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1 Overview of JGNⅡ research anddevelopment project

If we are to continue with innovation inmodern information technology, we will needto see greater sophistication in basic network-related technology and the implementation ofa wider range of applications. Constructingand applying a new next-generation R&D net-work to meet these demands will help lead usrapidly toward a more prosperous informationtechnology society. The so-called “e-JapanStrategy II”, established by the IT StrategyHeadquarters in July 2003, specifically setforth a goal of constructing a network testbedfor research and development. Based on thisstrategy, the JGNⅡ has been built as a next-generation network for research and develop-ment.

In response, the Commission Report onNext-Generation R&D Network for a Ubiqui-tous Networking Society compiled in July

2003 by MIC, proposes construction of a next-generation network for research and develop-ment and addresses the need for leadingresearch and development focusing on thefour high-priority issues listed below. TheJGNⅡproject pursues research and develop-ment targeting these topics based on the Com-mission’s proposals.Ⅰ Research and development of resilient core

network technologyⅡ Research and development of access net-

work technologyⅢ Research and development of site-collabo-

ration resource sharing technologyⅣ Research and development of platform

middleware application technologyThese four technologies must be combined

to form a foundation to support the diverseapplications and services that will accelerateinnovation in, and use of, advanced informa-tion-technology for the coming ubiquitous net-working society.

2 Trends on Network Testbeds

2-1 JGNⅡ Advanced Network Testbed forR&D

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As a part of "e-Japan Strategy", it was proposed that advanced research and developmentwould be promoted on a newly constructed testbed network (JGNⅡ), focusing on the followingthemes, (Ⅰ) resilient core network technology, (Ⅱ) access network technology, (Ⅲ) site-collabo-ration resource sharing technology, (Ⅳ) plat-home middleware application technology. To meetthese requirements, NICT has newly located seven JGNⅡ research centers, in which R&D forthose four themes are extensively conducted by more than 80 researchers, in collaboration withindustries and universities and international cooperation. In this report, an overview of JGNⅡproject and the research activities will be briefly reported.

KeywordsJGNⅡ, Collaborative research, IPv6

4 Journal of the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology Vol.52 Nos.3/4 2005

2 Overview of JGNⅡand its fea-tures

JGNⅡ is an open, ultra-fast, and high-per-formance network testbed for research anddevelopment, constructed and managed byNICT. The JGN (Japan Gigabit Network), agiga-bit network for research and developmentoperated from FY 1999 to 2003, promotedresearch and development throughout Japan inultra-high-speed network technology and inadvanced applications via collaborationamong industry, academia, and the govern-ment. These research and development activi-ties included broadband development in Japanand the introduction of IPv6 to the Internet, inaddition to numerous additional achievements.In line with the “e-Japan Strategy II” estab-lished by the government’s IT Strategy Head-quarters (July, 2003), NICT began operationof JGNⅡin April 2004 as a new network test-bed for research and development constructedbased on JGN, with the overall aim of promot-ing greater sophistication in telecommunica-tions.

The JGNⅡ is an IP-based optical network(using an optical-wavelength network and an

optical testbed) providing an open researchenvironment for researchers in universities,research institutions, private enterprises,municipal organizations, and other organiza-tions. The network has also provided linesbetween Japan and the US (10 Gbps) sinceAugust 2004, spurring research in collabora-tion with overseas research institutions. Theaccess points are located in all prefectures(total of 63 points). A potential user applies toNICT for permission to access the JGNⅡ forresearch and development purposes; if accept-ed the user independently establishes a com-munication line to an access point. Any userwho has concluded a joint research agreementwith NICT may use the network. Figure 1 pro-vides an illustration of the network configura-tion.

The main network supports high-speedcommunication at a maximum of 20 Gbps (10Gbps×2). GMPLS routers and OXC devicesfor optical wavelength communication areinstalled in specific sections of the network.The system also provides an optical testbedenvironment, forming a network testbedamenable to a wide variety of experiments.

