A roundtable discussion was held on October 8th at Tokyo University of Science in Tokyo, featuring Kenzo Soai, Professor Emeritus of Tokyo University of Science (76), who was awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery of "asymmetric autocatalytic reactions," Ryoji Noyori, President of the Japan Academy (88), and Maki Kawai, Director General of the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (74). Professor Soai encouraged young researchers, saying, "What you're interested in is important in research. I want you to get down to experimenting," and they discussed the importance of basic research. (Photo by Masakatsu Shimizu, Science Department, Tokyo Headquarters; Published October 9, 2026)


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