92 | December 2021 www.facs.website and engineering curriculum remained much less systematic than the US and Europe, so the Japanese graduates conducted their research in various styles. Fortunately, the research environment, and internationalization, improved in the mid-1960s thanks to coordinated efforts of the government and universities. I started speaking English only at age 30 upon my first trip to Harvard University. Thanks for appreciating the innovative Israeli economy. I think that the situation in Israel is very similar to that of Japan. Israel does not have natural treasures and raw materials. But both Japan and Israel have outstanding human capital. In my view, the Japanese and Israeli cultures consider education and intellectual activities top priority. Do you agree with me? I agree that both Japan and Israel are eager to nur ture the young generation towards science and technology. However, the main difference is the higher level of the human network in your country. Israel, and more generally, the Jewish people, appreciate human interactions very much. Young Japanese stay in Japan, reluctant to travel and mix with other cultures. There is not much one person can do alone, so the human network is essential. I am a bit disappointed by the public attitude in Japan towards science. Unlike in Israel, many people in Japan consider scientists as slaves of the economy. Are you trying to influence the young generation to choose a career in science, and how? Yes, I enjoy encouraging the younger generation, and I see it as one of my most important duties. The curious minds and enthusiasmof young people inspire innovative scientific discoveries. Science is beautiful, exciting, and often beneficial for humankind. However, we should avoid pushing our yet naïve kids toward social matters too early. Children inherently love and enjoy nature simply because natural phenomena are exciting and marvelous. Our most important task is to maintain our kids’ “sense of wonder” until they reach their academic studies and much later. We know that intellectual curiosity rather than duty drives the progress of science. Unfortunately, this approach is difficult in Japan because of the fallacy of our school system. Our school pupils need to sacrifice their joyful endeavors because they are too busy gaining skills to pass the entrance examination of good high schools and universities. Regretfully, the university’s reputation is a major benchmark for achieving a promising career. So, parents consider that playing in wild nature or visiting science museums is a waste of time. This atmosphere misleads science teachers as well. Kids are not matric-regulated machines or robots but our living assets who will shape our future society. Education is not a tool for discrimination against children. I firmly believe healthy curiosity comes from the liberation of the spirit. Therefore, we must give our youths a well-balanced, proper STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) education. I prefer natural science - “science brut” in French, like “art brut,” rather than modern computer-controlled scientific research. We should motivate high school or university students in a bit different way. The essence of science that we should transfer to our students must always be the pursual of truth and the Socratic ability to recognize that we know nothing (knowledge of ignorance). The creation of new knowledge opens new windows to the unknown, and the accumulation of scientific discoveries keeps transforming myths into reality. Your biography suggests that the way to attract the young generation to science is non-trivial. Your advice about education seems challenging to implement, even in your case. Your father was a successful The 2001 Wolf Prize recipients. Front row: from left K. Barry Sharpless, the third Ryōji Noyori, and the fourth Henri B. Kagan. Back row: the fourth from left, Avram Hershko (2004 Nobel laureate). At the Chagall Hall of Knesset, Jerusalem in May of 2001 In December, 2001, the Nobel Foundation celebrated the centennial anniversary and invited more than 130 former laureates to Stockholm. Noyori’s sharing a Chemistry Prize with W. S. Knowles and K. B. Sharpless was congratulated by his supervisor at Harvard. From left to right: Hiroko and Ryōji Noyori, Claire and E. J. Corey (1990 laureate).
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