49th Luncheon Meeting was held on February 19, 2026
The 49th Luncheon Meeting took place on Thursday, February 19, 2026, featuring a talk by Prof. Kazutaka Matoba from the Hanayama Lab, and was chaired by Asst. Prof. Dilireba Bolidong.
Prof. Matoba is originally from Osaka City.
As an Osaka-specific topic, he shared some interesting trivia that each station on the JR Osaka Loop Line uses a different departure melody, many of which are associated with Osaka. He also briefly introduced his hobbies, such as mountain hiking and leisurely cycling, as well as his family’s annual kakizome (New Year calligraphy) tradition.
Currently, Prof. Matoba is on a temporary assignment from Nissan Chemical Corporation to the Hanayama Lab.
He has been conducting joint research with Prof. Rikinari Hanayama for more than ten years and is actively working toward the practical application of their research results.
At the meeting, Prof. Kunio Matsumoto, CEO of Vision Incubate, also showed strong interest in Prof. Matoba’s startup project, leading to a lively question-and-answer session.
Further progress and development of Prof. Matoba’s project are highly anticipated in the future.
Speaker: Prof. Kazutaka Matoba
Chairperson: Asst. Prof. Dilireba Bolidong
Introduction to his hometown, Osaka City
Toward his startup project
Participants
Q & A