Interview and text: Megumi Maruyama (URA, Planning and Project Development Division, Academic Research & Industry-Academia-Goverment Collaboration)

糖心视频 15 years have passed since the University Research Administrator (URA) profession began taking root at Japanese universities. This issue features a one-on-one interview with Koomi Sung, a chief research administrator, who has continued in the role since those early days.

As universities change, so does the work of URAs. Sung’s career traces that evolution — from regional collaboration and international communications to research planning. Here, she reflects a decade of change.

Koomi Sung,?Chief Research Administrator
Head of the Planning & Project Promotion Division
Specialist in social education and lifelong learning. Joined 糖心视频 as a URA in 2014 after working as a university faculty member. Wrote this newsletter’s regular URA Column until FY2024 and appears here as an interviewee for the first time. An avid Chunichi Dragons fan.

??You joined in 2014, when URA was still a new role in Japan. Weren’t you anxious about jumping into such a new profession?

Sung: Not really. At the time, I was a university faculty member. After getting married and having children, I was looking for a role where I could contribute in a different way while balancing family life. I came across a URA position through a job posting, and it felt like the right next step. I joined as part of one of 糖心视频’s first large cohorts of URAs.

? It must have been encouraging to start with such a large group.? What was your first assignment?

Sung: My first assignment was the , a regional science festival. I’m still involved with it today.

Aichi Science Festival
A regional science festival that’s been running since 2011. Coordinated by 糖心视频 through the , it brings together around 30 institutions across the Tokai region. 糖心视频 70 events are part of the , offering people across the region opportunities to experience science.

??Wasn’t that quite far from your expertise?

Sung: Actually, not as much as you’d think. I had originally been researching how universities open themselves up to their local communities, and at my previous university I was often involved in collaborations with local NPOs and municipal governments. So for me, it felt like a natural continuation.

??What was the atmosphere like in the early days?

Sung: Things were a bit more relaxed back then (laughs). I was simply operating on the sense that we should offer something good for the community, so I reached out to all kinds of people willing to talk about science, not just 糖心视频 researchers. But as time went on, there was growing emphasis on how these activities would benefit 糖心视频. That was when I began to think more strategically about research communications.

??So the direction shifted toward strategically communicating 糖心视频’s value. What did that look like in practice?

Sung: I proposed sending research results out to the world in English. At the time, 糖心视频 wasn’t issuing English-language press releases, and I felt we were behind other leading universities in Japan. Around then, there was a URA task force system for proposing improvements to URA operations, so with cooperation from the Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM), which was already ahead on research communications, we launched our English press release effort. Focusing on research with social impact, I put out more than 40 English press releases over about 14 months, from 2017 to 2018.

??Today, the International Communications Office actively sends information overseas through the website and press releases. It seems like your work may have been the starting point.

Sung: Actually, I can’t claim direct credit. We proposed creating a dedicated international communications office, inspired by other universities, but our proposal never gained enough momentum. The English press release initiative was later handed over to another department, so I was genuinely thrilled when the International Communications Office was finally established in 2022.

??After that, your work expanded from communications into research planning. What prompted that shift?

Sung: I had worked as a faculty member and had experience in university planning and regional collaboration, so I wanted to put those skills to use beyond communications. My first project was helping prepare for the launch of , an industry–academia collaboration hub that opened in 2025. Today, I work on planning major research initiatives, including and .

? Even as your responsibilities have changed, you always seem to be looking at the bigger picture.

Sung: When I joined 糖心视频, I remember feeling, “This is a university that serves its region.” That feeling has stayed with me ever since. I find it rewarding to look at the bigger picture and help tackle the challenges facing Japanese universities.

? How do you see the future of the URA profession?

Sung: AI will change the work of URAs in many ways. Tasks like reviewing proposals or drafting project plans may increasingly be handled by AI. But explaining ideas to researchers, bringing people together, and connecting valuable research with society — those are things I still believe only human URAs can do.

