RIKEN’s mission is to pioneer world-class research, to apply the results of this research toward improving society, and, ultimately, to contribute to ensuring the survival of all humanity.
Technology developed on the basis scientific knowledge is the foundation of civilized society. It is science and technology, in fact, which over the 20th century elevated the average life expectancy of people in the industrialized world from forty-five years to eighty years. Modern agriculture has ensured the stable production of food, and even as many in the world continue to suffer, the global population has climbed to more than 6.8 billion. Science and technology has changed everyday life. People have more leisure time, and are freed of the demands of hard labor. Progress in telecommunication technology has made it possible to talk directly not only to people across the world, but even to those far above the world. Such is the power and strength of modern civilization. It is essential, however, that science and technology aim not at satisfying the desires of today’s society, but rather at enriching the lives of future generations.
At the Johannesburg Summit, Kofi Annan, the U.N. Secretary General at the time, summarized the most pressing issues humanity must solve, now and in the near future, under the acronym WEHAB + P: Water, Energy, Health, Agriculture, Biodiversity and Poverty. The environment, clearly, encompasses all these areas.
In order for humanity to survive within the limited bounds of this planet, we must confront these issues very seriously.
RIKEN (Rikagaku-kenkyusho) was established in March 1917 as the first ever private research foundation in Japan. Though its organizational structure has changed many times, RIKEN has played a central role in promoting research in Japan as the country’s comprehensive research institute devoted to the natural sciences. In recent years it has pioneered a wide range of cutting-edge research in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, medical science and engineering.
I strongly believe that science and science-based technologies are essential to reducing and solving the problems that humanity faces. We do not have a great deal of time left, however. RIKEN must conduct coordinated research activities of a kind that exceed the capacity of any one individual. For this, it is essential, I believe, that the knowledge of individual high-caliber scientists be integrated into RIKEN knowledge, and that this knowledge then be connected to knowledge of society as a whole.
There is no denying that our research activities consume a huge amount of resources. The large-scale facilities that are fundamental for furthering science and technology consume much larger amounts of water and energy than private homes and other energy consumers in the wider society. It is thus imperative that RIKEN strive to use resources effectively, by streamlining its operations and updating its large-scale facility equipment. Furthermore, I am committed to promoting a change in staff awareness, and to mitigating environmental impact at every step of the research process.
In this document, we present an overview of our research activities and an outline of our efforts toward reducing our environmental impact. I welcome your frank and honest views on these issues, in the hope that they may advance RIKEN toward its goal of becoming an institution that is truly essential for humanity.
NOYORI Ryoji, President