Hirokazu Kobayashi CEO, Green Insight Japan Co., Ltd. Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor, University of Shizuoka   In 2010, the then-ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) set up a "Government Revitalization Unit" to formulate a budget. The "Budget Screening" was conducted there, and Renho raised the question mentioned in the above title. Initially, high intelligence and curiosity are innate human traits that lead to pursuing research. This pursuit inevitably leads to

Hirokazu Kobayashi CEO, Green Insight Japan   Co., Ltd. Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor, University of Shizuoka   When children draw pictures of the sun, they in Japan and the West often use yellow. This is influenced by the shared and translated picture books in these countries. However, in the West, the sun is frequently depicted as having eyes, a nose, and a mouth. In contrast, children in India, the Middle East, and Africa tend to draw the sun in red or orange,

Hirokazu Kobayashi CEO, Green Insight Japan  Co., Ltd. Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor, University of Shizuoka   From "Nihondaira (Japan Plateau)," a filming location for the TV drama "The Grand Family" [2007 version starring Takuya Kimura (1972-)], we can see Mt. Fuji to the northeast, Suruga Bay and Miho Peninsula to the east, Izu Peninsula further ahead, the Pacific Ocean to the south, the Southern Alps (Akaishi Mountains) to the northwest, and the cityscape of S

Hirokazu Kobayashi CEO, Green Insight Japan  Co., Ltd. Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor, University of Shizuoka   NHK's "New Project X" started in April this year. The first episode of the old "Project X" (March 2000-December 2005) featured the installation of the Mt. Fuji Radar, which operated from 1964 to 1999. The Mt. Fuji Radar has now been relocated and preserved at the Fujiyoshida Mt. Fuji Radar Dome Park, and the Mt. Fuji Weather Station is used only in the su

Hirokazu Kobayashi CEO, Green Insight Japan  Co., Ltd. Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor, University of Shizuoka   According to TripAdvisor's travel information website, Japan is the country that people from overseas would most like to visit . On the other hand, when it comes to leaving Japan, neighboring Asian countries and Europe are the most popular destinations. In addition to individual differences in how some people are more or less likable when working together

Hirokazu Kobayashi CEO, Green Insight Japan  Co., Ltd . Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor, University of Shizuoka The NHK Epic Drama ”Dear Radiance (Hikaru Kimi e, in Japanese)" has ignited the Heian vogue in Japan. The Heian period was from 794 to 1185 in Japan. Hiragana, created by breaking down kanji (Chinese characters), was beautiful when written in a single stroke. Its beauty resembles cursive scripts such as Latin, Cyrillic, and Arabic. Hiragana characters ofte

Hirokazu Kobayashi CEO, Green Insight Japan  Co., Ltd. Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor, University of Shizuoka   The anime version of the Japanese manga "Sazae-san" by Machiko Hasegawa (1920-1992) has characters Namihei 54 years old, Fune 52 years old, Masuo 28 years old, Sazae 24 years old, and Tarao 3 years old. This newspaper series began in 1946 in Japan. On the other hand, when my parents passed away one after another, I took a revised original family register

Hirokazu Kobayashi CEO, Green Insight Japan  Co., Ltd. Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor, University of Shizuoka   My late grandmother, born in 1908, believed God existed in all tangible things. This is thought to be due to nature belief (worship) and is the concept of the so-called Japanese “Eight Million Gods." If we replace “God'' with “soul," it leads to “animism (the attribution of a living soul to plants, inanimate objects, and natural phenomena)." I was worried

Hirokazu Kobayashi CEO, Green Insight Japan  Co., Ltd. Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor, University of Shizuoka   Concerned that Japan has fallen to 13th place in the world research power rankings, I need to examine the historical relationship between society and scientific development when I think about the solution to this problem. According to the definition that science is a part of the culture, if we look at the flowering periods of culture in world history, we

Hirokazu Kobayashi CEO, Green Insight Japan  Co., Ltd. Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor, University of Shizuoka There are differences in thinking patterns between Western countries and Japan. Science develops by sharing research results and samples worldwide, using English as a common language. Analysis of various living species' genomes (genetic information) has progressed since the 1990s. Initially, it started from microorganisms with little genomic information and