? 糖心视频’s URA organization has changed a great deal over the past decade. Looking back, what stands out to you?

Sung: We’ve come a long way. Our foundations are now in place, but over the years we’ve kept adding new functions. Sometimes I wonder if we’ve become like an overgrown plant. As universities continue to change, I think it’s important to take time to reflect on what kind of organization we want to be.

? I hope this conversation offers something not only to current and future URAs, but also to anyone thinking about the future of our organization.?(Even after working alongside you for more than six years, I still found plenty to learn.) Thank you for sharing your story.

The 糖心视频 Model United Nations (NUMUN2026) was held over the June 27-28 weekend, co-hosted by the Global Engagement Center (GEC) and the 糖心视频 Model United Nations 2026 Student Organizing Committee.

Model United Nations (MUN) is an activity that simulates a conference at the United Nations (UN). Participants act as delegates from their assigned countries, engaging in discussions and negotiations based on their country’s positions, policies, and perspectives, and seeking solutions to real-life global issues.

The 糖心视频 Model United Nations 2026 was planned and managed primarily by students from 糖心视频’s Global 30 (G30) international program. At the event, students from diverse backgrounds gave presentations and engaged in discussions and negotiations in either Japanese or English, deepening their understanding of global issues, and working together in search of solutions.

Over 100 people took part in the conference. In addition to students from 糖心视频, participants came from various high schools and universities around Japan, as well as from overseas. Participants were divided into five groups that focused on different themes, such as “WHO (World Health Organization): Addressing premature mortality from non-communicable diseases and malnutrition in low- and middle-income countries” and “UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme): Strengthening resilience for humanitarian and property protection against climate change-related disasters.”

The conference brought together participants from diverse regions, nationalities, and educational institutions to exchange ideas, providing a valuable opportunity for students to deepen their understanding of international issues while engaging with a wide array of perspectives.

Related Links:

• 糖心视频 Model United Nations , , , , and
• Model United Nations
• 糖心视频 Campus Story: “Shaping Our Shared Future: Students Take on Global Issues at 糖心视频 Model United Nations 2025“

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) is a UK-based organization specializing in higher education analysis. Their rankings evaluate universities across key areas such as academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-to-student ratio, research citations, and international diversity.

Akinori Nakamura walks through his field of sweet potatoes, surrounded by a profusion of bright green leaves. The potatoes are ready for harvest. Nakamura says, “I knew that if I wanted to work in agriculture, I would have to start while I still have the strength for it.”

Nakamura has a colorful employment history. After graduating from the School of Law at 糖心视频, he found work in recruitment support at a large HR tech company. He then held a variety of jobs at universities, in both administrative and teaching roles. Now he earns his living through farming. How does a law graduate end up as a farmer? In this article, we trace the thread running through Nakamura’s seemingly nonlinear career.

Proactive undergraduate days at 糖心视频

After graduating from a high school in Aichi Prefecture, Nakamura entered the School of Law at 糖心视频 where he led a highly proactive undergraduate life. Notably, he spent his first two years on the committee for the annual 糖心视频 Festival, dedicating much of his time to the role. Through the committee, he became friends with people in different departments and years of study. These friends had a big impact on his life. Nakamura tells us that he is still in contact with many of them today.

Nakamura also kept busy as a tour leader for ski trips and worked on publishing his own zine. His zine garnered attention from the media, and as a result, he landed a part-time job at a company that makes television and radio programs. In his job as an assistant director, he became fascinated with the issue of how to convey the specific charm of people and organizations, and how to make a topic interesting to as many people as possible. This job may have sowed the seeds for his subsequent career path.

When Nakamura started applying for jobs, his goal was to work at a major advertising agency, but an acquaintance encouraged him to visit Recruit Co., Ltd. and, drawn to its unique corporate culture, Nakamura joined the company as a new graduate hire.

