From the 1990s, brain science has advanced dramatically as a broad human science, from the micro level to the systems level and beyond, encompassing social activity. In the next 10 to 20 years, brain science is expected to gather widespread interest, evolving into a new science which integrates basic and applied research, and holds the key to solving many of society's problems. Brain science, a science which studies human beings, has a particularly significant mission in Japan, where, as people reach a high level of material wealth, their psychological troubles have increased. Brain science contributes to the advancement of mankind by new insights into a wide range of areas. It sheds light on the nature and physiology of human beings, the causes of neurological, psychiatric, and developmental disorders, and leads us to methods of treatment and prevention. It clarifies the principles of brain development and learning, and yields guiding principles for raising and educating children. It discovers the brain's information processing system, showing us possibilities for technical applications.

Since it opened in 1997, RIKEN Brain Science Institute has gathered together superior research groups to explore the most important and advanced areas of brain science under an international and highly flexible management system that encourages interdisciplinary research. Since then it has grown into one of the leading brain research institutes in the world. Over the next five years, the Institute will be strengthening its interdisciplinary research system to undertake new challenges in the four research cores of mind and intelligence, neural circuit function, disease mechanism, and advanced technology management.

Nearly five years have passed since I became director of BSI. I remember being both thrilled and anxious when the reins of BSI were handed over to me by its founder, Dr. Masao Ito. My task has been not only to safeguard BSI - which has gained worldwide attention as a scientists' paradise - but also to improve it further.

It is a fact of life, however, that the path forward is not always easy. Shortly after I was appointed we were hit by budget cuts, which are still continuing today. To improve the situation, I have tried many things during these five years. Measures taken include changes in budget allocation, recruitment of young research staff, collaboration with universities, and the establishment of the BSI-Olympus and BSI-Toyota collaboration centers.

A “scientists' paradise” is not to be defined by its outward appearance, but as a place where everyone has a sense of purpose and a passion for the valuable work done there. I am grateful for the cooperation and support my colleagues at BSI have given me during my tenure. I am also grateful for their scientific achievements, which have given BSI worldwide recognition and well-earned applause.

The twenty-first century is the century of the brain. While brain science is unmistakably one of the basic life sciences, it is also a science of information, a science of the heart and soul, and a science of humanity.

RIKEN has just embarked on a new five-year plan. BSI is also on the verge of taking off for another decade of new achievements. I shall continue to observe new developments at BSI with hope and anticipation.