Taking on the Challenge of Vaccine Development through
“Achievement of a Sense of Unity among Members”
~ Assuming the Position of the Director General ~

My name is Yoshihiro Yoneda, and I have been appointed as the Director General of the Research Foundation for Microbial Diseases of Osaka University (hereinafter referred to as the BIKEN Foundation). I would like to take a moment to greet you and share my vision of the future we can build together.

Since its establishment in 1934, the BIKEN Foundation has contributed to society through the development, production, and supply of numerous vaccines. Based on our experience during the recent SARS-CoV-2 infectious disease pandemic, we are working on a foundational change to ensure that, as a leading vaccine manufacturer in Japan, we can quickly develop and produce the required domestically produced vaccines. To fulfill our social mission, we will continue to take on the challenges we face with honesty, and work on new initiatives in cooperation with our employees.

I want to emphasize on a particular ideology as we take on new challenges. This ideology relates to the word “Ichiza Konryu (achievement of a sense of unity among members).” This was the motto of my mentor from my university days. It is said that the original meaning of this word indicates a special sense of unity that is created at a tea ceremony when the host entertains the guests whole-heartedly and the guests are deeply impressed. My mentor used to say, “I use the word to mean that people with different ways of thinking and living gather in one place to create and build one thing.”

The BIKEN Foundation has a large number of diverse employees with various abilities. Various people gather at one place to develop excellent vaccines and create them with sincerity while honing their humanity. Everyone who gathers at this place is an invaluable colleague who spends the same amount of time in the same place. With this as our basic ideology, we will continue to strive every day to undertake our own initiatives to protect the precious lives of people around the world with dreams and aspirations, while sparing no efforts. I ask for your continued guidance and support to the BIKEN Foundation.