JGNⅡprovides the following related ser-

Fig.1 JGNⅡ network configuration

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vices:• Ethernet connection (L2) service• IP connection (L3) service (IPv4/IPv6 dual

stack)• OXC connection service (available at some

access points)• 10-Gbit connection service (available at

some access points)• Optical testbed service (available at some

access points)

3 Collaborative research

NICT has established seven JGNⅡResearch Centers: in Touhoku, Ootemachi,Tsukuba, Osaka, Okayama, Kouchi, andKitakyushu; NICT conducts its own researchand development at these sites. Figure 2 indi-cates the locations of these Research Centers.NICT plans to conduct progressive collabora-tive research related to international standardsat these Research Centers—work that the pri-vate sector is inherently incapable of pursuing.To increase the sophistication of network-related technology, to ensure interconnectivity,and to establish diverse applications for thecoming ubiquitous networking society, theResearch Centers are making steady progressin constructing research and developmentenvironments, based on the ultra-fast high-performance network testbed, both within andoutside of Japan. The Centers also conductleading-edge research and development offundamental and application technologies fora next-generation high-performance network.When situating the Research Centers at thesesites, NICT took into consideration the effec-tive utilization of local research communitiesand resources cultivated through the JGN ini-tiative, with particular emphasis on twopoints. First, the Centers needed to be close tothe leading Japanese research organizations(such as universities and businesses) with spe-cific strengths in technological fields relatedto the relevant research themes. This enabledclose collaboration with such organizationsand consequently led to more effectiveresearch and development. Second, the

Research Centers situated throughout Japanhad to be interconnected via JGNⅡ, to facili-tate a distributed experimental environmentpermitting network collaboration among theCenters. Through consideration of the abovefactors and concerns, the Research Centershave been designed to allow for effectiveresearch and development through jointresearch projects among industry, academia,and the government. The Centers capitalize onthe resources of the respective local communi-ties, while at the same time making the mosteffective use of the JGNⅡin a range of collab-orative research projects and experimentsamong the Centers. The activities of eachResearch Center range from fundamentalresearch and development to experiments pro-moting further sophistication in network-relat-ed technology and the development of a rangeof useful applications.

Eleven Expert Researchers are employedat the Research Centers (three at Kitakyushu,three at Tsukuba, two at Osaka, and one eachat Ootemachi, Okayama, and Touhoku) as ofthe end of June 2005. There are 71 GuestResearchers, who provide advice to theresearch groups based on their respectivefields of study. These Guest Researchers alsoparticipate in joint research. Depending on thecontent and progress of the research themes,NICT also promotes joint research with exter-nal organizations in a system designed to max-imize network-based achievements.

3.1 Research and developmentthemes

There are four core research and develop-ment themes. Each of the seven ResearchCenters (RCs) engages in one or two themes,in collaboration with the remaining Centers.Overviews of these themes are describedbelow. Figure 3 shows the relationshipbetween the various research themes and therelevant organizations.Ⅰ Research and development of resilient core

network technologyThe goal of the study is to provide ultra-

high-speed, high-quality network environ-

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ments that can support a wide range of large-capacity network services, content, and appli-cations. To accomplish this goal, the projectconstructs resilient core networks, conductsresearch and development on interconnectivityand operations management technology fornetworks and their equipments and establishescomprehensive evaluation environments.

This research theme is divided into the fol-lowing five categories.1) Research and development of network con-

struction and operation support tools(Ootemachi JGNⅡRC)

2) Research and development of wide-arearesilient network connectivity support tech-nology (Ootemachi JGNⅡRC)

3) Research and development of IPv6 deviceevaluation methods and tools (OotemachiJGNⅡRC)

4) Research and development for evaluationof next-generation Internet interconnectivi-ty (Okayama JGNⅡRC)

5) Research and development of GMPLS net-work operations management technology

(Tsukuba JGNⅡRC)Ⅱ Research and development of access net-

work technologyThe goal of the study is to take maximum

advantage of the ultra-high-speed core net-work and the heterogeneous access networks(including wireless and mobile networks) inorder to ensure high end-to-end quality of ser-vice in various communications across thesenetworks. To accomplish this goal, the projectis pursuing research and development of tech-nology for optimal division of the terminals,access networks, and the core network, as wellas technology for dynamic and global assign-ment and use of various network resourcesbased on observations of network conditionsand traffic properties.

