Systematic research on electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) in Japan started in 1977 by the establishment of a technical committee on “environmental electromagnetic engineering” named EMCJ, which was founded both in the Institute of Electronics and Communication Engineers or the present IEICE (Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers) and in the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan or the IEEJ. The research activities have been continued as the basic field of interdisciplinary study to harmonize even in the electromagnetic (EM) environment where radio waves provide intolerable EM disturbances to electronic equipment and to that environment itself. The subjects and their outcomes which the EMCJ has dealt with during about 40 years from the EMCJ establishment include the evaluation of EM environment, EMC of electric and electronic equipment, and EMC of biological effects involving bioelectromagnetics and so on. In this paper, the establishment history and structure of the EMCJ are reviewed along with the change in activities, and topics of the technical reports presented at EMCJ meetings from 2006 to 2016 are surveyed. In addition, internationalization and its related campaign are presented in conjunction with the EMCJ research activities, and the status quo of the EMCJ under the IEICE is also discussed along with the prospects.

Subjects in Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) research that have been presented at meetings of the IEICE Technical Committee on Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMCJ) are overviewed and categorized. The temporal changes in the proportions of the categorized subjects among the total number of presentations each year is also shown. Finally, speculative opinions are presented on what EMC subjects will be studied in the near future.