2023
99

FEATURE

People who Collaborate on
Research within NICT

Round-table Discussion by Comprehensive Workers

Young Comprehensive Workers Collaborating on Research

People who Collaborate on Research within NICT

3

3

99

People who Collaborate on
Research within NICT
Cover Photo:Staff members that collaborate on NICT's
research mentioned in this NICT Newsissue. In addition to them, many otherstaff members also collaborate on NICT's
research.

Round-table Discussion by Comprehensive Workers

1Young Comprehensive Workers
Collaborating on Research
TANIOKA Daisuke / TOKUDA Aya / KUWAHARA Manae / AKAZAWA Naoki

4

Introduction to Activities of Manufacturing GroupNAKAMURA Kenji / TSURUMI Masaaki / KIDO Kouta

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The Clean Room Supporting Innovative Device Researchand Development

Round-table Discussion by Comprehensive Workers

Young Comprehensive
Workers Collaborating on Research

TANIOKA Daisuke

TOKUDA Aya

Senior Manager,

Assistant Chief, Press Office,Public Relations Department

Public Relations Department

KUWAHARA Manae

AKAZAWA Naoki

SUZUKI Yoshio / YOSHIZAWA Katsumi

8

A Meaning of the Outreach Activity in Science andTechnology
With my experience as an example

HOSOKAWA Mizuhiko10

The Role of the NICT Exhibition Room

NICT continues to be at the forefront of the field of information and communication technology (ICT), but research is not conducted by researchers alone. Generalists always run side by side with researchers. What kind of work do they do every
day to collaborate on research? This time, I interviewed three young comprehensive workers.

Network Research Institute

YOKOYAMA Katsumi / NARITA Emiko / YASUI Yuri

12

A Newly Established Quantum Security Collaboration
Facility within NICT Headquarters
HIRASAWA Yae

13

NICT's Challenger File 24 EGUCHI Tomoyuki
Importance of Expanding Circles of Sympathetic
Connections Created with NICT.

Assistant Chief, Planning Office,Wireless Networks Research Center,

TANIOKA First of all, please introduce yourself and tell me about your career and current
work.
TOKUDA It has been five years since I joined
NICT, and the first department I was assigned
to was the Personnel Affairs Group. There, I
mainly worked as a recruiter for career-track
positions. Since the recruitment system was
not very detailed before I was assigned, I discussed with the people concerned how many
staff in career-track positions would be required and what kind of personnel would bedesirable, and improved the recruitment system for career-track positions.
Currently, I belong to the Press Office of
the Public Relations Department and am in-volved in two types of work. The first is preparation of press releases and handling media inquiries and requests to interview researchers.
The other is information dissemination
work, and I was in charge of production of acomprehensive pamphlet for the 5th Mediumto Long-Term Plan and a promotional video
for NICT called "A Future with N." Now, I'm
in the process of producing a video that introduces the results of research called "N Channel," which is the sequel to that.
KUWAHARA It has been four years since I
joined the institute. At first, I was assigned to
the Strategic Planning Office of the Strategic
Planning Department, where I was in chargeof liaising with the Ministry of Internal Affairs

General Planning Office,Radio Researchand Communications, which has jurisdiction
over NICT, and establishment of the domestic
internship system, etc., as well as preparationof business reports and formulation of medium- and long-term plans and annual plans.
The Strategic Planning Department is the socalled "hub" of the institute, and while working in cooperation with departments and research institutes, the Ministry of Internal
Affairs and Communications, and other corporations, I was able to get a bird's-eye viewof the institute's overall activities and the direction of research and development.
Since August 2021, I have been a memberof the Wireless Networks Research Center in
Yokosuka. My main duties include maintaining facilities at the Yokosuka Base, managing

NICT NEWS 2023 No.3

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FEATURE

People who Collaborate on Research within NICT

Round-table Discussion by Comprehensive Workers

Young Comprehensive Workers Collaborating on Research

intellectual property for each research instituteand center, and responding to inquiries fromoutside.
AKAZAWA I just joined the institute one year
ago, and now I belong to the Management Operations Group of the General Planning Officeof the Radio Research Institute, and am incharge of various tasks as a generalist. One of
my current main tasks is management of intellectual property (patents), including operationof patent review meetings held in the institute,and calculation of costs related to patent maintenance; so I am able to be closely involved in
actual research and inventions.
In addition, I am in charge of secretariat
work for events and study groups within theinstitute. Last year, I was involved in management of a symposium with a capacity of 150
people. Also, I have gained valuable experience by interacting with external researchers
and university professors.
TANIOKA I understand that work related tointellectual property is also carried out bycomprehensive workers.

TOKUDA Since I came to the Public Relations Department, I have come to be involved
with researchers more and more. During the
production of "A Future with N," which I
mentioned earlier, researchers, the production
company, and the Public Relations Department worked together as one team to create
one piece of work. At that time, I tried to makethe production run smoothly as an intermediary. As a result, the work went well. I thinkthat my experience in creating videos by collaborating with people from different fields tomake content that is easy to understand andappealing to the public will continue to be useful in the future.

KUWAHARA I think that how generalists are
involved differs depending on the policy ofeach research institute, but at the Network Research Institute, there are persons in charge ofintellectual property at each center, and theywork together with research engineers and administrative specialists.