This research theme is divided into the fol-lowing three categories.1) Research and development of adaptive

routing technology based on network mea-surements (Kitakyushu JGNⅡRC)

2) Research and development of control tech-nology for seamless utilization and assign-

Fig.2 JGNⅡ Research Centers

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ment of resources based on quality consid-erations (Kitakyushu JGNⅡRC)

3) Research and development of E2E commu-nication control technology facilitatingdiversity and variability (Kitakyushu JGNⅡRC)

Ⅲ Research and development of site-collabo-ration resource sharing technologyThe goal of the study is to implement net-

works that allow for the sharing and manage-ment of application and service resources atthe Research Centers situated in local commu-nities; these networks should provideresources tailored to user needs, circum-stances, and environments. To accomplish thisgoal, the project pursues research and devel-opment of resource assignment methods basedon secure data sharing and high-capacity dataprocessing.

This research theme is divided into the fol-lowing two specific categories.1) Research and development of secure

resource-sharing technology for site collab-oration (Osaka JGNⅡRC)

2) Research and development of large-scaledata processing coordination technology forwide-area networks (Osaka JGNⅡRC)

Ⅳ Research and development of platformmiddleware application technologyThe goal of this study is to realize effec-

tive use of high-capacity broadband informa-tion (such as image information) in a practicalsocietal context. To accomplish this goal, theproject pursues research and development ofplatform technology enabling optimal opera-tions management for each application, ofcommunication technology for real-time syn-thesis and control of remote images and mark-er information in combination with body-movement data, and of signal-processing tech-nology to ensure unencumbered use of net-work-distributed resources and effective trans-mission and reproduction of information.

This research theme is divided into the fol-lowing three categories.1) Research and development of application-

oriented operations management platformtechnology (Touhoku JGNⅡRC)

Fig.3 Relationship between research and development themes and related organizations

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2) Research and development of surroundingcomputing technology (Kouchi JGNⅡRC)

3) Research and development of adaptive ser-vice control using advanced HCI technolo-gy (Tsukuba JGNⅡRC)

3.2 Research themes and characteris-tics of each Research Center

(1) Touhoku JGNⅡResearch Center (RC)Touhoku JGNⅡRC mainly engages in

research and development of application-ori-ented operations management platform tech-nology, under the fourth JGNⅡR&D projecttheme, designated as “research and develop-ment of platform middleware application tech-nology”. With an emphasis on applications,Touhoku RC is developing operations man-agement platform technology that will providespecific on-demand network informationrequired by applications, with the requiredquality.

Touhoku JGNⅡRC has established threesub-themes of this research and developmenttheme, forming a research group for each sub-theme. All three themes are supervised by twoadvisors (Professor Norio Shiratori of TohokuUniversity and Professor Yoshiaki Nemoto ofTohoku University), the Sub-Leader in chargeof the RC (Professor Hideaki Sone of TohokuUniversity), and a Visiting Researcher. Thestaff consists of an Expert Researcher(Hisanori Masuda) and 10 Guest Researchers.The specific sub-themes are as follows.1) Development of network measurement and

analysis technology for ultra-high-speedlarge-scale networks

2) Development of application-oriented opera-tions management technology and securitytechnology

3) Development of flexible network middle-ware technologyIn terms of the development of network

measurement and analysis technology forultra-high-speed large-scale networks, recentnetwork management efforts have faced diffi-culties in the constantly increasing amount ofnetwork equipment to be managed, some asmobile elements of ubiquitous networks. The

purpose of this sub-theme is to detect eventsthat will affect service through network trafficprediction. Based on the detection of singular-ities using time-series multivariate analysisand probability process, the sub-theme focuseson technology to detect traces of such eventsby assessing discrepancies between predictedand measured values.

