Toyota Physical and Chemical Research Institute (Incorporated Foundation) was established in September 1940 in Nishi-Shibaura, Shiba Ward, Tokyo-shi by Kiichiro Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Motor Corporation and the eldest son of Sakichi Toyoda who invented the automatic loom.
The purpose of this establishment was to promote and develop independent science and technology in Japan and to contribute to the development of science and industry.
This institute produced numerous research achievements including the formula for large crystallization of Rochelle salt, storage batteries and direction finders. Some of these reached the stage of acquiring patents and being manufactured into products. However, due to post-war inflation, it was inevitable that proprietary research activities were curtailed.
In 1961, in order to efficiently implement the purpose with limited financial resources, the office was moved to Toyota Central R & D Labs in Nagoya and its main activities were changed to designated research and cultivation of researchers. The successes of this era include the practical application of semi-conductor strain-gauges.
The original purpose of foundation activities is continuing by launching “the research fellow program” in 2004 where researches are conducted by full-time employed researchers and further, launching “specially promoted program” in 2006 as a new project.
This foundation has become a public interest incorporated foundation in 2011.
Toyota Physical and Chemical Research Institute Incorporated Foundation was established in September 1940 in Shibaura, Tokyo with the aim of “conducting and applying physical and chemical research in order to contribute to the progress and development of academic science and industry.” The founder was Kiichiro Toyoda who established Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. in 1937.
Kiichiro states his operation plans in the foundation prospectus:
・ We are to endeavor to steadily establish an academic base
・ We are to conduct independent research without restrictions on research categories
・ We are to emphasize scientific principles which tend to be disregarded
・ Questing for fundamental principles, we will promote the industrialization of objects that are lucrative for production and enhance the research that promotes scientific development accordingly, then contribute to society and the State
The Institute that was established in 1940 with high ideals and over 30 staffs actively progressed with research in 32 fields; batteries which embodied the hopes of Sakichi Toyoda, the practical application of wireless direction finders, the cultivation of piezo electric effect elements using ferroelectric Rochelle salt, etc. The total number of staffs reached 69 by 1943.
Unfortunately, in 1941, the year after its establishment, Japan entered World War II that lasted five years. In the economic confusion of the post-war period, the Institute received aid from the government as a research foundation designated by the Ministry of Education and further, through continuous support from Toyota affiliated companies, the Institute was able to continue its research even though it had to greatly reduce the scale. Despite the era, the institute succeeded in the practical application of semi-conductor strain-gauges in 1957.
In 1961, in aiming for innovation, the Institute was moved from Tokyo into Toyota Central R&D Labs., in Nagoya and explored a path to contribute to the promotion of academic science and industry with little capital and efficient operation.
The Institute started “Designated Researcher Program” in 1963 and inaugurated the “Kariya Invention Club for School Children” in 1974. I believe these activities have been contributed to nurture researchers and young generation.
Following this, to enhance the original spirits of establishment of the Institute, “Research Fellow Program” – senior researchers who have notable achievement in the fields of academic science at research institutes and universities are employed as a Toyota Riken Research Fellow and conduct their research by themselves – has started. Currently, the program has been stated as one of the core programs along with research grant programs: “Toyota Riken Scholar Program” and “Specially Promoted Research Project.”
Toyota Physical and Chemical Research Institute has become a public interest incorporated foundation as of April 1, 2011. We aspire to accomplish the prospectus of establishment and contribute to the development of science and technology. We would be grateful for your suggestions or advice concerning the future of our institute.
Shoichiro Toyoda
Taking the opportunity of the 80th anniversary of Toyota Physical and Chemical Research Institute (hereafter abbreviated to Toyota Riken) in 2020 as a major milestone, we have reconfirmed the thoughts passed down through three generations of the Toyoda family: Sakichi Toyoda’s “Open the door, it’s a big world outside”, the founder of Toyo Riken, Kiichiro Toyoda’s “Independent research, establishment of basic scientific principles, focus on areas often neglected” and the current President, Shoichiro Toyoda’s “Fostering global personnel for the next generation; Creation, Challenge, Courage (3C) Spirit”, and have endeavored to design a new system for the “New Toyota Riken”, in other words, the group that transmits to the world, creates the future, and is energetic more than ever. Last year was what could be called the first year of the “New Toyota Riken”, which started the operation of those new systems. This year, we will steadily promote them all.
The main enhancements to the “Scholar Program” to foster young researchers are:
(1) introduction of a continuous support system up to six years through the selection and reorganization of “Scholar Joint Research”, which is generated from exchanges among participants in the “Interdisciplinary Exchange Camp”, and (2) establishment of the “Rising Fellow Program” that supports up-and-coming researchers particularly selected from those scholars. We aim that being selected as a Toyota Riken Scholar through these new systems and enhancement measures will be more effective than ever in the career development of young researchers, and will become a status for them.
Eight “Toyota Riken Overseas Predoctoral Fellows” have been selected so far in the fourth year of our “PhD. Scholarship Program”, and are pursuing their degrees at the University of Oxford, the University of Chicago, and other universities. We will continue to provide solid support until they receive their degrees, and we look forward to their success in the global stage after they have received them.
Our “Research Fellow Program”, which supports retired professors with world-class achievements, has been renamed as “Senior Research Fellow Program”. The program will start supporting the retired professors from shortly before their retirement, and will be greatly changed from the former style of having them do their research alone at Toyota Riken at Nagakute, to strongly supporting them to continue their research for several years at their home institutions. Currently, we are in a transitional period between the old and new systems, and the Fellows are in their optimal research environment, a mixture of Toyota Riken and their home institutions. We understand that the combination of the COVID-19 disaster and the transitional period has caused many inconveniences for the Fellows, but we would like to express our respect for their earnest efforts to pursue research in spite of such circumstances.
