MMC Activities..............2MEMS-ONE Pj...............6Column.......................7Overseas Trends............8

New Year’s Greetings
Tamotsu Nomakuchi, Chairman
Micromachine Center
I would like to take this opportunity to extend my best wishes to all for a happy and prosperous 2006, as well as
express a few thoughts at the start of a new year.
The Japanese economy is currently in a period of gradual recovery centered on private-sector demand. This year –hailed as the year Japan’s economy will finally and without fail emerge from the long period of stagnation that hasensued since the economic bubble burst – will also be the year of an “offensive revolution” that will reshape Japan’s
manufacturing industry anew.
In the 1980s, the United States worried over the twin concerns of budget and trade deficits as the EU and Japancaught up with then overtook its manufacturing industries. This period saw rising demand in the US from the
manufacturing world, represented by the Young Report, for measures to strengthen international competitiveness.
Various strategies undertaken by the government put American competitiveness on the road to recovery. The
Palmisano Report, “Innovative America” – a report claiming that fostering innovation was imperative for America tomaintain its competitive advantage – was then released in December 2004.
As the rapid economic growth in various Asian countries enabling them to catch up with Japan, Japan today is now
facing the same situation as once faced by the US when Japan caught up economically with it. In particular, theformulation of measures to address intensifying competition with China and other emerging innovation regions –known
as the “emerging tigers” – is an important task Japan now faces.
The Third Science and Technology Basic Plan beginning this fiscal year, gives “the importance of human resource
training and creating a competitive environment” (from things to people) as the principle that should underlie scienceand technology policy and the national position to aim for. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry alsoannounced last year “The New Industry Creation Strategy, 2005” devising action plans in seven important fields for thecreation of new industries in addition to training and recruiting workers to support competitiveness, creating acommon infrastructure to support priority fields, building up advanced material industries that will serve as afoundation for competitiveness in new cutting-edge industrial fields, and establishing policies for high-risk researchand development.
Because of their reputation as small, high-precision, low-energy, high-added-value devices key to a diversity ofindustrial fields such as information and telecommunications, medicine, biotechnology, and automotives,
micromachines/MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) – the technologies promoted by the MMC – are regarded asvital for strengthening the international competitiveness of major areas within Japan’s manufacturing industry today.
Against this background, it has been decided to establish within the MMC in April this year a MEMS Council
comprising MEMS-related businesses for the purpose of providing support for the further development of MEMS
industries and contributing to the strengthening of the international competitiveness of Japanese industry.
This council will promote activities such as the support of business revitalization through the expansion andstrengthening of policy recommendation activities regarding basic issues in order to develop MEMS industries and afoundry service network for building an infrastructure for research group activities regarding important themes andMEMS development, as well as through the establishment of a website for introducing new products and technologies
such as MEMS devices, foundries, and manufacturing equipment as a means of encouraging exchange between MEMS
businesses.
Your participation in and cooperation with the council and its activities would be highly welcomed and appreciated.
At the MMC, we will continue with our activities – mobilizing industry, academia, and government – with the aim ofestablishing basic technology for and the industrialization of micromachines/MEMS in order to contribute to thereshaping of Japan’s manufacturing industry and to the strengthening and maintenance of Japan’s internationalcompetitiveness.
In conclusion, I would like to again wish everyone all the best for a happy and prosperous 2006.

Internet Home Page : http://www.mmc.or.jp/