56th Celebration of World Telecommunication and Information
Society Day
The ITU Association of Japan
Planning Department
The 56th Celebration of World Telecommunication andInformation Society Day was held by The ITU Association ofJapan (ITU-AJ) on May 17, 2024 at the Keio Plaza Hotel in
Nishishinjuku, Tokyo. It was attended by approximately 110
guests from the Japanese government, telecommunications
and broadcasting industries and other related organizations. Acelebration party was held after the ceremony.
May 17 is the day in 1865 on which the first International
Telegraph Convention was signed laying the foundation for today’sInternational Telecommunication Union (ITU). Named “WorldTelecommunication and Information Society Day,” ITU-AJ holds
a ceremony in Japan to commemorate this anniversary in unisonwith ITU and other countries. Continuing a long tradition, theMIC Minister’s Award and ITU-AJ awards were presented at
this ceremony for the 52nd time to honor the achievements ofindividuals who have been active in a wide range of informationcommunications and broadcasting fields in conjunction withinternational standardization and international cooperation.
At the ceremony, Mr. Koichi Watanabe, State-Minister forInternal Affairs and Communications, talked about the importantrole that Japan has come to play in deepening international
cooperation, such as by holding the G7 Digital and Tech
Ministers’ Meeting and Internet Governance Forum (IGF) lastyear, and about Japan’s ongoing commitment to making proactive
contributions through ITU activities. In addition, Mr. Yoshifumi
Tsuge, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, explained how ITUAJ, by cooperating in initiatives led by the ITU, Asia-PacificTelecommunity (APT), and other institutions and contributing
to the development of telecommunications and broadcasting
technologies in Japan and throughout the world, has come to■ Commemorative group photo18

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expand its activities as a key facilitator of cooperation between
Japan and those institutions. He also told us about the efforts ofITU-AJ in obtaining executive posts for Japan in international
institutions. Continuing on, Dr. Hideyuki Tokuda, Chair of theITU-AJ Award Selection Board, reported on this year’s selections.
These talks were followed by the presentation ceremony
for the MIC Minister’s Award and ITU-AJ awards. The MIC
Minister’s Award was presented to Dr. Yukihiro Nishida, JapanBroadcasting Corporation, who served as chairman of ITU-R
SG6 for an eight-year period from 2015–2023, led initiatives for
introducing new technologies such as AI and immersive media
in broadcasting including the formulation of recommendations
for an Ultra High Definition Television (UHDTV) video system
and High-Dynamic Range Television (HDR-TV) system,
and received the 75th Engineering, Science & Technology
Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Artsand Sciences. Next, the ITU-AJ Special Achievement Award
was presented to Dr. Maki Sugimoto, CEO of Holoeyes, Inc.,
professor at the Innovation Lab, Okinaga Research Institute,Teikyo University, and surgeon in the Department of HPB
Surgery, Teikyo University School of Medicine, who has promoted
the use of ICT technology in the medical field (surgery) and has
recently been active in the development, provision, and spread of
specific products for applying XR, VR, AR, and MR technologies
to surgical procedures.
In addition, the ITU-AJ Accomplishment Award waspresented to eight individuals and one organization and the ITUAJ Encouragement Award was presented to 15 individuals. Theseawards honor contributions to ITU activities or ITU-relatedactivities in Japan, contributions to implementing the Declaration

of Principles and Plan of Action at the World Summit on theInformation Society, contributions to international cooperation
activities in the information-communications, broadcasting, andpostal fields, and other achievements related to international
activities in information-communications and broadcasting.
After the presentation ceremony, Dr. Maki Sugimoto,recipient of the ITU-AJ Special Achievement Award, gave theAnniversary Keynote Presentation under the theme of “Digital
Transformation in Surgical Medicine.”
This year, as well, we are grateful that the MIC Minister’sAward and ITU-AJ awards could be presented at the ceremony
venue. We wish all the award recipients great success and good
health in the years to come, and we extend our gratitude tothe award recommending organizations and to everyone who
graciously supported this ceremony. Please visit the ITU-AJ
website to view an outline and other photos of the ceremony.
https://www.ituaj.jp/?page_id=31982 (Japanese only)■ Dr. Yukihiro Nishida, MIC Minister's Award■ Recipients of the ITU-AJ Encouragement Award■ List of Recipients of the MIC Minister’s Award and 52ndITU-AJ Awards(Titles omitted) (Affiliations at time of recommendation)

MIC Minister's Award
Dr. NISHIDA Yukihiro (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)
ITU-AJ Special Achievement Award"Dr. SUGIMOTO Maki (Holoeyes Inc.
Innovation Lab,Teikyo University Okinaga Research InstituteDepartment of HPB Surgery, Teikyo University School ofMedicine )"ITU-AJ Accomplishment Awards■ Dr. Maki Sugimoto, ITU-AJ Special Achievement Award

Mr. INOUE Masazumi (KDDI Foundation)
Mr. IMATA Satoshi (KDDI CORPORATION)
Ms. IWASAKI Junko (NEC Corporation)
Dr. IWAMA Tsukasa (National Institute of Informationand Communications Technology)
Mr. GUNJI Yoshimasa (BHN Association)
Dr. KONDO Yoshihiro (NTT Advanced TechnologyCorporation)Dr. NAKAMURA Hirotaka (NTT Innovative DevicesCorporation)
Dr. YAMADA Wataru (Nippon Telegraph and TelephoneCorporation)
HAPS GLOBAL SPECTRUM STANDARDIZATIONTEAM (SoftBank Corp.)
ITU-AJ Encouragement Awards■ Recipients of the ITU-AJ Accomplishment Award

Mr. AGATA Mikiya (KDDI CORPORATION)
Mr. UTSUNOMIYA Ryusuke (Rakuten Mobile, Inc.)
Dr. UNNO Kyohei (KDDI Research, Inc.)
Mr. KAWASAKI Junichi (KDDI Research, Inc.)
Mr. SUGASAWA Koichi (NTT e-Asia Corporation)
Mr. SUZUKI Yasuki (KDDI CORPORATION)
Ms. SUYAMA Momoko (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)
Mr. TAKEDA Daiki (NTT DOCOMO, INC.)Ms. CHEN Wenjing (NTT DOCOMO, INC.)
Dr. NANBA Shinobu (KDDI CORPORATION)
Dr. FUJII Katsumi (National Institute of Information andCommunications Technology)
Mr. FUSHIKI Masashi (Fujitsu Limited)
Mr. MATSUKAWA Ryusuke (NTT DOCOMO, INC.)
Mr. YAMAZAKI Hiroto (Japan International CooperationAgency)
Dr. WATANABE Junji (Nippon Telegraph and TelephoneCorporation)

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