情報通信量が年率約40%で伸びる今日、日本の電子情報系の産業には収益構造・海外との競争・技術の標準化など厳しいものがあります。また、ICTがどこにでも入り込み空気のようになると、新たな分野が生まれる一方で、学問的魅力が見えにくくなることも否めません。
　学会の基本的な使命は産業に活気を与え、新たな学術分野に息吹きを与えることだと思います。そこで電子情報通信技術に理学・農学・医学・人文科学までをも取り込むことにより、新たな融合研究分野とそれに関連する産業を創出していくことも重要ではないでしょうか。これにより、欧米の学会よりも一早く新技術を提案し、日本の独自性・先導性を示してイニシアチブを取っていくことが大変重要でしょう。本会がICTの中核として発展できるように少しでもお役に立てればと思っています。

1980年東工大電子システム博士修了。同年電々公社入社。NTTR&Dフェローを経て2001年東北大学電気通信研究所教授。2010年同研究所長。本学会、IEEE、OSA、応用物理学会フェロー、元本会エレクトロニクスソサイティ会長、総務理事、OSA、IEEE Photonic Society 理事。本会論文賞、業績賞、功績賞、並びに紫綬褒章、日本学士院賞など受賞。

Statement: With the rapid growth of communication capacity standing at 40 % per year, ICT industries in Japan are suffering from pricey business models, competition with large foreign companies, and technological standardization. The number of students whose ambition is to work in the ICT community is not increasing because ICT has become like the air in our daily lives, and as a result students do not find it academically attractive. I think it is very important to inspire young people to recognize the fun and rewards that can be found in ICT.
　The fundamental mission of the IEICE is to energize the ICT industry and inspire new academic fields. I believe that it is very important to merge ICT with science, agriculture, medicine, and even humanities, resulting in the creation of a new research field and new industries. If we can accomplish this, it may be possible to propose novel technologies faster than the US or European communities, which would allow us to take the initiative in terms of new industries and academic fields. I will do my best to further accelerate the activities of the IEICE.

Background: Masataka Nakazawa received a B.S. degree from Kanazawa University in 1975, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1977 and 1980, respectively. In 1980, he joined the Ibaraki Electrical Communication Laboratory of Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Public Corporation. He became a professor of the RIEC at Tohoku University in 2001. He has received many awards from the IEICE including 5 paper awards, 2 achievement awards and the merit award, the Purple Ribbon Medal from the Emperor in 2010, and the Japan Academic Prize in 2013. Dr. Nakazawa is a Fellow of the IEICE, IEEE, OSA, and JSAP.