Center for Global Communication

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

GLOCOM (Center for Global Communication) is an academic research institute that specializes in the study of the Japanese information & communication society from a social systems perspective.

History

Establishment

The International University of Japan founded GLOCOM on April 1, 1991. Its objective in establishing the center was to train outstanding leaders for international social research 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 served as the first director of GLOCOM

Research Development

Following its establishment, GLOCOM experimented with machine-translated electronic conferences on personal computer-based networks, 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. In 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, and 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; a Research Advisory Council was also established in 1995 by businesses supporting the research activities and objectives of GLOCOM. 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.

International Involvement

In July, 2000, GLOCOM suggested the creation of a Digital Opportunity Task Force (DOT Force) during the G8 summit 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 would be responsible in overseeing activities aimed at eliminating the threats to global development.

Since its establishment to the present, the Center has organized various forums, platforms and symposiums regarding the developments, the impacts of information and communication technology, and available opportunities for businesses in Japan and internationally, 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 is 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 Peake, was selected to become one of the members of the ICANN's At Large Advisory Committee (ALAC). Mr. Peake has been actively involved in ICANN's activities since 1998.