History of IARC and IJIS

March, 1997

In a meeting with the former Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and the former U.S. vice president Al Gore, the initiative on Global Change Research and Prediction was added to the Common Agenda for Cooperation in Global Perspective. Following the meeting, the International Arctic Research Center (IARC) was cooperatively constructed in the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), under the US-Japan Science and Technology Agreement (UJST).

August, 1999

The opening ceremony of the IARC was held. The purpose of the IARC is promoting international cooperation in an effort to integrate and synthesize arctic climate change research. The first Director of IARC was Dr. Syun-Ichi Akasofu (to January, 2007).

October, 1999

The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA, now Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) started arctic research projects utilizing satellite data and IARC-NASDA Information System (INIS). International arctic research projects such as "IARC-Frontier Research System for Global Change program" and "IARC-NASDA arctic research" were executed based on the system.

October, 2003

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) was established as a result of the integration of NASDA, the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science and the National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan.

March, 2005

IARC-JAXA Information System (IJIS) was established as the successor to the INIS. JAXA is promoting IARC-JAXA arctic research projects utilizing satellite data and IJIS.

December, 2006

The University of Alaska Board of Regents unanimously approved a proposal to name the building that houses the IARC in honor of the center’s founding director, Syun-Ichi Akasofu, who plans to retire in 2007.
The naming is decided in accordance with precedents of other buildings in UAF. A naming ceremony will be scheduled in 2007.

February, 2007

Dr. Larry Hinzman assumed his duties as the Director of IARC, who was the deputy director in 2006.