On September 17, 2024, Restart Postdoctoral (RPD) Research Fellowships - Research Exchange Meeting was held with great success at Meiji Kinenkan, Tokyo. Her Imperial Highness Crown Princess Akishino graced the event with her presence, and HONDA Akiko, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of MEXT, was in attendance as the guest of honor.

In FY2006, JSPS introduced the Restart Postdoctoral (RPD) Research Fellowships as one of the categories of Research Fellowships for Young Scientists. This initiative is designed to support researchers in caring for their children and to promote gender equality in scientific research. It aims to provide assistance to outstanding young scientists who need to take a temporary leave from their research for the birth or care of a child, and to enable them to resume their research seamlessly. Since FY2007, JSPS has organized Research Exchange Meetings to provide RPD Fellows with opportunities for interdisciplinary research interaction and information exchange.  At the Meetings, they can discuss issues related to childbirth and child care in their research activities and learn about the future research perspectives of their peers. Former RPD Fellows also share their own experiences with younger Fellows.

At the commencement of this 17th Meeting, SUGINO Tsuyoshi, President of JSPS, delivered an opening address. He extended his gratitude to Her Imperial Highness Crown Princess Akishino for her presence and spoke about JSPS's efforts to improve the Restart Postdoctoral (RPD) Research Fellowships. These efforts include relaxing the eligibility requirements for RPD applications, effective next year, which will allow a greater number of researchers to benefit from the system. He also expressed his hope that the participants of the Meeting will continue their research under the Research Fellowships for Young Scientists and will become a central driving force for the future of scientific research in our country. Following President SUGINO's address, Ms. HONDA Akiko, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of MEXT, delivered remarks as the guest of honor. Two Fellows with RPD experience then presented lectures, after which seven RPD Fellows gave presentations on their research. At the reception held after the Meeting, Her Imperial Highness Crown Princess Akishino engaged in conversation with each of the RPD Fellows. At the reception, attendees engaged in a constructive dialogue on the topic of the daily practical challenges and innovative solutions to the issue of balancing research and childbirth/child care.