127th year | no. 43,890

ISSN 0289-1956 © THE JAPAN TIMES, LTD., 2023

| www.japantimes.co.jp

Davos Special
SATURDAY,WEDNESDAY,
JANUARY
APRIL 4,14,
2020
2023

Above: Prime
Minister Fumio
Kishida poses with
Klaus Schwab,
founder and executive chairman of theWorld Economic
Forum, in Tokyo on
April 25, 2022.
Left: A floating LNG
terminal off Wilhelmshaven allows
Germany to importliquefied natural gas
via ship from othercountries on Nov. 15
to help deal with theglobal energy crisis.

Davos, Switzerland, is Europe’s highest town and where the World Economic Forum usually holds its annual meeting. GETTY IMAGESKYODO; REUTERSVIA KYODO

Far left: Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy addresses the World Economic
Forum by video on May 23. Left: People wait for
the Alameda County Community Food Bank’s
giveaway in Oakland, California, in July as
record inflation sent food prices soaring.

Inside This Issue
Japan’s transformation ............B2, B3
Davos Special...................................... B4

REUTERS VIA KYODO; GETTY IMAGES VIA KYODO

Cooperation needed to tackle future global challenges
SAYURI DAIMON
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The World Economic Forum’s meeting in
Davos is finally back in full swing in thesnow-capped Swiss Alps after an almost
three-year hiatus.
Though the meetings are famously heldin winter, the COVID-19 pandemic forced
the Davos conference to be held virtually in
2021. When the WEF managed to resume
the in-person meeting in 2022, the timing was pushed back to May, when the ski
resort was without its usual snow.
This year, the 53rd annual meeting,based on the theme of “Cooperation in a
Fragmented World,” will take place from
Jan. 16 to 20, and WEF officials say thereis extremely strong representation andengagement by global leaders from business, government and civil society who areeager to connect and discuss global responsibility and cooperation. And those leaders
include people from Japan and other Asian
nations.
The world is facing multiple uncertainties today with the energy crisis in Europe,
record-high inflation, a looming economic
slowdown, more war in Ukraine, andthe ongoing fight against the COVID-19
pandemic.
“Most of the issues that we face are
extremely challenging. They cut acrossgeographical boundaries. They cut acrossindustry boundaries. And they are not able
to be addressed by any single organization or country on their own,” said Jeremy
Jurgens, managing director of the WEF, in a
recent interview with The Japan Times.
At the meeting in May, much of theattention was on the war in Ukraine after
Russia invaded the country just months
earlier in late February. Ukraine President

Jeremy Jurgens, managing director of theWorld Economic Forum WEF

The IEA reports that many governments are introducing longer-term measures to cope with theenergy crisis that are expected to drive up global investment in clean energy. GETTY IMAGES

Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a speech
online as many members of the Ukrainianparliament joined the WEF meeting inperson.
But thanks to the pandemic, there were
only a small number of delegates fromthe major players in Asia. China had strict
travel restrictions in place, and Japan was
holding back all high-ranking officials. As
a result, the May meeting appeared to be
more Eurocentric than usual.
This time, more leaders from Asia will
join Davos, and of the more than 300
sessions scheduled some 70% will be
streamed online, enabling participants
to broadcast their messages to a wider
audience.
People from different sectors are likely
to participate virtually as they have alreadybeen actively discussing global issues forthe future, including artificial intelligence,
new workforce challenges and climatechange, via the WEF’s online platforms
over the past year.
“They all require cooperation to solve.
They require dialogue and shared understanding. And this is one of the reasonsthat we see so much demand for this year’s
annual meeting and for the opportunity toengage,” said Jurgens, who is also head of
the WEF’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial
Revolution.
Many experts expect the global economic slowdown to continue this yearwith inflation higher than in the past several decades.
“The cost-of-living crisis, tightening
financial conditions in most regions, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the lingering
COVID-19 pandemic all weigh heavily on

the outlook,” said the World Economic
Outlook Report issued in October by theInternational Monetary Fund.
The IMF projects that global growth willslow from 6.0% in 2021 and 3.2% in 2022
to 2.7% in 2023. According to the IMF, thisis the weakest growth profile since 2001,
not counting the 2008 global financial crisisand the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Some may blame climate policies andcommitments to net-zero for increasingenergy prices and accelerating the crisis,
but the International Energy Agency has
found scant evidence of that.
“In the most affected regions, higher
shares of renewables were correlatedwith lower electricity prices — and more
efficient homes and electrified heat haveprovided an important buffer for some —PAGE: B1