In the development of application-orientedoperations management technology and secu-rity technology, Touhoku RC studies networkobservation technology for individual applica-tions. The studies involve the extraction ofapplication control information from observeddata and methods for the efficient measure-ment, compilation, and collection of commu-nication characteristics at the applicationlevel. Touhoku RC also works on technologyfor high-quality, high-efficiency network man-agement, including intelligent operations man-agement based on application characteristicsand user activity, fair resource-sharing amongdiverse applications, and optimal global con-trol. This Center is also investigating servicemaintenance technology to protect against net-work attacks.

In the development of flexible networkmiddleware technology, Touhoku RC aims toimplement knowledge-based networks basedon the “flexible network” concept. Studies inthis area include flexible response to user andapplication demands or to the network envi-ronment and features. Research and develop-ment of flexible network middleware (FNM)is now focused on agent middleware compo-nents that enable dynamic construction andreconstruction using domain data. Specifical-ly, this research includes a proposal for a newfunctional layer that will operate above thetransport layer, the development of an FNMagent-oriented architecture, and the implemen-tation of FNM as agent middleware (FNM/A).

To promote the use of JGNⅡ and to dis-seminate JGNⅡ application technology,Touhoku JGNⅡRC also supports local eventsand collaborates in local initiatives. For exam-ple, Touhoku RC is working on applicationdevelopment in collaboration with the local

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community, including broadcasting within andbetween communities and the implementationof remote-education applications.(2) Ootemachi JGNⅡResearch Center (RC)

Ootemachi RC is located in the NTT Com-munications Ootemachi Building inOotemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. The staff con-sists of an Expert Researcher (MasafumiYamamori) and 12 Guest Researchers.Ootemachi RC in engaged in (a) research anddevelopment of network construction andoperation support tools, (b) research anddevelopment of wide-area resilient networkconnectivity support technology, and (c)research and development of IPv6 deviceevaluation methods and tools.

The following describes the current statusand achievements in the specific researchthemes. All themes essentially involve collab-oration and cooperation with parties fullyengaged in commercial activities. In otherwords, the main goal in this context is tobridge the gap between research and actualbusiness. Accordingly, Ootemachi RC isworking to help establish and disseminate therelevant technologies based on discussionswith its counterparts in the industrial world.1) Research and development of network con-

struction and operation support toolsThis research is aimed at the development

of the network construction and operation sup-port tools required in real networks and theprovision of these tools as open software,wherever possible. FY 2005 saw the develop-ment of two types of such tools. One is specif-ically a tool assembly to support LSP configu-ration and management (and which also sup-ports MPLS network operation). The other is amulti-layer network topology managementtool that integrates layer-3 information withlayer-2 or layer-1 information. This researchwas conducted in collaboration with DISTIX.2) Research and development of wide-area

resilient network connectivity support tech-nologyThe aim of this research is the develop-

ment of fundamental technology to providehighly reliable ultra-wideband connectivity.

Activities in FY 2005 include fundamentalstudies on a next-generation routing architec-ture (or IRIDES, an acronym for “invitationrouting information advertisement for a pathengineering system), research and develop-ment of multi-home service provider architec-ture, research and development to establishinterconnectivity between VoIP and SIP sys-tems, and R&D involving measurement andanalysis of total Internet traffic in Japan. Thisresearch was conducted in partnership withnumerous organizations, including JPNIC,TTC, the VoIP Deployment Consortium,HATS, and major ISPs.3) Research and development of IPv6 device

evaluation methods and toolsIn a partnership with the TAHI Project, the

IPv6 Promotion Council, and the IPv6 Forum,Ootemachi RC has contributed to the IPv6Ready Logo initiative promoting the evalua-tion of IPv6 devices, providing support inbasic evaluation specifications and test soft-ware. The project includes both MIP andIPSec activities. 4) Research and development of next-genera-

tion Internet interconnectivity validation Activities in FY 2005 include (a) transi-

tion from JGN to JGNⅡand establishment ofan associated operations management system,(b) validation of interconnectivity in terms ofIPv6 and wide-area Ethernet technology, (c)cooperative activities involving local andresearch networks. In particular, the RC per-formed large-scale experiments on JGNⅡusing IPv6, with the aim of establishing high-quality multi-cast technology.(3) Tsukuba JGNⅡResearch Center (RC)