AKAZAWA I have many opportunities to interact with researchers even in the General
Planning Office where I work. For example,
during operation of an event, the secretariat
receives various requests. In the process ofhandling each of them, I sometimes receive
words of gratitude from researchers.

AKAZAWA At the Radio Research Institute,
there are persons in charge of intellectual
property in the General Planning Office.
While I am being taught by an experienced
boss, both the boss and I work on this together.
How to engage with researchers

TANIOKA You work with researchers in various situations.
In that context, I think the perspective thatis unique to a generalist is also important, but
do you have any experiences in this respect?

TANIOKA Many researchers are enrolled in
NICT and conduct research on a daily basis.
Please tell me about your engagement withresearchers during your work.

2

KUWAHARA In terms of intellectual property, in work related to the application and maintenance of patents, I communicate with researchers on a daily basis, for example, forchecking procedures, costs, and contents.
In addition, inquiries from outside, such astechnical consultations and requests for collaboration, frequently come in, and when suchinquiries are received, I coordinate between
the client and the researcher in charge.

NICT NEWS 2023 No.3

KUWAHARA I am currently participating ina research project within the Innovation Design Initiative, and one of the researchers I
work with told me that he can push forwardwith research by focusing on a theme, but he is

not good at thinking about how to promote it
to society. I think that generalists can think
about presentation to society from the point ofview of ordinary people, and this will lead tofurther dissemination of our research.
AKAZAWA When I have to present our research to the general public, such as during
events, I always try to rephrase difficult content in a way that is easy to understand evenfor someone like me with a background in humanities.
Photo From left to right, TANIOKA, KUWAHARA, TOKUDA, and AKAZAWA. In the center is the official NICT character, "N," which was inspired by AI coming from the future of 203X.

Most memorable work experience

TANIOKA What was your most memorable
work experience so far?
TOKUDA When I was working in the Personnel Affairs Group, my most successful work
experience was recruiting for career-track positions. Until then, two or three people had
been recruited each year, but I successfully
recruited seven people in 2021 by introducing
internships and increasing opportunities forstudents and our staff to talk to each other.
What's more, there were no declinations. I will
never forget the words, "well done," that myboss said to me after finishing this work.
KUWAHARA As one of my biggest successes, I was involved in the establishment of adomestic internship system in the Strategic
Planning Office. Until then, NICT did nothave a framework for accepting domestic students in the form of internships, so I started
work to create a new system that was suitable
for the environment of the institute. Throughrepeated interviews with each research institute and investigation of the situation regarding other corporations, I worked hard to design the system so that it would be easy forboth field workers and students to use. It start-

ed operation in 2020, and I'm glad to hear that
it is being put to good use.
AKAZAWA I have not been involved in many
projects, but my work for the secretariat of the
EMC-net symposium had a great impression
on me. It gave me a little confidence that I wasable to act for myself by thinking ahead before
receiving instructions to assist researchers intheir busy work. In addition, the fact that thisbig event successfully came to a finish gave
me a sense of accomplishment, which left astrong impression on me.
TANIOKA From the perspective of an ordinary company, the duty of a comprehensive
worker at a research institute may be somewhat unique. Is there anything that is rewarding or interesting about this?

searchers engaged in cutting-edge research at
NICT, and to communicate and connect theiractivities and results to society. I work every
day with the belief that no matter what kind ofwork we do, it will ultimately lead to the development of research.
AKAZAWA There is no doubt that the demandfor information and communication technology will increase more and more in the future,and it is very attractive to be able to work
close to such cutting-edge research. Researchers are busy with their own research every
day, so as a generalist, I will continue to makeefforts to create an environment that makes it
easy for researchers to concentrate on their research as much as possible.

TANIOKA Recently, opportunities for generalists have been expanding. For example,
some have been assigned to overseas bases forthe first time ever, while others have been
studying abroad at overseas universities using
our internal system for the first time in several
years. I would like to strongly promote NICT's
information and communication technology
research through close collaboration between
generalists and researchers who conduct cutting-edge research from an international perspective.
Thank you for your participation.

TOKUDA ICT will become an increasingly
important technology for society. NICT is the
only public research institute in Japan thatspecializes in ICT, and the technologies being
developed here will be widely used by Japanese people, who will be the end users. I
would like to continue to convey how NICT's
information and communication technology isuseful to society.
KUWAHARA I believe that the duty of a generalist is to create an environment for re-

NICT NEWS 2023 No.3

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FEATURE

People who Collaborate on Research within NICT

Introduction to Activities of Manufacturing GroupICT has a department that specializ-

N es in "manufacturing" for in-houseproduction of parts for experiments. This
article introduces the significance and recent status of manufacturing operations
that have continued uninterrupted formore than 80 years, including prototype
development at the predecessor organizations of NICT.