albeit far from enough — consumers,” theIEA said in its World Energy Outlook 2022.
According to the IEA, many governments
are introducing longer-term measures tocope with the energy crisis, which will help
propel annual clean energy investment
globally to more than $2 trillion by 2030,
up more than 50% from today.
Such policy measures, along with risingsales of electric vehicles, will enable total
demand for fossil fuels to decline steadily
from the mid-2020s to 2050 by an annual
average roughly equivalent to the lifetime
output of a large oil field, it said.
“It is essential to bring everyone on board,
especially at a time when geopolitical fractures on energy and climate are all the more
visible,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih
Birol. “The journey to a more secure andsustainable energy system may not be asmooth one. But today’s crisis makes it crystal clear why we need to press ahead.”
Despite the gloomy economic outlooks
that international agencies put out, WEF’s
Jurgens said that when he talks to individual leaders, they still see a path forward for
growth and development.
Large companies in Europe are managing to navigate the energy crisis and areshifting supply chains and making theinvestments necessary to diversify theirenergy supplies, he said.
“So, I am not as pessimistic as the financial press. I think it will be a challenging
year, but I do think there will be pockets ofgrowth,’’ he said, citing China, which has
just abandoned its COVID-zero lockdown
policy, as an economy to watch as it heads
for reopening in 2023.
He also said India will be the next economic engine of the world because it
boasts a huge young population with a
lot of strength in several areas of next-

generation technology. India’s Generation
Z — those born between 1997 and 2010 —reportedly numbers over 375 million.
India saw droves of tech talent leave
for Silicon Valley and beyond in the early
2000s in what was dubbed the “great
Indian brain drain,” but now many are
returning to India to build startups, according to some experts.
While the United States is only projected
to grow 1% and the eurozone 0.5% thisyear, the IMF projects that China will grow
4.4%, India 6.1% and Japan 1.6%.
Jurgens says that Japan, which will hostthe summit of the Group of Seven leadingindustrial nations in Hiroshima in May,is well-positioned to play a pivotal rolein solving global issues, especially in an
increasingly divided world where many
countries sometimes feel forced to choose
between the United States and China. Public figures from the G7 and G20 countries
will also be attending Davos.
“Japan is the third-largest economy
with a deep foundation in technology andmanufacturing, skills … It is seen as a natural partner for many countries,” he said,
adding that Japan, with its graying population and technology, can be a role modelin many areas that will also be discussed at
the Davos conference.
Those areas include health care and“smart cities,” Jurgens said.
“So, I would hope that G7 will provide an
opportunity for Japan to demonstrate its
leadership on the global stage, showcasing
both potential solutions and approaches,
as well as signaling that Japan could be apartner for other countries as we navigate
these challenges,” Jurgens said.
Sayuri Daimon is a contributing writer andformer managing editor of The Japan Times.

B2 | The Japan Times | Saturday, January 14, 2023

Japan’s transformation(Sponsored content)

Racing toward a new tech-driven vision of capitalism
Investment
push focuses on
digitalization andenergy to chart asustainable futureThis year’s annual meeting of the World
Economic Forum, known as Davos 2023,
takes place from Jan. 16 to 20 in Davos,
Switzerland, under the theme “Cooperation in a Fragmented World.” Over 2,500
leaders across government, business andsociety will gather to discuss how to drive
solutions that leverage public-private partnerships for some of the most pressing
challenges the world faces today.
The global-scale challenges are increasingly complex and daunting. Along withthe ongoing coronavirus pandemic, many
countries are dealing with their highest
inflation in decades and an energy crisis
sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In addition to these recent challenges, theincreasing frequency of extreme weather
events and rising sea levels driven by climate change, as well as rapidly graying populations, remain long-term challenges thatdemand action.
With one of the world’s highest proportions of senior citizens and a working-age
population declining faster than any otheradvanced economy, Japan offers many
developed nations a blueprint of the demographic challenges coming their way. And
while the global economy today is facing
the prospect of another recession, Japan
has been grappling with economic stagnation for the past 30 years.
In response, the government of Japan isseeking to power economic growth whiledriving solutions to social and environmental issues under its vision for a “new formof capitalism.” On a high level, the government’s growth strategy targets increased
investment in the areas of science, technology and innovation, startups, digital transformation (DX) and green transformation(GX) to overcome structural challenges
and improve social well-being and theenvironment.
One pillar of the strategy is realizing GX
with investment in 14 sectors, including
wind and solar power, hydrogen, automobiles and batteries. This is tied to Japan’sGreen Growth Strategy and its goals to“reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by
46% in fiscal 2030 from its fiscal 2013 levels”
and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
DX is targeted for concentrated investment to drive new growth and includes
deploying 5G (fifth-generation) cellular
technology, digitally integrating rural areasand providing digitally based services toincrease convenience and social inclusion.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has alsodeclared 2022 to be “the first year for founding startups,” and the government hascreated a five-year plan targeting a tenfold
increase in investment in that area as a pillar of Japan’s growth strategy.

