#Japan #Tokyo #CNCF #Hitachi #OSS

Yuichi Nakamura Honored with CNCF's Chop Wood Carry Water Award

In a significant recognition of his contributions to the Open Source ecosystem, Yuichi Nakamura, the Head of the Open Source Program Office (OSPO) at Hitachi, has been awarded the prestigious "Chop Wood Carry Water Award" by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). This award is a testament to Nakamura's work in fostering the development of cloud-native and AI technologies through the establishment of the first official Japanese community, the Cloud Native Community Japan (CNCJ).

The CNCF is a prominent global organization that facilitates innovation in cloud-native technologies and artificial intelligence. This year, the award was presented to only six individuals among over 720 member organizations of CNCF, highlighting Nakamura's exceptional dedication to supporting various Open Source Software (OSS) development projects and invigorating the communities that support them.

Nakamura's recent achievements, which include spearheading the establishment and operation of CNCJ, a vital resource for connecting Japanese enterprises with global open-source initiatives, were particularly appreciated. Additionally, he was instrumental in successfully hosting "KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Japan 2025," a significant global event organized by CNCF, in collaboration with CNCJ members. Such initiatives have opened new opportunities for OSS engineers within Japan, contributing to the growth of a digital society centered around AI.

Hitachi has long recognized the essential value of OSS in the development of the digital society and has actively promoted its application across both IT and operational technology (OT) sectors. Nakamura has made substantial contributions not only at Hitachi, advancing the business application of OSS, but also has shared his insights with multiple OSS communities, establishing himself as a leading figure representing Japan’s OSS movement.

Going forward, Hitachi aims to create an AI ecosystem in collaboration with customers, partners, and OSS communities, contributing towards solving social issues and achieving sustainable societal growth.

Nakamura's Insights

Chris Aniszczyk, CTO of CNCF, remarked, "The Chop Wood Carry Water Award honors those unsung heroes who support our community. Yuichi Nakamura has devoted considerable effort to improving documentation and organizing meetups for CNCJ, embodying the spirit of OSS contribution. His steady commitment supports the healthy and sustainable development of CNCF projects and continues to contribute not only to Japan but to the global community."

Nakamura expressed his gratitude, stating, "I am deeply honored to receive this prestigious award from CNCF. I have dedicated over 20 years to fostering the OSS community. Serving as a board evangelist for The Linux Foundation and as a member of the CNCF Governing Board, I have acted as a bridge between the domestic community and LF-related organizations, striving to develop the OSS ecosystem within the business sector. Additionally, I've been involved in enhancing the global value of Keycloak as a foundation for authentication and authorization. Recently, I have also actively contributed to establishing best practices for access control concerning AI agents. I will continue to contribute to solving global social issues through the OSS community."

Background: Expanding OSS Through Community Development

In recent years, cloud-native and AI technologies have rapidly evolved within the OSS community, making it vital for innovation and development. However, as of 2023, there was no existing community in Japan linking CNCF with local enterprises and organizations, resulting in a shortage of Japanese-origin cloud-native technologies. To address this gap, Nakamura played a crucial role in founding CNCJ, which serves as an essential platform connecting Japanese engineers with the global CNCF development community. His leadership has led to increased participation from domestic enterprises and the enhancement of community operations.

Nakamura's Professional Journey

• - Position: Head of OSPO at Hitachi
• - Education: Doctorate in Engineering
• - Early Career: Engaged in OSS security research and development since 2001, leading the promotion of SELinux within Japan.
• - Awards: In 2015, received the "Kiyasu Memorial Achievement Award" from the Information Processing Society for contributions to OSS security.
• - Community Leadership: Involved in launching API management solutions utilizing OSS Keycloak and nurturing maintainers.
• - Prominent Positions: Became a board member of LF in 2022, helped establish CNCJ in 2023, elected Head of Hitachi’s OSPO in 2024, and joined the CNCF Governing Board in 2025.

Hitachi’s OSS efforts date back to the founding of LF in 2000, contributing significantly to enhancing the reliability of the Linux kernel and developing security functionalities for Keycloak. The long-standing commitment of Hitachi continues to see its employees thriving within the global community, engaging actively in CNCF-related projects and sharing their knowledge, particularly in the realm of AI agent data access control.

For more information, please visit the Hitachi OSS Homepage.