NAKAMURA KenjiGroup Leader
Manufacturing Group, Radio Wave Management and Manufacturing Office, Operation Planning Department

TSURUMI Masaaki
Managing Expert
Manufacturing Group, Radio Wave Management and Manufacturing Office, Operation Planning Department

KIDO Kouta
Assistant Chief
Manufacturing Group, Radio Wave Management and Manufacturing Office, Operation Planning Department

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NICT NEWS 2023 No.3

■ Why is it necessary to conduct inhouse production?
The main targets for in-house production
are "items that cannot be manufactured or are
difficult to manufacture externally."
Most research institutes need "one-ofa-kind items" for use in experiments. Each
one-of-a-kind item should not be a "prototype," but a "final product" to be incorporated into the equipment and used in actual
experiments. Such a one-off order for a oneof-a-kind item is less profitable for its manufacturer and is not worth the cost, so the item
may be expensive even if it is not technically difficult to manufacture. Moreover, there
may be no guarantee that similar orders will
be accepted in the future at all. From a manufacturer's point of view, it is only natural thatthey would be reluctant to accept an order fora one-of-a-kind item unless it is a "prototype"of a product that can be expected to be ordered in large quantities next time.
For this reason, research institutes studying experimental fields need to have a certain
level of "manufacturing ability" on their own,
except for items that are difficult to manufacture internally due to restrictions such as machine tools. In order to prevent leakage of intellectual property, it is necessary to possess
and maintain basic machine tools and assign
specialized technical personnel so that we
can respond to any manufacturing request to
the extent possible via in-house production.

■Outline of manufacturing
operations
The Manufacturing Group is based in the
Ionospheric Sounding / Prototype Development Building, which is located at the northern end of the Kodaira City side of the NICT
Headquarters.
NAKAMURA Kenji, the Group Leader,has been working there for 40 years, with afocus on manufacturing. He is the manager incharge of work using an NC (numerical control) processing machine that automaticallymoves tools, etc. according to a program,and is also responsible for management andoperation of the Group. KIDO Kouta, the Assistant Chief, undertakes precision processing with a wire electric discharge processing
machine in addition to an NC processing
machine, and engages in processing electronic substrates and resin modeling with a 3D
printer (Figure 1). TSURUMI Masaaki, theManaging Expert, specializes in general-purpose machines (manual machine tools) suchas lathes and milling machines. In addition,with many years of technical guidance experience at universities, technical colleges, andcompanies, he demonstrates his strengths as
an instructor in machine work workshops
held for researchers within NICT, etc. (Figure 2). KIBAYASHI Shinji, the Chief, is incharge of general affairs, such as procurement, and inventory management of materials and chemicals. In addition, TAKIZAWA Osamu, the Director of the Radio Wave
Management and Manufacturing Office, also
holds a seat in the Prototype Development
Building to support the operation and generalaffairs of the Group.
In the Manufacturing Group, when we
receive a manufacturing request from a researcher, etc., we first meet with the requester. If the researcher has a clear idea of whatshould be manufactured, we can start making it immediately after the meeting, but if
there is only a vague image of what should bemanufactured, we will proceed with design-

Figure 1

 ssistant Chief KIDO operating a substrate processing machine (3D printerA
on the left)

ing the optimal shape while exchanging opinions with the requester about its intended use.
This kind of interactive production process isoften appreciated by the requester, and cannot be realized through an external order that
requires the specifications and order price tobe fixed in advance.
Materials handled in manufacturing include metals, resins, and wood. In addition,
metal processing methods include cutting,
grinding, casting, and forging. Casting, which
involves pouring molten metal into molds, iscost-advantageous and suitable for mass production, but it requires molds or sand molds
and cannot process very complex shapes.
On the other hand, cutting enables precision
machining and is suitable for one-of-a-kind
items. Therefore, the Manufacturing Group
mainly selects cutting of metals and resins.

■ Actual manufacturing situation
NC machines are used for precision orcomplex cutting. For NC machines, it is necessary to master CAD (drawing data) and
CAM, which programs the operation of relevant machine tools based on drawings. Today, CAD/CAM has become more complex,
going from two-dimensional to three-dimensional (3D). In the case of an incorrect program entry on a computer, an error is simply
issued or the computer is tentatively out ofcontrol. But a programming error in a machine tool, for example, an incorrect settingin the tool trajectory, will directly lead to aphysical accident, such as hitting the machine and causing it to break. For this reason,
NC processing machines that do not requirenerve-racking programming work and can beinteractively instructed to operate as needed
are particularly suitable for the production of
one-of-a-kind items (Figure 3).
Most of the time required for cutting is

Figure 2

A scene from the machine work workshop hosted by Managing Expert
TSURUMI

spent on, for example, mounting and positioning objects to be cut (workpieces) andreplacing tools (cutters), which require adjustment at the micron scale. Therefore, theactual cutting time itself is very short. For
that reason, "machining centers" that automate tasks that occupy a lot of time havebecome indispensable machine tools in termsof both improving work efficiency and maintaining accuracy.
In addition, as a recent trend, the use ofresin molding utilizing 3D printers has increased (Figure 4). 3D printers can only
demonstrate accuracy equivalent to casting
when compared to metal processing, but aswith printing on paper, materials are three-dimensionally stacked and shaped based ondata, so the work can be automated andmolds are not required, which may reducematerial waste and offer advantages in termsof cost. Recently, 3D printers for metal materials have appeared, but the Manufacturing
Group has not introduced them at this time
because they are too expensive and the relevant technology is not yet fully developed. If
molding accuracy is improved and costs are
reduced, an era will eventually come whenmetal 3D printers can be utilized in conjunction with metal cutting.

