ISOC mourns death of Internet Pioneer

Tributes flow after passing of Japanese Internet pioneer, Prof. Haruhisa Ishida, 9 March 2009

With great sadness, the Internet Society marks the passing of another pioneering figure of the Internet, Professor Haruhisa Ishida, who died on 9 March 2009.

As a Professor at the University of Tokyo, the author and translator of textbooks, and a former Board member of the Japan Network Information Centre (JPNIC), Dr. Ishida was a leading figure in introducing UNIX computing and internetworking to Japan.

His contributions to the Internet Society were significant and longstanding, serving on the ISOC Board of Trustees from 1993 to 1998, he participated actively in INET events and many other activities. Dr. Ishida was also one of the founders and the first Chair of ISOC’s Japan Chapter (ISOC-JP).

Other leading figures from the Japanese Internet community have paid tribute to Dr. Ishida and his contributions.

Jun Murai, Professor at Keio University and President of the WIDE project, described Dr. Ishida as “a very strong guardian” of the Japanese Internet community and a “key person for the Internet Society and other major Internet activities”.

Likewise, Toru Takahashi, Chairman & CEO of Research Institute for Internet Strategies, Vice-president of Internet Association Japan, and President of ISOC-JP, said Dr. Ishida was “a great pioneer of PC architecture, UNIX, and the Internet. We are deeply mourning his death”.

“The passing of Professor Haruhisa Ishida is a truly great loss to the Internet community globally, but nowhere more so than in Japan, where his hard work, enthusiasm, and generous support of others helped to build such a strong and impressive network,” said ISOC President and CEO, Lynn St.Amour. “His contributions to ISOC, especially in its formative years were invaluable. Our deepest sympathies go out to all his friends, colleagues, and family.”

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