The opening ceremony of the IPRC was held at Manoa school, Univ. of Hawaii on October 20, 1997, under the auspices of the President of the University. Many individuals involved and researchers from the U.S. and Japan attended the ceremony.
This IPRC was established by the agreement between Japanese Prime Minister Hashimoto and U.S Vice-president Gore in March 1997, in order to cooperate in the field of global change research and prediction, under the "Common Agenda for Cooperation in Global Perspective", especially for Japan-US joint projects in the Asian-Pacific region.
At the ceremony, Mr. Raleigh, the Director of the Ocean Science Dept., Univ. of Hawaii, and a temporary Director of the IPRC gave the opening address, followed by a welcome speech from Mr. Mortimer, the President of the Univ. of Hawaii. Successively, Mr. Hirono, Vice-Governor of the state of Hawaii spoke on behalf of the center site. Mr. Gibbons, Special Presidential Aide for Science and Technology from the U.S, and Mr. Kato, a Parliamentary Vice-minister, Mr. Hirano, the President of JAMSTEC from Japan, gave their own addresses. After the ceremony, President Mortimer and Director Raleigh etc. gave the participants a tour of the POST building in which the IPRC has moved.
Five researchers from the Frontier have already arrived at their posts, and a joint research project on the climatical system in the northern Pacific has proceeded.

The International Arctic Research Center (IARC) was established as a part of the global change research and prediction project, under the "Common Agenda for Cooperation in Global Perspective", and will be located in the campus of Fairbanks school, the Univ. of Alaska.
The researches on the Arctic region has played an increasingly important role in the research on global eco-variations. Therefore, we, in Japan will take initiative in the researches on the processes of how the Arctic region affects global meteorology, climate and environment, and in making observations and researches for the prediction of those effects. In cooperation with the international community, we would like to proceed with those researches more efficiently and effectively. That is why we have established and maintained the IARC.
At the IARC the Frontier Research System for Global Change will aim at studying the Arctic climate system etc. in order to understand global variations.
The construction work of the IARC is going on favorably, and in the summer of 1997,the frame of the building was almost completed. In December 1997, final interior work was going on. In December 1998, all works will be completed, and the apparatuses and equipment will be installed. The IARC will formally start in April 1999.