Happy New Year to you all.

I have been the President of Optica, an American society, since this year. Last year, the word “America” was removed from the name of the society (Optical Society of America), and we are now advocating a “global” society. At our weekly Zoom meeting, I was told, “Since we are now a global society, let’s take not only Christmas but also Chinese New Year as a vacation”. I explained that in Japan, Chinese New Year is no longer a vacation and we don’t celebrate it anymore. “Since when?” “Since about five years ago? ” “No, no, recently, but since 150 years ago!

Perhaps Japan is the only country in the world that celebrates New Year’s on the new calendar. Not only China and Hong Kong, but also Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, and Mongolia celebrate Chinese New Year in a big way. In Islam, it is around September. Even though it is only 150 years old, I felt a little proud to be in the minority.

The world is a mosaic, and fractal at that (divided into smaller and smaller parts), starting with the unification of East and West Germany 30 years ago, Europe was unified as the EU, and now China claims to be a unified nation. In the meantime, the three Baltic states have been revived as independent states, Yugoslavia has been divided into many countries, and the UK has left the EU. It seems that the process of disunification will continue forever. In the midst of all this, Japan has its own New Year’s vacation, and the school year begins on April 1, which is unparalleled in the world (although students born on April 1 are in the previous school year. However, those born on April 1 have to start the school year on the previous year’s date.) This is not so old, but it is unique.

Being different from the majority is not wrong, it is something to be proud of. Nanophoton is the only company in the world that specializes in Raman microscopy. And we are continuing our own activities even in the midst of COVID-19 fiasco. Our showrooms in Toranomon, Tokyo, and Minoh, Osaka, are open every weekday to display actual equipment and conduct demonstration measurements. Please come and experience the world of Raman with or without a mask.

Thank you for your continued support this year.

1 Janyary, 2022
Nanophoton Corporation
Chairman and Representative, Satoshi Kawata