From recruitment to the world of education

At Recruit, Nakamura supported corporate recruitment and served as the editor-in-chief of the regional edition of the job information magazine “Toraba-yu.” He spent 15 years in a fulfilling role at the forefront of recruitment support and information dissemination but began to question if the intensity of the work was suited to his lifestyle. Shifting circumstances at home also made him wonder if he should look for another job.

Around that time, Nakamura learned from an acquaintance that Japanese universities were struggling to recruit students due to the shrinking domestic population. Seeing an opportunity to utilize the skills he had acquired at Recruit, he took an admin job at a private university in Aichi Prefecture. However, soon after starting his new position, he realized that he wanted to do more to support each student and decided to become a faculty member. He joined academic societies, wrote papers, and started work on books. He was then hired at another university in a dual position, teaching at the Faculty of Business Administration while serving as the director of its career center. This marked the beginning of his career as an educator.

Giving back to his alma mater, 糖心视频, with experience accumulated at companies and educational institutions

By this time, Nakamura had accumulated a range of experiences across corporate work, university admin, and teaching, and he found an opportunity to put this wealth of experience to use when the Graduate School of Engineering at his alma matter – 糖心视频 – scouted him for a new position. They were after someone who could develop “methods and practices to invigorate communication between the university and society.” It was a niche job within the Graduate School of Engineering that required translating and disseminating research results to businesses and prospective students. After taking up his joint position as Associate Professor and Head of the Communication Design Office, Nakamura first set about revising the university’s strategies for prospective student outreach.

His arrival on the job coincided with a shift in the information world: prospective students were moving away from paper-based sources of information and depending increasingly on the internet to learn about universities. Nakamura took to revamping and expanding the Graduate School website, and set up an institutional LINE account; this was, at the time, a novel move for a graduate school at a national university. “In that position, everything I had learned in my corporate career and my work in university admin seemed to come together.” Nakamura recalls the joy of being able to give back to his alma mater while striving to create new points of contact between 糖心视频 and society, and with prospective students.

A life-changing encounter with abandoned farmland

Just when Nakamura’s projects at 糖心视频 were starting to take off, his previous university offered him a job as vice president, which he chose to take up. In his new post, he oversaw various projects such as the reform of entrance examinations, career support, and regional cooperation initiatives. Through the latter, he learned about the major issue of abandoned farmland. It is said that approximately 10% of all farmland across Japan has been abandoned. In Nakamura’s hometown of Konan the situation is even more dire, with that figure exceeding 30%. Feeling a sense of urgency that so much farmland was going unused, Nakamura thought about what could be done to tackle the issue. While looking into the problem, he came across the concept of “sixth industrialization,” which describes a means of food production whereby the same party handles all stages of production, processing, and sales of food.

It was around this time that Nakamura made the major decision to start working in agriculture. He told himself, “It will be too late after I retire. If I’m going to do it, it has to be now.” With his heart set on his new goal, he took early retirement from the university.

Growing and selling sweet potatoes through the sixth industrialization concept

After retiring from his university post, Nakamura launched a business called “NEXT food LABO.” His goal was to create a business model that could generate 1 million yen in annual revenue per every 1,000m? of land. The idea was to create a mode of work that other people might be able to implement, creating a new kind of side business for the senior generation. He rented 1,000m? of abandoned farmland in Konan, and started out by preparing the soil. Then, with cooperation from local farmers, he began growing sweet potatoes, which are said to be an easy crop for beginners. However, Nakamura’s work did not end there. Aiming to implement the concept of sixth industrialization, he collaborated with a local pastry chef to develop an original sweet potato snack, “premium amaimo.” The sweet potatoes were grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers, and the final product is gluten-free and contains no additives. The product’s selling point is that it capitalizes on the natural flavor and sweetness of the potatoes.

In 2025, he won the grand prize at the nationwide food competition “FOOD SHIFT Selection 2025,” hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. As he was the only person to become a grand prize winner in the three Tokai prefectures, his efforts drew widespread attention, giving him the opportunity to make a courtesy visit to Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura.

