At Hara Laboratory, we study the design of social systems to address complex and long term issues related to the future and create a sustainable society. We apply these systems and methodologies to policy design and the development of social and technological systems, and through co-creation among industry, academia, and government, we will implement various practices related to solving social issues and creating a sustainable society. Specifically, we aim to build a new foundation for social engineering that explicitly incorporates the "future" by using academic and engineering approaches to deepen "Future Design" which refers to the design and implementation of social systems to pass on a sustainable society and environmental resources to future generations. Read the story of how Future Design was first concieved and developed. Also see 26 examples of Future Design practices conducted by governments, local governments and industries. Hara Lab also contributes to "Hara Research Base for Future Design" in Center of Excellence in Advanced Research (TechnoArena), Graduate Schoof of Engineering, Osaka University.
Future Design was first conceptualized in a research meeting at Osaka University that stared in 2012. Read RIETI Report 1 (Practices in public policies), RIETI Report 2 (Practices in industries), RIETI Column, and paper1(First FD practice) (See the list of academic papers). The first practice of Future Design implemented in Yahaba town, Iwate, Japan, is cited in articles including those published in BBC, Wasington Post and Foreign Affairs.
Our lab welcomes applications for admission to PhD programs and post-doctoral positions.
Vision
We aim to build an academic foundation for designing various social systems and pioneering social technologies to guide decision-making and actions that considers the interests of generations to come and transition to a future society. Through these efforts, we will envision novel social engineering that explicitly incorporates the "future" into the present decision making and various practices, and foster the next generation of leaders who will lead the design of future society.
Mission
We will contribute to the solution of actual problems and the design of a sustainable society through co-creation between industry, academia, and government. We will deepen the academic background through the theoretical principles of Future Design, and the engineering perspective by applying this methodology to various problem domains. Additionally, we will propose new directions of social innovation that can be led by Future Design, and conduct and apply research that contributes to the creation of new social values toward a sustainable future.
News
| 2025/6/21 | A new preprint paper is out (On the new method and educational program on sustainability adopting Future Design method). |
| 2025/5/9 | A new paper analyzing the applicability and effectiveness of Future Design on water supply systems and its maintenance is published in Futures |
| 2025/1/13 | A new paper analyzing the effectiveness of Future Design in corporate R&D and technology innovationi is published in Futures |
| 2025/1/5 | A new paper (in Japanese) analyzing the effectiveness of Future Design in corporate new business proposals received the Best Paper Award from Japan Society for Research Policy and Innovation Management. |
| 2024/12/14 | A new paper that adopted Future Design to examine sustainable supply systems of rare metals in 2050 is published in Journal of Cleaner Production. |
| 2024/11/26 | A new column Future Design and Industrial Innovation is posted on the website of RIETI(Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry) . |
| 2024/11/05 | A new paper on the effects of adopting "Imaginary Future Generations" on promoting inclusive ideas and increasing SDGs knowlege is now published in Int'l J. of Automation Technology. |
| 2024/7/22 | A new paper on the compatibility betweeen Imaginary Future Generation and Systems Thinking is published in Futures & Foresight Science. |
| 2024/6/20 | Future Design exercise was conducted as part of "Frontiers of Sustainability Science," a four-university （Osaka U, U Tokyo, UNU, Ibaraki U.) cooperative program. |
| 2024/4/10 | The School of International Futures published a paper "The Promise of Future Design", which introduces the works at the Hara Laboratory. |
| 2024/4/10 | Three new members (master students) have joined our lab. Welcome! |
| 2024/2/29 | A new paper on the method for assessing future potentiality of technologies by adopting "Imaginary Future Generations" is now published in Technological Forecasting and Social Change (Press released!). |
| 2024/1/20 | RIETI Special Report is now out. It discusses the application of Future Design to policies. |
| 2023/12/2 | Prof. Hara gave a keynote speech on Future Design at the JDS International Conference 2023 at University of Tsukuba. |
| 2023/10/31 | Organized session on "Future Design" will be held at the international conference " EcoDesign2023". |
| 2023/10/31 | A new paper on the application of Future Design and systems thinking to policy design for Kyoto City's carbon neutrality in 2050 is published in Futures. |
| 2023/7/30 | A new paper on the application of Future Design to R&D strategy in industrial sector is now published in Futures. |
| 2023/7/26 | A new paper on the application of Future Design to R&D/technology innovation is published in Futures and Foresight Science. |
| 2023/7/14 | A new paper on the application of Future Design to participatory environmental planning is published in Sustainability Science. |
| 2023/6/30 | Home page of Hara Research Base for Future Design is now open! It lists representative examples of Future Desing Practices in local governments and industries. |
| 2023/4/11 | New members (students) joined Hara laboratory. Welcome! |
| 2023/3/11 | Future Design Practice for urban management conducted in Yahaba town, summarized in a paper publised in Sustainability Science Journal, was cited in an article featured in BBC News. |
| 2022/9/23 | The first practice of Future Design in Yahaba town in 2015, supported by JST RISTEX (PI: Keishiro Hara) (Paper) is cited in articles in Washington Post and Foreign Affairs. |
| 2022/9/20 | Adoption of Future Design to R&D strategy in industrial sector and relevant research at Hara lab. appears in an article in Nikkei Newspaper. |
| 2022/9/10 | A new Discussion Paper is out, which argues the significance of adopting "Imaginary Future Generations" on designing research strategy and innovation. |
| 2022/9/6 | I gave a lecture on Future Design at GSES SUMMER SCHOOL 2022 at Tohoku University. |
| 2022/7/21 | A new Discussion Paper is out, which discusses the effectiveness of adopting "Imaginary Future Generations" on R&D and innovation strategies in industrial sector. |
| 2022/6/12 | In an intensive course "Frontiers of Sustainability Science" operated by five leading universities (Osaka U., U. Tokyo, Kyoto U., UNU, and Ibaraki U.), we conducted Future Design for the theme of designing carbon neutral society in 2050. |
| 2022/5/21 | A new Discussion Paper is out, based on Future Design practice for carbon-neutral policy desing by Kyoto City. |
| 2022/5/13 | A new Discussion Paper is out, based on Future Design practice for Environmental Planning in Suita City. |
| 2022/1/27 | Future Design and practice in Yahaba town are cited in the book "The New Long Life" |
| 2021/11/20 | Prof. Hara is elected Fellow of The Engineering Academy of Japan. |
| 2021/04/05 | "Hara Research Base for Future Design" as Center of Excellence in Advanced Research of TechnoArena, Osaka U, has been launched. |
| 2021/04/01 | Hara Lab's website is now open !. |