Tsukuba RC has assembled researchersfrom universities, public research institutions,and private enterprises at Tsukuba ScienceCity to conduct leading research and develop-ment in the telecommunications field. Tsuku-ba RC also conducts experiments using thelocal community network with the participa-tion and cooperation of municipal organiza-tions, public institutions, and private individu-als, aiming to make the best use of the uniquecooperative research resources of the Research

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Center. Tsukuba RC thus goes beyond lead-ing-edge research and development to con-tribute to overall progress in the “computeri-zation” of the local community.

Tsukuba RC is a connection point for theJGNⅡ(10 Gbps) network testbed for researchand development. From this Center one canconnect to the 63 JGNⅡ access points in allover Japan. The Tsukuba WAN (10 Gbps),which connects universities and research insti-tutions in Tsukuba Science City within a high-speed access ring, is also connected to JGNⅡat the Tsukuba RC facility, allowingresearchers in organizations participating inthe Tsukuba WAN to access the JGNⅡ.

Tsukuba RC engages in two core themes:research and development of GMPLS networkoperations management technology (GMPLS:Generalized Multi Protocol Label Switching),and research and development of adaptive ser-vice control using advanced HCI technology(HCI: Human-Computer Interaction), in addi-tion to numerous related sub-themes. Specifi-cally, these sub-themes are as follows.

Sub-themes related to GMPLS:• Research and development related to net-

work control for multimedia distribution• Optimal routing and flow control in GMPLS

networks• Research and development of GMPLS net-

work application technology based on Gridmiddleware

• Demonstration of effectiveness of JGN inGrid computing

Sub-themes related to HCI:• Haptic communication• Research on SAT remote counseling system

for local healthcare initiatives• Research on “Embodied Spaces”, enabling

physical communication between remoteplaces

• Research on real-space video avatar commu-nication technology

• Research on HyperMirror communicationthrough gigabit lines

• Research and development related to collab-orative environments using mirror interfaceson gigabit networks

The staff of Tsukuba RC consists of 24members: the Director (Tatuzo Koga), threeExpert Researchers (Junzo Okunaka, ShuichiOkamoto, and Sukehide Okano), and 20 GuestResearchers.

Tsukuba RC calls together members andother relevant parties every month for a staffmeeting to establish research plans, improveresearch achievements, and ensure communi-cation among members. Tsukuba RC alsoholds a regular Tsukuba JGNⅡRC seminar,which is open to the public.(4) Osaka JGNⅡResearch Center (RC)

Under the theme of “site-collaborationresource-sharing technology”, Osaka RC con-ducts research and development related to theuse of resources such as CPUs, storage, andnetwork bandwidth in the provision of calcu-lation services using a group of computersinstalled at two or more sites.

The site-collaboration resource-sharingtechnology theme consists of two sub-themes,both of which Osaka RC pursues on its own.These sub-themes consist of “research anddevelopment of secure resource-sharing tech-nology for site collaboration” and “researchand development of large-scale data process-ing coordination technology for wide-area net-works”. The former deals with security insharing computational resources, and the latteraddresses the characteristics and effective useof networks for distributed processing.

This research field crosses over variousareas of study—from networks and middle-ware to applications. As a result, Osaka RCworks to improve the effectiveness of itsresearch through collaboration with relatedresearch projects within and outside of Japan.Through such collaboration, Osaka RC alsohopes to adapt the developed technologies toapplications and to perform large-scale experi-ments. Among the achievements of this col-laboration to date, the RC performed an appli-cation demonstration with a large electronmicroscope in FY 2004 using the internationalJGNⅡline between Osaka and the US.