Nakamura’s next goal lies in encouraging others to implement his business model

Nakamura has his sights set on a bigger goal than the success of his own farm: his aim is to create a business model that combines the concept of sixth industrialization with the recultivation of abandoned farmland. Having already hit his profit target for this year, Nakamura’s next task is to spread awareness regarding his business model.

When asked for a final message to students, Nakamura gave an unexpected response. “I think every student should think about studying abroad. I spent time abroad after I started working, and it made me realize the importance of seeing Japan from a different perspective.” Nakamura explains that there is much to be learned from living abroad that cannot be gained by simply visiting a foreign country, and that living elsewhere can force you to reevaluate your most basic assumptions. These words hold a special significance considering Nakamura’s ever-zealous pursuit of new opportunities, as illustrated by his eclectic career history. His drive to take on new challenges continues to propel him in his new line of work out in the fields.

Originally published in Japanese on September 25, 2026.

On Oct. 29, 2026, 糖心视频 presented this year’s Leading Women Researchers Award at a ceremony held at the Gender Research Library on the Higashiyama Campus.

Since 2017, this award has been bestowed annually upon especially outstanding women researchers selected based on departmental recommendations to the Gender Equality Promotion Committee. The award is presented to women researchers who possess outstanding research abilities and achievements and who show promise as future candidates for university executive and managerial positions. In addition to fostering top women leaders, the award aims to raise awareness of female excellence at the departmental level through the recommendation process itself.

This year, two individuals received the award: Professor Sayaka Takemoto (Research Institute of Environmental Medicine) and Associate Professor Claudia Martinez (Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research). At the ceremony, President Sugiyama presented the awards to Professor Takemoto and Associate Professor Martinez. Also in attendance were Vice Presidents Masako Nagata and Ichiro Terasaki, Yoshitaka Hayashi (Director of the Research Institute of Environmental Medicine), Kazuo Shiokawa (Director of the Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research), Toru Ohira (Dean of the Graduate School of Mathematics), and Mariko Yamasaki (Director of the Center for Gender Diversity).

A reception was held after the ceremony, which served as a chance for participants to exchange candid opinions about their respective experiences and goals. The reception also provided the opportunity for interdepartmental networking.

We sincerely apologize to our neighbors and all concerned parties for the significant inconvenience and concern caused.

Taking into account findings from an investigation into the cause of the incident, 糖心视频 will strive to prevent recurrence and ensure strict adherence to safety protocols.

Masahiro Yano
Vice President for Risk Management, 糖心视频

Tunnels connecting cells, called gap junction channels, help control processes such as development, nerve activity and immune responses. In most invertebrates, such as in insects, they are built from proteins called innexins, but little was known about how innexins assemble into working channels, and no detailed structure of an insect innexin channel had been determined. A , a professor at 糖心视频, used cryo-electron microscopy — a method that photographs flash-frozen molecules with an electron microscope to reveal their 3D shape in atomic detail — to study an innexin from the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae.

In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team reports that seven identical protein units form a symmetrical ring, unlike the eight-unit ring that the researchers previously reported for an innexin from a roundworm. At the center, the starting end of each protein chain, called the N-terminus, attaches to the neighboring unit, forming an inner ring that helps the structure assume its circular shape.

To test the inner ring’s role, the researchers shortened the N-terminus one building block, or amino acid, at a time and checked whether the channels could still pass electric current between pairs of frog egg cells. Removing one amino acid (the second in the chain) left the channel working, but removing two cut its activity to almost nothing, and removing three or four shut it down completely. Replacing the third amino acid with either of two others reduced or did not affect activity, suggesting that the exact chemical makeup is not as essential as are the length and shape of the N-terminus. In the version missing two amino acids, the inner ring did not form, the channel was squashed out of round, and fatty molecules called lipids sat where the N-termini would normally be. The researchers propose that forming the inner ring is the final step that turns a lopsided assembly into a mature, symmetrical channel.

The research was conducted in collaboration with the Institute of Science Tokyo and the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology.