Chatbot a boon for services

Startups in Japan span a range of industries,
but one operating at the intersection ofdigital technology and social interconnection is Bespoke Inc., whose chatbot Bebot,
which uses artificial intelligence, now provides service to millions of people aroundthe world in 11 languages.
Founded in 2015 by Akemi Tsunagawa,
who describes herself as driven to solve
problems, Bespoke started with the ideaof providing services that would connect
travelers to local communities and create
authentic experiences.
“I first set out to create a site that would
be similar to TripAdvisor but with more
local content. As we conducted user interviews, we started receiving more requests
for different kinds of help, like making restaurant reservations and various arrangements, so we added a concierge service tothe site,” Tsunagawa explained. This service
then evolved into a chat site to provide service in real time, which led to creation of
the chatbot.
Bespoke’s multilingual Bebot was
launched in 2016 and became the first AIpowered chatbot in the world to be usedby an international airport and a major
train station — Narita Airport and Tokyo
Station. Today, Bebot is also used by the
Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry andother parts of the central government, theJapan National Tourism Organization, Japanese municipalities, Tampa International
Airport in Florida, the Star Alliance andvarious hotels to answer frequently asked
questions and offer customer support, as
well as provide information during natural
disasters and other emergencies.
The many governments in Japan thatOsamu Yachida, councilor of the Future Creation Department at Maebashi City Hall, speaks withThe Japan Times during an online interview.

Bespoke’s AI chatbot Bebot imitates humaninteraction with people. BESPOKE INC.

have adopted Bebot include the city of Sendai as well as Toyama and Yamanashi prefectures, which use the chatbot to provide
tourism-related information. The townof Taketomi, Okinawa Prefecture, is using
Bebot to answer questions frequently asked
by residents, increasing their convenience
by reducing the number of trips they needto make to government offices, which
Bebot isalso increases effinow usedciency and reduces
by airports,
the workload of civil
train stations, servants. As such,hotels and city the AI chatbot aligns
governments with Japan’s drive todigitalize the public
to answer
and private sectors
frequently
while also helping
asked
solve the social challenges of a shrinking
questionslabor force.
and provide
Tsunagawainformation
described the funcduring
tional design, sayemergencies. ing, “We design thechatbot not simply toprovide an answer toa question, but to engage in slightly longer
conversation to make interactions morehumanlike.” She added: “Hotels overseas
rarely provide more service than you ask
for, whereas hotels in Japan often provide hospitality by doing things for you
even when you don’t ask. This is how wetry to design Bebot to function as well.”
Bebot’s innovative design has even earned
it some admirers, who continue chattingwith it even after getting the information
they need, something that surprised even
Tsunagawa.
Having lived through a terrorist attack
herself while in Vienna and been put indanger due to the lack of information she
could access then, she knows the importance of providing real-time information in

The crossing signal
just turned green.

There is a cafe over here.

There are bushes.

A pedestrian crossing
is here.

There are bollards here.

People are walking
toward you.

Akemi Tsunagawa, the founder of Bespoke
Inc., is interviewed by The Japan Times.
YOSHIAKI MIURAan accessible language. A real-world example of this principle at work is a JNTO callcenter that is integrated with Bebot. During
the typhoons Faxai and Hagibis in 2019,
Bebot was able to successfully answer 96%
of questions asked in multiple languages
during the initial response.
Tsunagawa has been fielding inquiries
from overseas governments, such as thestate of California, to provide emergency
alerts for wildfires and similar events.
Although still in the concept stage, sheenvisions using geolocation data to warn
people of imminent danger in real time
based on their location. Bespoke’s ambitions to build out digital services for municipal services and disaster response while
also increasing efficiency and alleviating
the labor shortage dovetail with the government’s strategy of driving growth whilesolving social challenges.
Tsunagawa cited the government’s
J-Startup program as being particularly instrumental to Bebot’s expansion.
J-Startup grants exemptions on bidding
requirements for public projects, without
which many startups would not be able
to compete due to their lack of experienceand inability to meet the bidding qualifications. According to Tsunagawa, Bespoke has
been able to triple its earnings thanks tothis government support.

