A special event on Oct. 13, 2011 celebrated the 20th anniversary of the East Japan Railway Company Professorship at MIT — which is currently held by Engineering Systems Division Interim Director Joseph Sussman. The event included remarks from Sussman, JR East Vice Chairman Masaki Ogata, and Claude Canizares, MIT's vice president for research and associate provost.

Sussman provided some historical context for the professorship, thanking JR East for the long-standing and productive collaboration.

Ogata also expressed gratitude for the partnership, acknowledging that JR East has changed dramatically in the last 20 years. He thanked MIT for its support in response to the devastating earthquake in Japan earlier this year, and illustrated how JR East kept passengers safe with substantial safety counter-measures put into place before the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.