■ The future of manufacturing
operations
In the past, large-scale computers (mainframes) were provided by many universities
and research institutes as a common resource
for research, and were managed and operated by specialized departments. However,
due to downsizing, many of them have been
replaced by PCs and clouds and have finallydisappeared. On the other hand, in manufacturing operations, it is difficult to downsize
machine tools and reduce their cost, and it

Figure 3

 prototype of a narrow-linewidth laserAhousing with a wavelength of 2 µm
manufactured by an NC processing machine

Figure 4

 compact optical polarization controllerA
manufactured by a 3D printeris also difficult to prepare alternative meansin each laboratory, etc. The advent of 3D
printers can be said to signal the arrival ofan era in which manufacturing can be easily
carried out in each laboratory, etc. on its own.
However, as for metal cutting, a high level ofexpertise regarding machines and operations
is required, and it is still difficult to eliminate
management and operation by specialized
departments.
Once the inheritance of technology is discontinued, it is not easy to revive it; it is not
something that can be bought with money.
NICT believes that it is necessary to maintain and inherit manufacturing operationsin the future to contribute to the creation ofresearch results and the acceleration of research and development.

NICT NEWS 2023 No.3

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FEATURE

People who Collaborate on Research within NICTThe Clean Room Supporting Innovative Device Research andDevelopment

he Advanced ICT Device Laboratory(Headquarters, Koganei: Advanced
ICT Research Institute, Kobe) provides a stable
experimental environment and equipment
for research on photonics and electronics convergence technologies at NICT. Its services areprovided not only to researchers within NICT,
but also to a wide range of research institutes
inside and outside NICT even for the purposeof external use by industry and academia. As
an open research facility, it widely contributes
to society through the creation of innovative
research results. In this article, We would liketo introduce clean rooms and yellow rooms inoperation at the Photonic Device Laboratory(NICT Headquarters) and explain their roles
and operation methods.

T

SUZUKI Yoshio
Technical Researcher, Network
Research Institute, Advanced ICT
Device Laboratory
He Joined NICT in July 2004 after working at a corporate research institute. He
has engaged in the smooth operation ofexperimental equipment and facilities
in the advanced ICT device laboratory
clean room.

■ Yellow rooms supporting device
research

YOSHIZAWA Katsumi
Technical Researcher, Network
Research Institute, Advanced ICT
Device Laboratory
He joined NICT in April 2019.
He has engaged in administrative tasks
such as introducing processing equipment, improving the experimental environment, and educating users at theadvanced ICT device lab.

6

NICT NEWS 2023 No.3

In the manufacturing process of high-performance micro- and nano-structural devices,
an important elemental technology is transferring fine and precise nano/micrometer patterns
to material substrates of the desired device
structure. This is commonly referred to as thephotolithographic process. First, a photosensitive thin film (photoresist) is applied to the
top surface of the material substrate using a
spin-coater and dried in a furnace. Then, a photomask printed with the desired fine pattern isfixed at the desired position on the substrate andexposed to ultraviolet light (approx. 400 nm
wavelength) by lithography equipment, and after development and washing with pure water,
the pattern is transferred to the substrate in thesame way as photographic development (Figure 1). Since photoresist materials can absorb
light with a wavelength of 500 nm or less andphotodegrade, the workplace where such a process is performed requires special lighting freeof ultraviolet rays, etc. The color of this lighting
makes the room yellow, so it is widely called
the "yellow room" (Figure 2).

A cleaner environment with a higher degree of cleanliness is required and maintainedat this workplace. The presence of dust in theyellow room greatly affects the success of theexperiment in transferring fine nano/micrometer patterns. Dust deposits on the photomask
or between the photomask and the substrateduring the exposure process can cause excessive or insufficient exposure patterns, creating
patterns on the substrate that are different thanthose designed. Therefore, the Photonic Device Laboratory operates the yellow rooms inan environment where the volume of dust is
reduced to about 1/100 compared to generalclean rooms where experimental equipment is
operated (Figure 3).
In the yellow rooms at the Advanced ICT
Device Laboratory, in addition to such lithography equipment using ultraviolet light sources
and photomasks, maskless laser lithographyequipment that directly radiates ultraviolet laser
light ,and electron beam lithography equipment
are also in operation, and these are widely used
for prototyping and examination of various
types of devices (Figure 4).

■ Maintenance, management, andoperation of clean rooms at theAdvanced ICT Device Laboratory
Work related to the maintenance and management of the clean rooms includes:
1. Maintenance of a clean environment, including room temperature control;
2. Management of draft-chambers using lithography and chemical process;3. Supply of cooling water to experimental
equipment, monitoring of the purity ofpure water, and maintenance of a stablesupply system;
4.Adjustment including replenishment ofchemicals such as organic solvents, photoresists, developers, acids and alkalis used
for cleaning substrates, etc., general gases
for experiments, and special gases;
5. Treatment and management of experi-

Figure 1

A scene with staff working in the yellow room (photoresist coating work)

Figure 2

Inside the yellow room at the Advanced ICT Device Laboratory (Lithographyequipment capable of nano/micro-sized photolithography)(a)Semiconductor Optical Amplifier
Figure 4