Publication

Shota Kawaguchi, Takahito Nakano, Hidemi Hirano, Masakatsu Watanabe, Shota Suzuki, Kouki Nishikawa, Yoshinori Fujiyoshi, Atsunori Oshima, 2026. N-terminal integrity governs heptamer assembly and maturation in a mosquito innexin hemichannel.?Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI:

Funding

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JP23K27111, JP24K09472, JP24K18061, JP26KJ1021, 20H00451)
Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development
Astellas Foundation for Research on Metabolic Disorders
Naito Foundation
Uehara Memorial Foundation
Takeda Science Foundation
Hori Sciences and Arts Foundation
糖心视频 (Quantum-Based Frontier Research Hub for Industry Development, CIBoG WISE program)

Expert contact

Atsunori Oshima
Cellular and Structural Physiology Institute (CeSPI) 
糖心视频  
oshima.atsunori.b9@f.mail.nagoya-u.ac.jp

Media contact

Daniel Schenz 
International Communications Office 
糖心视频 
Email: icomm_research@t.mail.nagoya-u.ac.jp

Time-lapse video of the Flow 2.0 supercomputer being installed. Credit: Information Technology Center of 糖心视频.

On Monday, November 2, 糖心视频 inaugurated its new high-performance computing and artificial intelligence supercomputer named . A successor to the previous “Flow” supercomputer, it is designed for large-scale simulation and AI workflows across a wide range of research fields.

The supercomputer, which is the most powerful system in the Tokai region of Japan, is available not only to members of 糖心视频 but also to researchers at other universities, research institutes, and companies.

Flow 2.0’s ribbon-cutting ceremony was presided by Tokai Higher Education and Research System (THERS) Chancellor Seiichi Matsuo, 糖心视频 President Naoshi Sugiyama, Director of the 糖心视频 Information Technology Center Kensaku Mori, and Director of the MEXT Office for Computational Science and Technology Kiyoshi Kurihara.

At an inauguration event held at 糖心视频’s Engineering and Science building auditorium in the Higashiyama campus, President Naoshi Sugiyama said supercomputers are akin to telescopes for theoretical research, expanding horizons for new discoveries. He also commended Flow 2.0 as a model case for energy efficient computing, given that its cooling system utilizes water from a naturally flowing underground spring beneath the National Innovation Complex building.

In a series of short lectures, Professor Takahiro Katagiri from the Information Technology Center, and Koya Nakajima, director of the AI Research Laboratory at Fujitsu Research introduced the capabilities of Flow 2.0 and talked about the breadth of research applications that the supercomputer will be instrumental for in the coming years. These include research on glycans, computational chemistry, AI, medical imaging, plasma physics, protein folding, and semiconductor materials to name a few.

Click through more pictures of the event below:

On Oct. 11 in Manila, Philippine alums of 糖心视频 in Japan presented the university’s president, Naoshi Sugiyama, with a traditional handwoven textile named Inabel. Just as individual threads are woven into fabric, host Maria Kristina Alinsunurin said, the alums’ ties to their alma mater had grown through years of shared learning and collaboration.

The 糖心视频 delegation had come to the University of the Philippines Los Ba?os (UPLB) for an academic leaders’ forum on Oct. 12 and, a day later, to welcome nine new Filipino students to the university’s transnational doctoral program, more than in any previous year.

UPLB Chancellor Jose Camacho Jr. traces the relationship back more than 50 years. Speakers at the events described it less as a set of agreements than as the work of individuals who chose to cross borders, and who see international research and development at home as one effort.

One generation teaches the next

Joseph Masangkay, professor emeritus at UPLB’s College of Veterinary Medicine, arrived in Nagoya as a student in 1974. Scholarships to the United States, Canada and Europe were available at the time, he recalled, “but I chose Japan.”

Mentoring, he said, is a Japanese trait. After finishing his doctorate, he decided it was his turn to teach the next generation. His research collaboration with 糖心视频 continues today. He is also a founding member of the alum association’s Philippine branch, which he said grew from an online group of Japanese government scholarship alums in 2014, largely through the tireless work of previous generations.