Integrating digital services

Regional depopulation and aging are problems that Japan has been grappling withfor a long time, and ones that many othercountries are experiencing to some degree.
Kishida’s proposed Vision for a Digital Garden City Nation aims to tackle these problems through rural-urban digital integrationand transformation. The vision seeks tocreate a digital superhighway with submarine cables, optical fiber, regional data centers and 5G technology connecting regions
throughout Japan. A skilled workforce willthen be trained in digital technologies todrive digitalization in local communities.
The vision seeks to mobilize this technology and talent to deliver convenientservices and realize cooperative businessmodels for residents regardless of where
they live or personal attributes, such as age
or physical ability.
One such innovative project is underway in Maebashi, the capital of Gunma
Prefecture. With a population of roughly
330,000, Maebashi has been engaging inurban development through public-private
partnerships for the past 10 years, aiming
to become a “digital green city.” Osamu

A bicycle is parked
here.

Bebot is now capable of engaging people in 11 languages. GETTY IMAGES

Yachida, councilor of the Future Creation Department at Maebashi City Hall,
applauds the Digital Garden City Nation
framework. “We need to digitalize aspectsof life from birth to death, and to do this wehave to think about the big picture, not justpieces of it. That’s why we need to be thinking about concepts like Mebuku ID and city
infrastructure.”
Part of the infrastructure for Mae‘For people
bashi’s DX plan iswith visual
Mebuku ID, an inteimpairments, grated identification
number residents candigitaluse for both publictechnology
private services.
has the ability andAccordingtoto change
Yachida, to achieve
getting fromDX over citizens’ lives,“You can’t have pubpoint A tolic and private serpoint B into
an enjoyable vices be partitioned
from each other andwalk.’
achieve integration.
This is why we needto have an integrated
ID that can also be used for private services.” Yachida said Mebuku ID is currently
the only legally recognized ID in Japan thatis available on a smartphone and offers
digital signature capabilities, as well as dataarchiving and electronic payment services.
With user consent, Mebuku ID can bepaired with a wide range of services offeredby the private sector. Among them is the
Eye Navi walking-support app for the visually impaired. In Japan, some 1.44 million
people are said to have a visual impairment, while there are only 848 guide dogs.
The Mebuku Eye system created by Maebashi, which received the top prize this year
in the Idea category of the central government’s Summer National Championshipfor Achieving a Digital Garden City Nation,

Yachida hopes
Mebuku ID helps
connect people inneed of help withthose who want to
help. GETTY IMAGESThe Eye Navi app uses image recognition and an AI engine to provide voice guidance on the surroundings of people with impaired vision as viewed
through their smartphones. MAEBASHI MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT

PAGE: B2

is based on combining the private Eye Navitechnology with the digital infrastructureof the city’s Mebuku ID.
To date, public infrastructure to support
the visually impaired has included tactile
paving — the bumpy yellow tiles found on
train station platforms and sidewalks —and audio signals at street crossings. The
Eye Navi app uses image recognition and
an AI engine to “make scenery audible” byproviding voice guidance on the surroundings viewed by the user’s smartphone camera, such as where obstacles are and whichshops are nearby. The app’s integration
with Mebuku ID will make it possible toask for specific help and be matched withother residents able to help them in the
Mebuku Eye system. This implementation
is targeted for fiscal 2023.
“For people with visual impairments,
digital technology has the ability to change
getting from point A to point B into an
enjoyable walk,” Yachida explained. “Upto now, able-bodied people may not havebeen able to tell whether people withvisual impairments wanted help or not, or
how to help even if they wanted to. Withthe use of Mebuku ID, it is now possible toknow this. This is the mutually assisting,future city we are aiming to create.”
Yachida said initiatives like Mebuku ID
and Mebuku Eye, which are being considered for adoption by other governments,
need to be expanded. “In addition to public
and private initiatives, public bodies alsoneed to engage with each other on initiatives,” he said. “We have an opportunity
now to drive transformation from theviewpoint of total optimization insteadof partial optimization, and the national
government and local governments needto explore realistic ways to make sure thistransformation happens.”