Figure 3(b) Quantum Dot Laser and its cross sectional
structureAn example of device development utilizing the Advanced ICT Device
LaboratoryInside the clean room at the Photonic Device Laboratory (Vacuum
equipment that realizes fine device processing)mental waste fluids;
6. M aintenance and management of experimental equipment to ensure its stable use;and7. I nspection and monitoring of the performance of the experimental equipment
through regular test operations.
All of these items are indispensable for operation of the clean rooms, so we measure andmonitor the situation on a daily basis and respond accordingly.
We operate the clean rooms at the Advanced ICT Device Laboratory, including theyellow rooms, carefully with due consideration
for safety measures since some of the chemicals and experimental gases handled there fordevice manufacturing, such as dry etching andinsulating film deposition, are hazardous. We
believe that preventing the spread of hazardous substances to outside the area and taking
environmentally friendly measures are also important factors. For that reason, we implement
appropriate treatment of solid and liquid waste.
As a specific initiative, the Advanced ICT Device Laboratory (Koganei) has acquired ISO
14001 Environmental Management System(EMS) certification, and as EMS members,

all related staff work to operate the Laboratory
with consideration for the environment, such as
implementing resource conservation and power reduction. In addition to our own efforts, wehold seminars, etc. to inform and educate alllaboratory users about the importance of environmental conservation in device developmentwith the aim of having them cooperate in carrying out environmentally friendly operations.
As a feature of the Advanced ICT Device
Laboratory, all of the operations of the Laboratory are managed by dedicated staff. They
manage and operate the Laboratory while
sharing responsibility for facilities such as air
conditioning and utilities and for experimental
equipment, and regularly determine policies for
information sharing, defect countermeasures,etc. among all staff with the Director of theLaboratory. Our experienced technical staff,
who have been engaged in research on photonics and electronics convergence technologies,
etc. for many years at corporate research institutes and who are well versed in experimental
work in clean rooms, conduct safe and secure
operations while maintaining equipment andmonitoring the work environment. In this way,
we try to operate the Laboratory so that users

both inside and outside NICT will not be burdened with work other than research to the extent possible.

■Future prospects
For research on cutting-edge photonics
and electronics convergence technologies, it isnecessary to upgrade experimental equipment
and facilities, which can be an effective means
for not only research continuity but also forthe creation of more advanced and innovative
devices. This should also be a trump card forenergy-saving measures such as reducing power consumption. At the Advanced ICT Device
Laboratory, we update the device processing
equipment to be more functional and efficientas appropriate. We also systematically renew
our experimental facilities, aiming to realize
stable operation and energy-saving measures.
With the cooperation of all staff, we will continue to promote smooth operation that places
the highest priority on user convenience to theextent possible, and will strive to create innovative device technologies originating from theAdvanced ICT Device Laboratory. We would
like to ask all of you who will use the Laboratory for your continued cooperation.
NICT NEWS 2023 No.3

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FEATURE

People who Collaborate on Research within NICTA Meaning of the Outreach Activity in Science and Technology
With my experience as an example

have worked at NICT for a long time,
becoming old in the process. Thankfully, I sometimes receive requests for lectures.
This time, I was asked to speak about outreachactivities. According to Kojien (a trustworthy
Japanese dictionary), “OUTREACH” is anactivity carried out by experts towards society
with the aim of promoting public interest andunderstanding of science and art.
Of course, research results are importantat research institutions, and they can only berecognized by disseminating them to the research society, such as specialized academic
societies. Moreover, in my opinion, though it
might be just desirable for individual researchers to disseminate their results to the generalpublic to obtain recognition, it should be indispensable for an organization to disseminate
information to the general public. The wide
recognition of the value of an organization
as a research institution will lead to its raisond'etre. The bottom line is that being a research
institute that is loved, favored, and respected
will lead to recognition of its existence, thegathering of human resources and funds, andthe creation of a better institution that can reproduce good results in the future.

I

HOSOKAWA MizuhikoPrincipal Researcher, NICT / Principal
Researcher, NICT Knowledge Hub
After completing graduate school, hejoined the Communications ResearchLaboratory (CRL, currently NICT) in 1990.
He has been engaged mainly in researchon precise space-time measurements.
After serving as Vice-president of NICT,
he is presently Principal Researcher.
Ph.D. (Science).

Figure 18

A scene from the author's lecture held at the Tamarokuto Science Center Planetarium in June 2021

