Shuji Hirakawa

Dr. Shuji Hirakawa received the Ph.D. degree from University of Tokyo in 1978. As a Ph.D. student, he pioneered research on coded modulation. His groundbreaking work led him to receive the IEEE Golden Jubilee Paper Award in 1998. After graduation, Dr. Hirakawa joined Toshiba Corporation and now he is a Fellow Specialist/General Manager for Corporate Standardization, Technology Planning Division of Toshiba. In the last 30 years, Dr. Hirakawa was involved and led the research and development of MUSE (analog HDTV satellite broadcasting system in Japan, until the end of September 2007), digital satellite broadcasting systems, and multimedia broadcasting systems. His works result in many national and international standards and ITU-R Recommendations. Dr. Hirakawa is also a key member in many international standard organizations. Currently, he is a Vice Chairman of ITU-R WP 6M (multimedia and interactive broadcasting system) and the secretary of IEC TC 100 (audio, video, and multimedia systems and equipment). He was deeply involved in the development of ITU-R Draft New Recommendation for broadcasting of multimedia and data applications for mobile reception by handheld receivers, as the Rapporteur (chief editor). This DNR will be approved by correspondence by ITU-R Member States within few months. He is an IEEE Fellow, an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Broadcasting, and an Editorial Board Member of the Proceedings of IEEE, and he has been the Secretary of IEEE Broadcast Technology Society Japan Chapter, since 2002.

Biography Updated on 24 October 2007