Photo: Joi / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Ken Mogi was born on January 1, 1962 in Nakano, Tokyo, Japan and is credited as a cognitive scientist, brain scientist and neuroscientist. As of 2026, Ken Mogi is 64 years old. Schooling on record includes Tokyo Gakugei University Senior High School. Listed accolades include Hideo Kobayashi Sho (2005) and Takeo Kuwahara Academic Award (2009).
My Take
Ken Mogi is a Japanese scientist, born in 1962 in Nakano, Tokyo, a senior researcher at Sony Computer Science Laboratories and a visiting professor at the University of Tokyo. His stated mission, posted plainly on his own site, is to solve the mind-brain problem — which is, let's be honest, the largest unpaid bill in science. His central concept is qualia: the redness of red, the felt texture of experience that no description of neurons quite delivers. What interests me is the second career layered on the first. He writes for general readers and appears in Japanese media, and academics who do that usually pay for it in credibility. He seems not to have. The Kobayashi Hideo Prize in 2005 and the Kuwabara Takeo Award in 2009 are literary honors, not lab honors — recognition that he can actually write, not just popularize. Keeping a hard question hard while making it readable takes a particular kind of stubbornness.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Ken Mogi
- Name (Japanese)
- 茂木健一郎
- Reading
- もぎ けんいちろう
- Born
- January 1, 1962 (age 64)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Tiger
- Origin
- Nakano, Tokyo, Japan
- Occupation
- cognitive scientist / scientist / brain scientist / neuroscientist
2. Background
- High school
- Tokyo Gakugei University Senior High School
- University
- Tokyo Gakugei University Senior High School
Awards & achievements
- 2005 Hideo Kobayashi Sho
- 2009 Takeo Kuwahara Academic Award
3. Links
- Official sitehttp://qualia-manifesto.com/
- Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/qualiaken/
- Xhttps://x.com/kenichiromogi
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken%20Mogi
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%8C%82%E6%9C%A8%E5%81%A5%E4%B8%80%E9%83%8E
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3242928
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-08-07
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Ken Mogi born?
Born January 1, 1962 (age 64).
Where is Ken Mogi from?
Ken Mogi is from Nakano, Tokyo, Japan.
What does Ken Mogi do?
Ken Mogi works as cognitive scientist, scientist, brain scientist, neuroscientist.