Prime Minister Abe Makes the Opening Speech
On October 3rd, at the Palace Hotel Tokyo, in Marunouchi, Chiyoda, the opening reception for CEATEC JAPAN 2016 took place the night before the curtains would rise on the exhibition. Applause welcomed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was first to take the stage. Referencing the NHK morning drama ‘Toto Neechan’ in his speech, Prime Minister Abe talked of his high regard for the ‘Era of Consumer Electronics’, a symbol of Japan’s period of rapid growth after the war. He then expressed his support of CEATEC JAPAN 2016, in its position as the next step forward, and as a movement to turn the country’s rudder toward new innovations like the IoT and industry 4.0.
Following this, Sanae Takaichi, Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, and Hiroshige Sekō, Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry, took the stage to speak of their hopes for CEATEC Japan, as it moves towards CPS and IoT as a new focal point. The enthusiasm of the crowds, and speeches from important persons and officials both within the organization, and from the larger community were live-streamed and this footage is well-worth a viewing if you have a chance to watch it in its currently available archived form.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Opening Reception
Sanae Takaichi, Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications (left) and Hiroshige Sekō, Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry
CEATEC Japan is Taking Place During the Nobel Prize Week
Meanwhile, at the very same time Prime Minister Abe was making his speech, good news arrived from Sweden. Honorary Professor Yoshinori Ohsumi of the Tokyo Institute of technology has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
CEATEC JAPAN is taking place during the same period as the Nobel Prize week, and especially following the number of Nobels awarded to people from Japan last year, this is truly a season where science and technology are in the limelight. Newspaper reports of the Prime Minister’s movements indicate that after finishing his speech at the opening reception and having a meal with government members, he called at 8:20 PM to congratulate Professor Ohsumi, who was in a middle of a press conference at the time. This scene has since been shown repeatedly in the press. It is notable that Prime Minister Abe’s keyword of choice, both in his speech at the opening ceremony reception, and in his congratulations to Professor Ohsumi, was the word ‘innovation’.
Starting today, further Nobel Prize winners will be announced in the next four days. While hoping for further good news, we also plan to hold our own in the field of big news in the sciences by sending out the next big technology headlines from our base in Makuhari, Chiba.
It’s with this hope that we’re happy to announce the opening of the CEATEC Newsroom 2016.
