Understanding the planet’s current state builds a bridge to the future
Naoto Yokoya
（ Professor, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences / Department of Information Science
2015-2017, Humboldt Research Fellow, German Aerospace Center and Technical University of Munich. 2018, Unit Leader, RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project (AIP).2020- Lecturer, Associate Professor, in his current position from 2025 at the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo,2024 received The Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education Culture, Sports, Science and Technology The Young Scientists’ Award,2022-2024 Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher
Q. What was your favorite subject as a child?
A. Physical education, arts and crafts, and home economics.
Moving and working with my own hands came more naturally to me than sitting still and just listening. I found it much easier to get into “flow” when moving my body in P.E. classes or creating something with my hands in arts and crafts and home economics classes.
Q. What were you interested in when you were in junior high and high school?
A. Track and field, our planet
I was a member of the track and field club for six years in junior high and high school, but things often did not go as planned. At the same time, I somehow got interested in how long our planet could sustain itself under human activities and what kind of technology would become necessary. These two things may have been the starting point that led me to where I am today.
Q. What books or textbooks would you recommend to students?
A. " Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!"
(written by Richard P. Feynman (Japanese translation by Masako Onuki)). It is a genuinely funny book. Feynman's intellectual curiosity and playful attitude convey the essential joy of learning. It consists of two volumes but is an easy read.
Q. What is your motto?
A. "We are born to achieve something meaningful in life."
I read these words in RYOMA! by Ryotaro Shiba in junior high school. I remember that it strangely resonated with me.
Q. What are your hobbies?
A. Spending time with children.
I feel refreshed after spending time with children because they have an enthusiasm and sensitivities that I do not. The time I can spend with children is shorter than you would think, so I want to cherish it.
Q. Do you think you are lucky?
A. Yes.
I have been blessed with the time and environment I get to live in and with the people I have met. I also think good things are more likely to happen if I see things this way.
Q. If you could reincarnate, time travel, or be reborn as an animal, which one would you choose?
A. Time travel.
I am interested in what humanity and the planet will be like in a few hundred years, but I would also love to meet the great people and experience the atmosphere of the past. Choosing only one era would be very difficult.
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