Let Us Nurture Young Research Leaders Who Will Support the Next Generation

This is the Year of the Dragon. In China, the Year of the Dragon has long been said to be a year of turbulence, and in Japan, a large earthquake occurred on the Noto Peninsula on New Year's Day. I would like to express my deepest condolences for those who lost their lives, and my heartfelt sympathy to everyone affected by the disaster.
It has been said over recent years that our country has lost its vitality. Over the last 30 years, wages have remained flat, leaving Japan behind not only Western countries, but behind neighboring countries as well. Furthermore, considering the current situation in which Japan's scientific level continues to decline, malaise is natural. In Japan, which is not blessed with natural resources or abundant food production, it is extremely important to employ human resources, and unless efforts are made to increase the intellectual level of each citizen and increase individual productivity, it will be difficult to survive in this world. To improve Japan's international competitiveness in basic and applied research and development toward the production of innovative products, the Chemical Society of Japan fosters human resources who can lead innovation and industrial transformation in academia and industry, especially young personnel who will lead the next generation. It is necessary to provide a place for this to occur. There is no time to wring our hands. As an example of an effective measure, I would like to introduce the "Otsu Conference Trial", which has been underway in the field of organic chemistry since 2010.
About 25 years ago, the establishment of a "Young School Nurturing Young Research Leaders" was proposed aiming to cultivate the elite that Japan would subsequently need. In the past, the emergence of promising young researchers was left to natural occurrence, but there has come a need to actively nurture excellent young researchers. However, at the time, there were no initiatives of this kind, and realization was delayed for more than ten years, until 2010, when a place for the development of young people called the "Otsu Conference" was finally created. Each year 16 applicants, who could be called "the golden eggs" are selected from JSPS Research Fellows in the field of organic chemistry nationwide. The number of students from the first fourteen groups has already reached about 230, and nearly 70% of them are active in organic chemistry as assistant professors, lecturers, or associate professors, and the school is now a major force in Japan's organic chemistry circles. In the future, the Chemical Society of Japan would like to expand these activities not only to organic chemistry but also to other scientific fields and the training of female researchers, thereby using the Chemical Society of Japan as a catalyst to revitalize Japan's industry and academia. Additionally, in 2028 the Chemical Society of Japan will celebrate its 150th anniversary. We view this 150th anniversary as an important opportunity to help the general public and people from overseas gain an understanding of the importance of chemistry in society and the importance of chemistry through the daily activities of Japan's chemists and chemical engineers. We are planning anniversary events and would like to promote them strongly with support from industry, academia, and government.