was reorganized into AIST in 2001. Then I was greatly influenced by Prof. Yoshikawa, the first president of AIST in terms of Type 2 Basic Research proposed by himSystems and synthesiologySynthesiology Editorial BoardEditor-in-Chief Ono and Senior Editor Akamatsu of Synthesiology visited Mr. Hiroshi Kuwahara, Senior Corporate Adviser of Hitachi-Maxell, Ltd., former Vice-Chairman of Hitachi, Ltd., and former member of the Council for Science and Technology Policy. Mr. Kuwahara is also a member of the Systems Science and Technology Committee headed by Senior Fellow Hidenori Kimura, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). Mr. Kuwahara has spearheaded several proposals at the Committee based on his abundant experience in various systems developments. We held a roundtable discussion under the keywords, systems and synthesiology.[Translation from Synthesiology, Vol.4, No.4, p.230-237 (2011)]Hiroshi KuwaharaAkira OnoMotoyuki AkamatsuSenior Adviser Emeritus, Hitachi, Ltd.; Senior Corporate Adviser, Hitachi-Maxell, Ltd.Senior Vice-President, AIST (Editor-in-Chief, Synthesiology)AIST (Senior Editor, Synthesiology)Participants of the roundtable discussion

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