NICT NEWS 2023 No.3

In addition to the organizational issue, responsibility for the research field should also
be emphasized. The reason is that if a large
number of people are not interested in the attractiveness of a particular research field andthe state of its front line, there will be few
human resources and funds for the field even
before we start our efforts and it will become
obsolete. During the recent rugby and soccer
World Cups or WBC (World Baseball Classic), etc., I often heard players and officials
saying that they wanted many people, especially the younger generation, to know theappeal of this sport on this occasion. I think it
was because they earnestly felt that the future
existence of the sport was at stake. Therefore,
I should say that it is important for research
institutions to promote the attractiveness orappeal of their research to a wide range of
people.
However, with regard to sports competitions, the top athletes that play them are themselves attractive to spectators. On the other
hand, in general, the results of research institutions cannot be widely understood by the general public if they are released as intended for
professionals. I guess that this is the peculiarity of the outreach of science and technology. It
seems to me that there is some value in having
a veteran who has gained some experience inthe field, even if he/she is a little far from thefront lines, give easy-to-understand explanations to non-experts with an overview of thewhole field. On the other hand, it would be
cruel to ask front-line researchers, who continue to struggle to reach the summit time andagain, to come down to the foot of the mountain and explain the correct route to the general public. However, I would like to tell youthat even researchers who are currently taking
on front-line challenges should, if the occasion is chosen carefully and properly, review
and talk about their own challenges with thegeneral public since such opportunities may
offer the advantage of not only providing theaudience with a sense of reality that is uniqueto an active researcher, but also giving the researcher new realizations through reviewing
and explaining the research from a broader
perspective.
As I mentioned at the beginning, I sometimes receive requests to give lectures to thegeneral public. I am very thankful for this, andI think a lot about what kind of speech I should
give every time. Even though outreach is important, it is not good to speak in too formal atone. With many requests, the field and direction are specified to some extent, but there is
still a lot leeway for the speaker to maneuver.
For example, how to get the audience to become interested in the research field, including
what the introduction and core of the speechshould be and how to incorporate NICT's brilliant research results into it. In my case, when
an interesting idea or story comes to me while
I’m thinking, the result is often a good speech,
but elaboration of such an interesting story requires me to make up for my lack of knowledge and do some additional study. However,as a result, if I can gain a lot of knowledge andconvey what I find interesting to the audience,
I believe that this is optimal for both myself
and the audience.
I would like to give you an interesting
example which took advantage of a slightly
unusual environment. In 2021, the Tamarokuto Science Center*1 in Nishitokyo City, withwhich NICT has a partnership agreement, invited me to give a lecture at its Planetarium
around Time Day (June 10). It is the newest
planetarium, said to be the best in the world(Figure 1). When I was asked, I wondered
what the standards of space-time would be
like. The vernal equinox, which has been thestandard of the heavens since ancient times, orroughly the position of the sun in the heavenson the day of the vernal equinox, has actually
moved from around Aries in ancient Greece
to around Pisces now. In fact, the true unmoving standard of the heavens is currently being

Figure 2

The Kashima 34m antenna, which has been at the forefront of the world for many years in VLBI research anddevelopment and observations

measured by a technology called Very Long
Baseline Interferometry (VLBI)*2. In the development of this technology, NICT has madea lot of contributions (Figure 2). With thisas the core, I wondered if I could tell a story
about the efforts of people who have continued over time to measure the position of eachcelestial body and search for the unmoving
standard of time and space in the universe.
Although I used the calendar, which is a familiar item in everyday life, as the introduction for my speech, the twenty-four seasonsof the lunar calendar remind us of literature.
It was interesting for me to know the fact thatthey are actually determined by the position of
the sun relative to the vernal equinox througha bibliographic survey. In addition, as a collaborative lecture, I could ask the staff at the
Science Center to demonstrate how the vernal
equinox has moved and how the positions of
the stars and even the shapes of the constellations have changed over the course of tensof thousands of years. This was a lot of fun
for me, and I heard that many people in theaudience found it interesting as well.
For some time now, lectures have been
subject to various restrictions due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, but if I have some opportunities in the future, I would like to continue my activities to speak about the appeal ofscience and technology and convey the resultsof NICT's research in such a way that the enjoyment of the speaker can reach the audience.

Glossary＊1 Tamarokuto Science Center:    https://www.tamarokuto.or.jp/english/＊2  V LBI ( Ver y Long Baseline Inter ferometr y): A
technology that per forms similar to a giant
radio telescope by equipping multiple radio
telescopes with atomic clocks and synthesizing
their observation data later based on time data.

NICT NEWS 2023 No.3

9

FEATURE

People who Collaborate on Research within NICTThe Role of the NICT Exhibition RoomAtomic fountain-type primary frequency standard (first unit)

he NICT Exhibition Room was opened
about 20 years ago when the current
building (main building at NICT HQ) was completed.
Since then, it has exhibited NICT’s latest research contents as well as the history and research materials of NICT open to the generalpublic.
During the three years from 2020, the Exhibition Room was closed or the number ofvisitors was limited to prevent the spread of
COVID-19 infection, so the total number ofvisitors per year has continued to decrease.
However, before the COVID-19 pandemic,
we had more than 3,000 visitors every year,
to whom we explained a wide range of NICT's
research. Currently, we are preparing an environment that visitors can visit comfortably
while also observing the social situation.

T

YOKOYAMA Katsumi
He joined Toppan inc. in 1996, where
he mainly engaged in public relations
and sales promotion. Since 2022, he has
been seconded to the NICT Public Relations Department.

