Disclaimer: machine translated by DeepL which may contain errors.

Special Article: In memoriam, Akito Arima, Emeritus Professor, The University of Tokyo

Akito Arima ( Emeritus Professor , The University of Tokyo, Former Dean of Graduate School of Science and School of Science , Former President ) Born in Osaka in 1930. He graduated from Hamamatsu First Junior High School in Shizuoka Prefecture, Musashi Senior High School (22nd term), and the Faculty of Science at Tokyo Imperial University. He became President of The University of Tokyo in 1989, President of RIKEN in 1993, Member of the House of Councilors in 1998, and concurrently served as Minister of Education and Director General of the Science and Technology Agency. He is a specialist in nuclear physics and a Doctor of Science. He was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit in 2010. Also known as a haiku poet, he was awarded the "Serpent Sceptre Prize" in 2018. (Source: Musashi Gakuen of Nezu Ikueikai Educational Foundation)

The late Mr. Akito Arima

In Memory of Dr. Akito Arima Hiroyoshi Sakurai, Professor, Department of Physics

I am deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Akito Arima. The last time I met Dr. Arima was in September 2020, when he was in good health, and the news of his passing came as a complete surprise to me.

I first met Dr. Arima in April 1985, when I had just entered my third year of Faculty. At the time, Dr. Arima was the Dean of the Faculty of Science and was busy teaching a course on physics and mathematics (group theory) to third-year students. I still vividly recall the unique tension in his lectures. One of the reasons was that he would look for sleeping students and say, "Hey, you there! It would be a waste if you don't stay awake since you are in the lecture. He himself was a struggling student, and it was difficult for him to make time to attend lectures. Another reason for the tension was that he asked students to answer the binding energy of a hydrogen atom, 13.6 eV, which was not directly related to the content of the lecture. He told the students, "This is the most basic of the basics, so you should remember it. Looking back on his lectures now that I am in the position of teaching students, I realize once again that his lectures were filled with love for young students.

In my third year of Faculty, I had a "confrontation" with Dr. Arima, where he taught me how to use numbers to make an argument. The scene of the confrontation was a negotiation between the Dean of the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Science Student Government Association. The heat of the school dispute had already cooled off, and the main topic of negotiations was demands for improvements to university life, such as "a shower room. The professor raised his voice, "Do you really want it? He asked us to do his homework, "If you are serious, show us the need for it quantitatively," and we had to come back.

It is a great loss for Japan that Dr. Arima, who loved physics, loved young people, and was concerned about the future of science and technology in Japan, has passed away. I would like to express my deepest condolences and respect for his guidance in a wide range of fields.

Published in Faculty of Science News March 2021

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