From aluminum to hydrogen

Japan has publicly pledged to “reduce its
greenhouse gas emissions by 46% in fiscal 2030 from its fiscal 2013 levels” andachieve net-zero by 2050. Key to this is thegovernment’s Green Growth Strategy andits concentrated investment in 14 sectors,
including hydrogen, through the ¥2 trillion Green Innovation Fund. Hydrogen is
attracting attention and investment as analternative fuel because it can be produced
from diverse energy sources and emits nocarbon dioxide when burned.
Toyama-based startup Alhytec Inc., oneof the winners of Minister of the Environment Awards for Climate Action in 2021,
has created an innovative method to use
Continued on page B3 →

Saturday, January 14, 2023 | The Japan Times | B3

Japan’s transformation(Sponsored content)

Developing sustainability
through aluminum waste→ Continued from page B2
aluminum waste to produce hydrogen.
Various kinds of aluminum waste can beused in this process, even cans. According
to Alhytec, their system is able to produce
a kilogram of hydrogen and 26 kilogramsof aluminum hydroxide from 9 kilogramsof aluminum. Currently Alhytec is the only
company to successfully commercialize
this process.
Alhytec has developed a portable hydrogen generator for residential and otherapplications. One simply adds aluminum
to the unit to generate hydrogen, with noelectricity required. The unit can generate enough electricity per day to power anelectric vehicle for 440 kilometers while
reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 96%
compared to simply incinerating aluminum waste without making electricity.
This green technology calls to mind the“Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor” thatpowered Doc’s flying DeLorean in “Back to
the Future” using a banana peel, a beer canand the beer. Maybe the future isn’t so far
off after all.
Alhytec is working with gas companies
in Japan to investigate using the portable
unit to generate hydrogen from household aluminum waste for mixing withmunicipal gas used in homes. Just mixing
a ratio of 25% to 30% hydrogen generatedusing Alhytec’s technology with municipal
gas has the potential to achieve net-zerogreenhouse gas emissions, according to thecompany.
The hydrogen is created with the addition of a reusable reaction solution that
Alhytec developed over a period of morethan 10 years. A byproduct of this reac-tion is aluminum hydroxide. Aluminumhydroxide is typically generated frombauxite in an energy-intensive process thatgenerates large amounts of carbon dioxide and is used in a range of industrial andmedical applications from surface coatings
and flame retardant fillers for plastics totoothpaste fillers and antacids. In contrast,
Alhytec’s technology “can generate
One simply
green aluminum
addshydroxide while genaluminum
erating green hydroto the unit
gen,” according toto generatecompany President
hydrogen and Nobuaki Mizuki.
no electricity He added: “Japan
700,000
is required. It imports
tons of aluminum
can generatehydroxide createdenoughfrom bauxite. Not
electricity per having to create thisday to power aluminum hydroxide would contribute
an electric
to decarbonization
vehicle forworldwide.”
440 km.
As part of a New
Energy and Industrial
Technology Development Organization project, Alhytec built
a verification plant for generating powerusing aluminum waste to extract hydrogenfrom water in 2016. Alhytec then launcheda pilot project with Toyota in 2020 to generate hydrogen using aluminum alloy chips
left over from manufacturing processes.
Meanwhile, a project undertaken in 2022
has an Alhytec system generating hydrogento power a boiler for a hot spring facility in
Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, that heats the

Above: Alhytec created an innovative method to tap the nation’s growing piles of aluminum
waste as a source of hydrogen. Right: Alhytec’s hydrogen generator GETTY IMAGES; ALHYTEC INC.

