Latest news with #KeioUniversity
Al Etihad
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Etihad
Tokyo's Keio University gets new Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Centre for Arabic Language Education
21 May 2025 18:05 TOKYO (WAM) In a generous initiative by Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Mother of the Nation, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union (GWU), President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood (SCMC), and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF), the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Centre for Arabic Language Education was officially inaugurated at Keio University in Tokyo, Japan. This initiative aligns with Her Highness Sheikha Fatima's pioneering role in promoting knowledge and advancing Arab culture centre is dedicated to providing comprehensive Arabic language education programmes, encouraging cultural and literary studies, and expanding academic research in Arabic studies to foster deeper mutual understanding between the Arab world and inauguration ceremony was attended by Dr. Maitha bint Salem Al Shamsi, UAE Minister of State; Kohei ITOH, President, Keio University; Marwan Alnaqbi, deputy head of mission of the UAE Embassy in Japan; Prof Mohamed Bin Huwaidin, Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU); several ambassadors; university vice presidents, faculty members, and students interested in Arabic language studies. Earlier, UAEU signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Keio University to support the centre's programmes, and ensure the sustainability and academic integration of Arabic language education in Japan.
Japan Forward
19-05-2025
- Health
- Japan Forward
Health Japan 21: A New Navigation Chart for the Super-Aged Society
このページを 日本語 で読む In 2025, Japan reaches a pivotal turning point. The postwar baby boomer generation, born between 1947 and 1949 and known in Japan as the Dankai generation, will all be 75 years or older. By 2050, Japan's population is projected to decline to 100 million. With that, only 51% of the Japanese will remain within the working-age demographic. The nation is now embarking on an unprecedented voyage into a super-aged society that no other country has ever experienced. As the country prepares for this new departure, a national initiative has been launched to support the health of its citizens through a collective societal effort. This is the third term of "Health Japan 21," which began in 2024. Its vision is bold and inclusive: "Creating a sustainable society where all citizens can live healthy and fulfilling lives." The initiative has two key concepts: Inclusion — leaving no one behind in health promotion, and Implementation — ensuring the effectiveness of actions taken. Behind this vision lies a sobering reality. Not only is aging accelerating, but the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes is rising. Widening regional health disparities come along with both. In response, the government revised the Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2025 edition) in autumn 2024. This lays the scientific foundation for future health policy. What is now urgently needed is the implementation of evidence-based policies. At this critical juncture, a new "health map" has emerged to guide our voyage. It comes from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Japan research team, led by Professor Shuhei Nomura of Keio University. This team analyzed comprehensive data from the GBD Study 2021 to assess diseases, injuries, and risk factors across Japan and its 47 prefectures from 1990 to 2021. Its report scientifically visualizes the transformation of Japan's health landscape over the past 30 years. The findings are far from simple. At the national level, Japan's health has steadily improved. Average life expectancy at birth rose from 79.4 years in 1990 to 85.2 years in 2021 — an increase of 5.8 years. Women's life expectancy rose from 82.3 to 88.1 years, and men's from 76.2 to 82.2 years. Healthy life expectancy, abbreviated as HALE, also increased from 69.4 to 73.8 years over the same period. However, regional disparities have grown. The gap in life expectancy between prefectures widened from 2.3 to 2.9 years. Among men, the gap grew from 3.2 to 3.9 years. Similar patterns were observed for healthy life expectancy, with clear geographic inequalities. Prefectures such as Shiga, Kyoto, and Nagano in western Japan consistently ranked among the top in both life expectancy and healthy life expectancy. Meanwhile, northern prefectures such as Aomori and Akita remained at the bottom for both men and women. This reflects a persistent east-west divide in health outcomes. Japan's leading causes of death have also shifted dramatically. Alzheimer's disease and dementia, ranked 6th in 1990, became the number one cause of death by 2016. It remained so in 2021, followed by stroke, ischemic heart disease, lung cancer, and lower respiratory infections. In terms of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), a metric that measures the total number of years lost due to illness, disability, or premature death, lower back pain has ranked as the leading contributor since 2012. It is followed by stroke and Alzheimer's disease. Stomach cancer was once a major cause of death. However, it has seen a dramatic decline due to reductions in Helicobacter pylori infections, improved screening, better diagnostics and treatment, and healthier diets. This