[No. 131] Yuichiro Noguchi

It's hard to believe that 20 years have passed since I graduated from university. I still feel as though I just graduated, but at the same time, I have found myself in a position of considerable responsibility at the company where I have worked during this time. Both in my work and in my life outside of it, there are many times when I am reminded of how glad I am to have graduated from Keio University. Here, I would like to introduce my journey from entering university to my current job.

When I entered university, I had a vague idea that I wanted to spend my time from university onwards "researching mathematics." In high school, I was not good at memorizing things and was a student who was better at thinking, so for my entrance exam studies, I half gave up on memorizing formulas and instead immersed myself in thinking about how to solve math problems.

Even after entering university, I planned to become a mathematics researcher until about my third year. The turning point came when I was choosing a laboratory before my fourth year. Faced with the research topics of numerous laboratories, I was forced to reconsider my future. At that time, I chose Professor Nodera's laboratory, where I could conduct research combining mathematics and information technology (IT). Specifically, my research involved studying methods for solving equations by performing calculations on huge matrices, and methods for accelerating these calculations using a parallel computer (a computer that connects many computers via a network to perform high-speed processing as a whole).

In the laboratory, in addition to each member deciding on and conducting their own research topic, we took turns every week studying a common subject and giving lectures. We also went on a retreat in the summer, where we presented our research and deepened our relationships through activities like hiking.

After advancing to graduate school, I also received guidance from Professor Tani, who researched partial differential equations. For my final research upon completing my master's degree, I was able to combine high-speed calculation methods on a parallel computer with simulations of the behavior of solutions to partial differential equations.

Meanwhile, for my club activities, I spent my weekends running in the mountains for orienteering. Many of you may have experienced it in elementary or junior high school, but it is by no means the kind of hiking you might imagine. Since it's a competitive sport, it was a grueling, marathon-like activity where we ran continuously through the mountains to reach the goal as quickly as possible. I still love the mountains and go there from time to time. The grandeur of nature seen from the summit is truly moving.

I also often went to watch university baseball games with everyone from my club. I especially remember the Keio-Waseda match (as we at Keio call the game against Waseda University), when we would gather the night before to line up for admission. After a long wait, we would finally get in, only to be too sleepy to even watch the game. Baseball is also popular at JR East, where I work, and I go to cheer at the Intercity Baseball Tournament held at the Tokyo Dome every time. Even in the midst of that cheering, I am reminded of the scenes from when I cheered at university baseball games.

Although I had vaguely thought, "I want to be a researcher," when it came time to enter the workforce, I had to reconsider what kind of work I wanted to do. My conclusion was that I wanted to be involved in something indispensable to everyone's lives and something I myself felt most grateful for. As a result, I decided to join JR East.

After joining JR East, I first spent three months in practical training at various company locations, including stations, driver and conductor workplaces, rolling stock factories, civil engineering and construction sites, and View Plazas. I remember it was tough back then because I had to write a report every week for each location where I trained. However, it was a good experience as I was able to grasp the situation at each of these locations, with which I would later work closely.

For several years after my training, I was in charge of maintaining the Automatic Train Control (ATC) system for the Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku Lines. From around my fifth year at the company, I was involved in the work to upgrade the Yamanote Line's ATC system from the conventional analog type to a newly developed digital one. This project involved developing a system that utilized the latest digital technology of the time to improve convenience for our customers and enhance system maintainability. It also included customizing and installing this system to match the track conditions at each station and carrying out the work to control the on-site signals and track switches. Railway construction work is carried out during the few hours at night when trains are not running, while normal train operations continue during the day. Moreover, to switch over the entire Yamanote Line system to the new one in a single night over a few hours and start the first train of the day in perfect condition, we spent years preparing by creating design drawings, installing on-site equipment, and repeatedly conducting train running tests. As a result, on the night of July 29, 2006, we successfully switched the entire Yamanote Line from the old system to the new one, and operations began safely with the new system the following morning. At that moment, I was moved by the renewed realization that the safety and operation of our customers were supported by the system I had built. At the same time, I felt the weight of responsibility for carrying out such an important task, and it was a sobering experience for both mind and body.

On a different note, among the employees at JR East who are in charge of train control systems and power facilities, there is a gathering of Keio alumni. We get together regularly to deepen our friendships, with events such as a golf tournament held twice a year in spring and autumn, and the annual year-end social gathering that includes prospective employees. When I joined the company, there were about 30 members, but with new employees joining every year, the number has now grown to nearly 80. It is very reassuring to know that so many Keio alumni are active in various parts of the company as I carry out my work.

Currently, I am seconded to and working at Nippon Densetsu Kogyo Co., Ltd., which primarily handles construction of JR East's electrical facilities. Here, I am engaged in tasks that support railway electrical systems from a construction standpoint, such as reforming the mechanisms for ensuring construction safety and quality, and more recently, studying how to proceed with the work to resume operations on the Joban Line, which has been out of service since the Great East Japan Earthquake.

I am who I am today because I entered and studied at the Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, and I am still very grateful for it. I hope to continue to make use of what I learned at university and do work that can contribute to society, even in a small way.