Dr. Yasuharu Suematsu

Director, National Institute of Informatics

Interviewer

Dr. Kiyoshi Itao

Supervising Editor of nature interface

Itao: The National Institute of Informatics (NII) was established in April 2000, when The National Center for Science Information Systems was reorganized and expanded into this institute. Dr. Suematsu is the director of NII. Dr. Suematsu, I'm much impressed by the institute's innovative approach to a new field of study called "informatics." It's activities are not limited to computer science and information technology, but they also encompass life science, as well as human and social sciences.

Suematsu: I succeeded the basic vision of NII from Dr. Hiroshi Inose, who was the first director and unfortunately passed away. Our concept is based on the fact that informatics originated from social activities, such as those involving the Internet, cellular phones, and e-commerce. So, this field of study is not limited to the pursuit of such things as computation technology and robotics. We need to have a wide perspective. We wanted to include human and social sciences from the beginning. Furthermore, the use of information involves ethical issues, such as security problems and crimes, and information has strong power to change society. I believe that a role of NII is to discover the way for every citizen to seek and use information "rightly."

Under this concept, current NII activities are organized under 7 themes: basics of informatics, academic research information, human and social information, intelligence systems, information media, software, and information infrastructures. We're cooperating with universities and private organizations in conducting demonstration and commercialization studies, which is needed for comprehensive development of informatics. Such cooperation is also vital for the study of information resources, such as the development of software for handling large-scale Internet content services. To share research outputs with society, we're constructing and operating Scientific Information Network, compiling a comprehensive catalog of books and journals owned by university libraries, and developing academic information databases.

Itao: You're working both in research and in business, and sharing the results with society at large.

Suematsu: Yes. In this information age, the importance of our role will certainly increase. We're going to see wearable computers, which are your specialty, and in future, we'll be able to do such things as implanting computer chips in out bodies. Our life itself is going to be an information space. In addition, we want to discover new research themes during the process of commercialization.

Itao: As you pointed out, availability of abundant information is going to be a matter of course. It'll be taken for granted, like air and water. How we use, or protect, information will be one of the greatest problems in society.

Industry/government/academic partnership has been Japan's strong point

Itao: As the leader of the cutting-edge research organization, what do you think about the situation of research and development these days?

Suematsu: One thing I'm concerned about is the weakening sensitivity of Japanese companies. They're overly cautious in their approach to so-called "disruptive technology," which is a new technology involving a paradigm shift and disrupting the development of established technologies. An example in the field of laser technology is the surface-emitting laser, which was originally invented in Japan. This technology had a lot of future potential, because SELs are mass-producible, they consume less power, and thus they would be vital for low-cost optical communication systems. But it took a long time before companies began development of SELs. On the other hand, European and American companies, as well as Asian companies in Taiwan, Korea, etc., are now advancing rapidly into optical technology. Although Japan has so far been leading the world in optical technology, this strong position of Japan may be overturned if situation continues as it is.

Itao: Even the U.S. has been admitting the superiority of Japan in optical industries. The U.S. has been strong in the field of software because of the huge market size, while Japan has long been strong in the field of hardware systems. I'm worried that the situation might change, if Japan should fall behind in the development of optical devices.

Suematsu: Tunable lasers and variable-wavelength lasers are in fact invented in Japan. European companies developed these technologies for commercialization. I think Japanese companies lack eagerness to pursue opportunities created by their technical development efforts.

Itao: Is it a reflection of the present economic situation?

Suematsu: No. I think in the contrary. It is this passive attitude toward technical development that has resulted in the dull economic situation. Probably, that's because everybody has grown up and become too prudent.

Itao: You mean people now don't like to be sweat-soaked and take pains. It's a serious problem.

In this situation, there's much call for industry/government/academic partnerships, and the media is also discussing the need for such partnership. Nowadays, it seems impossible to win the battle of technical development without uniting the powers of the industrial, governmental, and academic sectors.