is contributing greatly to extended healthy life expectancy. DALYs provide a standardized way for governments and global institutions to prioritize public health actions by quantifying how much healthy life has been lost due to various conditions. Professor Shuhei Nomura (Photographed by the author.) Professor Nomura explains: "The takeaway is clear. We are entering an era where the question is no longer just 'How long can we live?' but increasingly 'How well can we live?' The future of a super-aged society is not one where we carry painkillers in one hand and dementia drugs in the other. Broadening our perspective, we see that all of Asia is now facing a rapid aging wave. According to the Asian Development Bank, the elderly population in Asia will double by 2050, reaching 1.2 billion. Many Asian countries are now closely observing Japan's journey as a potential model for their own future." Japan is unique among post-industrial nations. It has maintained one of the lowest obesity rates while undergoing rapid economic growth. Having successfully navigated a major health transition, Japan is now at the forefront of global efforts to manage aging and chronic diseases. Its initiatives are not just a national roadmap, but a "navigation chart for the future" for all of Asia. This is why there are such high expectations for Health Japan 21 (Third Term). With data-driven science and grounded policy implementation as its twin engines, Japan has the opportunity to remain a global leader in health innovation. The choices Japan makes will influence not only its own future but that of the entire region. Can we build a society where everyone can live in good health and with dignity? That is the question before us. The compass to that future is now, unmistakably, in the hands of the Japanese people. The Global Burden of Disease is an ambitious global research initiative that systematically quantifies the human health impact of more than 80 risk factors. These range from infectious diseases to lifestyle-related chronic conditions. Conducted across 204 countries and territories, GBD tracks the progression and improvements in health outcomes over time. Launched with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2007, the project is spearheaded by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation located at the University of Washington in Seattle. Each year, the findings are published in The Lancet, one of the world's most influential medical journals. They serve as a global compass for guiding national health policies and public health priorities. For additional information, you are encouraged to visit the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington.) This report was first published on J apan 2 Earth , a JAPAN Forward website featuring Japan's initiatives on the SDGs. Author: Hisayuki Uneyama, PhD このページを 日本語 で読む
Asahi Shimbun
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Asahi Shimbun
Radwimps drummer builds voice-operated kit for comeback
SAN FRANCISCO—Pushed by a strict but empathetic professor, the drummer of popular rock band Radwimps plans to restart his musical career that was derailed by a neurological disease. Satoshi Yamaguchi, 40, has been on hiatus from the group since 2015 after developing dystonia, which caused involuntary muscular contractions in his right foot and made it impossible for him to properly step on the pedal for his bass drum. He has studied the disease in the academic world and jointly created a voice-operated drum for his musical comeback. Yamaguchi said he was inspired by people in Silicon Valley. 'Those who I met in Silicon Valley gave me a lot of love,' Yamaguchi said. 'I'm grateful more than words can say.' FROM CONCERTS TO RESEARCH Formed in 2001, Radwimps quickly soared to popularity, particularly among the younger crowd. The band's production of music for such animated feature films as megahit 'Your Name.' heightened the group's fame, leading to sold-out shows in both Japan and overseas. Yamaguchi, however, took leave from the group after the dystonia symptoms worsened. He joined Keio University as a visiting researcher and started studying the disease among musicians. Through his work, he gained an opportunity to have lunch with Takako Fujioka, 57, an associate professor of music at Stanford University specializing in brain functions. At a 'tonkatsu' (deep-fried pork cutlet) restaurant in Tokyo in 2023, Yamaguchi told Fujioka about his experience. The neuroscientist shed tears and said how sorry she was for him. Yamaguchi decided to go to California, where Fujioka works, to continue his research. He attended an English language school near San Francisco in autumn that year while visiting Fujioka's lab at Stanford. She was tough on Yamaguchi when teaching him how to act like a researcher. She told him to engage in more academic conversations and refer to papers and theories to express his ideas instead of talking on a whim. All of Fujioka's students are musicians who design instruments and develop software. After repeated exchanges, Fujioka suggested to Yamaguchi that he create a system that would allow him to play the drums again. Although caught off-guard by the idea, he decided to give it a shot. Fujioka held a computer-related job before she felt that she had hit a wall. She switched careers and became a brain-wave researcher in her 30s. That was why Fujioka emphasized to Yamaguchi the importance of putting all of his energy into a field to which he could channel his passion. She also advised the musician to narrow the purpose of his research to, for example, finding a cure or other reason. Yamaguchi took a personal approach. He had recorded the stress he felt when he experienced symptoms, and he used those feelings as 'data.' 