Dr. Shinichi SAKURAI (Kyoto Institute of Technology)
April 1989– Kyoto Institute of Technology, Research Assistant
February 1998– Kyoto Institute of Technology, Assistant Professor
April 2007– Kyoto Institute of Technology, Associate Professor
April 2010– Kyoto Institute of Technology, Professor
April 2017–March 2018 Visiting Professor, Kyoto University (Kyoto University Institute for Chemical Research)
January 2021– Adjunct Professor, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
January 2024– Visiting Professor, Jiaxing University, China
May 2025– Present President, The Society of Rubber Science and Technology, Japan
Present
President's Message
May 19, 2025
The 14th Regular General Meeting of Members of The Society of Rubber Science and Technology, Japan was held on May 19, 2025. Following nominations from the 20 directors elected at the General Meeting, I have now assumed the position of President of The Society of Rubber Science and Technology, Japan.I am keenly aware of the weight of responsibility in being entrusted with the management of this association, which boasts a long history and tradition spanning 97 years since its founding. I will fulfill this duty with the support of the headquarters officers, including Vice Presidents Masashi OTSUKI, Dr. Seiichi KAWAHARA, Kouji TORIZAWA, and Dr. Junji WATANABE, as well as the branch presidents: Dr. Masayuki KAWAZOE (Kanto), Kenji KOBAYASHI (Tokai), Motoki KITAGAWA (Kansai), and Dr. Hiroto MURAKAMI (Kyushu), as well as the members of the research committees and various committees.
The environment surrounding the rubber-related industries is becoming increasingly severe and unpredictable. However, to address various challenges, our association has established a system to support our members from all aspects of science and technology related to rubber, elastomers, and soft materials.We host three major annual events: the Annual Conference, Summer School, and Elastomer Symposium. Furthermore, 14 specialized committees operate as platforms for joint research, information exchange, and study sessions. We are confident you will find the most suitable committee to address your specific challenges. Additionally, branches are established in your local areas, allowing you to participate in their activities.Alongside headquarters-organized events, each branch actively holds its own distinctive events. If you are interested, please visit our website and make active use of these opportunities. Building on the efforts of former President Naoya Amino, we will collaborate with our members to develop initiatives that broadly cover challenges related to the rubber industry, from fundamentals to applications, responding not only to academia but also to the needs of our members in the field.We sincerely request your input on what is needed now.This will help increase our membership and continue the goal set by former President Naoya Amino: achieving 1,000 participants across our three major events. The total attendance over the past year leading up to this year's Annual Conference has nearly reached this figure. We will strive to maintain this momentum and ensure the Association's operations remain attractive.
Next year, the International Rubber Congress (IRC), held in Japan once every ten years, will take place in Aichi Prefecture. Our association will actively support this event to ensure its success.Furthermore, as we approach our 100th anniversary in 2028, we will establish a committee to prepare various commemorative events. International coordination and exchange are crucial for these initiatives. Together with the new International Affairs Committee Chair, Ken NAKAJIMA, we will actively promote the visualization of exchanges with countries that signed MOUs for collaborative exchange during former President Toshikazu TAKADA's tenure (Thailand, China, Germany, South Korea, and the USA; the MOU with the USA has been extended for a second term, while the others have completed their extensions).We aim to actively recruit both young members who will lead the next generation and individuals from both academia and industry. We intend to support necessary expenses such as travel and local accommodation costs. Under the slogan “Let's spend the money needed,” and with the stance of “Doing whatever we can,” we will not shy away from bearing the costs for various initiatives. For example, dispatching delegations to research conferences in countries with which we have signed MOUs.We plan collaborative events to discover young talent (academia + industry) and signal the revival of the English-language academic e-journal (launched July 2005, officially titled e-Journal of Soft Materials), which was initiated under the leadership of former Chairman Yoshinobu ISONO. To this end, we have appointed Dr. Masami OKAMOTO as Editor-in-Chief of the e-Journal and are beginning to formulate a revival plan with the renewed editorial board. We will solicit contributions on rubber sustainability and environmental issues, essays from countries with MOUs, and of course, original research papers.
For these initiatives to function effectively, the cooperation of the Secretariat, all branches, regular members, and supporting members is essential. We sincerely request your continued guidance and support for the Association. At the same time, we strongly encourage all members to make effective use of the Association. We look forward to your support over the next two years.
From the Association Journal (Nippon Gomu Kyokaishi), Vol. 98, No. 7
