The Illuminating EngineeringInstitute of Japan 90th Anniversary

Dear Mr. Morimoto,

On behalf of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA), let me offer congratulations to the membership of the Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan on your 90th anniversary. I would like to congratulate the IEIJ on 90 years of excellence-in research and developing new knowledge, which is contributing to the advancement of lighting in Japan. This dedication to the advancement of lighting in Japan has been critical to the development of quality lighting in your communities. You should be proud of your history and leadership in leading the way in illumination technology and design. Congratulations!

Our two organizations have a proud history of contributing to the art and science of lighting. Together we have played a key role in the development of critical lighting research, standards and educational materials for those who work in the lighting profession. It is exciting to look at this base of knowledge that has been created and to imagine what great knowledge our two organizations will develop in the future.

The IEIJ and the IESNA can continue to inform the public that lighting is important to industry, science, art and daily life. We need to prove its value. We need to show what an amazing tool it can be, that it brings beauty to our lives and that our health depends upon it.

I would ask the IEIJ to join with the IESNA in creating a global community of lighting organizations to actively share the knowledge and imagination of their members work in order to create healthy, productive, sustainable and inspirational environments across the world. Imagine with me the synergies possible from this type of collaboration. Shared research opportunities bringing together the best minds from across the world, shared educational opportunities that could bring our memberships together and a global understanding of lighting issues in the various parts of the world.

The IESNA looks forward to joining you ten years from now, when IEIJ will celebrate 100 years of achievement. We can only imagine the discoveries and technologies that will stem from work you are undertaking today. We can also only imagine opportunities that will grow from partnerships with our two organizations.

Again, congratulations to the IEIJ on 90 years of excellence in contributing to the advancement of lighting in Japan by promoting research, education and the spread of illumination technology.

Sincerely,

Dear President Yoshihisa Morimoto and all members of IEIJ.

I would like to thank you for your invitation, and say that it is an honor for me to have an opportunity to write a congratulatory address.

First of all, I and all members of KIIEE greatly cerebrate the 90th anniversary of IEIJ's birthday.

I hope our cooperation will provide a forum for sharing knowledge, experience and creative ideas among IEIJ and KIIEE.

I am also confident that IEIJ will be productive and fruitful, and hoping that this kind of activities will make a great contribution to development of our technology.

Finally, I wish IEIJ would make further development and I would like to express my deepest thanks to all the members and especially president Yoshihisa Morimoto for this invitation.

I am looking forward to meeting in the near future.

Thank you.

MESSAGE OF CONGRATULATION

On the occasion of 90th anniversary of the founding of the Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan, allow me, on behalf of China Illuminating Engineering Society and myself, to extend our warm congratulations to our Japanese friends in the lighting field.

Through concerted efforts of all its members, the Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan has been growing steadily and become a renowned mass organization since it came into being. Your Institute is engaged actively in academic exchanges and research work, formulating related lighting standards through investigation and study, editing and publishing lighting journals and brochures for its members both at home and abroad as well as commending and awarding prizes to those units and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to illuminating causes. You have also been striving to extend the distant learning of further course in an effort to train more qualified lighting people and improve working ability and performance of the personnel on the job. You've been working hard to popularize illuminating science and technology, enhance the national cultural level and promote external exchanges including forging long term amicable ties with North America, China, Republic of Korea etc. All these have contributed to the growing popularity and influence of your Institute. We heartily congratulate you on what you have achieved.

Confronted with the rapid social progress and economic development in the world, and in order to better save energy and protect the environment, our two lighting societies are duty bound to make due contributions in promoting the advancement of lighting science and technology in the world. There has existed long and friendly relationship between China Illuminating Engineering Society and the Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan. In May, 2004 in particular, our two organizations signed an agreement of friendly cooperation. Since then, our mutual exchanges and visits have become more frequent and substantial, with the academic exchanges going deeper and wider in contents step by step. We are confident that these activities will further promote the friendship of our two peoples in the lighting domain.

Wish your anniversary celebration a complete success. Let's work closer together to push forward the cooperation and exchanges between our two organizations.

Message for 90th Conference Edition of the Journal of the IEIJ

The Illuminating Engineering Society of Australia and New Zealand is very pleased to be able to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan. Australia and New Zealand have very strong ties with Japan and a number of our major lighting companies have an active presence in Japan and other Asian countries. Similarly a number of major lighting companies in Japan export their product to Australia. The IESANZ therefore sees it as a natural step that we develop a formal alliance with the IEIJ.

The MOU that has just been signed between our two societies is one that pledges an ongoing cooperation in common areas of interest in the art, science and practice of illumination. There are many areas in which this cooperation can apply, but the areas that I hope will be of particular relevance are education and technical activities.

Education is critical to the development of lighting and it is important that we share our experiences and expertise in the training of both our youth and the continuing professional development of our professionals in the industry. To this end I would like our two associations to look at setting up one or more scholarships that enable students to undertake some of their education in lighting in each others country. Similarly I believe we should actively look at an academic exchange program that encourages our educators to spend time in the others institutions. I would see part of the activities of these exchange visits would involve expert technical presentations at meetings in the host country.

