A Few Words about Professor Hayaishi

　After his retirement from Kyoto University in April 1983, Prof. Osamu Hayaishi was almost immediately appointed as a “Special Consultant” of Osaka City from which position he, along with Mr. Yasushi Oshima (the former Mayor of Osaka City), Mr. Keizo Saｊi (the first Chairman of Osaka Bioscience Institute and former Chairman of Suntory Ltd.), and Prof. Yuichi Yamamura (the ex-President of Osaka University), he became the driving force for the creation of Osaka Bioscience Institute (OBI).
　At the official opening of the Institute in 1987, he was appointed as the first OBI Director, and subsequently as the head of the Department of Enzymes and Metabolism (2^nd Dept.) in 1995 upon the resignation of Dr. Fred Tsuji (one of the pioneers in “Bioluminescence” research), the ex-head of 2nd Department.  He continued again to carry on his research work to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of sleep-wake regulation, which he had already started to study in the early 1980’s while he was a professor at Kyoto University.
　Throughout his career, Prof. Hayaishi has tremendously contributed to the promotion of  science as a first-class scientist and to the training of many (more than 600) excellent young researchers and professors in all over the world.
　By succeeding in the creation of a world class institute of bioscience in Osaka, Prof. Hayaishi has fulfilled with satisfaction the original ideal and goal of the driving force team to which we (all members and former members of OBI) are all indebted. In the "Institution Ranking in Molecular Biology & Genetics"by the ISI Web of Knowledge, Thomson Corporation (U.S.A.), OBI has kept the first place for the last 10 years (as of March 2002).
　Although both Mr. Keizo Saji and Prof. Yuichi Yamamura unfortunately passed away some years ago, the seeds that they and Prof. Hayaishi sowed have grown up to become big trees that bear beautiful flowers and delicious fruits.