■ Overview of the Exhibition Room
The NICT Exhibition Room is roughly
divided into three areas, with the outline ofeach area as follows:

NARITA Emiko (right)
Assistant Chief, Director of the Public
Relations Planning Office
She joined NICT in 2005

YASUI Yuri (left)
Director of the Public Relations Planning
Office She joined NICT in 2021

10

"Prologue Area"⚫ The "NICT Overview Corner" introduces NICT's more than 120-year history
through chronological tables and historical exhibits.
⚫ The "Space-Time Standard Corner" displays exhibits on the "Creation and Delivery of Japan Standard Time," which is one
of NICT's main tasks.
⚫ The "Special Exhibition Corner" displays
a variety of topics from time to time andsome of the research facilities that wereactive in various regions.
"Main Exhibition Area"
The contents of NICT's research are introduced with a focus on the five research fields.
Please see Table 1 for the main exhibits.
"Multipurpose Area"
This includes a seminar space that can accommodate about 20 people, which is used
to watch an introduction video on NICT atthe beginning of the visit program or give alecture on individual research contents, andAdvanced Electromagnetic
Technology Area

⚫ Pi-SAR2: Airborne Synthetic Aperture radar2⚫ Space Weather Forecast (video)

Innovative Network Area

⚫ Optical communication technology (video)⚫36 multi core fiber (static display)

Cyber Security Area

⚫ NICTER: Network Incident analysis Center for Tactical
Emergency Response (Image on the terminal,
realtime observation display)⚫D AEDALUS: Direct Alert Environment for Darknet
and Livenet Unified Security (Image on the terminal,
realtime observation display)

Universal Communication Area

⚫ VoiceTra: Multilingual Translation app (operation,
experience)⚫K oeTra: Tool for Communication between the
hearing-impaired and the non-impaired (operation,
experience)

Frontier Science Area

⚫ Introduction of the Center for Information and Neural
Networks (CiNet) (Video)⚫ Quantum ICT (Video)

Open Innovation⚫ E xamples of Implementation of NICT Technology toreal world

an area where you can take a commemorative photo of the visit with the Japan Standard
Time exhibit.

■ About our visitor acceptance policy
Visitors are required to make a reservation before visiting the NICT Exhibition
Room. Please refer to the chart on the rightfor details on how to apply and what to visit.
Please send us a visit application form in advance and we will inform you of our decisionon whether we can accept the visit or not after confirmation of a convenient day and time
to visit, the possible duration of the visit, thedesired contents of the visit, and other visitors’ schedules.
When you visit us, our expert staff will
provide you with explanations according to
your request. Since NICT is the only publicresearch institute in Japan that specializes in
the field of information and communications,
we have exhibits on various research contents
as mentioned above. Although some expertise is required to understand them, we will
explain how these research contents are useful in our daily lives, how they are utilized,
and so on, in an easy-to-understand manner,

Full view of the Exhibition Roomwhile introducing actual usage scenarios.
We have received comments from visitors
as follows: "I was surprised by the breadth of
the research"; I thought the research content
would be difficult, but it was a new discovery
whose content is relevant to my own life";and "I enjoyed this visit. Next time, I want tovisit with my family."
The Public Relations Department's medium- to long-term business plan is to "proactively carry out public relations activities thatwill lead to enhancement of interest in andunderstanding of NICT's activities, in order
to disseminate NICT's R&D results and promote activities aimed at social implementation." In our business plan, we believe that
the Exhibition Room should be an important
point of contact between the general public
and NICT.
We will continue to do our best to provide a place for as many people as possible
to visit and offer opportunities for visitors tounderstand more about NICT. We sincerely
look forward to seeing you at the Exhibition
Room with the belief that it will be a place of
new discoveries for you.

TYK-type wireless telephone (replica)

Open Hours (Pre-reservation Needed)
Monday to Friday, Every Week

9:30～17:00* Please note that we may not be able to accept reservations depending on the implementation status of in-house events, etc. andother circumstances.

MAX Visitors at One Time

20 people* If more than 20 people will visit, please contact us inadvance

Support Languages
Japanese, English

An Example of Content for the Visit⚫Introduction of NICT (Video)⚫Explanation of standard frequency oscillator and Japan Standard Time
⚫Explanation of VoiceTra⚫Explanation of Pi-SAR2 (Airborne Synthetic
Aperture)⚫Explanation of NICTER, DAEDALUS, and improved NIRVANA (Network Security)⚫Experience Corner (Aroma Shooter, Certification Card for Visitors)⚫Free Watch

How to Apply
Please fill out a visit application form and send
it to us by e-mail at least two weeks before
your desired visit date.
After receiving your application, we will inform you by e-mail of our decision to hostyour visit.
https://www.nict.go.jp/publicity/tour/index.
html (in Japanese)

A sample of the exhibition room visit certificate(A photo of the visitors at the time of the visit will be
printed.)A sample of the exhibition room visit certificate(A photo of the visitors at the time of the visit will be printed.)

NICT NEWS 2023 No.3

NICT NEWS 2023 No.3
展示室での説明の様子

11File 24
A Newly Established Quantum Security Collaboration Facility
within NICT Headquarters

