The President's Column

Japanese Society of Tribologists
President of 56th term:�Yoshio KUMADA

I am Yoshio Kumada who has been appointed to the 56^th term president of the Japanese Society of Tribologists (JAST) in the annual meeting held on May 24^th. On the occasion of taking office, I would like to talk about my thought.

At first, let me express my deepest condolences for those who died in the Great East Japan Earthquake. I also want to express my sympathies to those whose lives were disrupted by the disaster and the nuclear accident. I desire the victims will make earlier rehabilitation.

I have become a member of JAST as an engineer in the company in 1975. I have received many benefits from my membership in the 35 years since then. I started out taking beginners’ courses, then attended the summer seminar, participated in a lot of study groups and attended the tribology meeting in every spring and autumn, and ITC (International Tribology Conference) in every 5 years. And recently I participated in WTC IV (World Tribology Congress IV). These have enabled me to study the basic knowledge and concepts of tribology, acquire the latest information, learn from excellent teachers, and meet and get new friends.<?xml:namespace prefix ="" o ns ="" "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

I never thought I would be recommended as a JAST president, but I did receive the strong recommendation of former directors. Therefore, I will take this opportunity with a forward-looking attitude, and assume this responsibility in return for what I have received.

Fortunately, over the past year, I have been able to understand to an extent the issues JAST faces through my opportunity to become involved as vice-president with Prof. Iwai, working under the leadership of Prof. Mori, the 55^th term president. Now I’d like to explain my thoughts about the role the association should fulfill and the issues related to the basis for fulfilling that role.

1. First, I think we must continue to think about and discuss how to elevate the presence of tribology, which rose to prominence at WTC IV in 2009. Fortunately, the number of presentations and participants has been trending upward through the tribology meetings last fall and this spring. Also, the study groups are likely to become more active, especially with the creation of type 1 and type 3 study groups. However, we must work to stop the decline in the number of members.

The Great East Japan Earthquake dealt a severe blow to the Japanese economy. The recovery from that disaster will probably not be complete, even when all of you have seen this article. Limiting energy consumption is becoming increasingly important and has become a critical issue after the accident at the nuclear power plant. What role can tribology play in this situation?

Prof. Kimura, the 41^st term president, said during his first address that is “Engineering is the science that makes the impossible possible. It is also the mission of engineering to create a breakthrough in this situation.” I want to be able to maintain our continuous and steady efforts through study groups and other means from the perspective of reducing friction. I also hope we contribute to the general public. I want us to continue our discussions to determine how can we as an association proceed with these activities and make them more dynamic, and how we can stop the decline in membership.

2. The researchers at universities and other sites must present their papers in English. Their exceptional research results must be known to researchers in overseas, not just in Japan. Of course, publishing papers in the Tribologist, the Japanese language academic journal, is also indispensable for offering information to engineers and researchers in Japan. As Prof. Masuko, vice-president made some passionate statements at the annual meeting, it is extremely important to enhance the Tribology Online, the only medium JAST now has for presenting papers in English.

3. Now, I’d like to address the international perspective. I’ve heard there will be more presentations than usual at the ITC Hiroshima 2011 scheduled this fall. Also, the Japan-China advanced Tribology forum, begun last year by Dr. Machida, 54^th term president and others, will hold a meeting next April in Nagoya following up on this year’s meeting in Luoyang, China. In addition, international forums within our domestic conferences are gaining traction, and I want to ensure that we continue to conduct these on a regular basis.

4. One of our basic issues is our response to the reform of the system for public corporations. We have chosen to become a general corporation. This proposal began with Prof. Yamamoto, the 53^rd term president, and was passed on to Dr. Machida and Prof. Mori. This year is the fourth year for this important task. Many people have discussed this issue and worked hard to resolve it, and I want to make steady progress this year as we complete the task.

5. Under the leadership of Prof. Mori, we made great progress in matters related to personnel and the use of IT in our secretariat. I hope to put the policy determined during the 55^th term on a steady course, and deal with the issues remaining for IT.

There are many challenges facing us, but I will make every effort to deal with them during my term, with the cooperation of vice-president Masuko, vice-president Tagawa, all the directors, and everyone at the secretariat. I hope to receive the support of all the members in my effort.

JAST Home Page