[No. 227] Kazuhisa Tsuji

Thank you very much for this opportunity to contribute to Jukuin Raiou. I would like to express my gratitude to my former mentor, Professor Hotta of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, who has watched over me from my time as a student to after graduation, and to everyone involved.

In this humble article, I will write about the connections between my studies at the Faculty of Science and Technology at Keio University and my journey to the present. The consistent themes have been to cherish my own passion, continuous learning, and the courage to step into new worlds.

I graduated from Sakae Higashi High School in Saitama Prefecture and went on to Keio University. At the time, I found more purpose in physical activity than in studying, and I spent day after day training in Kyokushin Karate. During the university entrance exam period, thanks to the dedicated support of my teachers, I was able to channel the passion I had for sports into my studies and successfully enrolled in the Faculty of Science and Technology at Keio University.

After enrolling, I was amazed by the vibrancy of the club and circle activities. I decided to do everything I could without compromise, continuing with Nippon Kempo, American football, and Kyokushin Karate at a local dojo. On weekends, I lived a life full of vitality: Nippon Kempo in the morning, American football in the afternoon, and Kyokushin Karate at night. However, I suffered a cervical spine injury along the way and had to rest for a while during the first half of my sophomore year. It was literally a blessing in disguise, as this incident rekindled my passion for academics.

For my fourth-year laboratory assignment, I requested to join the Hotta Laboratory. Looking back, although I hadn't studied polymer materials in any particular depth, I was struck by Professor Hotta's personality and his passion for the subject. I was suddenly inspired, thinking, "I want to learn about polymer materials too!" and chose his lab. Fortunately, I was welcomed as a member of the Hotta Laboratory, and I feel that this was a turning point in my life.

My research focused on improving the gas barrier properties of polymer films (substrates) through film deposition. It was a practical study that involved adding the properties of metals or ceramics to polymers via surface treatment. While polymers typically cannot withstand high heat, the innovative aspect was the ability to deposit a film on a polymer substrate from a specific gas mixture by using low-temperature plasma.

The technology of film deposition by plasma is itself a broad, deep, and extremely difficult field. However, with the help of my professor, senior students, and peers, I gradually began to see research results and gained a wealth of experience, including presenting at international conferences and authoring an international research book and an international paper . Through this hands-on experience, the belief that "if you pour your passion into your efforts, you can always forge a path forward" became deeply ingrained in me.

The thin-film technology related to my research theme was also used for the precise control of conductivity and could be applied to semiconductors and other materials by changing the substrate. While writing a book on the deposition and functionality of thin films, I also studied applications for conductive films and other areas. I gradually became fascinated by the sheer scale of the market for information processing infrastructure and the dizzying pace of technological development.

During my job search in my second year of the master's program, after some twists and turns, I was (once again) suddenly inspired by my intuitive interest in contributing to the development of information processing technology and decided to join NTT DOCOMO. As a company that handles everything from systems development to applications, all centered on the communications infrastructure that is the core of information distribution, NTT DOCOMO embodied all the themes I wanted to learn about at the time.

At NTT DOCOMO, I worked as an engineer in the radio access network, the core of the business, handling everything from construction investment planning and wireless communication area design to on-site management of difficult construction projects. I often faced difficulties, but I adhered to the principle that "the field team won't follow you if you just give orders; you have to learn first." I created value by learning thoroughly, putting my knowledge into practice, and focusing on open-hearted communication.

In 2019, as a manager of a national project, I led large-scale projects for central government ministries from proposal to delivery, with an annual budget in the hundreds of millions of yen. The main focus was on systems integration projects leveraging wireless technology (5G). By combining deep learning in artificial intelligence (AI), video transmission technology, and other elements, we built systems such as a condition monitoring system to prevent train derailments.

At that time as well, rather than simply outsourcing AI system development to vendors, I believed that "unless I learn first, I won't understand what is difficult and what is amazing." I spent over 1,000 hours a year studying AI system development on my own. At the same time, I had the intuition that "new technologies are emerging around the world, starting with the United States, and English is essential for accessing primary information," so I consistently dedicated myself to learning with English as my primary language.

At the end of 2021, I amicably left NTT DOCOMO and began taking on multiple IT/DX consulting projects as an independent consultant, leveraging the project management experience I had cultivated. I was involved in everything from business development and software development to design and the application of my infrastructure knowledge. I felt a great sense of fulfillment as all my past learning came to fruition.

However, I came to the painful realization that "at an individual level, I cannot generate enough impact to truly contribute to Japan's GDP growth." Together with Mr. Nishioka, who was the head of AI development at the company to which NTT DOCOMO had outsourced the national project, I founded Pulsibate Inc. as a startup to support Japanese industry with AI solutions. We are working on developing AI solutions that accumulate and utilize organizational knowledge and providing technical support to our client companies.

Today, the amount of information circulating in society, even within a single task, has surpassed what a human can cognitively process. According to Moore's Law, the integration density of semiconductor integrated circuits doubles at regular intervals, and the communications infrastructure that supports this continues to evolve, roughly once every decade, from 4G to 5G, and now toward 6G.

What kind of society awaits us in 10 years? If human-centered, ethical technological development progresses, society should become more livable and people more productive. However, there is a gap between countries in the pace of technological progress, and Japan is said to be a digitally lagging country, with its relative industrial competitiveness on a downward trend.

Through the business of Pulsibate Inc., I want to build a better tomorrow for Japanese society through ceaseless effort, supporting Japan's industries with cutting-edge digital technologies. To this end, I will once again take to heart what I learned through direct experience in the laboratory—"if you pour your passion into your efforts, you can always forge a path forward"—and will move forward step by step with humility, cherishing my connections with senior and junior colleagues.