Operation Design Office, Operation Planning Department HIRASAWA Yae

Importance of Expanding Circles of Sympathetic
Connections Created with NICTT

he Quantum Security Collaboration Facility (hereinafterreferred to as the "Collaboration Facility") was completed on
the north premises of NICT Headquarters at the end of March 2022
using the FY2019 supplementary budget (subsidy for facility
maintenance costs), based on the Cabinet Office's "Integrated
Innovation Strategy 2019" to develop an international research baseat the National Institute of Information and Communications
Technology, which will be a hub for industry-academia-government
collaboration on quantum security technology, etc. (Photo 1).
The Collaboration Floor on the 3rd floor of the Collaboration
Facility is an open research and implementation area for promoting collaboration and open innovation by industry, academia andgovernment, with open spaces allowing large numbers of people
to gather, as well as small meeting rooms that can accommodate
smaller more intimate meetings. Construction of the Collaboration
Facility is based on the concept of a diverse and free "airy" research
environment and a natural environment that stimulates the fivesenses. The interior is designed to be bright and airy even during theday, taking advantage of natural daylight and ventilation (Photo 2).
The spatial design of the shared space aims to satisfy the various
needs of visitors, such as those who want to think about things, relax for a while, have a meeting while drinking something, or shareideas with colleagues. In order to realize an ideal space, we considered the color and shape of equipment to be installed in the sharedspace while listening to the opinions of the staff, including expectations and requests regarding the Collaboration Facility, with the aimof having each visitor find their own favorite space.
Currently, the Collaboration Floor is being used for information
sharing and discussion both inside and outside of NICT. For example, in the Event Area, NICT executives and researchers regularly
discuss the long-term direction of NICT's research activities. This
event is held in a face-to-face and online hybrid format, and it has
now grown into a large event in which about 15 people, including
presenters, participate on site, and up to 100 people participate online. We also hold regular events inviting outside experts. Lectures
hosted by the Innovation Design Initiative (IDI), which functions asa think tank within NICT, are held for the purpose of collecting information on ICT-related research and development, policies, industrial trends, etc. in Japan and overseas. Currently, due to limitations on
the number of people as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, they
are held in hybrid format, but about 20 people participate on-siteeach time. In addition to these events, small-group meetings are increasingly being held in hybrid format. For this reason, in order tosatisfy the needs of users, we are currently expanding the lineup ofaudio-visual system conferencing equipment compatible with hybrid meetings, such as microphones and speakers.
In the future, as a cross-sectional initiative within NICT, it is expected that new mechanisms and value will be created by utilizing

12

NICT NEWS 2023 No.3

Q&As

● Biography
1978 Born in Gunma Prefecture
2002	Joined Communications
Research Laboratory（currently
NICT）2013	Graduated Graduate Schoolof Western Michigan
University（Master of Public
Administration）
2022 Current Position

Photo 1

● Awards, etc.

Exterior of the Collaboration Facility newly established in 2022

EGUCHI
Tomoyuki2013 	Concept Mapping MPA Scholar
Award

T

Photo 2 T he Collaboration Floor on the 3rd floor is airy and bright, taking
advantage of natural daylight and ventilation

Photo 3

Project Room on the Collaboration Floor

the Project Room on the Collaboration Floor, where members fromeach department gather and engage in activities while maintaining continuous communication (Photo 3). As for operation of the
Collaboration Facility, we will work every day to foster cooperative
relationships both inside and outside NICT through these activities,
leading to further revitalization of research activities and the establishment of a collaborative environment.

A The best thing I have experienced in NICT is that I obtained

master’s degree in Public Affairs at Western Michigan
University in the United States under the international
employee dispatch program of NICT. It was a challenging
experience but it changed my outlook on life andbroadened my horizons.

Q Message to the students who would like to join NICTA I think my colleagues in NICT have always supported myjob in various ways. I appreciate for their support. I am surethat you will find wonderful colleagues at NICT. Make yourdreams come true at NICT!

Q How do you spend your holidays?

A I often go shopping and play with myfamily. Sometimes I enjoy catchinginsects with my daughter.

Manager, Innovation Design
Initiative

here are some NICT staff members
hearing voice of surprise of people
outside NICT they talked with because they
did not know that NICT’s research results
were used in applications or public services
around them. Although applications andpublic services that utilize NICT's research
results are well known, in some cases, recognition of NICT as their source is low.
In addition, there is a challenge that although NICT is widely recognized amongexperts in related research fields, it does notnecessarily have a high level of recognition
outside such fields.
If more people sympathize with NICT's activities and they gain recognition, great
benefits can be expected in promoting
open innovations which involve other industries and recruitment activities. The
IDI Branding Design Project (hereinafterreferred to as the “Project”) plays a part in
NICT's branding promotion activities for
expanding and disseminating recognition
of NICT.
In 2022, as the first step of NICT’s branding
promotion activities, the Project contrib-

Q What is the best thing for you at NICT?

uted to the creation of a brand statementthat expresses NICT’s brand image because
the Project thought that it was necessary
to create an item to easily share the common image of NICT among NICT’s employees. Thanks to the cooperation of many
staff members, the Project was able to define NICT’s brand image as the NICT Brand
Statement (Figure).
Going forward, the Project would like to use

this brand statement as an item to increase
opportunities for people both inside andoutside NICT to feel NICT’s brand image, sothat not only NICT staff members but NICT
stakeholders as well can sympathize with
NICT. In particular, branding is a new area
for NICT, so the Project would like to proceed with it through trial and error to figureout what kind of measures and tools are
suitable for NICT.

Figure NICT Brand Statement

NICT NEWS 2023 No.3

13

NICT NEWS  2023  No.3  Vol.499

Published by Public Relations Department, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology
Issue date: May 2023 (bimonthly)

4-2-1 Nukui-Kitamachi, Koganei, Tokyo
184-8795, Japan
TEL: +81-42-327-5392 FAX: +81-42-327-7587

URL: https://www.nict.go.jp/en/

ISSN 2187-4050 (Online)