President Message

Takashi Kosaka (Nagoya Inst. of Tech)
President, Industry Applications Society, IEEJ

Dear members,
My name is Kosaka, and I am honored to have been appointed the President of the Industry Applications Society. With your support, I am committed to contributing to the further development of society. We look forward to hearing from you.

It was exactly 30 years ago, in 1994, that I became a member (student member) of the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan (IEEJ). At that time, without fully understanding the concept of an academic society, I joined the Tokai-Section Joint Conference on Electrical, Electronics, Information, and Related Engineering upon the recommendation of my supervisors, Professors Matsui and Takeshita. When I looked up “academic society” in the dictionary, it was described as “an organization formed to facilitate communication among scholars, promote research, exchange knowledge and information, and advance academic progress.” While this definition is accurate, the current state of the Industry Applications Society shows that it has evolved into an organization that facilitates cooperation among researchers and engineers from industry, academia, and the government, both domestically and internationally, as well as from various related fields. Through the numerous events of the IEEJ and Industry Applications Society, I have had the chance to meet many people from the industry, academia, and government through coincidence, exchange of knowledge and information, and discover unexpected ideas. As a researcher of motors, I have encountered ideas such as three-dimensional magnetic circuits, powder magnetic cores, and variable magnetizations through these interactions. I am grateful for the many unexpected ideas that I have been able to come up with, thanks to my membership in the Industry Applications Society of the IEEJ.

However, as many of you may know, the IEEJ, like many other academic societies, is unfortunately experiencing a decline in membership. This trend has been influenced by the diversification of the academic and industrial technology sectors, leading to the emergence of new academic societies, as well as the underlying issue of Japan’s declining population. Considering the environment surrounding domestic academic societies, countering this trend is challenging. Nevertheless, considering that the chances of serendipitous encounters and idea generation increase with more participants, this is a concern for the IEEJ. Although participation in the society is not necessarily limited to the members, there is some good news. Specifically, in the Industry Applications Society, the number of members has increased by 1%, from 5,613 to 5,672, between the ends of fiscal years 2022 and 2023. By analyzing the factors behind this increase and solidifying our efforts, the members of the board and I will strive to counter the trend of declining membership.

To make the society more attractive as a place for serendipitous encounters and idea generation, it is important to promote diversity among participants. While researching motors, recent challenges involve not only electrical and magnetic issues related to electrical engineering but also structural (mechanical strength) and thermal (cooling) issues, as well as materials that focus on these mechanical properties. Many researchers and engineers have encountered similar situations. The Industry Applications Society aims to provide opportunities for exchange not only in the main field of electrical engineering, but also with other related engineering and academic fields, actively promoting collaboration with the other Societies of the IEEJ and other academic societies. Furthermore, to encourage the active participation of young and female engineers with different perspectives than male engineers, we will increase our support for the activities of the Young Engineers’ and Women Engineers’ Networks. The Industry Applications Society will continue to pursue many initiatives beyond these measures, and I hope you will read the June 2024 newsletter written by Dr. Mamiko Inamori, the current Officer, Planning & General Affairs, for more detail.

I use the word “serendipity” to correspond to the Japanese title “Suteki na Guzen　(A Wonderful Coincidence).” We also used it in the mid-term action plan of the Industry Applications Society, which was formulated in line with the new grand design of the IEEJ, revised in July 2022. Personally, I was drawn to this word after seeing it in an article and using it in a greeting feels serendipitous. I encourage you to look up its origin in a dictionary, as it means “the faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.” We will build the Industry Applications Society as a suitable place for everyone to demonstrate their serendipity. We appreciate your support and cooperation.