The 71st Spring Meeting of the Japan Society of Applied Physics was held at Tokyo City University. The lecture, which is attended by about 7,000 people every year, was a great success. Several employees from Nanophoton participated in the conference and took advantage of the latest findings in the field. In addition, on the occasion of receiving the 7th Optical Engineering Achievement Award (Takano Eiichi Award), Chairman Satoshi Kawata gave a commemorative lecture on the award. The award ceremony followed. In this issue, I report on the lecture. (Newsletter Editor / Ryo Harada)

4,000 lectures and 20-30 symposia

The Japan Society of Applied Physics (JSAP) holds its annual conference in spring and fall each year. The spring conference usually attracts about 7,000 participants, who attend 4,000 lectures and engage in lively discussions. Although the weather was not so good, many researchers attended the conference and the venue was a great success again this year.

In addition to regular lectures (presentations within major and medium classifications) in each specialized field, the Japan Society of Applied Physics has “symposia,” which deal with recent topics and those that have attracted much attention. About 20 to 30 symposia are held at each lecture meeting.

Nanophoton, with its strength in R&D, is constantly incorporating the latest knowledge and refining its R&D by actively participating in such lectures and conferences, including those held in collaboration with Osaka University. This year again, several employees from Nanophoton participated to deepen their knowledge in this field. Specifically, they participated in sessions not only in the field of optics and photonics, which is Nanophoton’s forte, but also in the recently discussed topics of AI and electronics, nanocarbons, two-dimensional materials, and wide-gap semiconductors, gaining useful information for the development of new equipment and Raman microscopy applications. We were able to obtain useful information for the development of new instruments and applications of Raman microscopy.

Award Ceremony of the 7th Optical Engineering Achievement Award (Takano Eiichi Award)

During the lecture, the 7th Eiichi Takano Award for Distinguished Achievement in Optical Engineering was also presented, and Mr. Umeda, Chairman of the Award Committee, said, “Mr. Kawata has consistently produced many exceptional research results in the fields of optics and spectroscopy, particularly in microscopy, spectroscopic analysis, and nanophotonics, and has given back to society through his entrepreneurial activities. He has also made significant contributions to the development of optical engineering through his worldwide activities in the optical community, and is therefore a worthy recipient of the Optical Engineering Achievement Award.” Afterwards, Mr. Tsunenobu Kimoto, President of the Japan Society of Applied Physics, presented a certificate of commendation to President Kawata.

Prior to the award ceremony, President Kawata delivered a commemorative lecture on the theme of “Near-field Optics and Plasmonics.” He explained in an easy-to-understand manner how he came to propose a “disruptive” method using metals (plasmons) to improve the spatial resolution of optical microscopes at a time when the mainstream methods used short-wavelength light sources and materials with high refractive index. The audience of nearly 200 people, including both on-site and online participants, listened attentively to the presentation.

Nanophoton will continue to actively participate in various academic conferences and reflect the latest findings in its technical capabilities.

（Translated by DeepL）