'He put his experiences into words and was exploring ways to study them somehow,' Fujioka recalled. 'At the same time, it might have helped Yamaguchi's rehabilitation.' REGAINING THE FUN Yamaguchi got further inspiration for his project from Roy Hirabayashi, founder of San Jose Taiko, a Japanese-American drumming group, and his wife PJ, both of whom helped him rediscover the fun of music. After seeing San Jose Taiko perform live, Yamaguchi visited the band members at their rehearsal space. Hirabayashi gave advice to Yamaguchi on playing the 'taiko' drums. 'I said, 'I don't want you to think like a Western drum player. I want you to start from zero,'' she said. She said she also urged Yamaguchi to feel a spiritual tie with the traditional Japanese instrument. 'The way that I teach is really becoming aware of the universe and Mother Nature, energy, wanting him to really feel that connection by having a drum that's made out of wood and animal hide,' she said. Yamaguchi, who hadn't played the drums for a long time, found it exciting and regained the happiness of playing music. He also noticed that Hirabayashi and other performers shouted out something like 'don-pa-don-pa' just before hitting the drums. That further inspired Yamaguchi to develop the voice-operated bass drum. Hirabayashi said she noticed a change in the Radwimps drummer. 'He was just so open and wanting to learn,' she said. 'He is crediting us for changing his life. We could also see it. There was some kind of shift in the way and his enthusiasm.' Yamaguchi continued holding discussions with Fujioka and other experts. In December, he unveiled the drum set he jointly developed with Yamaha Corp. The instrument uses a sensor that detects the voice of the player to vibrate the bass drum and produce the sound. 'I want to play music with the members of Radwimps again with a smile on my face,' Yamaguchi said. 'I believe this epoch-making technology can lead me to that future.' While hoping to make a comeback as a musician, he intends to finish a paper he has been working on for four years. He also plans to move on to a Ph.D. program to continue his research.
The Mainichi
08-05-2025
- Health
- The Mainichi
Editorial: Japan must quickly commercialize iPS-based treatment by overcoming challenges
Research into treatment using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells has been generating positive results one after another. Amid high expectations among patients struggling with intractable illnesses and their families, it is hoped that progress converting the technology to practical use will be quick. A clinical trial conducted by a team of Kyoto University researchers targeting Parkinson's disease patients has found that the conditions of some of the subjects administered with nerve cells generated from iPS cells have improved. Another trial on Type 1 diabetes patients triggered the cells to secrete insulin, responsible for lowering blood sugar levels. In a world first, Keio University led a clinical study using iPS cells on patients with spinal cord injuries and saw some of the subjects' motor functions improve. In April, a startup launched at the University of Osaka applied for approval from the health ministry to manufacture and distribute heart muscle sheets prepared from iPS cells for treating heart disease, marking the first application of its kind for regenerative medicine products derived from iPS cells. These are epoch-making results for diseases that were previously difficult to treat. There arose no safety issues during the research phase, implying that these achievements have brought us a step closer to getting the technology into practical use. With their ability to develop into a variety of tissues, iPS cells have been under the spotlight for their potential to recover functions lost to illnesses. Kyoto University professor Shinya Yamanaka, who developed iPS cells, was awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. There remain, however, challenges that must be overcome. Increasing the number of iPS-derived cells administered to patients to boost efficacy raises carcinogenic risks. Unlike medicinal compounds, quality may vary among living cells used in the treatment. Careful checks are indispensable. Further confirmation of the efficacy of the iPS-based treatment is also essential. So far, clinical trials and studies have turned up different effects among individual patients. Due to the high development cost, patients undergoing the treatment are expected to face hefty bills. As there are fewer patient samples compared to those given general new drugs, it won't be easy to collect data. Companies seeking to commercialize the regenerative medicine products are likely to use a system allowing them to hit the market for a set period on condition that the firms acquire additional data on their efficacy, among other requirements. The system is unique to Japan, enabling applications for marketing drugs once their efficacy can be estimated. Even though approval for such products is considered a mere "provisional permit," it can lead to treatment in the very near term. It is hoped that Japan will continue to steadily resolve challenges and make its world-leading technology flourish as a medical revolution.
