AKKODiS Consulting Co., Ltd. President Kenichiro Kawasaki: "The Role of 'AKKODiS IOWN FUSION BASE'"

In his opening remarks, President and CEO Kenichiro Kawasaki explained AKKODiS's global expansion and domestic management strategy, followed by an overview of "AKKODiS IOWN FUSION BASE" and the company's initiatives in supporting human resource development related to IOWN.
"As part of our initiatives related to the IOWN concept, we established the IOWN Promotion Office within our company in January 2024 and joined IOWN GF as a sponsor member in March. We believe that to deploy this new technology globally, it is crucial to produce many professionals worldwide who understand IOWN, so we are focusing on the training domain. In July 2024, we released the first curriculum for IOWN Basic Training, and furthermore, in April 2025, we updated it as 'IOWN Basic Training 2.0' under the supervision of NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS and deployed it to the market. Today, I am extremely pleased to announce the opening of 'AKKODiS IOWN FUSION BASE,'" he explained, outlining the progress to date.
Regarding "AKKODiS IOWN FUSION BASE," he stated, "We expect this to be a place where new value is created. We position it as a BASE where people, organizations, businesses, and knowledge converge and connect to generate 'new business models' and 'new value.' Among these, our role encompasses human resource development, use case creation, and global expansion" demonstrating his enthusiasm for creating new values.

Following this, IOWN GF President and Chairperson Katsuhiko Kawazoe took the stage and spoke about the IOWN concept as follows:

IOWN GLOBAL FORUM™ President and Chairperson Katsuhiko Kawazoe : "New Value Aimed by IOWN Technology"

"The IOWN concept was announced by NTT in May 2019 and has now evolved into an international initiative with approximately 165 companies and organizations participating in IOWN GF. The background of this concept lies in the reality that Japan has transitioned from the era of 'quality logic,' which was called 'Japan Quality,' to the current 'numerical logic'—global competition in areas such as virtual space, semiconductors, SNS, and AI. Now that the limitations of the Internet are beginning to become apparent, I believe we are entering an era where 'value,' not just 'numbers,' should be emphasized. We announced the IOWN concept as a new foundation to support this 'logic of value.'
This concept has the potential to bring transformation across diverse fields including data center distribution, remote surgery in medical settings, remote operation of heavy machinery in the construction industry, and cyber defense. Particularly in the medical field, we expect new medical experiences to be realized where doctors and patients connect beyond physical distances through AI-supported diagnosis and remote operation of surgical robots.
Moreover, we have entered an era where AI is being used in cyber-attacks, making it urgent for the defending side to also enhance security measures and skills using AI. IOWN technology holds great potential in these areas as well, and I believe we can take on new challenges. We would very much like to borrow the strength of AKKODiS. Today's young generation has grown up in a world where the Internet has been a given since their birth. It is precisely because of this generation that we want them to know about IOWN as the next technology to come."

Following this, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held by IOWN GF President and Chairperson Katsuhiko Kawazoe, IOWN GF Contents Review Task Force Leader Hiroshi Komai, IOWN GF Board of Directors Alternate Yosuke Aragane, AKKODiS President Kenichiro Kawasaki, AKKODiS Director and Chief Operating Officer Toshinori Isa, and AKKODiS Executive Officer and Prime Account Division General Manager Katsutoshi Waki.

【Experiencing Haptic Transmission Technology through "IOWN" Demonstration】

Following this, a demonstration of 'low-latency, high-capacity communication technology' was conducted. The venue at the headquarters (Shibaura, Minato-ku) was connected via a large screen to 'OPEN HUB Park' at Otemachi Place West Tower in Chiyoda-ku, where the NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS headquarters is located, showcasing the low-latency, high-capacity communication technology enabled by 'IOWN."
Kazuki Watanabe from AKKODiS, who serves as an instructor for IOWN Basic Training, took the stage and placed a platform with a device in front of the large screen, saying 'We would like to deliver vibration information through this,' and invited Kawasaki to participate. When Kawasaki placed his hand on the device, Yosuke Saito from AKKODiS, on the other side of the screen, struck the device with a hammer, and Kawasaki experienced the vibration at his location, commenting 'The vibration is being transmitted."

Subsequently, when the roller was rotated, Kawasaki remarked, 'This is amazing. The transmission is so realistic that it feels like someone is rotating a roller right next to me. This sensation is truly surprising."

Finally, they conducted a demonstration where paper sumo wrestlers were placed on the device at the venue. When Saito tapped the device in Otemachi, the paper sumo wrestlers on the venue device shook simultaneously, demonstrating that vibrations can actually be transmitted across distances through APN (All-Photonics Network) technology.

【Q&A: Prospects for Future Possibilities】

Q&A session was held with participating journalists.
Question: "Is it unusual to establish a base implemented within an office? Do other similar bases exist?"
Kawazoe: "Places where such technology can be experienced already exist within the NTT Group, but AKKODiS is the first outside the group. I feel that AKKODiS is taking the initiative to open this facility marks the start toward society. I hope that various companies will establish such places and work together to create a world that surpasses the Internet."
Question: "How do you want to utilize and develop this base?"
Kawasaki: "AKKODiS IOWN FUSION BASE” is a place for training engineers, but we also want it to be a place where customers who don't usually deal with communication infrastructure can experience IOWN technology. As for utilization methods, there's human resource development, and another is the creation of new use cases. Looking toward social implementation that is expected to begin in earnest after 2030, we are considering expansion as needed."

Footnotes:
※1 "IOWN®" is a trademark or registered trademark of NTT Corporation. For details about the IOWN concept, please refer to https://www.rd.ntt/iown/
※2 "OPEN HUB Park" is a workplace equipped with cutting-edge technology that NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS opened in February 2022.