Ten years of reading for the future: Murata's Greater China Reading Festival brings people, culture and technology together

2026/4/13
Wuxi Murata Electronics Co., Ltd.
Chairman and General Manager: Katsumi Yamada

On April 13, 2026, ahead of World Book Day, the tenth Murata Greater China Reading Festival was held at Wuxi Murata Electronics Co., Ltd. Under the theme ‘Ten Years of Dedication, Reading Intelligently for the Future,’ the event showcased haptic interaction technology and reviewed a decade of building a learning organization and promoting the local reading ecosystem.

From a reading culture inside the company to reading across society

Murata's reading promotion began with building an internal reading culture. In its early years, reading rooms encouraged employees to develop reading habits. In 2016, as a council member of the Wuxi Association for the Promotion of Reading for All, Wuxi Murata extended its activities beyond the company, responding to the national call to promote reading among the public and reaching neighboring businesses, suppliers, schools and communities. As exchanges among Murata's Greater China locations deepened, the Wuxi event was renamed the Murata Greater China Reading Festival, bringing these locations together to foster a shared reading environment.

The festival has become an important platform for Murata's social responsibility. Each April, government leaders and representatives from across society join the event, while reading exchanges continue throughout the year. General managers at Greater China locations personally recommend books, and labor unions provide reading incentives. Companies and unions create supportive reading environments, with employees actively participating. Huang Mingqing, president of the Wuxi Association for the Promotion of Reading for All, thanked Murata for its decade of steadfast commitment. Huang noted that public reading promotion has entered a new stage supported by law and that business participation is an important force in developing society's reading ecosystem.

Employees become cultural chroniclers, documenting local intangible heritage

Inspired by the reading culture and a sense of social responsibility, employees used the April 2025 festival, themed ‘A Thousand Years of Intangible Heritage, New Possibilities with AI,’ as an opportunity to move from passive cultural consumers to active creators and chroniclers. This year's event highlighted Treasures of the Wu Region: Selected Intangible Cultural Heritage of Wuxi, voluntarily compiled by employees over a year. The book systematically documents 28 local intangible heritage projects, helping employees explore, understand and appreciate Wuxi. It follows the company's support since 2023 for three consecutive years for projects such as Wuxi fine embroidery. Together, company resources and employee documentation demonstrate the integration of business development with local culture.

Technology and the future: touching the mysterious echorb

As an electronic components manufacturer, Murata extended its cultural activities beyond books. A special technology experience brought to the festival a project exhibited by the Murata Group at the 2025 Osaka Expo. Murata's independently developed ‘mysterious stone,’ echorb, incorporates 3D haptic technology. Specific vibration waveforms stimulate the skin and induce tactile illusions in the brain, producing varied sensations and textures. Potential future applications include game controllers that deliver more realistic experiences and white canes for people with visual impairments to improve travel safety.

Katsumi Yamada, chairman and general manager of Wuxi Murata Electronics, said: ‘In the age of AI, deep reading is essential to improving cognition and judgment. Murata will continue to uphold lifelong learning and deepen cooperation across society to create efficient, convenient and intelligent reading environments.’

Wuxi Murata Electronics Co., Ltd.