Japan has a high technical ability, which is the result of the continuous and assiduous efforts of many pioneers. I reiterate my appreciation for these pioneers. I regularly wonder what I can do and what I should do to sustain and develop this technological ability with an eye to the future. We are facing many social challenges such as energy problems, global warming, and an aging population combined with a decreasing birth rate. The　IEICE covers most of the technological fields that have the potential to deal with these social problems and therefore plays a leading role in solving them. IEICE also plays an important role in promoting collaboration between industry, government, and academia, which enhances the creation of an environment that will foster innovation toward the new age. I　would　like to contribute to activities designed to create the future society of Japan through the IEICE.

Hiromi Oohashi received a B.S. degree in applied physics from Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan, in 1985, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in physical electronics from the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan, in 1987 and 2007.
After joining NTT Basic Research Laboratories, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation Tokyo, Japan, in 1987, she engaged in research on optical nonlinear processes in semiconductor materials. After moving to NTT Opto-electronics Laboratories in 1993, she engaged in research and development related to the temperature dependence and reliability of semiconductor lasers. She also engaged in the development of optical semiconductor devices for WDM systems. In 2014, she moved to the Development Center of NTT Electronics Corporation.
She is a senior member of the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers of Japan. She is Vice President of the Electronics Society (the Chair of the Technical Council) in 2014.