Symposium: Approaching the World through the Lens of Causality

Uncovering Causality in Our Complex World

Symposium: Approaching the World through the Lens of Causality

Information

This symposium serves as the wrap–up of the Tohoku Forum for Creativity’s 2025 thematic program, “Uncovering Causality in our Complex World.” It is designed to share the latest insights and experiences in the field of causal discovery from two perspectives: foundational methodologies and real–world applications.

In the session on foundational studies, we will introduce efforts to strengthen the theoretical basis of causal discovery through two complementary approaches:

mathematical and information–scientific methods that employ advanced computational techniques, and
philosophical and psychological approaches that revisit the fundamental questions, “What is causality?” and “What is understanding?”

The application–focused sessions will highlight attempts to uncover causal relationships hidden within massive datasets generated by a wide range of complex systems, including major state–of–the–art synchrotron radiation facilities; the dynamics of large–scale electric power networks influenced by human behavior; large–scale agricultural irrigation systems; and biological neural networks. We will also explore causal understanding rooted in the expertise of practitioners in medical and manufacturing fields, among others.

Through this symposium, we hope to explore–together with all of the participants–how our extraordinarily complex world comes into view through the lens of causality.

LINK: 日本語

Date

Wednesday, February 18, 2026 – Friday, February 20, 2026

Venue

TOKYO ELECTRON House of Creativity 3F, Lecture Theater, Katahira Campus, Tohoku University [Access]

Speakers

Hiroyasu Ando (Tohoku University)
Lily Ge (Northwestern University)
Fabiana Ferracina (Tohoku University)
Saku Hara (Tohoku University)
Leonard Henckel (University College Dublin)
Hiroyuki Higuchi (Fujitsu Ltd. / Tohoku University)
Sim Jia Hui (Tohoku University)
Takeshi Kanasugi (Kokugakuin University)
Shunsuke Kano (Tohoku University)
Shunsuke Kawamoto (Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University)
Sotaro Kuribayashi (Fujitsu Ltd.)
Justin Lien (Tohoku University)
Koji Maruhashi (Fujitsu Ltd.)
Masao Ohno (IHI corporation)
Takafumi Sato (Tohoku University)
Hiroshi Shimizu (Kwansei Gakuin University)
Shohei Shimizu (Osaka University)
Reona Yamaguchi (Kyoto University)

Lecture language

Lectures are given in English or in Japanese. See the program for details.

Registration Fee

Free

Registration

Registration deadline: Monday, February 16, 2026
– Closed

Time Schedule

Wednesday, February 18, 2026
09:30–10:00: Registration

Morning: in English [Chair: Hiroshi Suito]
10:00–10:15: [Perspective] Opening address; Hiroshi Suito (Tohoku University)

10:25–10:55: Fabiana Ferracina (Tohoku University); [Mathematical foundation] Enhancing explainability of causal discovery AI – from the G–RIPS Sendai 2024 Fujitsu project

11:05–11:35: Sim Jia Hui (Tohoku University); [Mathematical foundation] Discoverability with modern AI – from the G–RIPS Sendai 2025 Fujitsu project

Afternoon: in Japanese [Chair: Hiroyuki Higuchi]
13:00–13:45: Reona Yamaguchi (Kyoto University); [Application] Cortical connectivity associated with recovery from spinal cord injury revealed by statistical causal discovery using LiNGAM

13:55–14:40: Koji Maruhashi (Fujitsu Ltd.); [Application] Causal AI for unveiling the unknown

15:00–15:45: Sotaro Kuribayashi (Fujitsu Ltd.); [Application] Causal discovery, LLM, and graph XAI for chemical reaction mechanism analysis

15:55–16:40: Hiroyasu Ando (Tohoku University); [Application] Bridging forecasting and causality in energy and mobility

16:45–17:15: Coffee time (1F lounge)

Thursday, February 19, 2026
09:30–10:00: Registration

Morning: in English [Chair: Hiroyasu Ando]
10:00–10:45: Justin Lien (Tohoku University); [Mathematical foundation] Linear inverse modeling with applications to Liang–Kleeman information flow and causality

10:55–11:40: Shunsuke Kano (Tohoku University); [Mathematical foundation] Comparing causal graphs via magnitude homology

11:50–12:35: Leonard Henckel (University College Dublin); [Mathematical foundation] Conceptual perspectives on defining distances between causal graphs

Afternoon: in Japanese [Chair: Hiroshi Suito]
14:00–14:45: Masao Ono (IHI Corporation); [Application] Causal graph–based anomaly detection towards sustainable irrigation systems

14:55–15:40: Shunsuke Kawamoto (Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University); [Application] Application of statistical causal inference to elucidating the mechanism of insulin resistance in surgical diabetes after open heart surgery

16:00–16:45: Takafumi Sato (Tohoku University); [Application] Extraction of causality from spatially resolved data in synchrotron facilities

16:55–17:40: Hiroyuki Higuchi (Fujitsu Ltd. / Tohoku University); [Perspective] “Why” + “Wakuwaku (Feeling of excitement)” = Discovery?

18:00–19:30: Banquet (Restaurant Hagi)

Friday, February 20, 2026
09:30–10:00: Registration

Morning: in English [Chair: Hiroyuki Higuchi]
10:00–10:45: Shohei Shimizu (Osaka University); [Mathematical foundation] Non–Gaussian, nonlinear causal discovery with hidden variables and application

10:55–11:40: Lily Ge (Northwestern University); [Philosophical foundation] Critical thinking in human–data interaction

Afternoon: in Japanese [Chair: Hitoshi Omori]
13:00–13:45: Takeshi Kanasugi (Kokugakuin University); [Philosophical foundation] Understanding other minds: one possibility considered from the perspective of rationality

13:55–14:40: Hiroshi Shimizu (Kwansei Gakuin University); [Philosophical foundation] Perspectives on causality in mind and behavior

15:00–15:45: Saku Hara (Tohoku University); [Philosophical foundation] On functionalist research projects of neuroscience

15:55–16:45: Chair: Naoko Shinozaki
Panelists: Takeshi Kanasugi, Hiroshi Shimizu, Saku Hara; [Philosophical foundation] Panel discussion “Understandings and explanations”