Message from the President / Director General

Greetings, and welcome to the website of the National Museum of Nature and Science.

My name is Makoto Manabe, and I am honored to assume the role of President / Director General of the National Museum of Nature and Science as of April 2026. Prior to this appointment, I devoted over three decades to research at the museum, focusing on fossils of Mesozoic reptiles, especially birds and other dinosaurs.

Museums are sometimes seen simply as buildings where objects collected and studied by curators and researchers are stored and displayed. Although these are important functions, museums are not only for experts but for everyone—including you. Museums depend on many different people in a variety of roles to operate, and visitors are an essential part of that community. If a museum can become a place where all people feel welcome, it can inspire curiosity and wonder in each visitor and open their hearts to new worlds.

Fifteen years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011. During that time, I have continued to volunteer in efforts to rehabilitate museums in disaster-affected areas of Fukushima and Iwate in the Tohoku region of northeastern Japan. Through these experiences, I have had the opportunity to meet many young people who were nurtured by their local museums before the disaster and who have since rallied around them as their communities recover. This has reaffirmed for me the power of regional museums as places where people come together and build community.

In 2027, the National Museum of Nature and Science will celebrate its 150th anniversary. While this is a milestone event for the institution, I hope it serves as an opportunity for all people to reflect on the Earth today and in the near future, and on their place within it. When each of you imagines the near future, I would be delighted if our museum were present somewhere at the edge of that landscape.

In this era of geopolitical instability, it is more important than ever that we realize the ideal of “Incorporating Science into Culture.” Even if you can only visit us occasionally, I will strive, as one of the many people in our community at the National Museum of Nature and Science, to ensure that you feel you belong here with us. I hope that you find something within our museum that inspires you and fosters a connection to our planet and to the museum itself in your heart.

Thank you for your continued support.

April 2026
Makoto Manabe
President / Director General
National Museum of Nature and Science

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