In 1994, I assumed the position of assistant professor at the Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA). Having worked as ILCAA staff for 32 years – almost half of my life, I am truly overwhelmed by how quickly the years have flown by. I recall joining the Institute with two co-workers in the same year: Kazuhiko Machida, specializing in South Asian linguistics and grammatological informatics of Indian scripts, and Ryoko Nishii, specializing in cultural anthropology and conducting research on Southern Thailand. Looking back, as all three of us reached our retirement at ILCAA, I now realize that the Institute was the right place for us. Until the year I entered the Institute, no air conditioner was installed in each researcher’s room, so I was forced to spend a literally hellish summer. However, surrounded by eight senior specialists in Middle Eastern languages and history, the joy of pursuing my own research freely while gaining intellectual and academic stimulation from them was truly beyond price.

In addition, in the second year of ILCAA, I was dispatched to Cairo, Egypt, and Manchester, UK, for a total of 1.5 years to advance my research through the “assistant dispatch” program (Program for Extensive-Period Field Research), which was unique to ILCAA. After I returned to Japan in March 1997, I became one of the founding members of the Information Resources Center (IRC), established in April of that year. It is also a cherished memory from those days when I constructed and published the website “Modern Arab and Islamic Studies,” which included content such as “Biographical Dictionary of the Modern Middle East” and “The World of Islam Q&A100.”

However, the “September 11 attacks (9/11),” which occurred in 2001, have thoroughly changed my peaceful life at ILCAA. Because of my specialization in Middle Eastern and Islamic studies, especially modern Islamic thoughts and contemporary Islamic movements, I was unexpectedly called on to appear on TV talk shows and newscasts almost every day until the last day of the year. At that time, it was not unusual for me to get to and leave ILCAA, which used to be located in Nishigahara, Kita-ku, by taking a car from media companies. There were no longer requests for appearances on TV programs after the new year started, but since that incident, I have accepted more job offers from the media and publishing companies, such as commentary and article writing, in other words, responding to the demands of society. I was also overwhelmed with requests for commentary on incidents and phenomena related to the “Arab Spring” in 2011. I have a feeling now that I could have deepened my research if I had refused those job offers. But then again, in this regard at least, I cannot help the way I am. My research subjects, including Islam, Muslims, and the Muslim world, are often considered “incomprehensible,” and I have seen terrible misunderstandings of them prevail. It was my passion—my refusal to allow my research subjects to be horribly misunderstood and my desire to spread as much accurate knowledge as possible—that has driven me to this point, and I have no regrets.

Furthermore, 9/11 did not change only my life as a researcher but also the situation of ILCAA. The Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS) launched and promoted the “Research and Educational Project for Middle East and Islamic Studies (Project MEIS),” funded by the Special Account Budget for Education and Research, which was granted by the Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Sciences and Technology from AY 2005 to AY 2009, in response to the rapid increase in Japanese people’s interest in the Middle East and the Muslim world. Within the framework, ILCAA has also annually held research seminars and educational seminars for graduate students from all over Japan while establishing overseas research centers in Beirut, Lebanon, and Sabah, Malaysia. The program has brought us to where we are today, and its further development is anticipated.

Finally, I fulfilled my duty as the Director of ILCAA from AY 2015 to AY 2018, with the support of the Research Promotion Division of TUFS and ILCAA staff. I have nothing but gratitude for their support during those four demanding years as Director, which passed surprisingly soon. I hope you all will continue your activities, taking care of your limited time and health. I expect ILCAA’s future success from the bottom of my heart.

Thank you again for the wonderful years.