My favorite phrase: In order to be ambitious, do not be afraid to be different.

Q: Why did you choose this phrase?

It is a quote by Yoshida Shoin, an educator and thinker who nurtured the leaders of the Meiji Restoration. As a scholar of education and human resource development, I have a lot to learn from Yoshida Shoin . In addition, as this quote suggests, I believe that if you want to do innovative research, you must have the courage and energy to break through the existing boundaries with new ideas rather than settling for familiar research methods.

Q: What is your research topic?

I am researching the education and knowledge formation of youth and children in the developing countries of Africa and other such countries. For the past few years, I have led a research project called “Skills and Knowledge for Youths” (SKY), involving young researchers at Nagoya University. A key component of the SKY project is to assess the skills of young workers in the manufacturing industry, and to analyze the knowledge required by industry and the role of education.

The knowledge that is truly useful in one's work and life and that enriches that person cannot be acquired simply by memorizing a textbook. The SKY project aims to understand young people's different types of skills, including cognitive and non-cognitive skills (so-called soft skills), as well as occupational skills in relation to the particulars of the countries and their industries. The purpose is to provide policy suggestions to governments and industry organizations regarding the appropriate and relevant content and means for human resource development.

In addition to the above-mentioned empirical studies in developing countries, I am also involved in various discussions on “education for sustainable development” in Japan and the international community, while analyzing the background of such discourse.

Q: How did you embark on your career as a researcher?

It was when I was working as a consultant for an international cooperation project in an African country. The task of collecting various information for the project was interesting, but at the same time, I started to develop a desire that I wanted to do more. That is, I wanted to examine deeper than just conducting a quick survey on project-related matters. One day, I decided to return to graduate school to be an academic who will investigate society's cultural and historical backgrounds. By doing so, I wanted to examine critically the taken-for-granted notions such as "We must build a school in every village because people cannot learn unless they go to school."

Q: When do you feel that research is interesting or rewarding?

When the scattered ideas in my brain fit and come together as a unified argument. When I encounter excellent researchers and papers in various fields, I become excited about their inspirations. Furthermore, when I work with people from developing countries' governments and industry associations who are interested in our research findings and want to utilize them, I feel happy that I am contributing to the real world.

Q: I heard that you are conducting research in collaboration with Assistant Professor Hideki Kanda (Researchers' Voice No. 11). It certainly integrates the humanities and the sciences, but what kind of project is this?

The project is to transfer to South Africa highly energy-efficient technology for extracting biofuel from microalgae, for which Dr. Kanda holds a patent. My role in this project is to develop the competencies of the people involved in operationalizing the technology. South Africa must have a competent workforce that can both maintain the machinery that extracts biofuels and commercially utilize the biofuels. I am looking into ways to cultivate such competencies to sustain and develop the project in South Africa, even after when Japanese support ends.

Q: What do you do when you feel discouraged? How do you relieve stress?

I drink beer (and complain) and go to bed!

Q: Please tell us about an experience that you can only talk about now.

It is a secret.

Q: What are your goals and ambitions for the future?

My goal is to conduct an interdisciplinary examination of how knowledge is formed at the individual and societal levels in a modern networked environment. At times, I am working on skills assessment in African factories, and at others, on the epistemology of African traditional societies, picking up Western and Eastern philosophies, or on large-scale text analysis with the help of experts in the field of information technology. It might seem like my field of study is vast, but I feel that the pieces of study I have accumulated are gradually coming together.