In addition to presentations at academicmeetings and other demonstrations, Osaka RC

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works in many ways to publicize JGNⅡ andOsaka RC activities. For example, the OsakaRC shared its projects among others in a jointbooth at SC2004, with display panels anddemonstration exhibits.(5) Okayama JGNⅡResearch Center (RC)

Okayama JGNⅡRC selects its researchthemes not only with an eye to research anddevelopment but also to what must be dissem-inated in the market if we are to ensure thefuture growth of a next-generation Internet.Seamless connection to the Okayama Informa-tion Highway, the local community network,has now been completed, and the municipalorganization is eager to promote a researchand development environment that is unifiedwith this network. The Okayama InformationHighway was thus the first to support IPv6among municipal networks in the early stages.The network has since acquired independentpTLA (pseudo top-level aggregation) and pro-vides full support.

Using this environment, Okayama RCconducts research and development based onthree primary methods and concepts: (1) iden-tification of technical problems, (2) feedbackto the market, and (3) early dissemination ofIPv6 networks.

Given this environment, Okayama RCfocuses not only on research and developmentbut also works to refine its research contentbased on the wide-ranging demands of enter-prises and consumers.(6) Kouchi JGNⅡResearch Center (RC)

The Kouchi JGNⅡRC is one of sevenResearch Centers in Japan participating in theJGNⅡRC research project; moreover, thisCenter is also planning to participate inresearch and development specifically usingthe JGNⅡ in Shikoku, conducting joint inter-connection experiments in its role as the onlyJGNⅡRC in the area. Kouchi JGNⅡRC islocated in the Kochi University of Technology(Education and Research Building A501–503,A552, Collaboration Research Center 101).Masahiro Fukumoto is responsible for theCenter, and the members mostly consist ofGuest Researchers from the Department of

Information System Engineering at the KochiUniversity of Technology (Kazunori Shima-mura, Masanori Hamamura, Makoto Iwata,Keiichi Sakai, and Takahiko Mendori), alongwith others from the Faculty of Engineering ofEhime University (Shinji Tsuzuki), KochiNational College of Technology (TakumiYamaguchi) and Japan Telecom Co., Ltd.(Hideki Hayashi).

Kouchi JGNⅡRC is engaged in researchand development involving surrounding com-puting, part of the fourth theme, “research anddevelopment of platform middleware applica-tion technology”. Surrounding computingtechnology seeks to realize a flexible, easy-to-use information environment for the comingubiquitous network society. This involvesimplementation of a system that can effective-ly transfer the enormous amounts of informa-tion exchanged in next-generation high-speednetworks (such as JGNⅡ) within a ubiquitousnetworking environment for display in a user-definable manner. Kouchi RC thus conductsresearch and development mainly related toinformation transfer within a ubiquitous net-working environment based on data-drivenprocessors; this R&D includes the effectiveutilization of distributed network resources,automated delivery processing of distributedinformation, and information reconstructiontechnology tailored to the user’s environment.

In cooperation with the Kouchi JGNⅡUsers Conference, Kouchi RC continues itscollaboration to promote research and devel-opment within the local community usingJGNⅡand to promote the effective use of theKochi Prefectural Information Highway.These efforts rely on the interconnectionbetween the information highway and organi-zations providing its access points—such asuniversities, research institutions, local munic-ipalities, elementary schools, junior-high andhigh schools, and private enterprises located inKochi prefecture. Also in collaboration withthe JGNⅡShikoku Users Liaison Council (anorganization of network researchers, users,research institutions, and enterprises in thefour prefectures of Shikoku), Kouchi RC is

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working on publicizing the JGNⅡ, promotingits use, and encouraging progress in intercon-nection among local networks in Shikoku.(7) Kitakyushu JGNⅡResearch Center (RC)

Kitakyushu JGNⅡRC is engaged in thesecond theme, “research and development ofaccess network technology”. Working toensure efficient sharing of finite networkresources through the effective distribution ofroles and coordination of resource controls,Kitakyushu RC focuses on three componenttechnologies in parallel and in collaborationwith others: optimal routing and traffic controltechnology (so-called “access integration”,optimization of an ultra-high speed core net-work to accommodate traffic between locallyintegrated access networks), control technolo-gy that adaptively assigns diverse wireless andmobile network resources with a focus oncommunication quality under the givenrestrictions (access deployment), and adaptivecommunication control technology thatenables effective and fair implementation ofend-to-end communication via diverse net-works for various levels of required quality(communication control between terminals, inshort).