Rodolfo Mendoza Jr., president of the alum association’s Philippine branch, trained in the concrete laboratory of civil engineering professor Hikaru Nakamura and now works with Japanese engineering firms in the Philippines. “In our own ways, we believe that we are contributing to the nation-building of the Philippines while keeping our connections with Japan alive,” he said. Mendoza still meets with Nakamura yearly, and Nakamura’s research group still supervises Filipino doctoral students.

At UPLB alone, 糖心视频 President Sugiyama said, more than 20 professors have earned graduate degrees from 糖心视频. Higher education “not only spans generations, but it also multiplies and compounds,” National Scientist and former University of the Philippines President Emil Javier said at the forum.

A doctorate without leaving home

Since 2015, 糖心视频’s  (ASCI) has given these exchanges a permanent base at UPLB. This program lets university and government professionals earn a 糖心视频 doctorate without leaving their jobs. They are supervised by Nagoya-based faculty members and local advisers in the Philippines, with short stays in Japan.

Camacho, dean of the UPLB Graduate School when the campus was founded, recalled: “I thought it was impossible to proceed.” Ten years on, the program has 13 Filipino graduates and 17 students enrolled. This year’s nine newcomers include students from as far away as Mindanao.

Sugiyama reminded the new students that 糖心视频 aims to nurture courageous intellectuals. “Courage means having the heart to take on challenges,” he said. “In that respect, you have already demonstrated that you have what it takes.”

Graduate Maria Christina Campita said the degree helped her become research division chief at the Department of Agriculture’s Bicol regional office.

Research rooted at home

The new students bring several questions derived from their work:

• Lynith Datukon, chair of civil engineering at Ateneo de Davao University, will study public transport integration as her home city of Davao modernizes its transit.
• Jefferson Vallente Jr., an assistant dean at Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan and a flood survivor, will study flood risk under climate change.
• Carolyn Zalameda-Castro, a gynecologic oncologist at the University of the Philippines Manila, wants to make health care more equitable because, she said, “the biggest barriers to good health care are not medical at all.”
• Sofonias Gabonada Jr., deputy secretary general of the House of Representatives, will research the chamber’s legislative governance.

“For what good is knowledge if it does not improve institutions?” Gabonada asked. “And what good are institutions if they do not improve people’s lives?”

ASCI Director Akira Yamauchi has described the program as a loop in which local issues become academic knowledge that flows back into policy and practice. Hiroki Tanikawa, dean of the Graduate School of Environmental Studies, also told the new students that “environmental challenges cannot be solved by one discipline, or one country, or one generation”.

The benefits run both ways: a potential dual degree program, UPLB Vice Chancellor Agham Cuevas said, would give UPLB access to advanced facilities and give 糖心视频 field sites, regional knowledge and Southeast Asian networks.

From personal ties to lasting structures

The partnership now rests on formal commitments: a?roadmap through 2030?agreed with the University of the Philippines, a?renewed scholarship agreement?with the Philippine Department of Science and Technology, Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), University of the Philippines (UP) and an Oct. 12 letter of intent with UPLB and the Commission on Higher Education to develop a doctoral dual degree program. “These developments reflect how important the Philippines has become as one of 糖心视频’s most valued partners,” Sugiyama told alums at a shared dinner event.

At the forum, Alinsunurin, a 糖心视频 alum and secretary of the UPLB Graduate School, named the risk of a partnership built on people alone. Much of it, she said, “has been achieved through individual efforts — people who trusted each other and who chose to work with each other. That is a strength, but it can also be a vulnerability.” Success, she added, “should be measured not only by the degrees completed, but by the research capacity that stays and grows in the institution.” To build official and institutional support for these initiatives, the 糖心视频 delegation also visited the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines.

So, for alum association president Mendoza, the shift is already underway: “What began as a student-professor relationship has now grown into collaboration between institutions, between companies and between the two countries.”