On January 19th, HIRAKU-Global held its first in-person International Symposium in Hiroshima, which featured speakers both from Japan and around the world. The HIRAKU-Global Researchers (HGRs) who attended the event had an opportunity to meet other early career HGRs as well as more senior researchers from Japan and abroad. Specifically, many of the speakers discussed their experiences in interdisciplinary and international collaboration, and in keeping with these themes, a post-symposium “after-shop” (i.e., workshop) was held at Kiteminsai Lab (a Hiroshima University Satellite Space near Hiroshima Station) in Hiroshima, Japan on the morning of January 20th, 2026, with a theme of "No Border for Science”.

Specifically, this after-shop would give HGRs who either are based in Hiroshima or were visiting Hiroshima for the International Symposium to continue discussions that they had the night before both with HGRs and with domestic and international researchers, in the hopes that they would be further inspired in some aspect of their research. The overall theme of the workshop, “No Border for Science”, focused on the importance of international collaboration/exchange in modern research, and we welcomed Prof. FUKUI Kiyoshi of Tokushima University to give a presentation about his research background, career, and ideas on international collaboration. Prof. FUKUI is an important long-term contributor to HIRAKU-Global as a member of the Program Management and Program Development Committees, and has also had a long and decorated scientific career in both Japan and abroad (specifically, the USA), with experience in research, teaching, and administration.

Prof. FUKUI’s presentation first focused on his training and research background in biological and medical sciences, specifically on his work characterizing an enzyme which acts on ᴅ-amino acids, mirror images of the typically biologically used ʟ-amino  acids. Prof. FUKUI then talked about various international aspects of his research career. For example, he shared an example about a former student from Vietnam who went on to become a successful researcher abroad, but who never forgot their scientific roots in Japan, with Prof. FUKUI as an important figure as a former mentor in their scientific journey. Similarly, Prof. FUKUI reflected on his past experience as President of the Federation of Asian and Oceanian Biochemists and Molecular Biologists (FAOBMB). FAOBMB holds annual conferences held around Asia and Oceania, and Prof. FUKUI not only had a direct hand in organization and execution of many of these meetings, but also worked with his colleagues in FAOBMB leadership on running and growing an international scientific society. Finally, Prof. FUKUI discussed his recent experience in working with researchers in Israel who combined art and science, which culminated in the Tokushima International Science Institute Research Workshop 2024, featuring guests from the Technion in Israel and a live musical performance by one of the Israeli researchers.

This was followed by a Q&A session that led into more free discussion time between the participants, which included Prof. FUKUI, several HGRs, some HIRAKU-Global consortium mentors, all HIRAKU-Global advisory board members, and International Symposium keynote speaker Dr. Mary VOYTEK, allowing further discussion amongst HGRs as well as between HGRs and senior guests from Japan and abroad. Importantly, this event also allowed HGRs to meet and hear from important contributors to HIRAKU-Global in Prof. FUKUI; often, the HGRs do not have such opportunities to meet those who help to manage and develop HIRAKU-Global from behind-the-scenes.

Finally, as an added bonus, Drs. HASHIMOTO Yosuke (6th Cohort HGR) and ANDO Toshinori (3rd Cohort HGR) of Hiroshima University hosted advisory board member Prof. Alastair McEWAN in their respective laboratories at the Hiroshima University Kasumi Campus following the after-shop, allowing their respective lab members to meet and speak with a well-regarded senior international researcher. The lab members of these HGRs don’t often have  many opportunities to meet with international researchers, particularly those who are native English speakers, and it appeared to be a good opportunity for some of them to gain experience and confidence in English-language presentation and discussion.