Straits Times
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
GE2025: No crowds, short waiting times as overseas Singaporeans cast their ballots
Singaporeans living abroad headed to the polls on May 3 to cast their vote in the 2025 General Election at the nation's overseas polling stations. ST PHOTOS: WALTER SIM, MAGDALENE FUNG Follow our live coverage. HONG KONG/TOKYO/SHENZHEN/NEW YORK – Back home in Singapore, Mr Julian Chang, 24, used to pay little attention to politics, calling himself 'apolitical'. But since coming to Tokyo as an exchange student a month ago, he has been gripped by election fever, even though he has had to watch election rallies online instead of attending in person. 'I didn't imagine I'd feel so patriotic in my first voting experience because, honestly, I'm quite apolitical at home and I don't really care. But coming here, I realise that I do,' said Mr Chang, a Singapore Management University accountancy undergraduate who is on an exchange programme at Keio University and registered to vote in Hougang SMC. On May 3, he turned up at the Singapore Embassy in Tokyo at around 8am local time. There was a slight buzz of activity outside the building – located on a hill in the Azabujuban district – when voting opened, with people mingling outside its gates. Many had come to vote early before proceeding with their plans for the Golden Week holidays, which run from April 29 to May 6. Finance professional Annabelle Kan, 33, was also at the embassy in Tokyo early to cast her ballot hours before she was to fly to Okinawa on holiday with her family members. While she has lived abroad for about 10 years, it was her first time voting overseas. 'It is a chance to really consider and think about issues that affect my family back home, even though I'm overseas,' the Mountbatten SMC voter said. Singaporeans living abroad headed to the polls on May 3 – encountering no crowds and short waiting times – to cast their vote in the 2025 General Election at the nation's overseas polling stations. In Hong Kong, a short queue of about a dozen people had formed at the ground floor lift lobby of the Admiralty Centre office building housing the Singapore consulate by 7.50am, ahead of voting opening at 8am. Among the first few in line was banker Christine Foo, who was voting from Hong Kong for the first time after relocating to the city for work in August 2024. 'I came at this hour because I'm an early riser,' Ms Foo, 55, told The Straits Times after she had cast her ballot. 'The voting process was very smooth; there was no crowd, and I was done in less than five minutes.' Banker Christine Foo was among the first few in line to vote at Singapore's Consulate-General in Hong Kong. ST PHOTO: MAGDALENE FUNG Ms Foo, who is registered to vote in the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, said that as a 'true blue Singaporean and a former grassroots leader', she felt privileged to be able to vote. 'I believe that one should ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for it first,' said the banker, who added that she respects diversity and hopes for peace and stability for the people of Singapore. This general election is the first electoral test for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who took over from Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and was sworn in on May 15 , 2024. Voting is compulsory for Singaporeans aged at least 21. Of the 2.75 million Singaporeans eligible to vote in this election, 18,389 were registered as overseas voters, according to the Elections Department (ELD). Among them, 8,630 have registered to vote in person while 9,759 registered to vote by post. The 1,152 registered overseas voters in the Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC will not participate in the ballot as the constituency's PAP team won in a walkover. Of the 33 electoral divisions, Tanjong Pagar GRC has the most overseas voters at 1,703, while Sembawang West SMC has the fewest at just 81. Singapore has overseas polling stations in the following 10 cities where there is a significant number of Singaporeans: Beijing, Canberra, Dubai, Hong Kong, London, New York, San Francisco, Shanghai, Tokyo and Washington DC. Research manager Ian Tan , who was voting from Hong Kong for the third time, said that while there was a short queue when he arrived at the consulate slightly before 11am, he took barely 10 minutes to complete the voting process. Voter Ian Tan at Admiralty Centre, which houses Singapore's Consulate-General in Hong Kong, on May 3. ST PHOTO: MAGDALENE FUNG He also said that he followed the election campaign closely every day primarily through mainstream media outlets like ST, social media platforms like YouTube, and the views of key opinion leaders online. 'What motivates me to vote even though I'm overseas, is to share with my children what elections are and why it matters for us to exercise our voting rights ,' Mr Tan, 39, a father of two young children aged six and six months, respectively , said. 'I am lucky that Singapore's consulate in Hong Kong is just a short MTR (train) ride away for me,' he added. Over in Shanghai, seasoned overseas voter Jason Ong arrived at the Singapore consulate shortly after doors opened at 8am to cast his ballot. The 45-year-old, who runs a cross-border advisory business and has lived abroad for the past 24 years, said that voting is a reminder that 'you're still a part of this small, vibrant nation'. 