On November 2, 2023, “Nanophoton Corporation 20th Anniversary Party” was held at Rihga Royal Hotel in Nakanoshima, Osaka. Thanks to the attendance of as many as 120 people who have supported Nanophoton, the party was a success.
The entire company worked together to set up and run the event so that we could express our gratitude to everyone as much as possible. In this issue of the newsletter, we would like to report on the event. (Editor-in-Chief of the Email magazine: Ryo Harada)

Before the Opening

This is a view of the Kirino-ma before the opening. On the desk, we handed out the 20th anniversary commemorative magazine, Nanophoton Kintaro candy (which was well received for its nostalgic taste), and the agenda (list of attendees).

An exhibition booth was also set up at the venue to introduce our products to visitors.

This is a view of the venue reception. It got very crowded after this.

We also received many flowers and congratulatory telegrams for the party. Thank you very much for adding a touch of elegance to our commemorative party.

Before the opening of the meeting, we had a welcome drink in the Ivy Room and everyone mingled with each other. There were smiles on everyone’s faces who had not seen each other for a long time and nostalgic conversations blossomed.

Surrounded by many of you who have been so kind to us, Chairman Kawata was much sought after.

I was the moderator of the event.

Welcome Speech by Chairman Kawata

After opening the meeting, Chairman Kawata first gave a welcome speech.

He expressed his gratitude for the past 20 years and gave a strong message for Nanophoton 2.0: “From our base in Minoh Semba, we will expand globally in the next three years.” The speech was a powerful message of “We will expand globally in the next three years from our base in Minoh Semba”. (Click here to see the actual video.)

Congratulatory address by guest of honor

We received greetings from three representatives from among the distinguished guests who took time out of their busy public and private lives to attend the meeting.

Dr. Shojiro Nishio, President of Osaka University

First of all, Dr. Shojiro Nishio, President of Osaka University and the same age as Chairman Kawata, who created and fostered Nanophoton, gave the following words of encouragement: “Nanophoton is a textbook of what Osaka University is aiming for.“

Mr. Tetsuro Kurata, former mayor of Minoh City

Mr. Tetsuro Kurata, former mayor of Minoh City, where Nanophoton is headquartered and where he served three terms as mayor and contributed greatly to the development of Minoh, including the realization of the Kita-Osaka Kyuko Line extension coming up in March next year, gave the following remarks: “The basic idea of Minoh’s urban development was traced from Dr. Kawata’s talk that Minoh can become a Silicon Valley. “

Dr. Koichi Iwata, President of the Spectroscopical Society of Japan

Dr. Koichi Iwata, the current president of the Spectroscopical Society of Japan, which is the main ground of nanophotonics and of which Kawata was also the president, and a professor at Gakushuin University, continued, “What Dr. Kawata newly worked on when he was president of the society is now the standard within the society. I hope that all of Nanophoton’s employees will come to the conference. “

Thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedule, distinguished guests.

Toast

Mr. Kazuaki Tsuda, Former Vice President, Suntory Holdings Limited.

The toast was given by Mr. Kazuaki Tsuda, former vice president of Suntory and former chairman of the Japan Arts Council. “I would like to make a toast to celebrate Nanophoton’s 20th anniversary with all of you. I hope to Nanophoton’s continued growth and development as a shining company, and to Chairman Kawata’s unique personality. “The toast was given in a loud and clear voice. (All drinks at the party were provided by Suntory.)

Pleasant talk

Each table was invited to introduce themselves and further deepen their friendship. During the chatting, a movie summarizing Nanophoton’s 20th anniversary and a movie introducing our products were shown on the screen for everyone to watch.

The event was lively, and everyone in the hall deepened their interaction with each other.

Greetings

Seven people who have been deeply involved in the development of Nanophoton made a speech on behalf of all of us.

Thank you to all who greeted us!

Thanks

Kengo Fujiwara, Executive Director, Nanophoton

As closing remarks, Kengo Fujiwara, Executive Director of Nanophoton, thanked everyone for their attendance. He thanked everyone for their attendance over the past 20 years and gave a powerful speech in which he expressed his seriousness toward Nanophoton 2.0.

Send-off

At the end of the event, all the staff and employees saw everyone off. Nanophoton reusable tote bag and assorted Minoh beers were given as souvenirs.

P.S. After seeing everyone off, Chairman Kawata gave a final thank-you speech to all the employees and staff. His personality of valuing people was evident as he introduced all employees in his welcome speech.

I was very honored to be a part of this major milestone of the 20th anniversary. It was a great pleasure for me to hear everyone who came say, “It was a great day today,” as they left the event, although the tasks of the 20th anniversary party and the creation of the commemorative magazine were truly demanding. Once again, I would like to thank everyone who came.