Institute of Socio-Infonomics
Tama University

Biography

1986 — Established the Institute for Networking Design.
1987–1993 — Planned and organized the Networking Forum, a national conference on computer networking.
1990 — Planned and organized the HyperNetwork Hiji Conference.
1991 — Head of Planning, GLOCOM, International University of Japan.
1997 — Moved to Malaysia and established Asia Network Research.
1998–2000 — Secretary General, Asia & Pacific Internet Association (APIA).
2000 — Returned to Tokyo; concurrently served as a senior research fellow at GLOCOM.
2004–2007 — Visiting Research Fellow, GLOCOM.
2004 — Appointed Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Socio-Infonomics, Tama University.
Other appointments recorded in the Japanese biography: Deputy Director, Institute for HyperNetwork Society; Council Member, Internet Association Japan; Secretary, Internet Governance Task Force of Japan (IGTF-J); Member, ICANN At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC); High-level Advisor, Global Alliance for ICT and Development.
Personal website: Asia Network Research

Selected Books and Papers

Getting Started with Apple (co-authored). Shogakukan, 1984. [Japanese]
The PC Network Revolution. Nihon Keizai Shimbun, 1986. [Japanese]
Evolving Networks. NTT Publishing, 1994. [Japanese]
An Introduction to Internet Business (co-editor and co-author). Nihon Keizai Shimbun, 1996. [Japanese]
The Internet Revolution from Asia. Iwanami Shoten, 2001. [Japanese]
Internet Governance: Ideals and Reality. NTT Publishing, 2005 (year as listed on the Japanese profile). [Japanese]
Who Created the Information Society? A Personal View. Journal of the Infosocionomics Society, Vol. 20, No. 2, March 2026. [Japanese]
The Significance of the Evolution and Development of the Internet. Information Processing, Vol. 36, No. 10, October 1995. [Japanese]

Translations into Japanese

1984 — User Manual Writing Guide, Brad McGehee; co-translated, Nikkei BP. [Amazon title search]
1988 — John Sculley, Odyssey (Japanese title: Sculley), Vol. 1 / Vol. 2. Hayakawa Publishing.
1991 — Networld, Albert Bressand. Toyo Keizai.
1995 — The Virtual Community, Howard Rheingold. Mita Publishing.
August 2003 — Smart Mobs, Howard Rheingold; co-translated, NTT Publishing.

Awards

1988 — David Rodale Award, Electronic Networking Association, for contributing to global community building.
1990 — Plaque of Appreciation, Electronic Mail Pal (EMPAL), Korea, for promoting exchanges between Japanese and Korean networkers.
1995 — Telecommunications Advancement Foundation Telecom Social Science Award for Evolving Networks (1994).
1996 — Best Author Award, Information Processing Society of Japan, for “The Significance of the Evolution and Development of the Internet” (October 1995).

Articles

Joint Recommendation on Policies for the Development and Use of AI
Posted: 2023-04-28
David Farber and Shumpei Kumon’s statement of 27 April 2023 welcomes AI’s potential while calling for international cooperation on risk assessment, transparency in technological development, and guidelines adapted to different users and purposes. The authors’ original English PDF is available.

Professors Farber and Kumon Release Joint Proposal on AI
Posted: 2023-04-27
On 27 April 2023, David Farber and Shumpei Kumon released a joint proposal on AI development and use ahead of the G7 Hiroshima Summit. It calls for international cooperation on AI governance, responsible innovation, transparency, and informed use.

Izumi Aizu: Biographical Archive
Posted: 2019-04-12
A historical biography covering Izumi Aizu’s work on computer networking, community networks, the spread of the Internet, Internet governance, and international cooperation. For his current institute title and selected publications, see the updated profile.

English renderings of Japanese publication titles are provided for reference. Links lead to the editions or publication records used on the Japanese profile.