Hirokazu Kobayashi CEO, Green Insight Japan   Co., Ltd. Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor, University of Shizuoka   Blue light is not suitable for the human eye. Blue light is even more harmful when it contains high energy and ultraviolet light. Sunglasses are recommended in strong sunlight because damage to the eye's retina can be challenging to repair. Intense blue light is also harmful to plants. However, natural plants are constantly exposed to environmental facto

Hirokazu Kobayashi CEO, Green Insight Japan   Co., Ltd. Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor, University of Shizuoka For me, who was born in the 1950s, when I think of robots, I remember “Astro Boy'' and “Tetsujin 28-go." The image of the future was the anime series “Space Family." At that time, Japan was experiencing rapid economic growth. So, such a society would become part of my life. I encountered digital technology before robots became objects. My research field de

Hirokazu Kobayashi CEO, Green Insight Japan   Co., Ltd. Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor, University of Shizuoka Approximately 1,000 years ago, during the Heian period in Japan, the blind elderly mother whom Zushioh met at the end of “Anju and Zushioh'', may have suffered from cataracts. The most common eye diseases among the elderly are cataracts, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration, and it is said that 60-70% of people aged 65 and over have cataracts. Ca

Hirokazu Kobayashi CEO, Green Insight Japan   Co., Ltd. Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor, University of Shizuoka Are you familiar with the “3Cs” from the 1960s? At that time, Japan was experiencing rapid economic growth, and color TVs, coolers (air conditioners), and cars were the objects of admiration among the general public. There are other expressions like this. “4Cs of marketing'': customer, cost, convenience, and communication. “The 4Cs of a diamond”: carat, co

Hirokazu Kobayashi CEO, Green Insight Japan   Co., Ltd. Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor, University of Shizuoka When we experience getting stuck in a problem, we work on it. In that case, the answer would be three choices. (1) Give up. (2) Continue to worry. (3) Obtain information from a different perspective. In other words, learn from other fields. I recommend (3), which means easily searching the internet or asking people. Nowadays, AI is also worthy of use. Anyw

Hirokazu Kobayashi CEO, Green Insight Japan   Co., Ltd. Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor, University of Shizuoka Shohei Ohtani (1994-) receives praise when he picks up trash at the stadium. The actions of the Japanese people have come to receive international recognition. In 2022, Japanese supporters' trash-picking at the FIFA World Cup held in Qatar drew praise from around the world. Shohei receives praise because he has exceeded expectations, and Japanese players a

Hirokazu Kobayashi CEO, Green Insight Japan   Co., Ltd. Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor, University of Shizuoka It is uncertain how long it will be better to wear a mask in Japan, but there is no doubt that the end is near. The number of infections with the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, peaked in February 2024, marking the 10th global and domestic wave. During this pandemic, the global death toll was 7 million, and the domestic death toll was just under 80,000. I wan

Hirokazu Kobayashi CEO, Green Insight Japan   Co., Ltd. Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor, University of Shizuoka "Is it bad to be ranked 13th?" I'm not saying it is terrible, but why is it not aligned with Japan's economic strength? The decline in Japan's research capabilities has been pointed out in many places. Still, the proposals I have seen on how to save this situation seem lacking in persuasive power. It is not easy to evaluate research ability, and some examp

Hirokazu Kobayashi CEO, Green Insight Japan   Co., Ltd. Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor, University of Shizuoka   When I see someone named Suzuki-san, I ask them, ”Are you from Shizuoka Prefecture? The answer is usually correct. However, when I ask someone, “Are you from Shizuoka?'', they sometimes reply, “No, I'm from Hamamatsu.'' The person asking the question thinks of “Shizuoka Prefecture'' by “Shizuoka'', but they are particular about the difference between Ham

Hirokazu Kobayashi CEO, Green Insight Japan   Co., Ltd. Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor, University of Shizuoka As we age, the toilet becomes closer, making it harder to feel satisfied with our sleep. Caffeine is one of the orally ingested factors that has an adverse effect. Caffeine is found in coffee and tea, and in addition to being alert, it also has diuretic effects. Incidentally, the substance in chocolate and cocoa is called theobromine, which is structurally