9th April 2014
Dr. Masaki Hirabaru Inducted into 2014 INTERNET HALL OF FAME
- Celebrating the innovator who was instrumental in shaping
today's JPNIC/APNIC and expanding its global connectivity -
Japan Network Information Center
Dr. Masaki Hirabaru (deceased) today joins the notable individuals who have been inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame for their significant contributions to the advancement of the global Internet. The Internet Hall of Fame inducted Dr. Hirabaru for his contributions to the initial steps to develop the resource management function from that of relatively small internetworking of research computer networks to that of the Internet for Everyone.
http://internethalloffame.org/press/latest-news/internet-hall-fame-announces-2014-inductees
Dr. Hirabaru has been named a “Global Connector”, a category which recognizes and celebrates individuals from around the world who have made major contributions to the growth, connectivity, and use of the Internet, either on a global scale or within a specific region or community.
Dr. Hirabaru made crucial contribution to the institution of JNIC/JPNIC - Japan Network Information Center and APNIC - Asia Pacific Network Information Centre, among many other achievements. That was an integral part of evolution of the Internet resource management function from that of internetworking of research networks to that of the Internet for Everyone.
JNIC(1991-1993)/JPNIC(1993-) is a pioneer ccTLD registry and a pioneer country-wide IP number registry. Before its institution, these resources had been managed by volunteer groups of networking researchers, and soon suffered from the delayed process and lack of documentations on the services, as the demand for the Internet rapidly grew.
Dr. Hirabaru devoted his life as Chair of JNIC/JPNIC's Steering Committee to take the lead of initiating the organization, documenting the rules and procedures, and designing service operations to achieve the organized and stable registration.
After the institution of JPNIC, he with Dr. Jun Murai made “A Proposal for APNIC Experiments” to APCCIRN in 1993 to have the whole region served by a newly instituted Regional Internet Registry, so that people in all countries in the Asia-Pacific region could obtain IP number resources easily. After APNIC Pilot Project Proposal, the later version, was approved, he appointed himself to APNIC Staff and initiated the operation of APNIC with international colleagues.
Dr. Hirabaru earned his Ph.D. from Kyushu University in 1989 and worked for Kyushu University, the University of Tokyo, and the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), among other organizations and companies. A natural leader, he played key roles in various research network projects in Japan and throughout the region, specializing in the areas of routing, network measurement and monitoring, and wireless and mobile networks. Hirabaru passed away on July 29, 2008. http://www.wide.ad.jp/news/press/20080801-hirabaru-e.html
“My family and I were very much surprised to know my husband Masaki to be inducted to the Internet Hall of Fame, as we didn't even know about it. I am sure he himself would be most surprised and feeling a little embarrassed,”noted Yumiko, the wife of Dr.Hirabaru for this award. “He was the person who had been conducting his research constantly with broad vision and with the spirit of ‘for the benefit of people all around the world', of which my family and I are very proud. The achievement for his induction is thanks to his colleagues who moved hand-in-hand with him. He would be saying ‘Guys, let's keep on doing it together!' at this very moment. I would like to express my deep gratitude to everyone who made this happen. Thank you very much.”
Dr. Hirabaru was honored at the Internet Society's 2014 Induction Ceremony on April 8 in Hong Kong. More details on the 2014 Internet Hall of Fame inductees, including their biographies and photos, can be found at http://www.internethalloffame.org. You can follow the Internet Hall of Fame on Facebook and on Twitter at @Internet_HOF (#ihof2014).
About the Internet Hall of Fame
The Internet Hall of Fame is a recognition program and virtual museum that celebrates the living history of the Internet and the individuals whose extraordinary contributions have made the Internet, its worldwide availability and use, and its transformative nature possible. The Internet Hall of Fame was launched by the Internet Society in 2012.
About the Internet Society
The Internet Society is the trusted independent source for Internet information and thought leadership from around the world. With its principled vision and substantial technological foundation, the Internet Society promotes open dialogue on Internet policy, technology, and future development among users, companies, governments, and other organizations. Working with its members and Chapters around the world, the Internet Society enables the continued evolution and growth of the Internet for everyone.
