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| Hitoshi Okubo, The 98th (FY 2011) Chairperson of IEEJ |
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It is my great honor to serve as the 98th President of the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan (IEEJ) with more than 120 years traditional history and to develop the IEEJ over the next year, together with all you members. I appreciate your participation and corporation.
I think that there are no other countries that have been more prepared for natural disasters than Japan. However, an unprecedented disaster, the massive earthquake (Magnitude 9.0) occurred and it completely changed the situation of Japanese modern industrial society. The circumstance of technologies of "electricity", including electric, electronic and electric power engineering, were also changed. Furthermore, a solution to the problems of the nuclear accident of Fukushima I, and the emergency responses followed by it such as problems of power supply, rolling blackouts, etc. are required. |
The Japanese social system has strengthened its dependency on "electricity", which is safe, useful and applicable for everything and efficient, along with the development of a modern society. Because of this disaster, the importance of the social system of a modern society based upon "electricity" was reaffirmed, and at the same time, a comprehensive validation of how a social system should be is required. The comprehensive validation should include the expansion of the electric system, the security of the system, the dispersion of risk and the social acceptability that assures social safety and security. I am sure that all of the above show the direction of activities that the IEEJ should aim at for the future.
From these perspectives, the "smart grid" that has been proposed aims at the construction of "a future smart society", by being deployed throughout the whole of society including the industrial world, transportation and household, etc. I am sure that the realization of "a smart society" based upon learning from the massive earthquake and verification of it will lead to a safe, secure and sustainable society in the future.
The IEEJ has the Technical Societies of A, B, C, D and E, all of which are indispensable for the construction of a safe and secure smart society and it is a strong identity of the IEEJ. It is necessary to activate the base technology of each Technical Society, develop the technical cooperation among societies, positively take in inter-disciplinary areas and proceed with cooperation in other areas and other academic institutes of home and abroad for the purpose of structuring a smart society, and at the same time, it is also required to improve the social acceptability of "electrical engineering" in the future under the global perspective.
In this way, the IEEJ will contribute to modern society by promoting academics based upon its basic policy, emphasizing the following points:
1. Enforcement of the activities of each Technical Society and cooperative activities among them
2. Positive introduction of new inter-disciplinary areas
3. Promotion of Branch activities
4. Development of leading electrical engineers with an international perspective
The IEEJ will provide opportunities where experts, students and young members can participate in its activities, cooperating with each other, for the realization of a new and future society. I look forward to your great cooperation and support.
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The President's Statement
I profoundly offer my grief to the dead of the massive earthquake, and also express my deepest sympathy to those sufferers of the disaster. And, I would like to pay my respect to the people who are engaged in lifesaving, the relief of victims, the restoration of infrastructures, etc. and I hope that all the victims in the stricken areas will return to normal daily life as soon as possible.
The earthquake of this time has reconfirmed the importance of electric power for infrastructure and revealed the features of electric power systems, and the issue of rolling blackouts, which had not been talked about during normal daily life. Furthermore, in the wake of the nuclear power accidents of the Fukushima I, re-examination regarding how the national energy policy in the future should be is proposed.
Under such circumstances, the IEEJ will broadly disseminate information concerning electricity and electric power, and at the same time, it will provide maximal effort for restoration and reconstruction from the disaster, propose how the future society should be and take the following practical actions together with society:
1. The IEEJ, based upon the fact that the most social activities in modern Japan are dependent upon electricity, will provide maximal effort for the restoration of power supply as the first infrastructure that supports the foundation of society.
2. The IEEJ for the purpose of restoring the electric system, will propose an electric system for a new environmentally friendly society that will contribute to a safe and secure society by avoiding power outages and diversifying risks.
3. The IEEJ, for the purpose of structuring a safe, secure and sustainable developing society in the future, will develop the human resources for leading social system technology based upon electricity with an international perspective.
Finally, in conclusion of the President's statement, I hope that all people work together and confront this disaster, and accomplish restoration as soon as possible.
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