What drives a scientist to pursue a discovery that almost everyone else believes is impossible? For Japan’s 2025 Chemistry Nobel Prize winner, Professor Susumu Kitagawa, the answer lies in a mindset passed down through generations of Japanese researchers. In a conversation recorded just a day after his Nobel win, he laughingly summed it up in one memorable line: “Don’t switch off the light, even at night.” The phrase reflects more than long hours. It captures a philosophy of relentless curiosity, deep discipline, and the belief that breakthrough science emerges when the prepared mind refuses to rest.
A tradition of tackling the “impossible”
Kitagawa recalls that when he began exploring metal organic frameworks (MOFs) in the 1990s, many dismissed the idea as impractical. But skepticism only fueled him, the more people said it could not be done, the more determined he became to create new materials. He credits Kyoto University’s long standing ethos, a pursuit of original science at its roots, for nurturing that boldness. It is an environment where researchers are encouraged to ask big questions and take risks that might reshape entire fields.
A Nobel lineage that inspires innovation
Kitagawa draws a direct line from his own thinking to that of earlier Japanese Nobel Prize winners. Kenichi Fukui, awarded in 1981 for quantum chemistry, is his “academic grandfather” in the same laboratory lineage. Akira Yoshino, the lithium ion battery pioneer, is another senior from the same group. Although their specialties differ, Kitagawa sees a shared mindset, curiosity without boundaries and a drive to challenge the status quo. That heritage, he says, creates a responsibility to keep pushing the frontier of materials science forward.
Breakthrough from a lucky mistake and a prepared mind
His Nobel winning direction began not with a grand plan but a chance observation. While analyzing crystal structures at a university computer centre, he noticed an unexpected porous structure. Most might have moved on. Kitagawa shifted his entire research path overnight. It was the moment MOFs, now hailed for their potential in carbon capture, clean energy and catalysis, entered his scientific world. He quotes Louis Pasteur: “Chance favors the prepared mind.“Years of study enabled him to recognize a new possibility hiding in plain sight.
Curiosity, culture and sleepless nights
Kitagawa’s influences go beyond the laboratory. He draws from classical philosophy, including the Chinese thinker Zhuangzi and Japan’s first Nobel laureate in physics, Hideki Yukawa. His reflections on curiosity and the value of “useless” knowledge continue to shape his views. But philosophy alone is not enough, he insists. Dedication is equally vital. Hard work, persistence and a willingness to keep the light on long after others have stopped, these are what transform ideas into impact.
