I am Mamoru Doi, the recently appointed Director General of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). I feel that being chosen as the leader of a core institute of Japanese Astronomy is a weighty responsibility.

Currently, NAOJ is leading world astronomy through the operation of large-scale observational facilities like the Subaru Telescope and ALMA as well as high performance computers. At the same time, NAOJ is also promoting joint radio and optical-infrared observations, solar satellite observations, and gravitational wave observations through cooperation with universities and research institutes, which also produce various important scientific results. NAOJ also holds a central position in Japan with leading-edge technology development and data archives, along with distribution of information for the general public for astronomy. NAOJ is pursuing the extremely large 30-meter telescope TMT project advancing through international cooperation, and planning for the future beyond that. Having received the baton from Saku Tsuneta, the previous Director General, I would like to ask for everyone’s cooperation to make NAOJ the hub of the astronomy community, to further expand our frontiers of astronomy and to contribute to humanity.

NAOJ got started in 1988, when Tokyo Astronomical Observatory of the University of Tokyo, the Latitude Observatory in Mizusawa, and part of the Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory of Nagoya University were reorganized into NAOJ and the Institute of Astronomy, School of Science, University of Tokyo. That was just when I entered graduate school at the University of Tokyo, and I chose my supervisor from the Institute of Astronomy. But at that time, we didn’t have our own building yet, so we rented space from NAOJ, participated in galaxy observations using NAOJ telescopes, and conducted instrument development in NAOJ’s labs. The Director General at the time of reorganization was Yoshihide Kozai, a legend in the field of celestial mechanics, and I remember that at that time, he would pop into the computer room from time to time, operate the plotter, and watch the results of his calculations come out. I later found out that at this time Kozai had been tasked with many endeavors, including reorganization in preparation for the Subaru Telescope. But from my perspective, having just entered graduate school, I could not imagine the difficulties he was grappling with as Director General. Ten Years later, the Subaru Telescope was completed under Director General Keiichi Kodaira, and I was able to produce my own successes, including international collaboration to measure the expansion of the Universe. And starting from around the year 2000, I have been engaged in construction of the University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory (TAO), an optical and infrared telescope in Chile. As I watched from TAO, ALMA was constructed nearby, spanning the terms of three NAOJ Director Generals, and began producing astounding scientific results at a high pace.

In this way, I have had a front-row seat to watch as NAOJ has prospered based on the efforts of many people, first and foremost the former Director Generals. I want to continue the prosperity I have inherited and at the same time would like to respond to the continuing evolution of leading-edge astronomy techniques and the expansion of research topics. Utilizing my more than 30 years of experience at a university, I would like to strengthen cooperation with the astronomy community, in particular universities, and contribute to Japanese and world astronomy. I still have much to learn about NAOJ, but in the following I will introduce the areas where I would like to concentrate my efforts.

First, I would like to make steady progress on TMT now under construction. In the 2030s, the 30-meter class telescopes will be the telescopes expanding the frontiers of astronomy. I have the extremely important task of securing sufficient observing time for the Japanese community, not only in optical and infrared, but also other wave lengths such as X-ray and radio waves, as well as in astronomy using gravitational waves or neutrinos, and in theoretical astrophysics, celestial mechanics and planetary sciences. There are many difficulties left to overcome, but tremendous progress was made through the efforts and leadership of former Director General Tsuneta. I would like to maintain this momentum, continuing development towards the completion of the telescope.

Second, to create a diversified astronomy roadmap, I would like to thoroughly discuss with the community the role NAOJ should aspire to as the hub of the astronomy community, investigate future plans, and make preparations. To achieve this, I would like to actively pursue international cooperation and collaboration and to strengthen NAOJ’s system of committees as needed. Also the role of space-borne telescopes is becoming increasingly important in astronomy. I would like to strengthen cooperation with JAXA and other space related agencies and researchers.

My third item is human resource development. Astronomy has seen explosive development since the beginning of the 20th century. In both observational and theoretical techniques, we are able to conduct leading-edge research thanks to the accumulation of the efforts of our predecessors over the course of a century. In particular, astronomical telescopes and observational instruments have grown larger and more international; development and construction take 10 years of coordinated efforts. In contrast, students coming into college always start fresh. The human resource development to pursue leading-edge research and development is becoming harder every day. In my own time at the University of Tokyo, I was involved in several observational studies and observational instrument development projects with students, as well as international collaborative research. Based on that experience I would like to strengthen cooperation with researchers at various universities, and actively work to build a system for human resource development so that many students can flex their intellectual muscles to become world-leading astronomers.

My fourth item is collaboration with other academic fields. Astronomy is representative of basic science, but on the other hand utilizes leading-edge scientific techniques and creates observational instruments and data analysis software. It is connected to of course sciences like physics, Earth sciences, chemistry, and biology; but also to broader academic fields including engineering and information sciences. Also, astronomy is always pursuing the highest sensitivity for signal detection, and in the process developing techniques applicable to other sciences and the industrial sphere. NAOJ is one of the National Institutes of Natural Sciences, so I would like to strongly promote academic research exchange and collaborative research between NAOJ and people in other research institutes and universities.

My fifth item is NAOJ’s internal issues. Approximately 500 people work for NAOJ, and multiple projects are operating across national borders. In recent years some have voiced an opinion that there is a lack of interaction between the various projects and centers. And as NAOJ has grown, so has the administrative load needed to sustain its activities. I would like to make NAOJ a more rewarding workplace while sharing our passion for astronomy as a core research institute by invigorating internal exchange and optimizing workloads while actively incorporating proposals from those involved.

The proceeding five items are the ones I hope to focus on during my term in office. But as the first Director General who has never officially belonged to NAOJ since its founding, I would like to listen to everyone’s advice and opinions as I take the helm of NAOJ.

I look forward to this new opportunity.