About HIJ

Address from the President

Professor Ken Sasaki
Department of Human and Engineered Environmental Studies
Graduate School of Frontier Sciences
The University of Tokyo

The Horological Institute of Japan (HIJ) was founded in 1948. It shares its history with the development of clock and watch industry in Japan. This institute, an academic society for clock and watch technology, is different from other academic societies that are based on distinct academic disciplines. The scope of HIJ covers various technologies related to clock and watch makings, such as product design, components, manufacturing technology, energy source, material, and systems. These technologies are documented in the periodical journal of HIJ in the form of scientific papers and tutorials. Collection of the past issues serves as historical archives of Japanese clock and watch technologies.

Technological innovation is always on the move. Although quartz clocks and watches provide us with time accuracy which is more than enough for everyday use, atomic timekeeping has enabled automatic time adjustment. Clocks and watches equipped with atomic timekeeping now constitute one of the major product categories. Alternative energy sources such as solar panels and mechanical generators are adopted in many products. Some watches have sensing and communication functionalities. These multi-functional watches are creating a new market of wearable information devices. On the other hand, manufacturers of purely mechanical watches have enriched their sophistication in design and refined the mechanisms. These masterpieces of precision machinery constitute a unique category in watch industry.

The Horological Institute of Japan would like to provide places and opportunities to exchange ideas and information on new trends and technologies through academic meetings and publication of journals, and hence contribute to the progress of clock and watch industry.

Organization of HIJ

Officer Name Job Title and Place of Employment
Director/President Ken Sasaki Professor, the University of Tokyo
Director/Vice President Etsuro Nakajima Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
Director/Managing Director Yasuo Yoshimura  
Director Masaru Kubota Seiko Epson Corporation
Takeshi Adachi National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
Akio Ishizaka Professor, Tokai University
Kazunori Umeda Professor, Chuo University
Hisashi Osumi Professor, Chuo University
Chikashi Otani Assistant Professor, Chiba Institute of Technology
Minami Kimura Professor, Tokyo National College of Technology
Masato Takenaka Seiko Instruments Inc.
Sumio Masuda Denso Corporation
Koji Kubota  
Tatsuo Narabayashi Professor, Tokai University
Tadashi Hanaoka Citizen Holdings Co., Ltd.
Auditor
 Hiroshi Seshime Japan Clock & Watch Association
Sumako Hino The Horological International Correspondence
Steering Committee Member Yoshiki Iwakura Citizen Watch Co., Ltd.
Kazuyoshi Tsuchiya Seiko Epson Corporation
Yoshinori Goto Rhythm Watch Co., Ltd.
Miyuki Imamura Seiko Clock Inc.
Kazuhisa Toyama Ricoh Elemex Corporation
Shozo Watai Japan Clock & Watch Association
Akira Takakura Seiko Instruments Inc.
Hiroshi Yoshizawa Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
Makoto Yoshimura Orient Watch Co., Ltd.

Contributing Member (as of March 17 2011)

(in alphabetical order)

HIJ renews links whenever needed. If you discover any invalid links, please inform HIJ.

Contact Addresses

HIJ Secretariat Office
The Horological Institute of Japan
902 Kudan-asahi Mansion, 1-9-5 Kudan-kita Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, JAPAN
Phone: +81-3-3288-5160
Fax: +81-3-3288-5175
E-mail: tokei@pen.or.jp
Account (for payment of membership fees only):
Postal transfer account No. 00100-5-648655
"Nihon Tokei Gakkai"

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