water to bathing temperature. Slated for
operation in 2023, the hydrogen-powered
boiler will be able to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 738 tons annually compared with a conventional gas or oil boiler,
according to Alhytec.
Alhytec aims to inspire local production
and consumption of energy produced using
waste, and is conducting a demonstration
project for this in the Hokuriku region. “We
need to create an independent, decentralized energy system segmented into areas
so that energy creation does not stop whensomething happens. I want to build a community model where industry and citizens
create this together. A number of cities
have shown interest in this. Our world isoverflowing with aluminum waste, which
could be used in this,” Mizuki said.
Alhytec’s aspirations for this model gobeyond Japan. “Japanese technology needs
to be delivered on a global scale,” Mizuki
noted. For example, some low-lying island
nations threatened by rising sea levels due

to climate change burn diesel to generate
electricity while producing large amountsof aluminum waste. Alhytec’s green technology could help these nations generate carbon-neutral energy. Mizuki wants“to contribute to carbon zero around theworld,” and has discussed possible overseas
ventures with organizations such as theJapan International Cooperation Agency.
The coronavirus pandemic has madeclear the need for digitalization in the public and private sectors and how technology
can drive solutions to social and environmental issues. No one person, company
or public body will be able to realize an
inclusive, interconnected and sustainable
future alone. The government of Japan is
executing targeted investment and regulatory reforms based on its growth strategy
and vision for a new form of capitalism,
aiming to mobilize public-private cooperation and tap the passion and technologies
driving startups and innovation to usher inthis future.

Nobuaki Mizuki, president of Alhytec, speaks with The Japan Times. YOSHIAKI MIURA

Hiroshima’s rebound from atomic bomb to prosperous regional hub
The G7 summit will take place from May
19 to 21 in Hiroshima — the first city in theworld to have suffered the catastrophic consequences of a nuclear bomb during war.
Forty-three seconds after the atomic
bomb detonated over Hiroshima on an earlyAugust morning in 1945, the shockwaves
from the explosion rolled through the city.
Tens of thousands died instantly, some
vaporized in temperatures reaching 3,000
to 4,000 degrees Celsius. The blast ignited
houses in the city center, followed by fires
all over the city. Flames engulfed the area
within 2 kilometers of ground zero, essentially melting everything and covering thearea like lava. Trees were set afire, and utility poles and wood within about 3 kilometers were charred black. Hiroshima wasinstantly transformed into a hellscape forevery living soul.
By the end of December, an estimated140,000 of the approximately 350,000
people in the city had perished, including
many visitors and commuters. Others notdirectly exposed to the blast later entered
the city and were exposed to residual
radiation, significantly amplifying the crueleffects of the bombing.
Miraculously, an aogiri (phoenix) tree inthe courtyard of what was then the Hiroshima Communications Bureau building
about 1.3 kilometers from ground zero stillstood. Despite being directly exposed to theheat rays and the blast and apparently dead,it sprouted leaves the following spring, giving hope and courage to those in a state ofcollapse after their defeat in World War II.
The only structure still standing in thatzone, the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial
Promotion Hall, became colloquially known
as the Atomic Bomb Dome in what is now
known as Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.
On Aug. 6, 1949 — four years to the day ofthe bombing — the Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Law was promulgatedto develop the area as a symbol of permanent peace. Construction on Hiroshima
Peace Memorial Park began in 1950 and wasfinished in 1955. The park and its structures
were designed by Kenzo Tange, who won
the 1987 Pritzker Architecture Prize.
The park is situated at the uppermost
part of the delta where the former Ota
River splits off from the Motoyasu River.
The area was Hiroshima’s central shopping
district from the Edo Period (1603 to 1868)
until the early Showa Era (1926 to 1989).
The park includes the Atomic Bomb Dome,
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum andnumerous other monuments erected withfervent wishes for peace.
In May 1973, the phoenix tree was transplanted to the park. While some feared thatit might die from being uprooted and moved,
even now this symbol of survival against theodds flourishes and produces seeds. The latter are donated both domestically and inter-nationally, and many second-generation
trees are growing all over the world. It serves
as a living metaphor for the regrowth andresilience of Hiroshima itself.