In particular, Kitakyushu RC has estab-lished the three sub-themes described below.An Expert Researcher and numerous GuestResearchers are assigned to each sub-theme inthe context of joint research with privateenterprises and universities. The Director andthe Chief Expert Researcher are responsiblefor all themes and guide work accordingly.Research and development is conductedthrough collaboration among industry, univer-sities, and the government. These three sub-themes together foster effective use of ultra-high-speed core networks, effective use andassignment of access network resources, andoptimal end-to-end communication for appli-cations—anywhere, anytime.(A) Adaptive routing based on network mea-

surementsBased on techniques such as traffic flow

measurement, route selection, and traffic con-trol, this research is aimed at routing and traf-

fic control at the network edge to improvecommunication quality and usability across anultra-high-speed core network. This researchalso fosters collaboration with the GMPLSresearch group (Theme I). The mainresearchers involved include the KitatsujiExpert Researcher and Guest Researchers(from Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc., KDDIR&D Laboratories, and the Kyushu Instituteof Technology).(B) Control for seamless utilization and

assignment of resources based on quality Based on technologies such as those relat-

ed to wireless networks, multihop wirelessnetworks, and mobile terminals, this researchis aimed at resource use and assignment con-trol that will improve communication qualityand usability within diverse wireless net-works. In addition to proposing methods forresource use and assignment technologies,particular focus is placed on developing proto-types and securing patents for practical appli-cations. The main researchers include theKoga Expert Researcher and GuestResearchers (from Panasonic Mobile Commu-nications Co., Ltd., Panasonic Communica-tions Co., Ltd., Yasukawa Information Sys-tems Corporation, Tokyo Institute of Technol-ogy, and the Kyushu Institute of Technology).(C) E2E communication control capable of

handling diversity and variabilityBased on technologies such as end-to-end

communication protocol (both for transportand applications) and packet processing withinrouters, this research is aimed at communica-tion protocols and router support that willimprove the quality and efficiency of E2Ecommunications through a diverse range ofvariable networks. This research also involvesinternational joint experiments (with the Uni-versity of Illinois) dealing with high-speedtransport protocol technology, using the JGNⅡ international lines. The main researchersinclude the Kumazoe Expert Researcher andGuest Researchers (from Kyushu ElectricPower Co., Inc., INTEC Web and GenomeInformatics Corporation, Kyushu Universityand the Kyushu Institute of Technology).

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Kitakyushu JGNⅡRC is on the same flooras NICT’s Kitakyushu IT Open Laboratory.The floor provides one of the two JGNⅡcoreaccess points in Kyushu. The RC and IT Sup-port Center collaborate to support various net-work events using JGNⅡ, together playing acentral role in JGNⅡactivities in the Kyushudistrict.

3.3 Research meetings and other JGNⅡactivities

Given that JGNⅡwill form the centralcommunity of network studies in Japan—fromfundamental technology to applications—theResearch Centers naturally cooperate in arange of research activities. Their achieve-ments are published and also made publicthrough presentations and demonstrations invarious JGNⅡWorkshops (held at Ootemachiin June 2004, Kitakyushu in November 2004,and in Touhoku in May 2005), and at the JGNⅡ Symposium (held in Osaka in January2005).

4 Summary

This article describes the JGNⅡ networktestbed for research and development,launched in April 2004 as part of the JGNⅡresearch and development project. We alsopresent an overview of research and develop-ment led by the various NICT Research Cen-ters. We plan to continue to upgrade andexpand the JGNⅡ network (including itsinternational lines) in FY 2005 and beyond,and plan a series of research activities relatedto four high-priority themes, using JGNⅡ forcollaboration among the Research Centers.Further, we will hold workshops to encouragethe sharing of information and further collabo-ration with other research organizations andintend to focus specific efforts on collabora-tion with industry, in our efforts to promotethe convenient application of our researchachievements.

OIE Yuji, Dr. Eng.

JGNⅡ Project Leader, CollaborativeResearch Management Department

Information Network Engineering