Special Discussion between RADWIMPS’s Satoshi Yamaguchi and Keio University’s Associate Professor Shinya Fujii
Senzoku Gakuen College of Music Press Release: October 14, 2025 Special talk between RADWIMPS’s Satoshi Yamaguchi and Keio University’s Associate Professor Shinya Fujii – Exploring “musician’s dystonia” through the fusion of music and science — On Sunday, October 12, 2025, Senzoku Gakuen College of Music (located in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture; President: Yujiro Maeda) held a special talk entitled “Studying Musician’s Dystonia Scientifically to Achieve Uncharted Musical Expressions” at Maeda Hall, featuring Satoshi Yamaguchi (Dr. of RADWIMPS/currently on indefinite hiatus), a former Senzoku Gakuen College of Music student, and Associate Professor Shinya Fujii of Keio University. Purpose and overview of the event This event, held as one of the main events of the “Senzoku Gakuen Festival 2025,” discussed musician’s dystonia, a neurological disorder that severely impairs musicians’ performance technique and has become a major issue in the Japanese music industry in recent years. Satoshi Yamaguchi (Radwimps Dr./currently on indefinite hiatus), who has dealt with the disease as a patient, and Shinya Fujii, Associate Professor at Keio University, who pioneered the world’s first “physical science research on drummers,” discussed the trajectory of their 10-year-long exploration and research challenges.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/135903/17/135903-17-390788500e6eac1f3623be5b6797537a-3900×2605.jpg
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/135903/17/135903-17-2052317f4435c54f01d82fab91270a31-3900×2605.jpg Performance by Mr. Yamaguchi and his mentor, Professor Matsuyama The talk event was attended by many people, including supporters of Mr. Yamaguchi, Keio University faculty, and visitors to the Senzoku Gakuen Festival. Faculty, staff, and students from Senzoku Gakuen College of Music also attended, filling the venue to capacity and making the event a great success. Looking back on their journeys, Mr. Yamaguchi said, “I was able to perform at my alma mater because I was blessed to meet so many people who supported me,” and Professor Fujii said, “I hope you will transcend the boundaries of music, science, and research and enjoy music according to your heart.” They each expressed their gratitude to their alma mater and those who supported them, and offered encouragement to the musicians of the future. Future Outlook Senzoku Gakuen College of Music will continue to invite leading experts to give lectures and hold programs in order to provide practical and stimulating learning experiences. ■Mr. Satoshi Yamaguchi Drummer (RADWIMPS), Keio University SFC Research Institute member, farmer, BEAT ICE co-founder Born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture in 1985. In his second year of junior high school, he formed a band with his club friends and began playing drums. He joined RADWIMPS in 2004 and made his major debut in 2005. Around 2009, he developed musician’s dystonia (focal dystonia) in his right foot, and announced an indefinite hiatus in 2015. Since then, he has been active in a wide range of fields, including agriculture, research, and technology development. Through collaborative research with the Music
Neuroscience Laboratory at the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University, he co-developed with Yamaha a new technology called “VXD,” which triggers drum sounds using voice. Currently, he is exploring the relationship between “music and the nervous system” and “technology and the body,” pioneering new avenues for musical expression that transcend the physical limitations of performers. In 2024, he will return to the stage for the first time in about nine years, performing using his own voice, and in 2025 he plans to embark on his first solo tour.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/135903/17/135903-17-a932d513ad6e7e7e2e9c01a29feafede-766×766.jpg ■Associate Professor Shinya Fujii Associate Professor, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University. Director of the Center for Music Sciences, Keio University. Director of the Music Neuroscience Laboratory / ExMusic Laboratory, Keio University SFC. Graduated from the Faculty of Integrated Human Studies, Kyoto University, completed master’s and doctoral programs at Kyoto University Graduate School, and holds a Ph.D. in Human and
Environmental Studies. He was a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Research Fellow (DC1) (Kyoto University), PD (University of Tokyo, Harvard University/Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center), Overseas Special Research Fellow (Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto), Specially Appointed Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Education, University of Tokyo, and Full-time Lecturer at Keio University before assuming his current position. As a drummer, he completed a scholarship at UnMusic School Kyoto. His specialties are music neuroscience and music body science. [Keio University Music Science Research Center]
https://www.kgri.keio.ac.jp/project/research-centers/2024/A24-28.html. [Keio University SFC NeuroMusicLab] https://neuromusic.sfc.keio.ac.jp/
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/135903/17/135903-17-0eda479fcd856d01be9070694366b571-766×766.jpg ■About Senzoku Gakuen College of Music Senzoku Gakuen College of Music is a music college operated by the Senzoku Gakuen Educational Corporation. It offers the largest number of students and the most courses (19) of any university in Japan with a music department, allowing students to choose courses and curricula that best suit their interests. Graduates are active in a wide range of fields, including famous artists, actors, and voice actors such as Macaroni Enpitsu (Rock & Pop Course, Electronic Organ Course), Saori (Sekai No Owari member, Piano Course), Ayaka Hirahara (Jazz Course), Natsumi Kon (Musical Course), Fuuka Yuzuki (Musical Course), and Emi Nitta (Vocal Course). [Official website]: https://www.senzoku.ac.jp/ Details about this release
