Thank you Chairman. Good morning everyone.
My name is Akio Hosaka. I am General Manager of the Planning and Coordination Division of the Advanced Cruise-Assist Highway System Research Association, or AHSRA, which is a Japanese technology research association for AHS. Please call a-u-zu-ra and don't call a-shu-ra. A-shu-ra (AHSRA) is not good sound for Japanese people. Pronunciation oh a-u-zu-ra (AHSRA) is similar to Blue Sky in Japanese. I heard that June is most beautiful season in Europe. I expected to see the fine blue sky but I can seldom see in Netherlands. Please say a-u-zu-ra (AHSRA). My presentation, which is titled "Japanese R&D Policy Based on AHS Requirements," is a discussion of specific research and development plans established in Japan to contribute to the achievement of AHS.

In Japan, AHS stands for Advanced Cruise-Assist Highway Systems. Plans for AHS in Japan is assumed to develop gradually. We call it AHS Evolution.

AHS is a broad concept of real time driving assistance that includes AHS-i, which means the Information Assistance Service level, AHS-c, which is the Driving Control Assistance level, and AHS-a, or Automated Cruise Service level. AHS-i is a system that collects driving environment information and provides information to drivers. AHS-c is an information and control assistance system. The roles of AHS-a include not only information and control, but also total responsibility for driving.

This slide shows the Comprehensive Plan created by five ministries and agencies concerned with ITS in Japan. The purpose of AHS is to meet diverse cruise assistance needs, primarily Assistance for safe driving, increasing the efficiency of road management and of commercial vehicle operation.

To appropriately satisfy these diverse needs with evolutionarily process; we are conducting our research and development in line with requirements for AHS. These requirements have been set in order that our research and development is guided by needs and skillfully balances these needs with new source technologies. This development is conducted under the leadership of the AHSRA.

AHSRA is an organization established in September 1996 to conduct research and development on AHS. AHSRA will establish the technology needed to create real world AHS- i and AHS-c systems by the early twenty-first century. The research and development is being conducted by a group of twenty-one private companies under the leadership of Japan's Ministry of Construction.

This slide shows the flow of AHS research and development. In order to efficiently satisfy all needs, it is divided into basic items and application items. The basic items are universal items that do not depend on methods or specific technologies that will be used to create the real world system. We defined the Principal services and the Principal Requirements. These will contribute to standardization such as system operation and human factor. Combining basic items and adding supplementary application items will create the application items. The application items include the Service packages and the Application Requirements. These will contribute to standardization such as the system interoperability.

I think that this example will help you understand the concept of basic and application items. Try to imagine a service that provides a sandwich in the broad sense of the word. A variety of services will be needed to satisfy the needs of diverse users. The basic items are " immediately provided" "can be eaten easily," "provides the sufficient calories," and "it tastes good." It is possible to efficiently provide diverse services by combining application items such as food materials, flavorings, and packaging, and so on to these basic items.

So we analyzed a broad range of user needs and selected necessary user services, then analyzed these to clarify the basic items. We created a system of principal user services related to three behaviors concerning two major objectives. The principal requirements are the conditions necessary to realize the principal user services, and each one corresponds to a principal user service. These systems are the AHS requirements; and represent a systematization of AHS user needs as technical development policies.

Future AHS research and development will be conducted with the AHS requirements. With a system of requirements, research and development scenarios, technical development targets, and common infrastructure of R&D will be clarified to accelerate research and development intended to achieve real world AHS by the early twenty-first century. As this slide shows, the following three tasks will be conducted well balanced and simultaneously. The first is the improvement of the AHS requirements. Principal requirements will be refined and quantified in order to provide application requirements for technological development. The second task is research on the upstream processes. There are three upstream processes. First, the selection of priority service items based on principal evaluation items such as benefits, costs, technological feasibility, acceptance by users and by society, and so on. Secondly, the preparation of research and development and introduction scenarios. And finally, the definition of concrete specifications. In sum, it is research on the setting of goals. The third task is research and development of the downstream processes. The downstream processes are research and development on concrete methods of realizing the goals set as part of the upstream processes.

AHS includes an extremely wide range of sub-systems and technologies. These R&D are conducted under separate related programs. Coordination with these related programs is vital. In Japan, the development of intelligent functions for motor vehicles is led by the ASV (Advanced Safety Vehicle) Program. And basic radio communication technology is studied and developed under the ARIB (Association of Radiowave Industry and Broadcast Industry). Basic technology for inter-vehicle communications is conducted as part of the SSVS (Super Smart Vehicle System). Concrete links between these programs will be studied and promoted.

AHS will be used in many countries and regions. People and their cars will frequently use AHS services both in their own countries and overseas. AHS must be harmonized internationally. It is vital to guarantee international harmony in line with a basic system such as the AHS requirements.

As I have stated, Japan will be implementing various AHS services efficiently by conducting balanced research and development in both the upstream and downstream processes, and in cooperation with related programs and international coordination based on AHS requirements. Thank you very much for your kind attention to my presentation.