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September 2011

I have tried to support the activities of Semiconductor History Museum of Japan as an advisor from the very first stage, and I feel very much honored that a special exhibition room carrying my name is now opened in the Museum. I feel like becoming a mummy myself from a mummy-hunter.
Why Semiconductor History Museum now?
The semiconductor industry started right after the Second World War, and the annual rings now count more than 60 since that time. Various events and products, including their memories even during the developing period, needless to say during the pioneering days, are now about to fade away in the history.
Actually, the technical documents and product samples are scattered and sometimes completely lost in the course of repeated industry and factory restructuring.
Kusatao Nakamura, a poet who flourished through the early Showa era, wrote, “The Meiji era is now an old, faded page of history,” and nowadays even “the post war days” are already far away.
It is my great pleasure if this exhibition room serves to complement the hollowing-out of technical documents in this kind of situation.
Japanese semiconductor industry started by learning from US, proactively accepting their technology and manufacturing schemes, but it also played original and creative roles in in the globalization of the industries in the milestones of the time.
It is a grateful boon from the wisdom and efforts of predecessors that Japan could become a semiconductor manufacturing country exceeding US even in a limited period of time.
I was luckily involved in these historical scenes as a technical journalist and could observe the events by my own eyes. I tried to delineate the birth and development dramas of Japanese semiconductor industry, focusing on “People,” “Companies” and “Technologies” by presenting the photos and technical documents which I accumulated through my long work career. I also considered for the readers so as to be able to grasp the overview of history by reading the whole part. I ask the readers to allow my personal judgement and liking in some parts, even though I tried to keep fairness and accuracy in selecting the themes and descriptions as much as possible. I also would like to express my gratitude to the supports of many people in providing the documents and confirmation of facts.

Yukio Shimura

                   

Mr. Yukio Shimura’s brief personal history
He was born in Hokkaido in 1935, and graduated from Education Department of Waseda University. He worked as an editor of the technical magazine “Densi-Zairyo (Electronic Material)”at Kogyo Chosakai Publishing Co., Ltd. Afterwards, he became President and Chairman of the company.
During his career at the company, he served as a member of government-related committee, Industrial Technology Council, and Officer at Gakkyoukai - The Association of Japan Studies, including Board Chairman of Natural Science Publication Society.
And also, he was in charge of lectures in advanced technology fields at Science and Engineering Department of Waseda University, International Economics Department of Reitaku University, and Economics Department of Nagoya University. He currently lectures on Venture Business Studies at Common Educational Organization of Kanazawa University.
He wrote more than 10 books and also newspaper serial publications which are all excellent technology review and critique, including “Origin of Technology Intensive Nation ― Japan,” “Half a Century of Japanese Semiconductor Industry,” “’Japanese Way of Technology Thinking Conquering the World,” “Ig Nobel Prize of Science Makes You Laugh,” “Unofficial History of Semiconductor Industry – Half a Century of Innovation”
(*) Note: These are unfortunately all in Japanese language and not available in English.

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“Mr. Shimura’s Essays with Historic Photos”    Semiconductor History Museum of Japan
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