OSDL, one of the organizations promoting the business use of Linux, said in a statement Masanobu Hirano will fill the group's newly-created position of director for Asia.
Based in Japan, Hirano will be responsible for overseeing all OSDL activities in Asia-Pacific.
Prior to his appointment, the 25-year IT industry veteran was the vice president and board member of Japan-based software development firm ASCII Corporation. Most recently, he was the president of Linux seller Red Hat in Japan and also held the position of general manager for the firm's North Asian operations.
His appointment comes at a time when the open-source movement is gaining steam in the region, particularly in North Asia. Japanese authorities are reportedly considering a move to Linux during their next IT upgrade in 2005. In addition, the country has also signed a pact with South Korea and China to develop an open-source alternative to Microsoft Windows.
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