Messages from the President
2026
New Year's Greetings (January 1, 2026)
I offer my best wishes to everyone as we welcome the New Year.
I would first like to give my sincere congratulations to Dr. Shimon Sakaguchi and Dr. Susumu Kitagawa on winning the Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine and in Chemistry last autumn.
Dr. Sakaguchi worked at RIKEN over 20 years ago as Team Leader of the Laboratory of Immunopathology at the RIKEN Research Center for Allergy and Immunology, where he led groundbreaking discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance that prevents the immune system from harming the body.
Dr. Kitagawa held a position at RIKEN from 2007 to 2014, directing cutting-edge research as Team Leader of the Spatial Order Research Team in the Photon Science Research Division at RIKEN SPring-8 Center. He created molecular constructions with large spaces through which gases and other chemicals can flow, and performed cutting-edge research on the development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Through experiments conducted at the large-scale synchrotron radiation facility SPring-8, he was the first to demonstrate their remarkable ability to adsorb gases.
In winning the Nobel Prizes, both have given an immense sense of encouragement to the next generation of Japan's aspiring researchers. I would like to express my deep respect and give my heartfelt congratulations to both scientists for their achievements.
RIKEN launched its Fifth Mid- to Long-Term Plan last April.
Amidst rapidly mounting planetary-level challenges—from global warming and the energy crisis to social division and widening wealth gaps—this plan aims to readdress the role of science and focus efforts into delivering research results that will brighten the future of the earth and humanity. This rests on a two-pronged approach: to lead basic scientific research that produces world-class research results, and to share this knowledge with society, contributing to a better world for all humans.
In order to fully engage RIKEN's unique synergistic capabilities, we have set our focus on five research domains: Pioneering Science; Mathematical, Computational and Information Science; Life Science; Sustainability Science; and Physical Science; and prepared a system to promote research-first management. Under the guidance of globally preeminent researchers serving as Executive Directors of Science, and in close collaboration with our research centers, we have set our target at the forefront of our fields, working to promptly and flexibly plan and realize the research that will create new interdisciplinary areas of scholarship. Nine months into this plan, we are well underway on conducting more challenging research than ever before, and other activities to generate new scientific principles.
RIKEN's TRIP (Transformative Research Innovation Platform of RIKEN platforms) initiative was launched in 2022 and is now being utilized to its fullest as the foundation of these activities. In 2026, we will strengthen our data-driven research even more, furthering efforts to link knowledge across different fields under the concept of "Science that Connects." Under this initiative, we have already launched the Fundamental Quantum Science Program, under which we will return to the basic principles of quantum science. Another one of our crucial goals is to resolve societal issues. Towards this end, we have proposed a number of projects based on results from the TRIP initiative to industry and government: AI for Science, Global Commons, Science across the Life Course, and Advanced Semiconductor Science. Earnest discussions on these projects have already begun. Moreover, this year we will launch full-scale development of cutting-edge research facilities to support the next generation, such as a renovation of the bioresource facilities on our Tsukuba Campus and construction of a new tech center on our Wako Campus. We will also advance our work on the next generation supercomputer FugakuNEXT, aiming to achieve 100 times the application execution performance of the current Fugaku, and on SPring-8-II, striving to increase the brilliance of the current synchrotron by a factor of 100.
Turning our attention to the global community, we see an unprecedented sense of complexity and unease in international relationships.
Last November, the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30, or Conference of the Parties) was held in Belém, Brazil. This conference witnessed a major shift in the approach to global warming. Discussions on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions lost fervor, and in their place, the chief question became how we can adapt to the increasingly unavoidable reality of climate change.
Extreme climate phenomena, changes to the earth’s ecosystems, and impacts on food resources and urban infrastructure are not future threats—these events are already happening in our modern reality. Though a roadmap to reduce emissions was proposed and supported by many at COP30, it ultimately failed to gain consensus. In response, scientists who call for urgent cuts to emissions based on the limits of our planetary system have expressed a strong sense of concern, and for some, disappointment. However, the COP30 Presidency revealed plans to continue discussions on this roadmap outside of the Conference of the Parties framework, with many countries planning to join the process. We mustn’t give up on mitigating the effects of global warming, but rather continue to press forward.
As COP30 was held in Brazil, home to a large part of the Amazon rainforest, the conference saw the idea of a “bioeconomy” that leverages the power and role of nature gain traction, and also saw a growing awareness of boosting societal and economic resilience by investing in nature.
In order to realize this sense of resilience, we must accept that the impacts of climate change are a reality, mitigate the damage, and further our discussions towards adaptation, focused on measures for quick recovery.
