1960s
The Semiconductor Industry Moving Toward an Information Society
*** Industry Trends ***
Tadao Umesao's paper “The Theory of the Information Industry: Dawn of the Coming Ectodermal Industry Era” was published in the January issue of the magazine “Hōsō Asahi.” in 1963. This paper introduced the concept of “information-driven society,” which reportedly caused quite a sensation in Japan. Amidst the introduction of computers and the spread of color television broadcasting in early 1960s Japanese society, this was likely the social change that ecologist Umesao keenly sensed. Then, the terms “information society” or “information-based society” began to be used from the mid-1960s. This represented an understanding of social and industrial trends that preceded D. Bell's 1973 work “The Coming of Post-Industrial Society [1]” and A. Toffler's 1980 concept of “The Third Wave” [2]. The 1960s, when transistors were integrated into ICs and transitioned to VLSI, can be positioned as the era when the shift toward this information society truly began to accelerate. Therefore, innovation in semiconductor devices for space, military, and industrial/commercial information and communications advanced in the United States. In Japan, while learning and adopting these advanced technologies (including their application to consumer electronics), the semiconductor industry also forged ahead toward the information society.
【References】
- Daniel Bell, The Coming of Post-Industrial Society, Diamond Inc. (1975)
- Alvin Toffler, The Third Wave, Japan Broadcasting Publishing Association (1980)
- Semiconductor History Museum of Japan, Industry Trends, "1965: Moore's Law Announced from Silicon Valley"
https://www.shmj.or.jp/en/industry-trends/it196005e.html - Semiconductor History Museum of Japan, Industry Trends, "1964: The Emergence of Mainframe Computers"
https://www.shmj.or.jp/en/industry-trends/it196004e.html
Ver.001: 2026/2/1