Commemorating 50 years since the founding of ITU-AJ
Towards the Next 50 years!

Founded on September 1, 1971, the ITU Association of Japan (ITU-AJ) is commemorating its 50th anniversary with the publication of the 2021
autumn issue of New Breeze. We have reached this milestone through the kind support received from many people over the last half-century, and forthis we are sincerely grateful.
On this memorial occasion, we are again reminded of our important role at ITU-AJ with a strong desire to take up the challenges of the next 50 years.
This issue features a collection of 50th anniversary articles.
Editors

Tetsuo Yamakawa

President of the ITU Association of JapanThe ITU Association of Japan (ITU-AJ) was founded in
September 1971 with the aim of coordinating activities with theInternational Telecommunication Union (ITU). This year marks
our 50th anniversary, which could not have been possible without
the support received from many parties and people including theMinistry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), oursupporting members, and ITU-AJ employees. On this occasion, I
would like to extend my deepest appreciation to all concerned.
Our daily lives have changed a lot due to the COVID-19
pandemic. Today, lifestyles making good use of informationand communications technology (ICT) such as teleworking,v ideoconferencing, and online learning have becomecommonplace in society. Thanks to progress in the digitaltransformation, ICT is becoming an even more importantsocial infrastructure that should make great contributions
to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of theUnited Nations. Needless to say, ITU activities such as
management of spectrum and satellite orbits, standardizationof telecommunications technologies, and support for thedevelopment of telecommunications in developing countries willbecome increasingly important in the years to come.
This is just a personal story, but when I was still ayoung man directly after entering the Ministry of Posts andTelecommunications, ITU-AJ publications such as “ITU andJapan” and “ITU Research” were used as kinds of textbooks ontelecommunications policies.
I particularly remember the media theory of Dr. Junichi
Hamada (then an assistant and associate professor at
The University of Tokyo) and the institutional lecture ofcommunications policy in the United States (Value AddedNetwork, etc.) of Mr. Hideo Katsube (then at KDD).
My connection with ITU-AJ was later revived after becoming
director of the International Policy Division just at the time that
H.E Mr. Yoshio Utsumi, then ITU Secretary-General, waspouring much effort into holding the World Summit on theInformation Society (WSIS).
Then, in 2007, when I was director-general of theInternational Affairs Department, I attended for the first timea session of the ITU Council at ITU Headquarters in Geneva.
It was so impressive for me that there were many participating
countries assembled in a huge conference hall. And as part ofdaily meetings with some of the member states, I sometimes hada chance to visit a nearby Japanese restaurant where the batter ofthe tempura struck me as too thick! However, during the time that
I was Vice-Minister for Policy Coordination, I attended the ITU
2010 Plenipotentiary Conference in Guadalajara, Mexico andcame to realize that the quality of tempura in Geneva was actuallyquite high. (Incidentally, Japanese cuisine in Europe today is quiteamazing to say the least.)
By chance, I recently had the opportunity to meet with Dr.
Junichi Hamada (past President and Honorary Professor ofThe University of Tokyo) and Mr. Hideo Katsube (Chairmanand CEO of Knowledge Company, Inc.), which brought backmemories of the ITU-AJ publications that I used to read. And
now I am writing this article. My experience have been like a wellmade story, as if by fate!
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ITU-related meetings havebasically been held as videoconferences. However, strategicallyimportant issues that need be studied at ITU have been pilingup such as the expansion of frequencies for International Mobile
Telecommunications (IMT) toward 5G and 6G, IoT security
management, and standardization of quantum key distribution(QKD) technology. Studies on these topics are steadily moving
forward despite the ongoing spread of COVID-19 throughout theworld. In June 2022, the World Telecommunication Development
Conference (WTDC) is going to take place for the first time in
ITU history on the African continent (Addis Ababa).
Japan, as one of the most active participants that has been
supporting ITU activities and a member of the Council since
1959, is expected to make further contributions for ITU towardachieving SDGs through digital transformation initiatives. For
its part, ITU-AJ will make an even greater effort to meet theexpectations of everyone who considers ITU to be an important
strategic forum. I look forward to your ongoing support andencouragement in the years to come.

New Breeze Autumn 20211