Center for Global Communication

Industry:	Education, Information & Communication
Founded:	1991
Founder(s):	International University of Japan
Headquarters:	Harks Roppongi Bldg. 2nd floor, <br. 6-15-21 Roppongi, Minato-ku,
Country:	Japan
Key People
Yotaro Kobayashi,　Chairman Akira Miyahara, Vice Chairman，IUJ Adam Peake, Executive Research Fellow

GLOCOM (Center for Global Communication is an academic research institute which specializes on the study of information & communication society and Japan with a social systems perspective.

History

The International University of Japan founded GLOCOM on April 1, 1991. It's objective in establishing the center was to train outstanding leaders for international society and to become an international hub of research on Japanese society and to carry out comparative analysis and policy studies on contemporary politics, economy and culture from an interdisciplinary perspective.Dr. Yasusuke Murakami serves as the first director of GLOCOM

Following its establishment, GlOCOM experimented on machine-translated electronic conferences on personal computer-based network and found the limitations in creating global networks. The result of the experiment served as a driving force for them to concentrate on the industry. On November 1992, GLOCOM established an international internet connection by obtaining the glocom.ac.jp domain and it also launched the Intelprise Enterprise Collaboration Project (IECP, to analyze the systems of the 21st century information industry and technology to be able to guide industries on future corporate activities and policies.

Dr. Shumpei Kumon became director in 1993 when Murakami passed away. Kumon introduced new research systems focusing on the information society and in 1994 the center's website went online and started to publish information. In 1995, a Research Advisory Council was established by businesses supporting the research activities and objectives of GLOCOM as an intelprise to share wisdom. The following year a Board of Trustees was organized to discuss and handle important operations of the center such as research plans, management plans, organization, personnel, budgets, and accounting.

In July 2000, GLOCOM suggested the creation of Digital Opportunity Task Force (Dot Force) during the G8 leaders held in Kyushu-Okinawa, Japan. The Center explained in detail the impact of information technologies and the growing challenges and risks of a global "digital divide". The DOT Force will be responsible in overseeing activities aimed at eliminating the threats to global development.

Sionce its establishment to present, the Center have organized various forums, platforms and symposiums regarding the developments,impact of Information and Communication Technology and available opportunities for businesses in Japan and globally which include the Science and Technology Knowledge Platform, Communication and Broadcasting in the age of the Internet,Socio-Economic Impacts of Mobile and Wireless Technologies (2002),Wireless Broadband Opens a New World etc. The Interdisciplinary Studies on Ethics and the Design of the Information Society was also established.

Projects

Glocom are engaged in the following projects:

1. Intelprise-Enterprise Collaboration Program (IECP)
2. UJ Course: Electronic Media Governance and Policy Issues
3. Japanese IT and Software Industry
4. Virtual Worlds and Metaverse
5. Internet Governance
6. Information and Communication Sectors at a Turning Point
7. ICTs and Education

ICANN and GLOCOM

In 2008, GLOCOM's Executive Research Fellow Adam Peak was selected to become one of the members of the ICANN's At Large Advisory Committee (ALAC). Mr. Peak has been an actively involved in ICANN activities since 1998.