Although three years have passed since COVID-19 disaster started, and the hybrid face-to-face/online management style of meetings and events has become the new normal, there is no room to argue against the merits of the face-to-face, sleepover style for events such as the “Interdisciplinary Exchange Camp”. We hope that the pandemic will soon be over and things will return to the way they should be.
This year again, Toyota Riken will strive to contribute to the development of science and technology as a center for human resource development, personnel network building, and the creation of new fields, particularly in the field of materials science research in our country. We appreciate your continued support and encouragement
January 1, 2023
Dr. Kohei Tamao, President
Original written by the founder, Kiichiro Toyoda in 1940
My father, Sakichi Toyoda, immersed himself in research into inventions, accomplished the invention of the automatic loom and established this production plant, namely Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Ltd. Here, Sakichi explicitly stated the essentials of research into inventions in the company’s business articles of incorporation and accomplished all kinds of research over several decades. As a result of this, he completed the fundamental improvement of the automatic loom and succeeded in inventing the world’s first high draft ring spinning machine and launched on to the international market, too. Furthermore, he went on to research manufacturing methods for domestic automobiles, completed this and opened the beginning of the supply of domestic automobiles.
In this way, the work that he left us prospered and his aims are in the process of being sequentially accomplished but, the implementation of research into inventions within a profit-making company tends to bias research to things that are in direct relation to that company’s projects and implementation of different kind of research is difficult because they are incompatible with current projects and the real intention of establishment. For this reason, this incorporated foundation was newly established to widely conduct research with the foundation of physics and chemistry firstly to contribute to the State but also to commemorate forever the achievements of the late Sakichi.
Japan has developed remarkably over the last few decades but, as this development has unavoidably been conducted over a short period of time, we had to adopt foreign civilization. However, now that we are facing the Second Great War in Europe, it has become extremely difficult to adopt European civilization. For this reason, it has become urgent that we research independently by ourselves and establish a research institute at which we will pioneer a new way by ourselves. Meanwhile, it has become difficult to expect the good fortune of chance such as we had in the Meiji Period when looking at the status of research into innovation. Consequently, we must have expectations of the future progress of scientific principles that will become an abyss, the human resources that have an academic grounding and the technical facilities.
The quest for principles that will become a physico-chemical abyss has many correlations in that fundamental respect. Looking at it from these peripheral issues, even things that have extreme intervals depart from the same principles in that foundation so one research project can assist another project without intending to or can become a principle.
“Therefore this research institute shall not limit research matters” rather the main activity shall be the quest for fundamental principles and in peripheral issue-type research that occurs due to this, we shall promote the industrialization of objects that are productive and lucrative to the State. We would like to present results that promote academic development from a scientific standpoint, making progress more and more deeply. In short, we want to conduct research from both physical and metaphysical facets.
In addition, if we want researchers to achieve pure research following their thoughts, no anxieties about lifestyle, research or the future are borne, it can be left to the natural talent of researchers and it is important to put researchers in a position of liberty. For this reason, we would like to respect the free will of researchers, create a research institute where it is possible for them to research of their own volition, train new researchers, expand research scope and, by means of this, contribute to society and the State.
| 1940 | ・Toyota Physical and Chemical Research Institute incorporated foundation (Toyota Riken) established in Shiba-ku, Tokyo ・The first Board of Directors meeting held ・Kiichiro Toyoda appointed as the1st Chairman and President |
|---|---|
| 1942 | The first edition of “Toyota Research Report” published |
| 1945 | Board member Kohei Yamaguchi appointed as the 2nd President |
| 1953 | Taizo Ishida appointed as the 2nd Chairman |
| 1961 | Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc. (TCRDL) established in 1960. Toyota Riken moved to the neighboring site of TCRDL in Nagoya |
| 1963 | ・“Designated Researcher Program” started ・The first “Solid State Physics Seminar” jointly held with Nagoya University |
| 1969 | “Promoted Researcher Program” started |
| 1974 | ・Shoichiro Toyoda appointed as the 3rd Chairman ・“Kariya Invention Club for School Children” established |
| 1980 | Toyota Riken and TCRDL moved to Nagakute, right next to Nagoya |
| 1990 | “Special Research Project” started |
| 1996 | The first “Molecular Science Forum” jointly held with Okazaki Institute for Molecular Science |
| 2004 | ・“Research Fellow Program” started ・Kariya Invention Club for School Children moved to Tsukasa-cho, Kariya city |
| 2006 | “Specially Promoted Research Program” started |
| 2009 | Board member Hiroo Inokuchi appointed as the 3rd President |
| 2011 | ・Toyota Riken recognized as a public incorporated foundation ・Toyota Riken research building constructed ・“Toyota Riken Scholar Program” started succeeded from “Designated Researcher Program” ・Public call for entry started: Research Fellow Program, Specially Promoted Research Program, and Scholar Program |
| 2012 | “Toyota Riken Forum” started |
| 2014 | Kariya Invention Club for School Children restarted as independent |
| 2015 | “Toyota Riken Workshop” started |
| 2016 | Board member Kohei Tamao appointed as the 4th President |
| 2017 | “Toyota Riken Scholar Joint Research” started |
| 2018 | “Hiroo INOKUCHI Hall” constructed |
| 2019 | “Toyota Riken Overseas Scholarship” started |
