IIZUKA ''96, the 4th International Conference on Soft Computing, emphasized the integration of the components of soft computing to promote the research work on post-digital computers and to realize the intelligent systems. At the conference, new developments and results in soft computing were introduced and discussed by researchers from academic, governmental, and industrial institutions.This volume presents the opening lectures by Prof. Lotfi A. Zadeh and Prof. Walter J. Freeman, the plenary lectures by seven eminent researchers, and about 200 carefully selected papers drawn from more than 20 countries. It documents current research and in-depth studies on the conception, design, and application of intelligent systems.
