The year is drawing to a close. I remain in good health whilst delivering lectures at Kyoto Advanced Science University. This year has seen several noteworthy events, prompting me to share an update after some time. Firstly, in this commemorative year marking the 30th anniversary of the Japan Association for Evolutionary Economics (JAFEE), the Society honoured my book Evolutionary Economics with its JAFEE Award. Incidentally, I am also deeply grateful to Professor Mariolis for submitting a substantial review article: Mariolis, T. Professor Yuji Aruka’s Evolutionary Economics from a Sraffian perspective. Evolut Inst Econ Rev (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40844-025-00309-2. An award lecture is scheduled for the Society’s main conference in Shimonoseki City next March. Separately, for my work on the Society’s journal Evolutionary and Institutional Economics Review, I received both the The Editorial Contribution Award 2025 and The Author Service Award 2025 from Springer Nature.
However, the most surprising development was being appointed an Honorary Councillor of Chuo University in October. I had completely forgotten, but during my tenure at Chuo University, I was appointed as a councillor for four terms (three standard terms plus one irregular term of one and a half years), totalling thirteen and a half years. The regulations for Honorary Councillors state that one must be aged 75 or over and have served as a councillor for a cumulative total of twelve years or more. This appointment came about because I happened to meet these requirements, and I gratefully accepted it as a cherished memory of the past. Last December 2024, during my driving licence renewal, I underwent the cognitive function test customary for the elderly. Thanks to my memorisation efforts, I scored a perfect 100. Consequently, I remain in good health and am diligently working on a new English-language book scheduled for publication next year. I sincerely hope you all enjoy a splendid New Year. Additionally, I have changed the address of my personal homepage. Previously, I had outsourced its operation to a company, but from this year, I have scaled it down and am now managing it personally. The new address is https://yuji-aruka.net. The suffix has changed from .jp to .net. I have uploaded ‘The Origin of Aruka and a Brief Self-Introduction’ to this page. Yuji Aruka’s DNA traces back to the bloodline of the most ancient samurai. This refers to lineage not only in documents but also genetically. Those wishing to learn more about this may view the details via the link below.