I graduated from the faculty of science, Tokyo University, in 1948. It was in the midst of postwar chaos. Three years had passed since the end of the war but food was too scarce to feed 100 million people. The three-year period was unforgettable for me personally because that's when I chose my future path in life. I entered Tokyo University as a major in the physics section to pursue a scholarly career in theoretical physics to follow the footsteps of Dr. Max-Planke. However, during this period, I realized how demanding the path was and was forced to accept the reality with sadness that I was not qualified. As a result I changed my path to experimental physics.

During a job applicant interview with NEC, I stated that he who controls materials will control technology. By this I meant that the accomplishments in material research would be the basis to produce world's leading technologies. Fortunately, I passed the interview and was assigned to NEC's research laboratory. However, my initial job was not material research but R&D of the receiver of a new type of telephone set, which was put to commercial use as the No. 4 type telephone set. In those days, restoration of war-torn telecommunication networks was of urgent need in Japan. Under the leadership of Dr. Hayasaka of the Electric Communications Laboratory, the Ministry of Telecommunications, NEC and other telephone set manufacturers were jointly engaged in the development of a new telephone set, combining all domestic expertise possessed.

There was not any direct relationship between my desire for material research and the assigned job of electro-acoustic R&D. The reality then was not so tolerant as to embrace a new comer's wish to stick to his initial objective. Thus, a young man, who once pursued theoretical physics, and who later changed his objective to research on materials, started his initial business career as a researcher in electro-acoustics. I found the R&D of electro-acoustics challenging and regarding in its own way. It game me a feeling of great fulfillment to see the whole process of commercializing a variety of new acoustic products, designed with the electro-acoustic switching theory and acoustics-based circuitry method, starting from the prototype development to the pilot mass production to the final delivery to the market.

The next project assigned to me was the development of SONAR. This was in a sense a natural extension of what I had been engaged in. Simply put, it was a shift from aerial acoustics (audible wave) to underwater acoustics (supersonic wave). My specific assignment was to design a supersonic oscillator. Frankly speaking, however, this design work was not so interesting as the design of aerial acoustic equipment. As a part of this project, I succeeded in developing a prototype of a computer to correct deviations in distance measurement, by using analog computation technique. It was ten years after I had joined NEC and it marked my new orientation toward systems research, on top of my career as acoustics expert. Once I stepped into the systems research area, I started to expand my research horizon, treading a life course characterized by chance and inevitability.

One day my boss at that time told me, "Since you are a physicist, it won't be difficult for you to create a model concerning this kind of probability process." This triggered me to look into OR (Operations Research), a completely unknown field for me. Later on, I received a doctor's degree on my work based on this experience. Another day, my boss told me, "You must be qualified to do this because you have studied information theory." Thus, I was assigned a project to research on PCM (pulse code modulation), which later opened up a path for me to carry out a PCM-based satellite communication project at COMSAT.

The two-year work as laboratory manager at Washington, DC-based COMSAT, from August 1965 to August 1967, was the most unforgettable and significant memory for me throughout the 20 plus-year career as a researcher. Thanks to the insightful guidance from Dr. K. Kobayashi, then Senior Executive VP, NEC decided to invest in the future potential of satellite communication and started in-house R&D of related technology. Naturally, central research labs also undertook their own roles in this R&D. I was then Assistant Manager of Communication Basic Research Department but I was concurrently appointed as the project leader. Due to the international nature of its operations, COMSAT formulated a plan to employ a limited number of engineers from different countries. In this connection, COMSAT requested KDD (Kokusai Denshin Denwa Co., Ltd.) to recommend a qualified candidate from Japan. Somehow I was chosen to be sent on loan to COMSAT.

I still have a vivid memory of the uneasiness I felt when I was officially told that COMSAT would accept me as Department Head of Modulation Technique. Although I had made overseas trips twice by then, I did not have the slightest idea to undertake a position to supervise American subordinates as Department Head. The first challenge was the language barrier. Also I, as a specialist in PCM, had never thought of supervising American engineers in AM and FM technologies. In retrospect, my concern turned out to be excessive. I learned from my experience at COMSAT that the American way of management aims at maximizing the benefit out of the assignment of most appropriate jobs to the most qualified people. It was not long before I realized that COMSAT expected contributions from my experiences and expertise in PCM research.

Even today, I remember the enthusiasm with which I launched and promoted PCM satellite communication projects, one after another, while at COMSAT. The SPADE system was one of such projects, and today it is in commercial use at about 30 satellite earth stations worldwide. Incidentally, I hit upon an idea to so name the system because the ace of the spades in card games was regarded as almighty. Another project was the TDMA systems, which was expected to play a key role in commercial applications during the 1980's.

In due course COMSAT Laboratories were organized within COMSAT and I was appointed as Lab Manager, supervising about 30 subordinates. Through this experience, I could learn the essence of research management in the U. S. Simply put, American workforce is basically not much different from Japanese counterparts. Some try to please their bosses, while some criticize them. I was especially impressed with the candid way American researchers criticize their bosses and colleagues. The most striking difference I observed with American researchers vis-a-vis Japanese counterparts was the ease of their job-hopping. I trust that the fundamental difference between the two cultures exists here, apart from the judgment of good or bad. When an American business person has decided that he can no longer bear the way his boss evaluates him, he just leaves without paying any attention to what his departure may cause his boss or colleagues, to say nothing of the company.

Organizations that are unable to retain talented human resources will decline. In contrast, organizations which can attract competent people will flourish increasingly with visible results. This simple logic leads to the policy of assigning right jobs to right people. (However, American way of evaluating people tends to be slightly too short-termed.) The two-year experience at COMSAT Labs as manager of research projects has provided me with much more than I can write about. It was truly an awakening experience. From this experience, I came to believe that chance is not something to be forced upon you but something you have to grasp with commitment, suppressing a feeling of uneasiness.

If I were asked to state my dream on the future of R&D, as an executive responsible for business operations rather than as a research project manager, I would answer the following way, on the standpoint of a former researcher in telecommunication, to encourage the front-line researchers and their managers: "Let's realize a telecommunication system which will not only enable people to communicate face-to-face with anyone at any time and at any place but also enable exchanges of documents, and, in addition, which will be economically feasible." To realize this goal, it will be critically needed to further improve the band-compression technology, through the analysis of voice, text and video information. Also, this goal will call for the development of economical devices, as well as the research on economical telecommunication systems, through the technological innovation of LSI's and Ultra LSI's, to name a few challenges. In addition, the research on so-called bionics will become important, where scientists will pursue the application to electronics of the discoveries which can be obtained through bio-ecological analysis of all life, including humankind. Another challenge would be the elucidation of the realm of so-called sixth sense. The modern communications engineering depends mainly on electro-magnetic wave (including optical) energy and acoustic oscillation energy. Could it be drastically enhanced by the discovery of a third energy? It's a challenge to be tackled during the 21t century.
(Concluded)