Japanese IRF Fellows Alumni Reunion in Tokyo

A Japanese IRF Fellows Alumni Reunion was held on June 20, 2012 in Tokyo, Japan. During this event, Mr. Daijiro (DJ) Yoshida, a Member of the IRF Fellowship Class of 2011, who recently finished his studies at USC, made a presentation about his wonderful fellowship experience and his overall achievements during his stay in the United States. The Reunion was also an important opportunity to welcome the new Members, including a future expected Fellow for the class of 2013. Nineteen IRF Fellows from Japan participated in this event, and everybody had a wonderful time interacting with the other Alumni Members.

Currently, the Japanese IRF Fellow Alumni Association has seventy three members and it continues to grow every year. The Association was started by the very first IRF Fellow from Japan, Dr. Sadamu Mino (-2001), who was a Fellow from the Class of 1954 at Ohio State University.

Each member of the Japanese IRF Fellow Alumni Association plays an active role in the road industry or other infrastructure businesses, both in Japan and abroad. The Chairman of the Japanese IRF Fellow Alumni Association, Mr. Moriyasu Furuki (Purdue, 1973) noted the importance of this Alumni Reunion emphasizing the need to facilitate good communication among the Japanese IRF Fellows. The Chairman also pointed out that IRF is a precious platform for all members of the road industry to use to extend their professional networks, which will contribute to the betterment of the road community not only in Japan, but also world-wide. All of the Fellows who attended this reunion clearly understood the importance of human networking.

The Japan Road Association will continue to play a leading role and will keep track of all Japanese Fellows through the Japanese IRF Fellow Alumni Association. Every effort will continue to be made to develop a robust human network of Japanese IRF Fellows.