Beyond the Fifth Generation: parallel AI research in Japan

Many AI researchers, particularly in the USA, were surprised when Japanese AI scientist Hiroaki Kitano was chosen to receive the 1993 \´Computers and Thought\´ award for his work in AI and parallelism. Their astonishment derived from the pervasive perception in the USA that the Japanese Fifth Generation Project, seemingly the major Japanese effort in AI and parallelism, was a failure. "How," they asked, "was a Japanese scientist able to become a leader in this area?" This confusion about the state of parallel AI research in Japan is primarily due to lack of knowledge about Japanese efforts.<>