'It allows you to anchor yourself a little bit to Singapore, given that you're actually away from the country, away from friends and relatives, and away from a lot of the action,' said Mr Ong, who is registered to vote in the East Coast GRC. Also at the ballot box was fellow East Coast GRC voter Catherine Thai, 52, who made sure to stay in Shanghai during China's ongoing May Day holidays just so she could cast her vote in person. 'I physically want to be present,' the chief operating officer of an import-export firm said, as doing so makes her 'really feel that I belong to the country'. Ms Catherine Thai (far right) and friends after voting at the Singapore Consulate-General in Shanghai on May 3. PHOTO: COURTESY OF CATHERINE THAI She has lived in the Chinese financial hub since 2015. Ms Thai made an occasion of heading to the polls, arranging to meet up with friends at the consulate before heading to lunch at Singapore restaurant Jumbo Seafood. On the menu was a large pot of fish head curry with a side of prata, which the eatery 'promoted just for this voting day'. After polls close, the ballot boxes will have 10 days to return to Singapore before the votes are tabulated and added to the final count. However, the Returning Officer can extend this by another seven days if the total number of overseas voters entitled to vote at the election is material to the election outcome, and he is satisfied that more time is needed for the overseas votes to reach Singapore. Due to time differences, voting in Dubai, London and the three cities in the US – Washington, New York and San Francisco – took place a day ahead on May 2 as overseas polls must not close later than the close of polls in Singapore. Of the 10 polling stations set up at Singapore's embassies, high commissions and consulates abroad, London and Hong Kong have the highest number of registered overseas voters – 2,470 and 1,318 respectively. Investment consultant Joanne Tan , 27, who travelled an hour by train from Wimbledon to the Singapore High Commission in London's Belgravia area to cast her ballot, said she was 'in and out of the building within 10 minutes'. 'The voting process was very efficient and organised,' said Ms Tan, who is registered to vote in the East Coast GRC . She also noted: ' Young voters need to read widely about the growing challenges that will affect all of us.' Investment consultant Joanne Tan, 27, travelled an hour by train to the Singapore High Commission in London's Belgravia area to cast her ballot on May 2. PHOTO: COURTESY OF JOANNE TAN In New York, Ms Debbie Soon, 36, an entrepreneur and author, took a three-hour flight from Miami to exercise her citizen's privilege. 'Even though I don't live in Singapore, my family and friends are still there, and I visit once or twice a year. I am very passionate about all things Singapore,' said Ms Soon, who co-founded a social marketplace focused on art with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's sister Randi Zuckerberg. An ELD spokesperson told ST that a turnout of 1,743 voters was expected across the three overseas polling stations in the US. Singaporeans queuing to verify their identities and receive the ballot paper ahead of casting their votes at the Singapore mission in New York. ST PHOTO: BHAGYASHREE GAREKAR In the 2020 general election, 4,794 registered overseas electors – or 72.97 per cent of them – turned up at their designated overseas polling stations to cast their votes. Singaporeans returned the PAP to government, handing it 83 of the 93 seats. The overseas votes in 2020 largely followed patterns similar to citizens who voted locally. A few exceptions were seen in a number of hotly contested constituencies, where overseas voters supported the team that lost eventually. The results of the July 10, 2020, election were already decided before the overseas votes were counted, as the margins of victory for all 31 constituencies were greater than the total number of overseas registered voters for each constituency. The PAP's national vote share fell by one-hundredth of a percentage point, from 61.24 per cent before accounting for overseas voters, to 61.23 per cent. Voting through the post was introduced in the 2023 presidential election to make it easier for Singaporeans living overseas to cast their ballot. However, only three in five of the ballot votes received that election were allowed for counting, as 918 out of 2,263 of the return envelopes that year were found torn, unsealed or opened, or had absent, faint, illegible or late postmarks, according to the ELD. Casting her vote from abroad for the first time, 30-year-old digital solutions manager Teh Xia Yin exercised her civic duty via postal ballot from Paris. A registered voter in the Pasir Ris-Changi GRC, Ms Teh said that she approached the electoral decision with a broad and considered perspective . Magdalene Fung is The Straits Times' Hong Kong correspondent. She is a Singaporean who has spent about a decade living and working in Hong Kong. Walter Sim is Japan correspondent at The Straits Times. Based in Tokyo, he writes about political, economic and socio-cultural issues. Joyce ZK Lim is The Straits Times' China correspondent, based in Shenzhen. Bhagyashree Garekar is The Straits Times' US bureau chief. Her previous key roles were as the newspaper's foreign editor (2020-2023) and as its US correspondent during the Bush and Obama administrations. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
