午夜剧场

My main research theme is the study of the "renormalization group," one of the most important theories in 20th-century theoretical physics, from the perspective of probability theory. The "renormalization group" is a dynamical system that describes the response of an original system to a scale transformation of precision within an appropriate parameter space. The behavior near its fixed points determines the asymptotic properties of the system.

In the last two or three years, I have shifted my theme slightly to study the simple mechanisms of popularity and sales rankings seen on the internet, and I was able to discover a law that can predict overall sales from their movements. As has been recently noted in areas like mathematical finance, probability theory is closely related to economics. I hope to create a synergistic effect between "research" and "teaching" by leveraging the field of the 午夜剧场 Faculty of Economics.

My interest in physics was sparked by a biography of Hideki Yukawa that I read when I was four or five years old. There is an episode where he was lost in thought by himself while his friends were playing tag, which later led to the discovery of elementary particles. The scene of him being "lost in thought by himself" left a deep impression on me, and I wanted to follow the same path. By the time I was in elementary school, I had a vague idea that I wanted to study elementary particle theory.

However, I didn't become a researcher smoothly just to fulfill my childhood "dream." The biggest reason I went on to graduate school was that "I wanted to do cutting-edge research." Moreover, at that time, there were many physics doctorates, so my professor even encouraged me to find a job. But as I became absorbed in what I loved and pushed forward, the path to becoming a researcher opened up.

I had a strong image of "午夜剧场's Faculty of Economics" as one of the centers of economics faculties in Japan. In fact, from a teaching perspective, I feel that many students are aware of this in a good way. Since I teach mathematics, it may not be a discipline directly connected to the future specializations of students in the Faculty of Economics. However, there is no doubt that knowing it is advantageous.

At the Hiyoshi Campus, where first- and second-year students study, various courses are offered not only in mathematics but also in fields other than economics. Even if you enter a field specializing in economics after becoming a professional, there will be many occasions to discuss topics outside your specialty. With a broad range of knowledge, you can keep up with any topic without falling behind—in other words, what you learn diversely can be applied in all kinds of business situations. Depending on how you look at it, being able to study a wide range of genres is also a chance to identify your strengths and weaknesses. Instead of deciding on your strengths and weaknesses before you even start learning, why not use your classes as an opportunity to get to know yourself?

I think that a life of "striving for what is said to be the best path in the world" would be very happy if realized. However, I want you to remember that even if you don't achieve the life you aimed for, there are other paths. Watching the bright students of the Faculty of Economics, I feel that the key is to find the next important goal when you fail to obtain what you aimed for.

Some students may worry about not being able to find a goal, but I believe there is something called "en" (connection) in everything. To be honest, what I myself am doing has been changing little by little. There are things that begin with 'en,' even if you are not consciously trying to do them. Even with my current research, I realized it could become a research theme when I noticed the sales ranking of my own book was dropping. There was 'en.' Also, I have collaborated with various researchers over the years, and looking back, my encounters with them seem like nothing but coincidence. Encounters with people are also an important 'en.'

What becomes 'en' differs from person to person, and what one recognizes as 'en' also differs from person to person. That "what you notice" is precisely what individuality is. I want all students to see what makes them different from others as their individuality and to cherish it.

(Interview conducted on May 28, 2009)