A deeper focus on adaptation sheds light on the regions already experiencing the grave impacts of climate change, and gives a concrete shape to social action centered on solutions. This could in fact be an opportunity to accelerate the implementation of climate-focused countermeasures and investments in them.
At this critical point in history, the role of basic science is all the more important.
Without an understanding of the natural world and climate, or the knowledge to quantify risks and predict long-term effects, we cannot effectively make logical decisions that will both offset harm and help us to adapt. It can be said that the emphasis on adaptation at COP30 has shown us the importance of keeping our knowledge up to date and using scientific evidence to develop survival strategies that support humanity in these uncertain times.
This focus on adapting is also important with regards to the rapid development of generative AI and other digital technologies.
As the balance of economic value creation shifts increasingly to virtual spaces, the market is expanding, leading to fierce battles between giant tech companies who wield their massive financial resources and data as weapons while they move at breakneck speed. The products and technologies they produce are now exerting a powerful influence on the social economy of the entire world, and generative AI is the best example. However, even the developers of services that use this tech and researchers specializing in AI cannot reveal the details of its internal mechanisms, and do not have a full picture of its long-term impacts.
In medicine, there are procedures for scientific risk assessment that a drug or device must pass before being approved to go to market. But the products that use AI technology do not necessarily go through the same assessment process. Cars and other long-standing technologies see regulations written and rewritten over time, allowing them to overcome challenges and evolve through technological reforms. The speed at which AI is evolving is in a whole different league from past technologies, and there is no guarantee that the same kind of assessment process would even work effectively on it. With digital and physical spaces becoming more integrated by the day, it is no longer possible to treat AI as something that can be controlled by restricting it to virtual spaces. Today, AI has permeated our world so deeply and widely that the few giant tech companies developing it are starting to have a decisive influence over the decisions and values that shape society.
In a time like this, how can we best survive, and how can science lead us to create a better society?
Let us start with the shared platforms of computer science, which are becoming more crucial than ever as we face this massive and complex challenge. To this end, FugakuNEXT will be a core infrastructure, linking research from diverse fields such as climate science, material science, life science, and information science to utilize large-scale data in its advanced calculations.
Another key pillar is the integration of high-performance computing with quantum technology. Quantum computers are appealing because they are expected to be capable of running calculations that are impossible on classical computers. The development of hardware to facilitate this is underway, and we are at a stage where we must continue to rise to the challenge and expend scientific efforts, making reliable progress towards bringing it to reality. This technology is already advancing steadily to a level where its computational utility is apparent. Though quantum computers have just started to progress, hopes are rapidly rising that combining them with classical computers will allow us to expand the boundary of what can actually be calculated.
This is known as hybrid computing—a combination of quantum computers and high-performance computers. At RIKEN, in addition to our independently developed domestic quantum computer "A," we have brought in two types of commercially available quantum computers from the United States and linked them to Fugaku, moving forward our research on hybrid computing. By taking this approach to hybrid computing, we are leading the world in this area and attracting global attention.
In 2026, I expect the integration of quantum science and AI to make leaps and bounds.
Essential to this end is our AI for Science initiative. Since 2023, RIKEN has been utilizing AI in our research and utilizing science in projects to advance AI as part of our TRIP initiative. This initiative is growing internationally thanks to our collaboration with the United States' Argonne National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This March, we will also launch a supercomputer specialized for use with AI, equipped with over 2000 NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs. Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology is also working on a new large-scale project, and we are making preparations to allow widespread use of RIKEN's computational resources and see Japan rank among the top globally in this field.
Strengthening collaboration with universities is another central pillar of our Fifth Mid- to Long- Term Plan. We have already started collaborations with Waseda University, Kyoto University, the University of Tokyo, Institute of Science Tokyo, Keio University, and Harvard University in talent development and other areas. Though these cooperative efforts, we are striving to further bolster Japan's scientific excellence, raising our country's presence as a science and technology powerhouse and a science-driven contributor to a better future. We aspire to further expand our collaboration with universities this year to achieve this aim.
I expect 2026 to be a year that sees even greater advancements in comprehensive basic sciences, with special focus on quantum technology, supercomputing, and AI for Science. RIKEN is playing a central role in this progress, and we will make steadfast efforts to create knowledge that contributes to a better future society as we share the universal power of science with all of humanity.
I ask for your ongoing support and cooperation towards our goals this year.
January 1, 2026
Makoto Gonokami
President, RIKEN
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For more information, please see:
- Makoto Gonokami's Curriculum Vitae