March 2026 Vol. 24 No. 3

View from the Top

• Tomoyuki Kanekiyo, Senior Vice President, Head of Service Innovation Laboratory Group, NTT, Inc.

  

  Abstract
  NTT Service Innovation Laboratory Group plays a vital role in transforming cutting-edge technologies into tangible value in the form of services and implementing them practically in society. The laboratory group is striving to actualize the endless possibilities that can be created by combining the future society and digital information. We spoke with Tomoyuki Kanekiyo, senior vice president, head of NTT Service Innovation Laboratory Group, about the laboratory group’s notable achievements and new challenges for fiscal year 2026.

Front-line Researchers

• Shingo Tsukada, NTT Fellow, Basic Research Laboratories, NTT, Inc.

  

  Abstract
  It is difficult to solve problems with knowledge of just one specialty or academic field, and cross-disciplinary research spanning multiple fields is becoming increasingly important. The medical field is no exception to this trend, and collaboration in other fields, such as information and communications technology (ICT) and new materials, has become essential. Under such circumstances, NTT Fellow Shingo Tsukada at NTT Basic Research Laboratories, a pioneer in the interdisciplinary field of medicine and ICT, has been one of the earliest adopters of ICT in the medical field. We spoke with him about his participation in an international project aimed at creating the “human metaverse,” the details of tensor cardiography, and his motivation—despite being a surgeon—for pursuing basic research at NTT.

Rising Researchers

• Hiroshi Takahashi, Distinguished Researcher, Access Network Service Systems Laboratories, NTT, Inc.

  

  Abstract
  Optical fiber sensing technology uses optical fiber, which is normally used for communications, as a sensor to observe changes in vibration, temperature, and other phenomena that occur in the vicinity of the optical fiber. By combining it with NTT’s optical measurement technology to increase sensing precision, NTT is investigating an environmental monitoring system that uses optical fiber cables (laid underground nationwide for communications) as sensors. In this article, we invited Hiroshi Takahashi, a distinguished researcher at NTT Access Network Service Systems Laboratories and a leader in the research and development of optical fiber sensing technology and its related equipment, to talk to us about his latest work.

Feature Articles: Keynote Speeches at NTT R&D FORUM 2025―IOWN∴Quantum Leap

• Akira Shimada, President and Chief Executive Officer, NTT, Inc.

  

  Abstract
  This article presents NTT’s research and development efforts toward innovation in computing powered by photonic technology. It is based on the keynote speech given by Akira Shimada, NTT president and chief executive officer, at the “NTT R&D FORUM 2025―IOWN∴Quantum Leap” held from November 19th to 26th, 2025.

• Shingo Kinoshita, Senior Vice President, Head of Research and Development Planning, NTT, Inc.

  

  Abstract
  This article presents NTT’s research and development efforts to make quantum leaps. It is based on the keynote speech given by Shingo Kinoshita, NTT senior vice president, head of research and development planning, at the “NTT R&D FORUM 2025—IOWN∴Quantum Leap” held from November 19th to 26th, 2025.

Regular Articles

• Cavity Optomechanics Using Fiber-type Microbottle Resonators

  

  Abstract
  Fiber-type microbottle resonators are tiny glass “bottles” formed on standard optical fibers, with diameters comparable to that of a human hair, that confine both light and mechanical vibrations that interact with each other via radiation pressure. This optomechanical interaction enables ultrasensitive readout of the mechanical displacement using strongly confined light. A key feature of microbottle resonators is that their mechanical modes can be naturally scaled from a single resonator to extended optomechanical arrays. This multimode capability enables highly sensitive mass and liquid-level measurements, as well as controlled synchronization with novel topological structures in phase space, pointing toward ultrasensitive biochemical sensing and energy-efficient neuromorphic information processing. This article reviews recent progress in cavity optomechanics based on fiber-type microbottle resonators, mainly focusing on our recent work.

Global Standardization Activities

• Latest Trends toward the 2027 ITU World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-27)

  

  Abstract
  The World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC), organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), is an international conference primarily aimed at revising the Radio Regulations (RR), which is the set of international rules governing radiocommunication. The next conference is scheduled for 2027, but discussions for preliminary studies and consensus-building are already in a full-scale phase within ITU-R (ITU Radiocommunication Sector) Study Groups, regional groups, and individual countries. Since the amendments to the RR are reflected in domestic radio laws and regulations, this conference is extremely important for NTT Group, which provides various wireless services such as mobile phones. This article provides an overview of the main agenda items and current state of discussions for WRC-27.

External Awards

• External Awards