15. On Sakata's Scientific Research and Methodology

I think one can divide Sakata's activities into the following three categories: 1) Scientific research; which I will talk of later in some detail. 2) Scientific management; just after the World War II, he took the leadership in making up the constitution for management of our physics department based on the democracy principle which we are still using. As a member of the Science Council of Japan (JSC), he also attempted the promotion of scientific activity for Japan as a whole, especially engaging in working towards the realization of a research institute for elementary particle physics, which was eventually established as KEK, National Laboratory for High Energy Physics. 3) Public activity as a scientist; he had a serious concern with the peaceful use of atomic energy in Japan. As a member of the Special Committee of Nuclear Physics, JSC as well as a member of JSC, he contributed substantially to the realization of law for the use of atomic energy in Japan based on three principles such as "open to the public", "should be conducted by the democracy principle", and "to be developed by ourselves". He also joined the Pugwash movement and its Japanese equivalent, the Kyoto Conference of Scientists, as a member of the continuing committee together with Yukawa and Tomonaga. In this talk I shall limit myself to the 1st item, basing what I have to say mainly on my recollections. So please excuse its incompleteness. As for myself, I entered the Physics Department of Nagoya University in October 1944, and graduated at the end of September, 1947. From that time, I was in Sakata's laboratory until I left Nagoya for Hiroshima in April, 1955, and now coming back Nagoya in August, 1976.