I would like to express my sincerest condolences on the news of the passing of Dr. Makoto Nagao, former director of the International Institute for Advanced Studies and former president of Kyoto University.
Dr. Nagao was a true master of informatics. He focused his research on intelligent information processing, which brings value to the world through the use of the information media of images and language. The results of his research, such as facial recognition technology used in security cameras and optical character recognition technology incorporated into postal code readers, are not only important scientific advances, but are also widely integrated into our society as familiar technologies, truly embodying how advanced science leads to social innovation.
As a member of the 10th RIKEN Advisory Council in 2016 and the 11th RIKEN Advisory Council in 2019, based on his vast experience and broad insights, Dr. Nagao made recommendations to help RIKEN produce world-class results.
I would like to express my sincerest respect for Dr. Nagao’s pioneering research achievements as well as his tremendous accomplishments and offer my deepest condolences and sympathies.
May 27, 2021
Hiroshi Matsumoto
President
RIKEN