This week I had the great pleasure of talking to some key players in Japan’s Internet ecosystem. A meeting, hosted by the Japan Network Information Center (JPNIC), allowed me to hear about, discuss and engage on the issues that are perceived as some of the main challenges facing the Internet today, both within the national context of Japan as well as internationally. It also gave me the opportunity to hear firsthand about the activities that the Japanese Internet community — JPNIC, academia, the government and the business community amongst others — is doing for the Internet in the Asia Pacific Region generally and, in Japan in particular.
There is great work being done. I was impressed to learn about the value that the National Research Education Networks (NRENs) are providing through the Asia Pacific Advanced Network (APAN), and in particular to hear about the work of Professor Shigeki Goto in engaging people to research and facilitate the growth of the Internet. I was also excited to see the continuous and tremendous efforts of Japan to increase awareness about key issues and to continue contributing to the evolution of the Internet.
In our interactions, we discussed ways for the Internet Society to collaborate with the Japanese Internet community and how we can work together to ensure that the core issues of access and trust are addressed in an effective way. I updated the community on our 2016 goal: to ensure that the Internet reaches the remotest of areas to help connect the unconnected and to ensure that trust in the Internet and its technologies is enhanced and restored.
I would like to take this opportunity to recognize JPNIC for being so gracious in hosting and organizing this event and to thank Hiroshi Esaki – a Trustee of the Internet Society– for his willingness to facilitate the discussions. I also want to thank the Internet Society Japan Chapter leaders and members for organizing the day’s events. We had an excellent and productive meeting with the entire chapter. The work they are doing is critical for the Internet in Japan.