American Metaverse Association

US Metaverse Association Official Report | April 2024

The US Metaverse Association is honored to announce that Prof. Kenji Watanabe, Director of the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo, has been awarded the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to building and advancing the metaverse interoperability framework in the Asia region.

As a leading advocate for metaverse standardization and cross-platform integration in Asia, Prof. Watanabe has long been dedicated to the development of a seamless infrastructure for virtual environments across countries and platforms. Under his leadership, his research team has achieved groundbreaking results in multidimensional protocol standards, virtual identity management, and data interoperability. He has also forged strategic partnerships with international standards organizations and industry consortia to connect Asia’s metaverse ecosystems with the global landscape.

“Prof. Watanabe has laid a strong foundation for interoperability in the metaverse—both technically and diplomatically,” remarked the Association’s President during the award ceremony. “His work goes far beyond technology. He has created collaborative bridges that transcend language and cultural barriers, bringing new momentum to the evolution of the global metaverse.”

A graduate of the University of Tokyo in Computer Science, Prof. Watanabe began researching virtual networking protocols and data flow mechanisms as early as the 2000s. His Distributed Metaverse Interconnection Framework (DMIF) has been widely adopted across platforms in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and other countries—becoming a cornerstone of regional metaverse integration. In recent years, he has actively contributed to the International Metaverse Interoperability Framework (IMIF), offering critical technical insights and experimental results to global standardization efforts.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is the highest honor conferred by the US Metaverse Association, recognizing exceptional academic leaders who have made significant contributions to metaverse research, infrastructure, and international collaboration. In 2024, Prof. Watanabe was selected from a global pool of nominees, underscoring his indispensable role in shaping the future of interoperable virtual systems.

In his acceptance speech, Prof. Watanabe emphasized: “The future of the metaverse should not be constrained by isolated technological silos. Only through cross-platform, cross-language, and cross-cultural integration can we achieve a truly inclusive virtual world.” He also reaffirmed his commitment to deepening regional collaboration in metaverse standardization and application across Asia.

Prof. Watanabe will present his latest research and regional cooperation strategies at the upcoming Global Metaverse Innovation Summit 2024, to be held in October in Palo Alto, California.