Interviews with Academic Staff

Professor Gary Tsuchimochi, Professor of Educational Philosophy (Teaching Philosophy), teaches students and classes at The Kyoto Graduate School of Information Science.  KCGI students are encouraged to form a learning community that creates learning portfolios.

Professor Hong Seung Ko was born in South Korea, and formerly worked for the giant South Korean electrical appliance and electronic components maker, Samsung Electronics as the Manager of Information Strategies to bring to life Internet-based corporate strategy, CALS (primarily B2B conceptually-based), and e-commerce for general consumers. He also made major contributions to the informatization and profitability of that company.  
Professor Hong spoke at length about the human talent that will be needed in the e-business world, as it undergoes dramatic shifts.

Professor Shozo Naito worked for (formerly) Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Company (currently NTT) as the Head Researcher in the Information & Distribution Platform Laboratory and is a specialist in networks and information security. In light of the outbreak of the new coronavirus, Professor Naito will discuss the current status and challenges of networks and security in Japan and around the world.

As a researcher in astrophysics conducting numerical simulations, Professor Takao Fujiwara has made extensive use of computer graphics (CG).He also spent a little over half a year at a university in the United Kingdom studying CG.At KCGI, he primarily teaches students specializing in “IT Manga and Anime,” covering everything from the basics to advanced applications of CG.He encourages students to hone their artistic sensibilities on a daily basis and recommends visiting art museums and studying art history.

Professor Yoshitaka Kai developed logistics systems and Japan’s first artificial intelligence-powered apparel design system at Teijin, a major textile company. He later moved to Mitsubishi Trust Bank, where he was responsible for the development and operation of asset management systems.Drawing on a total of 28 years of professional experience, as well as his background in continuing education for working professionals at Kobe University and Kwansei Gakuin University, he teaches courses on business administration, finance, and fintech at Kyoto College of Graduate Studies in Information Science (KCGI).

“Japanese Animation and ICT” KCGI explores the creation of new markets and business models through this combination of concentrations "IT Manga and Anime". Professor Yasuhiro Takeda is in charge of special lectures on Animation Planning, Production and Promotion.
Professor Takeda was involved in the establishment of Gainax Corporation, famous for "Nadia of the Mysterious Sea" and "Gurren Lagann.As an animation producer, he produced many works including the game 'Neon Genesis Evangelion: Girlfriend of Steel', 'Aim for the top 2', 'Abenobashi Magical Shopping District' and 'Hanamaru Kindergarten'. In collaboration with the company, we produced a commercial commemorating the 50th anniversary of the KCG Group’s founding.  

Professor Masaharu Imai is developing an educational program that keeps pace with the latest industry trends, with the goal of training engineers capable of building applied artificial intelligence (machine learning) systems while effectively utilizing the Internet of Things (IoT).In recent years, he has taught the course “IoT and Artificial Intelligence,” providing instruction on topics such as the implementation of machine learning in edge computing.He serves as the director of the “Sustainable Open Innovation Center,” which aims to promote collaboration between the university and external organizations—including industry, government agencies, financial institutions, educational and research institutions, and NPOs—and to advance research, development, and demonstration experiments based on the SDGs.

A singer-songwriter born in Montreal, Canada, who has fascinated audiences all over the world with his multilingual skills. She was selected as the lead vocalist for “Cirque du Soleil,” an entertainment troupe that continues to perform in various countries in shows such as circuses and musicals.She is the only singer to have performed original songs—which she wrote and composed herself—in a “Cirque du Soleil” show.She does not belong to any record company label, and performs songs and songwriting and also does graphic design, promotion, and sales.

The virtual singer, whose name derives from ‘the first sound from the future’, sings in a synthetic voice when the lyrics and melody are input into the computer. Hatsune Miku has held live concerts not only in Japan but overseas as well, swaying the hearts of a multitude of fans. Hiroyuki Itoh, Representative Director at Crypton Future Media Inc., the company which created the Hatsune Miku synthetic voice software that is the cause of this sensation, has joined KCGI as a professor. Professor Itoh, who continues to develop the software which produces the computerized voices, offers the following message for the young people who will lead the IT industry of the future. "The frontier of the information revolution of which we are only midway through is vast without limit and your future prospects spread before you without limit. I ask that you dedicate yourselves to your studies with this concept firmly in mind."