Suematsu: I agree with you. Industry/government/academic partnership is a traditional form of technical development in Japan. There're numerous academic societies in Japan, and this is also a phenomenon peculiar to this country. Years ago, academic researchers and company engineers attending an academic meeting used to have discussion with each other. Because universities weren't fussy about protecting their intellectual property rights, they often proposed companies to do something using so-and-so principles they discovered. Many "intra-company ventures" were set up in the 1970s. A part of a business department was separated by a black curtain. Inside, engineers worked on a secret project, which had not been acknowledged even in the company. Many innovations leading to later successes were born in such a way.

Itao: The good old days are gone.

Suematsu: Fiber-optic communication was a good example. In the case of semiconductor lasers, we couldn't use them for practical application because we didn't have adequate communications technology. The attempts to use them in memory devices were also unsuccessful because of large noises. So, the situation was very miserable and this technology had no practical application for about 10 years after development. Looking for a way out, we held a "study meeting" in Hakone. We and our colleagues lodged together with engineers from NEC, Hitachi, Toshiba, Fujitsu, and other major manufacturers, and discussed various ideas. I think this kind of study environment was much envied by European and American engineers, because although they could enter the lobby of a rival company, it was unthinkable for them to go further into the company. It's only recently that industry/government/academic partnership has become possible in Europe and the U.S.

So, I'm somewhat puzzled by the recent upwelling of the call for such partnership in Japan. Such partnership has long been practiced here in a natural way. We need to recognize that the prosperity of industries in Japan has been supported by a history of industry/government/academic partnership.

What we need for the persistence of our society

Suematsu: I have another thing in mind. I want to see more open-ended, basic research to be conducted in Japan, in addition to purpose-oriented research. A half of all research activities may be purpose-oriented. The other half, however, should be led by the spontaneous interest arising from researchers themselves. Although it may seem wasteful, many innovative ideas have actually stemmed from such untargeted research. They add to the diversity of our world, and I think they are indispensable for the persistence of our society. In the U.S. and Europe, spontaneous, untargeted research already represent more than a half of all research activities. We must encourage this type of research, so that we should not lose the vigor of technical development in Japan.

Encouraging research is like farming. If we plant only one crop year after year, a field will soon lose its fertility. By varying crops and fallowing the fields, we can improve soil quality and maintain the fertility of land. Spontaneous research is like the field laid in fallow. Research is also like a child. In bringing up a child, things will not go as you planned. You need much patience. While some children grow up fine and healthy, some others get diseases or injured. Spontaneous research grows just in the same way. It is important to take a long view and nurture study in themes that can't be evaluated in a short run.

Itao: In that sense, the situation in the U.S. seems very successful. What do you think is the key to this success?

Suematsu: First of all, the total amount of fund used for spontaneous research is 9 times as much in the U.S. as that in Japan. Ambitious young researchers often receive fund for certain periods, say about 5 years, without much obligation. Their achievements are evaluated on a continual basis, and substantial fund is invested to studies producing promising results, regardless of whether the researchers are young or experienced. As a result, many of the best Japanese researchers are moving out to the U.S.

In the background, there may be a difference between Japan and the U.S. with respect to the investors' awareness about science and technology. The U.S. President Thomas Jefferson once said that a democratic society depends upon an informed and educated citizenry. Although not directly, he argued that all citizens must be able to understand science and technology as a form of literacy. His argument holds all the more true at present. We can't sustain our society unless the general public, including corporate managers, have technology literacy. American magazines for general readers, such as "TIME," often feature newest developments in science and technology and explain them in plain words. On the other hand, Japanese popular magazines seldom cover topics of science and technology.

Itao: In this context of science and technology, literacy means "general education" and "basic knowledge" that are necessary for normal functioning and development of society. Here, we need techniques to explain technology in plain terms for the general public.

Suematsu: I agree with you. That's why magazines like "nature interface" are needed.

Itao: I feel my responsibility is to think and act seriously so that we can find out a way to improve the situation of research and development in Japan, and to support the normal functioning of society. Thank you very much for giving us this time and sharing your valuable opinions.