On Friday, December 2, recipients of grants-in-aid from the Canon Foundation gathered at a Tekko Executive Lounge & Conference Room in Chiyoda City, Tokyo for the “2022 Reunion.”

The Canon Foundation offers grants-in-aid to researchers in a wide range of scientific fields and places high value on the community of recipients of those grants-in-aid, who play active roles in their respective fields. The “Reunion” is an event intended to support the forward development of research and the broadening of researcher activities by having those researchers interact across their respective domains of specialization. While it was difficult to hold this event for some time due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the 2022 holding of the event, the Canon Foundation organized its fourth Reunion after a three-year hiatus.

On the day of the event, approximately 60 participants were present in total, including members of the Screening Committee and others involved in the Canon Foundation as well as Foundation-funded researchers. In his address to commence the proceedings, Foundation Chairman Hiroyuki Yoshikawa expressed his expectations with the following remarks: “The Reunion is a vital gathering. There are many topics that need to be mutually discussed. I would like recipients of grants-in-aid from the Canon Foundation to contemplate what they should do with the mentality that they are scientists present within society and endeavor to create new disciplines that differ from existing academic domains.”

Next, Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo and the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies Kiyoshi Kurokawa took the podium to give a special lecture on the theme of “Lagging scientific research in Japan: its background and a prescription to cure it.” Professor Kurokawa discussed areas such as problems with the scientific technology policy of the Japanese government and the importance of thinking and learning on one’s own. He peppered the discussion with the kind of knowledge that only someone like him who is active around the world can share. Professor Kurokawa also imparted a passionate message to the researchers on hand, saying,” It is of the essence that you spread your respective ideas to the outside world and proceed to link them to the next generation.” *Detailed information on the lecture and the question-and-answer session is scheduled to be made available on the Canon Foundation website at a later date.

Afterwards, following a change in venue, the 25 recipients of grants-in-aid held a poster session. This program is conducted as an initiative for creating opportunities for research exchange that transcends disciplines. Each booth hosted the presentation of its own research theme and facilitated close exchange among fellow researchers.

The proceedings continued with a social gathering that reached a lively peak despite the limited time on hand. There, researchers from differing disciplines further deepened their exchange with each other.