Reports are that he liked to throw dinners and parties with glittering attendee lists. I could see a guy like him wanting to have a few pet academics at such af

Reports are that he liked to throw dinners and parties with glittering attendee lists. I could see a guy like him wanting to have a few pet academics at such affairs, in the same way he'd want to have some artists -- partly just to liven up the conversations, and partly to signal that he's cultured and respectable. And of course there are always some academics (like Ito, it seems) who can serve as bridges into other worlds, by doing things like bringing him into investment opportunities.