Fujitsu Veteran to Lead OSDL Japan

May 14 2006

The Open Source Development Labs (OSDL), a global consortium dedicated to accelerating the adoption of Linux(R) and open source software, today announced it has appointed Takashi Kunai as its new director of Japan.

Kunai brings more than 30 years of software development and business experience to his new role at OSDL where he will lead the Labs' key initiatives in the region. Specific emphasis will be given to bridging communications among vendors, the open source community and the Japanese customers. Additionally, Kunai will focus on helping to drive adoption of the Linux operating system on enterprise servers and mobile devices.

Japanese companies such as Fujitsu, Hitachi and NEC are global leaders in the Linux-based enterprise server market. Furthermore, some companies are in a strong position to take advantage of the growing deployment of Linux-based operating systems on electronic appliances and mobile phones. NEC and Panasonic today ship Linux-based phones throughout the world, including to Japan's leading operator NTT DoCoMo.

"Kunai-san brings deep expertise to his new position and is well prepared to make OSDL Japan an even greater force for open source adoption in this critical geography," said Stuart Cohen, CEO of OSDL. "As the Japanese government considers the expanded role Linux and open source software will play in its country, Kunai will work to facilitate cooperation between vendors, the government and the open source community."

"OSDL is the world's leading organization for solving industry challenges related to Linux and open source software," said Takashi Kunai, director of Japan, OSDL. "I'm eager to align resources to take the Linux operating system deeper into servers and mobile devices and in customer IT departments throughout Japan."

Kunai is an industry veteran from Fujitsu where he spent more than 30 years leading development for both UNIX and mainframe operating systems. Kunai has also served as an OSDL board member and most recently led the Business Development Forum at the Japan OSS Promotion Forum from 2004 through 2005. Kunai holds a bachelor's degree in Faculty of Science from Kyoto University.

About Open Source Development Labs (OSDL)

OSDL -- sponsor of Linus Torvalds, the creator of the Linux kernel -- is dedicated to accelerating the growth and adoption of Linux-based operating systems in the enterprise. Founded in 2000 and supported by a global consortium of major Linux customers and IT industry leaders, OSDL is a nonprofit organization that provides state-of-the-art computing and test facilities available to developers around the world. With offices in China, Europe, Japan and the United States, OSDL sponsors legal and development projects to advance open source software as well as initiatives for Linux systems in telecommunications, in the data center and on enterprise desktops. Visit OSDL on the Web at http://www.osdl.org/ .

NOTE: OSDL is a trademark of Open Source Development Labs, Inc. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds. Third party marks and brands are the property of their respective holders.