Kazuo Oike
Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen
On behalf of Kyoto University, I like to welcome you to this university to participate 17th International Spin Physics Symposium. Especially I like to thank those from abroad for a long trip to Kyoto for this Symposium.
Kyoto University was founded over a hundred years ago as one of the second national university. This Clock Tower was originally constructed in 1925 and it has been a symbol of Kyoto University for about 80 years. It was quite recently renovated to be the place to realize the internationalization of arts and science, and an exchange between society and the university. So I am very pleased to have this international symposium with many foreign participants here at Clock Tower Centennial Hall.
By the way, for the restoration of this building, latest technologies such as quake-absorbing apparatus was incorporated. I believe you will be safe in this building although we have a big active fault about 100m east form the place where you are now sitting.
Kyoto University is proud to claim five Nobel Prize laureates among its almni. Among those, Hideki Yukawa and Shin-itiro Tomonaga won the physics prize. Yukawa is the first Nobel laureates and Tomonaga is the second in Japan. You must know their names for their famous theories, foundation of meson theory and quantum electrodynamics. They were classmates at Kyoto University as well as high school. Moreover they had desks in the same room when they were mukyu-hukushu （“postdoc” without salary）. Yukawa was born in January 1907 and Tomonaga was born in March 1906. Therefore, in this academic year, Kyoto University has several events to celebrate the centennial of their birth. A special exhibition will be held from 4th of October （the day after tomorrow） at Kyoto University Museum which is just near here. （ Please visit there if you have time available.） I think it is quite timely to have this Spin Physics Symposium at Kyoto University this year, since I heard the major subjects of discussion are in the field of nuclear and particle physics, where the works of Yukawa and Tomonaga were so essential.
Talking about Tomonaga, he wrote many books for both science students and public. One of his most famous book is titled as “Spin はめぐる”. The book is translated into English as “The story of spin”, so, many of you must know it. I heard many students were attracted to physics by reading this book. I believe the organizer of this symposium is one of them. I understand the spin has been and will be an important concept in physics.
I hope you have extensive discussion on the spin physics here at Kyoto University and a fruitful symposium. And also I hope you enjoy the city of Kyoto and a taste of Japanese culture well preserved in this modern city which has 17 world heritages.
Thank you for your attention.