Vital regional hub

Nearly eight decades later, Hiroshima andits namesake prefecture have evolved into aprosperous manufacturing hub with a wellbalanced group of industries ranging fromheavy industries, such as shipbuilding, steel
and automobiles, to cutting-edge sectors,
such as electrical machinery and electronicparts. The city also boasts a concentrationof government branch offices and corporate
branch offices with jurisdiction over the Chugoku and Shikoku regions. Hiroshima has
nearly 1.2 million residents now — around3 1/2 times the population it had in 1945.
Tourism is a major facet of Hiroshima’s
appeal. The number of visitors to the city
exceeded 10 million for 15 consecutive years
after 2005. From 2015 to 2019 — just before
the pandemic hit — the annual number offoreign tourists exceeded 1 million, with 1.8
million overseas visitors in 2019.
The Atomic Bomb Dome, part of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, was designateda UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The
dome has remained virtually untouchedsince the blast, and serves as a sobering symbol of both destruction and the determination to bring peace to the world.
Naturally, Peace Memorial Park and othermonuments to the past are some of the maindraws here — as they should be — but they
represent just one facet of the city’s identity.
There is so much more to Hiroshima.
Crisscrossed by six rivers, Hiroshima’s
nickname is the City of Water. Although thecity has changed much over the years, it still
maintains its personality and purpose. For
example, streetcars from eight lines trundle
through central Hiroshima. Remarkably, justthree days after the bombing, some of thestreetcars and sections of track had been
restored. Three trams that survived the blast
still run through the city. Two are in regular
operation, while the third is used to help
people learn about peace.
The prefecture and city also have diverse
cultural and artistic resources that include
multiple professional sports teams, theHiroshima Symphony Orchestra, kagura(a traditional performing art that celebrates
and expresses gratitude for the bounties ofnature) and Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site on the island of Itsukushima in Hiroshima Bay.
Hiroshima Prefecture also takes advantage
of its diverse geography, from the cold northern highlands to the coastal islands, to grow avariety of agriculture products, including rice,vegetables and fruits. Hiroshima lemons areespecially famous, and the prefecture is theNo. 1 producer in Japan, growing well overhalf of the nation’s supply.

Hiroshima is also prime territory for raising livestock, and the prefecture is intent
on beefing up its production base for prime
wagyu and creating a brand name for itself
to compete head to head with other regions
producing the prized meat. That includes
promoting the entry of more companies into
the market, improving meat quality and fostering community corporations.

Nowhere better for peace

While Hiroshima is the centerpiece locale
for the upcoming summit, ministerial
meetings will take place throughout Japan.
These venues will allow officials from theGroup of Seven to confer on topics ranging from trade, science and technology,
finance, gender equality, education, laborand employment to climate, energy and theenvironment (see map).
With roots in Hiroshima, Prime Minister
Fumio Kishida began representing a constituency in the prefecture as a member ofthe House of Representatives in 1993. Thoroughly steeped in the city’s ethos of peace,he has been quoted as telling his G7 counterparts that “Hiroshima is best suited for the G7
to demonstrate its commitment to peace.”
Hiroshima’s people — together with thepeople of Nagasaki, which was also hit by
an atomic bomb only three days later —embody the resilience of those who survived
and eventually thrived again despite the devastation to their lives and land. The peopleof Hiroshima are following an initiative thatbegan in 1995 on the tragedy’s 50th anniversary called Hiroshima 2045: City of Peace
and Creativity, to create social infrastructures with superior design as the city moves
through its next 50 years. They are also dedicated to creating an attractive urban environment that welcomes people from all over.
“I want to demonstrate to the world fromthere in Hiroshima the powerful commitment of the G7 leaders that the horror of
nuclear weapons will never be repeated andthat we resolutely reject armed aggression,”the prime minister said at a news conference in June.
Russia’s thinly veiled threats to use nuclear
weapons since its invasion of Ukraine began
have made such a commitment even moreimperative. In his speech at the 10th Review
Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on
the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weaponsin August 2022, the prime minister noted: “Icannot but admit that the path to a world
without nuclear weapons has become evenharder. Nevertheless, giving up is not an
option. As a prime minister from Hiroshima,
I believe that we must take every realistic
measure towards a world without nuclear
weapons step by step, however difficult thepath may be.”“Japan’s Transformation” is sponsored by thegovernment of Japan.

The Atomic Bomb Dome still stands today in the center of a resilient and thriving Hiroshima.
GETTY IMAGESGroup of Seven meeting venues for 2023
Climate, energy and environment ministers
April 15 to 16
Sapporo, Hokkaido

Finance ministers andcentral bank governors

Science and technology
ministers

May 11 to 13
Niigata, Niigata Prefecture

May 12 to 14
Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture

Foreign ministers

April 16 to 18
Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture

Gender equality and women’s
empowerment ministers

Education ministers

June 24 to 25
Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture

May 12 to 15
Toyama, Toyama Prefecture;
Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture

Digital and tech ministers

April 29 to 30
Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture

Labor and employment ministers
April 22 to 23
Kurashiki, Okayama PrefectureInterior and security ministers
Dec. 8 to 10
Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture

