On the Japanese holiday of Setsubun, this year coinciding with the Chinese New Year, the central IPv4 address pool was exhausted. Thanks to the contributions and effort of the IPv4 Address Depletion Task Force to reducing the difficulties of deploying IPv6, this seminal event will not be an impediment to the continued growth of the Internet. From this day forward, we can say that we will build all new infrastructure and technologies based on IPv6.
The day of exhaustion of the IPv4 address pool from IANA will be remembered as the day we enter the new era of the Internet. The Internet must evolve itself as 'the' sustainable infrastructure for all the industries. Cloud computing, Smart Grid and Smart Communities, indeed all emerging infrastructure, will be based on IPv6.

Professor Hiroshi Esaki, University of Tokyo,
Chair of IPv6 Ready Logo Program,
Executive Director of IP Promotion Council Japan,
Executive Director of IPv4 Address Exhaustion Task Force Japan,
Director of WIDE Project.

 

Internet address management is a critical role in the support of the operational global information society. Historically, this has been done cooperatively by the various stakeholders on behalf of global society. With an eye toward the future, the Japanese government, industry and academia have for years proactively worked to prepare for this historic day, when the last IPv4 blocks are allocated to the regional registries. Thanks to this advance preparation, we expect that its impact will be minimal, and will serve as an incentive for the deployment of the next-generation Internet protocol, IPv6. Japan has a long history of support for IPv6, and we view this as an opportunity, indeed our responsibility, to continue its promotion for the advancement of the global information society.

Professor Jun Murai, Keio University,
Chairman of IPv4 Address Exhaustion Task Force Japan,
Founder of WIDE Project.