After some 3 1/2 years of preparation that began in the summer of 2012, the “5th World Engineering Conference and Convention (WECC2015)” was held for 7 days starting November 28, 2015 at the Kyoto International Conference Center, and ended on a successful note.

WECC is an international conference that transverses many diverse fields of engineering and conducts debates on the advancement of technology and contribution to society. WECC2015 was jointly hosted by 4 organizations: The Japan Federation of Engineering Societies, Science Council of Japan, World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) and United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The Opening Ceremony was graced by the presence of the His Imperial Highness Crown Prince Naruhito. Many other distinguished guests, including the Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy, Minister of Land, Infrastructure Transport & Tourism, State Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Governor of Kyoto Prefecture and Mayor of the City of Kyoto, attended the Ceremony and a total of 16 guests offered their remarks, an exceptionally large number of speeches.

Following the Opening Ceremony, the Conference Plenary Lectures took place. The esteemed speakers included Dr. Han Seung-soo, Former Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea; Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Government of Japan; and Professor Hiroshi Amano, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 2014. All the seats were taken in the hall (capacity 2,000) and the audience listened keenly to the lectures.

In addition to the conference, 98 companies/organizations participated in the Technical Exhibition and a Banquet was held in the grand ballroom of the Westin Miyako Kyoto, welcoming some 400 guests. Thanks to the large number of attendees, a lively atmosphere prevailed throughout the conference period. At the Banquet, what else! but a special dance performance by Kyoto geisha & maiko thrilled all of the attendees both those from around Japan and overseas.

On the final day at the Closing Ceremony, the instant that the baton was passed to Australia, the host of the next conference 4 years hence, the organizers probably felt a mixture of relief tinged with sadness that the conference was coming to a close. WECC2015, a major undertaking that takes many years of preparation, has ended, but the WECC itself will without question continue to develop along with the advances in global engineering hereafter, toward Australia and far beyond.