On 3 April 2023, the SGH Warsaw School of Economics held a ceremony to award an honoris causa doctorate degree to Professor Mamoru Kaneko, Professor Emeritus of the University of Tsukuba and Waseda University in Japan.
By Resolution No. 234 of 28 September 2022 the Senate of the SGH Warsaw School of Economics conferred the title of doctor honoris causa on Professor Mamoru Kaneko. This Resolution entered into force on the date of its adoption.
The ceremonial meeting of the Senate began with the national anthem and "Ode to Joy," the anthem of the European Union.
All guests gathered in the Auditorium A were welcomed by SGH Rector dr hab. Piotr Wachowiak, professor at SGH.
The laudation was delivered by the Vice Rector for International Relations, dr hab. Jacek Prokop, professor at SGH.
“Professor Mamoru Kaneko is a professor emeritus at the University of Tsukuba and Waseda University in Japan. He earned all of his degrees – bachelor's degree, master's degree and doctorate – at Tokyo Institute of Technology, where he first studied engineering and received his doctorate in computer science. Even before he completed his doctorate, he had become a lecturer at the University of Tsukuba. He has been associated with this University, with some interruptions, throughout his professional life. (...),” said the supervisor of the ceremony.
“Since the beginning of his scientific career, which goes back to the mid-1970s, he has been involved in the social sciences from a mathematical perspective. Throughout his professional life, he has conducted research in game theory and economics, combining theoretical foundations with an applied dimension. He has always paid particular attention to refining the theory for better use. In the 1980s, he undertook work on mathematical logic, including fundamental problems in mathematics. This required extraordinary precision, both conceptually and technically, but allowed for expanded research opportunities in the field of social sciences. Since the 1990s, he has conducted research in inductive game theory, but also in other areas, such as the issue of bounded rationality. Professor Kaneko's research addresses issues that are relevant to the field. These are often difficult topics, referring to the fundamentals of a particular issue. He carries out research with a group of collaborators from various academic centres, and the results are the subject of conferences and scientific seminars of various sizes, ranging from small-scale to large, worldwide events. (...).”
“Professor Kaneko has always combined scientific work with didactics, putting a lot of emphasis on education at the master's and doctoral levels, providing scientific care and advice to students,” highlighted prof. Prokop.
As he added, Professor Kaneko’s relationship with SGH spans several decades, and over the past 20 years he has been at SGH several times, guest lecturing to students and doctoral students, as well as providing consultations and holding scientific discussions with SGH staff. „(...) Professor Kaneko is constantly helping our researchers in the process of publishing articles (including in the journal Mathematical Social Sciences, where he is one of the editors), but also in other scientific endeavours," noted prof. Prokop.
“In conferring the title of Doctor Honoris Causa to Professor Mamoru Kaneko, the Rector, the Senate and the community of our School express their deep appreciation for his scientific achievements and his contribution to supporting the position of our School in the scientific community of Japan and the wider international forum,” concluded the author of the laudation.
“As a representative of the Collegium of World Economy, where we emphasise comparative research, comparative analysis on an international scale, I am very pleased to contribute in this way to the internationalisation of SGH, which is the oldest economic university in Poland. I am also pleased personally, as I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Professor Mamura Kaneko earlier as a young employee of SGH (...) Dear Professor, I am glad that you flew in to join us for this ceremony. (...) All the best once again,” said Dean of the Collegium of World Economy, prof. dr hab. Mariusz Próchniak. He then read out the Latin text of the SGH honoris causa doctorate.
Professor Mamoru Kaneko received his honoris causa doctorate degree from SGH Rector Piotr Wachowiak. This was followed by the resounding of the Polish medieval hymn in honour of St Stanislaus of Szczepanów, “Gaude Mater Polonia,” in the Auditorium A.
At the end of the ceremony, Professor Mamoru Kaneko gave a lecture on “Applying social welfare, logic and inductive game theory to the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” which “introduces the theory of Nash social welfare (NSW) functions and discusses its implications for peace and justice, particularly in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
“Although NSW theory consists of extreme demands from the point of view of existing social thought, it is becoming unavoidable for today’s world. As expected, it covers various conundrums at basic levels in socio-economic and philosophical terms, especially the problems of a small number of people versus a large number. I have been dealing with these problems for many years. Today I will discuss NSW theory along with the development of related issues, logic and inductive game theory, and their applications to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (...).”
We will publish the entire lecture and laudation in the spring issue of the SGH Magazine (Gazeta SGH).
The ceremony of presenting the doctor honoris causa diploma to Professor Kaneko was highlighted by a performance by the SGH choir.
The entire ceremony can be viewed on our YouTube channel.
