This lecture will give an overview of the history of Open Access (OA) promotion activities that the Kyoto University Library Organization has been carrying out since the 2000s. Next, we will introduce some of the ways in which OA research articles have been used in society as a result of these activities, and consider the significance of the institutional repository project. As a recent initiative, the concept of research cycle support for open science will be introduced, and finally, the changing role of librarians resulting from the researcher interviews conducted as part of the initiative will be discussed.

In Japan, health foods have become a familiar and easily accessible means to respond to health-consciousness, and it can be said that they now have become an established part of our daily lives. However, not all products meet certain requirements in terms of scientific evidence to support the safety and efficacy of health foods and the level of quality that should ensure these factors. Overseas, food products in the forms of tablets, capsules, and other similar forms are classified as “supplements” and functional claims for human health are permitted. At the same time, requirements for safety and quality are set from the perspective of risk management. On the other hand, in Japan, not only products such as tablets and capsules, but also fresh foods, beverages and various other forms of processed foods are treated as health foods. Therefore, it is difficult to establish uniform requirements concerning safety, efficacy and quality for them. This paper discusses the history of health foods in Japan, which has led to this complicated situation, and the relationship between safety, efficacy and quality that should be required for health foods. Additionally, it examines the challenges of health foods in Japan, referring the systems for supplements in foreign countries.

This paper introduces the characteristics and features of Scopus AI, a generative AI tool for researchers provided by Elsevier. Scopus AI is designed to efficiently support the exploration of research fields and the acquisition of insights by integrating the high-quality Scopus content with cutting-edge generative AI technology. It places great emphasis on responsible AI development and privacy protection to earn the trust of the academic community. It also implements measures to minimize hallucinations, ensuring researchers can use it with confidence. Through this paper, we highlight the potential of Scopus AI and its significance for researchers.