Following the signing of this MOU, there will be a standing invitation to the President of the IEJI to attend IESANZ conventions whenever they are held in Australia or New Zealand. We would also hope that other members of the IEIJ will give serious consideration to attending and presenting at our conventions. Similarly the Board of the IESANZ will be encouraging the participation of our members in IEIJ conferences.

Both parties are already linked in this area through Lux Pacifica and I hope that this MOU will strengthen the active participation of both societies in this event, particularly when they held in one of our three countries.

I am sure there will be many opportunities for our two societies to work together for the betterment of lighting. The IESANZ is very keen to develop stronger ties with other lighting associations, particularly in the important Asian region and this MOU will hopefully be the start of a very active and beneficial liaison between us. I personally thank your President, Yoshihisa Morimoto, for the invitation to attend your conference on Osaka this year and I congratulate the IEIJ for hosting a very successful and enjoyable conference.

It is of great significance that the Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan marked its 90th anniversary on November 29 of this year, and I would like to celebrate it heartily with the many members of our institute.  

Our Institute was founded in 1916, so this is our 90th anniversary this year, and we are proud of the Institute’s bright tradition and achievement. Our institute's prosperity today has been realized by overcoming a lot of past difficulties and is the fruit of the persistent efforts of, not only the many elders of the Institute, including the succeeding chairmen, but also many concerned people and organizations, and all the members, and I would like to express my sincere thanks to all of them.

Now, I would like to touch on some of my thoughts about the Institute in regard to the past and recent activities of the Institute.

On August 24 and 25 of this year, the 39th National Conference of the Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan was held at the Senriyama Campus of the Kansai University with about 650 attendees. This conference was positioned as the commemorative conference celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Institute, and it was honored with the attendance of many guests, including representatives of four overseas institutes with whom we have exchange agreements, as well as representatives of many domestic academic institutes and organizations. In the special program on the first day of the conference, commemorative ceremonies were held, such as the honorable persons awards ceremony, the Institute's awards ceremony bestowing various prizes, such as the Japan Lighting Award, the memorial lecture “Evolution of Light Sources: the Latest 50 years” by honorary member Toru Noguchi, and discussion sessions.

We had and especially meaningful time during the discussion session with active young members entitled “On the Future of the Institute," during which opinions were expressed candidly regarding the diverse needs of the members and constructive opinions were offered reexamining the activities related to light sources, which can be said to be the principal issue of the Institute. I would like to express my sincere thanks to those of the Executive Committee of the Kansai Brach and the concerned persons whose dedicated work made such a commemorative conference possible.

I would like to look back briefly on our history. Our institute started when promoters met at the Hitotubashi Academic Hall Office of Kanda-ku, Tokyo, on November 29, 1916, and had a founding ceremony for the Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan. Fifty-five people were in attendance, including the twelve leading advocates of the foundation, and  Mr. Yoshitaro Yamakawa was elected as the first chairman. Now the organization has grown to include approximately 6,000 of members.

The first national conference was held at the Doboku Library of Yotsuya of Tokyo in 1968, where seventy-two general presentations were made and the attendance was 452. Since then, the conferences have been held at regularly and expanded so that now there are usually around 180 research presentations and more than 600 attendees per conference.

If we consider the notable topics at these events, we note that the logo mark of the Institute was announced and the "Garden Illumination Appreciation Party" was held at Hibiya Park of Tokyo on the 20th anniversary, the "Ginza Commemorative Town-lights," which were arc lights, were installed in Ginza of Tokyo as a joint project with four related organizations on the 40th anniversary, and an international symposium was held on the 65th anniversary. Furthermore, wonderful performances were achieved, such as the commemorative ceremony held at the Imperial Hotel and the publication of the“75 Years History of the Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan” on the 75th anniversary, and the raising of the "Fund for Study Assistance and Encouragement" on the 85th anniversary.

International exchange has been promoted especially over the last 15 years. An exchange agreement was concluded with the Illuminating Engineering Society of Northern America in 1991, with the IEEE in 1994, with the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers in 1996, with the Illumination Engineering Institute of China in 2004, and with the Illuminating Engineering Society of Australia and New Zealand this year. In the future, we would like to further develop of our activities based upon these international associations.

In regard to the future international activities, the 11th International Symposium on the Science & Technology of Light Sources (LS:11) will be held at Shanghai, China, in May 2007, and the 26th Conference of the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) will be held at Beijing, China, in July 2007. This Institute has been coordinating with the Japan CIE in order to support the host, the Illumination Engineering Institute of China, and the other concerned organizations. Also, the “First International Conference of White LED and Solid State Lighting” (Host: Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan, Joint hosting: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) is scheduled to be held in Tokyo in November 2007. It is significant that the first international conference regarding this field is held in Japan, since vigorous studies have been done in every country over the past ten years to enable the use for lighting of the white light emitting diode, which was first developed in Japan and then passed on to the world.

I hope that my readers will participate and cooperate in the international conferences hosted or supported by this Institute by making presentations or attending the lectures and demonstrations.

The above describes my current thoughts and brief comments on the history and recent activities of the Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan.

Lastly, I would like to note that great cooperation and coordination of people from various fields are indispensable for our Institute to make a further progression leading toward a 100th anniversary. Further support and cooperation from all our members and associates are solicited.