| Yutaka YASUDA |
At the time he joined KDD, international communications relied mainly on analog fixed satellite communication using earth stations that were equipped with large (30 m diameter) antennas. After being assigned to the Satellite Communication Laboratory, KDD R&D Laboratories, he became engaged in digitalization of satellite communication systems. In particular, he worked on digital satellite communication for mobile earth stations, such as ships and aircraft. For two years from 1984, he was seconded to INMARSAT (International Maritime Satellite Organization, headquartered in London), where he recommended the introduction of leading-edge digital technologies, thus paving the way for implementation and spread of international digital mobile satellite communication systems.
Transferred to the KDD Head Office in 1990, he led both technical and service development and introduction of new businesses in the area of mobile communications. He became General Manager the ‘au’ Technology Development Division in 2003, and Chief Technology Officer in 2005. He has been Chairman of KDDI R&D Laboratories since 2011, and President of the KDDI Foundation since 2014.
Particularly noteworthy among his numerous technical contributions is his development of a forward error correction (FEC) system based on the punctured coding/soft-decision Viterbi decoding. This system provides excellent error rate improvement, even at a high coding rate, and allows the coding rate to be changed flexibly to suit the conditions of the transmission line in use. Specifically, he explored and discovered a series of optimal codes for coding rates ranging from 1/2 through 16/17. This is extremely effective in an environment where the communication channel quality fluctuates over a wide range, as in the case of a mobile communication environment. Consequently, this FEC system has come to be regarded as effective and essential, and has been universally adopted. It is used not only in the INMARSAT digital satellite communication systems, but also in the INTELSAT sysytem, satellite systems in Japan and Europe, second- and third-generation digital cellular systems, and satellite and terrestrial digital broadcasting systems for television.
For these contributions, Dr. Yasuda received the Young Researcher’s Award, the Achievement Award, the Morita Award and the Distinguished Achievement and Contributions Award from the IEICE, the Radio Contribution Award from the Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB), and the Maejima Prize from the Teishin Association. He was made a fellow of the IEICE in 2005 and of the IEEE in 2008. His activities encompass a variety of public service areas. For many years, he served as an expert member of the Information Communication Council of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications; an expert member of the Study Committee on the Promotion of Digital Broadcasting of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications; and a member of the Information Communication Project Team of the Council for Science and Technology Policy, Cabinet Office. He also served as Chair of the Committee on Information Communication Platforms, ITS Info-communications Forum; Chair of the Committee on Mobile Commerce, Mobile IT Forum; a member of the Council for Broadcasting Technology, Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK); and as a member of several other promotion councils and forums.
As should be evident from the above, the impacts that Dr. Yutaka Yasuda’s illustrious achievements in the fields of electronics, information and communication have had on the IEICE, related organizations and international society have been highly significant. We hereby recommend that he be made a fellow, honorary member of the IEICE.
