Contribution to a safer and more secure society through innovative antenna technologies.

Dr. Toru Takahashi has led the development of two innovative technologies to advance and improve the quality of phased-array antennas for satellite communications and radar systems: unique calibration technologies; and dual-polarization technologies. In recognition of the originality of these breakthroughs and their contribution to society through Mitsubishi Electric's products, he was awarded the title of IEEE Fellow in 2026.

Takahashi's calibration methods enable a phased array to operate as a single antenna by precisely synchronizing all array elements. By reducing calibration time, improving accuracy, and theoretically analyzing error sources, these methods have greatly advanced phased-array performance.

Likewise, for dual-polarization, he discovered that offsetting the feed point of the antenna element from the central axis leads to a reduction in cross-polarization. He also succeeded in theoretically deriving the optimal offset condition. This innovative approach, called "feed point perturbation," is a simple but highly effective design method.

The calibration technology developed by Takahashi has contributed to the development of phased arrays at Mitsubishi Electric, improving the quality of their beam-forming in particular. Similarly, his dual-polarized technology has been applied to the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2) and the follow-on satellite ALOS-4, contributing to the full polarimetry observation of the onboard synthetic aperture radars. These technologies are expanding satellite communication capacity and enabling more versatile radar observations, thereby contributing to a safer, more secure society.

For Takahashi, his achievements and his elevation to IEEE Fellow were part of a collective effort. "'IEEE Fellow' is not only my personal honor, but also an honor for all the colleagues that I have worked with," he says. "The technologies I developed were created through working with a lot of engineers in Kamakura Works and the Electronics and Communication Systems Center. And they could not be put into practical use without the tremendous efforts of those engineers. Hence, I think this achievement should be attributed to them, and I'd like to express sincere appreciation to them."

Looking to the future, he explains, "I'd like to continuously extend my expertise in radio-wave systems, including antennas, radio wave propagation, radar, wireless communications, etc., by incorporating a variety of technologies in other areas, and develop as many leading researchers as possible by mentoring young researchers as a Chief Expert."