On the passing of Hiroyuki Hosoda, Chair of the LDP League for OIST
The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) expresses its sincere condolences on the passing of Hiroyuki Hosoda, Chair of the Liberal Democratic Party League for OIST and former Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan. Mr. Hosoda passed away on November 10 at the age of 79.
Mr. Hosoda was involved in Okinawa promotion and development policy for many years, including serving as Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs, Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy, and Minister of State for IT Policy from September 2002 to September 2003. He held the position immediately after Koji Omi, who developed the idea of establishing OIST, stepped down as Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs and Science and Technology Policy.
While Mr. Hosoda was Minister, Onna Village was selected as the site for OIST in April 2003. In July of the same year, based on the decisions made in the International Advisory Committee, the first Council Meeting (chaired by Jerome Friedman, then member of the OIST Board of Governors, professor Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the 1990 Nobel Laureate in Physics) took place in Tokyo. Mr. Hosoda has been a strong supporter of OIST's development since its early days.
Mr. Hosoda assumed the Chair of the Liberal Democratic Party League for OIST and visited OIST for campus tours twice (in 2014 and 2020). At OIST’s 10th Anniversary Ceremony, held on May 22, 2022, he delivered remarks as Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chair of the LDP League for OIST. He expressed his delight at the steady progress OIST has made in its 10th anniversary and his hope that OIST will continue to contribute as a center of exchange in the world.
In March of this year, prior to the inauguration of Dr. Karin Markides as the third President of OIST, Mr. Hosoda invited Dr. Markides and Dr. Peter Gruss, former President of OIST, to the official residence of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Together with Kisaburo Tokai, Member of the House of Representatives and Acting Chair of the LDP League for OIST, and Asako Omi, Member of the House of Representatives, he thanked Dr. Gruss for his work and gave strong words of support to the new President, Dr. Markides.
Upon receiving the news of his passing, President and CEO Markides said, "I met Mr. Hosoda at a dinner at the Swedish Embassy in June, just after I assumed the presidency, and he gave me heartwarming words of encouragement. I am saddened by the sudden news of his passing, but I would like to thank Mr. Hosoda for his past support, and we will continue to strive for the development of OIST and Okinawa, following in his footsteps.”
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