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| Optical Society of Japan | |
|---|---|
| Name | Optical Society of Japan |
| Native name | 日本光学会 |
| Founded | 1952 |
| Headquarters | Tokyo |
| Type | Learned society |
| Fields | Optics, Photonics |
Optical Society of Japan is a Japanese learned society dedicated to the advancement of optics and photonics research, education, and industry collaboration. It serves as a focal point for researchers, engineers, and educators in fields related to light and electromagnetism, maintaining ties with international bodies and national institutions. The society organizes conferences, publishes journals, and confers awards to recognize achievement across academic and applied domains.
The society was established in the early postwar period amid rapid scientific reconstruction associated with institutions such as University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Osaka University, Tohoku University, and Nagoya University. Early founders included faculty connected to laboratories at Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), and corporate research groups from Sony, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT), Hitachi, and Mitsubishi Electric. Influences on the society’s development drew from international organizations like the Optical Society of America, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, International Commission for Optics, European Optical Society, and collaborations with conferences such as SPIE and CLEO. Historical milestones paralleled technological advances at facilities including Photon Factory, SPring-8, RI Beam Factory, and projects linked to Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Over decades the society expanded its remit in response to progress at laboratories such as National Institute for Materials Science, Kobe University, Hokkaido University, and industrial research centers at Toyota Central R&D Labs and Fujitsu Laboratories.
The society’s mission emphasizes promotion of research in areas exemplified by work at Riken Center for Emergent Matter Science, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and university centers like Keio University and Waseda University. Activities include technical committees mirroring subfields pursued at Cryogenic Center, Photonics Center (University of Tokyo), and applied programs associated with Panasonic, Toshiba, Canon and Olympus. The society supports education initiatives in cooperation with schools such as Tokyo Institute of Technology, Kyushu University, and Chiba University, and contributes to policy dialogues involving ministries like Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan), research funding agencies like Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and industry consortia such as Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association.
Membership comprises researchers affiliated with institutions including University of Tsukuba, Shizuoka University, Meiji University, and companies such as NEC, Panasonic, and Ricoh. The organizational structure features an elected council with officers drawn from academic departments at Ehime University, Yokohama National University, Kansai University, and national labs like JAEA. Divisions reflect specialties found at institutes like National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Kobe Steel Research, and Sumitomo Electric, covering areas akin to those pursued at National Institute of Informatics and Osaka Prefecture University. Honorary members have included researchers associated with Nobel Prize laureates and prominent laboratories at Bell Labs and Max Planck Society via international exchange.
The society convenes annual meetings aligned with events similar to Optical Fiber Communication Conference, Photonics West, and regional symposia paralleling Asia Communications and Photonics Conference. Venues have included campuses such as Hiroshima University, Keio University, and facilities like Tokyo Big Sight and Makuhari Messe. Specialized workshops draw speakers from organizations including Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of Cambridge, École Polytechnique, ETH Zurich, Imperial College London, CEA-Leti, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Australian National University. The society also organizes thematic meetings on topics addressed at International Conference on Atomic Physics, CLEO, Photonics North, and collaborative sessions with IEEE Photonics Society.
The society publishes journals and proceedings comparable to outputs from Journal of the Optical Society of America, Nature Photonics, Optics Express, and university presses at Cambridge University Press and Springer Nature. It confers awards honoring achievements in optics, akin to recognitions such as the Maxwell Medal, Rank Prize, and national prizes coordinated with Japan Academy Prize committees. Recipients frequently hail from departments at Seoul National University, Peking University, National Taiwan University, Columbia University, Princeton University, and research centers like IBM Research and Xerox PARC. Monographs and textbooks associated with the society are used alongside works from authors at Harvard University and Yale University in graduate curricula.
International collaboration includes partnerships with bodies like International Commission for Optics, European Optical Society, SPIE, OSA Foundation, and bilateral programs with French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), German Research Foundation (DFG), CONACYT, and National Science Foundation. Outreach targets public understanding via museum programs at Miraikan and planetariums such as National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, and school partnerships with JST CREST initiatives and city boards in Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka. Industry engagement involves consortiums with Sony, Canon, Hitachi, Toshiba, NTT, and startups incubated alongside JST, J-Startup, and university venture programs at Tohoku University and Kyushu University.
Category:Scientific societies based in Japan