We are pleased to announce that Professor Kouta Minamizawa has been appointed as the new Dean of the Graduate School, effective April 1, 2026. He succeeds Professor Masa Inakage, whose term concludes on March 31, 2026. Professor Nanako Ishido has been appointed as the director of the KMD Research Institute.
[Comment from Professor Masa Inakage]
I am deeply grateful to the KMD community and our collaborators for their support in launching this ambitious graduate school and shaping it into a unique global platform for research and education with a strong commitment to social impact. Over eighteen years, this journey has connected people, disciplines, and places into a collective powerhouse of creativity.
As I step down, I am honored to pass the baton to my successor, Professor Kouta Minamiszawa, in whom I have great trust and respect. I am confident that KMD 2.0 will bring fresh perspectives and further establish KMD as a global epicenter of creativity in media design.
[Comment from Professor Kouta Minamizawa]
Eighteen years ago, the founding members of KMD, led by Masa Inakage, envisioned an ideal graduate school—a place where people of diverse nationalities, cultures, ages, and genders come together, collaborate beyond boundaries of discipline and position, and work with a wide range of stakeholders in society to implement the future in the real world.
Today, that vision has become our everyday reality.
I would like to express my deepest respect for the remarkable foresight behind this vision, and for the long-standing dedication that has brought it to fruition.
We are now living in a time of profound global uncertainty, where the environments, technologies, and societies surrounding us are changing at an unprecedented pace. In such an era, shaping the future we aspire to achieve requires us not only to continuously update ourselves, but also to remain actively engaged in practice at the frontlines of society.
KMD will evolve. With a generational transition as a catalyst, new members will initiate emerging fields, further advancing our education and research. To foster a truly global environment, all courses will be conducted in English, and we will welcome a diverse body of students from around the world. For those in Japan, KMD will serve as the closest gateway to the global frontier; for those coming from abroad, it will function as a “Dejima”—a unique entry point into the forefront of Japan. In this way, KMD will continue to renew and transform itself.
At the same time, KMD will remain unchanged in its core values—diversity, flexibility, curiosity, imagination, and co-creation with society. Grounded in these principles, KMD will continue to be a place where students, researchers, and diverse practitioners can freely express their creativity, serve as a catalyst connecting those who envision the future, and work together to bring that future into reality.
We sincerely appreciate your continued support and encouragement for the future of KMD.
[Comment from Professor Nanako Ishido]
I am honored to assume the position of Director of the KMD Research Institute. Building on the strength of our educational programs, we will further evolve KMD into a globally leading hub for the creation of cutting-edge knowledge.
By integrating knowledge across disciplines, we will advance bold research initiatives that drive transformation in society and industry, fostering a dynamic interplay between research and real-world implementation.
Through cross-boundary collaboration with a diverse range of partners, including industry, universities, and research institutions, we will accelerate co-creation and the translation of knowledge into practice.
Leveraging Japan’s unique position as a global connector, we will bridge technology with culture and design to generate new value on a global scale.
As a platform for envisioning and realizing the future of society, the KMD Research Institute will embark on its next phase of innovation and challenge.