Health ministers

May 13 to 14
Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture

Trade ministers
Transport ministers
June 16 to 18
Shima, Mie Prefecture

G7 leaders summit

May 19 to 21
Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture
Agriculture ministers

Urban development ministers

April 22 to 23
Miyazaki, Miyazaki Prefecture

July 7 to 9
Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture

PAGE: B3

Oct. 28 to 29
Osaka and Sakai, Osaka PrefectureB4 | The Japan Times | Saturday, January 14, 2023

Davos Special

Japan’s greatest export today: Stability
MAKIKO EDACHIEF REPRESENTATIVE OFFICER, JAPAN,
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

As nations navigate
chaotic global affairs,
Japan stands out for
its economic andsocial stability. Asa reliable trading
partner with a steadypolitical system, itsvalue as a dependable player will
increase as fragmentation intensifies.
Today, we’ve come to realize that we havetaken for granted the shared value of placing
societal good above all. Fundamental principles such as following through on commitments and placing value in long-term
relationships, instead of simple transactions,hold more importance today than ever.
We’re also reminded that these values bear
fruit beyond immediate economic gains.
Despite having lived abroad for more than
10 years, Japan is my home. And while it isperhaps not a hotbed of innovation or socialchange, I find the stability of this country
remarkable. Moreover, I believe that the stability is a result of Japanese society putting
priority on collective well-being rather thanon individual success.
Japan’s stability is widely recognizedworldwide. According to the Japan National
Tourism Organization, the number of foreign visitors in October 2022 was estimatedat 498,600, a major spike from the monthprior, when the government first relaxed
COVID-19 entry restrictions. Japan alsoranked at the top in the World Economic
Forum’s latest Travel and Tourism Development Index. People are attracted to Japanfor many reasons, including the fact that it
is safe, clean and modern. The 125 million
people living and working in the island
nation are also cordial and behave in waysthat largely promote stability.
Mask-wearing is one example of Japan’scollective mentality. The custom does notnecessarily come from selfishness but rather
an effort to maintain the health of the country. It is about being conscientious of others
and acknowledging a shared responsibility.
This communal quality extends beyond
Japan, too. At the recent World Cup in
Qatar, Japanese fans and players garneredpraise for staying behind to help clean thestadium and locker room. The players evenleft origami cranes on the table to showrespect to the host. Here again, the tournament was not for an individual but rather
an event for all.
Japan’s collective nature also helped it
weather the COVID-19 pandemic over the
past three years. The country saw limited
large-scale layoffs and to maintain employment, companies including All Nippon
Airways and the Imperial Hotel took steps
to get their workers employment elsewhere
until their businesses were back on track.
ANA also let its employees sign contracts
for side businesses to supplement theirincomes. Such actions were taken as Japanese society realized that even as salaries andgrowth fell, maintaining stable employment
was vital in a time of crisis.
Still, Japan was impacted by the global
economic downturn, which was induced by
the pandemic and exacerbated by inflation,
the war in Ukraine and subsequent societal
concerns like deteriorating mental health.
Yet Japan did not see widespread homelessness on the streets. The country’s safety net
may not be perfect, but a concerted effort tokeep people afloat is in place. Furthermore,as a result of economic policies in recent
decades, the working population has broadened, and more elderly people are working.
This helped keep job opportunities available, although average wages have stayedstagnant.
Of course, Japan does have challenges. For
example, one report found that Japanesepeople do not necessarily have a high levelof satisfaction due to fewer life choices andother factors. This could well be a result ofprioritizing collective stability and should be
examined. Ensuring a proper balance of individual benefit and societal good is especially
important for young people and minority
groups for which existing structures may notwork as effectively.
Nevertheless, I believe placing more value
on collective and long-term well-being will
better serve Japan as it navigates the chaotic
changes currently happening in the world.
Here, Japan can play a role as an exporter ofstability, demonstrating how societies caninvest in the well-being of all people.
As Japan takes the chair of the Group of
Seven leading industrial nations in 2023, welook forward to Japan’s leadership in shaping a new form of international cooperation.
Indeed, the world needs a renewed sense ofcommon goals and collective prosperity toensure long-term and shared stability.
This article is part of the World Economic
Forum’s Annual Meeting 2023.

Japan’s collective
mentality, while
posing its own
issues, is viewed bysome as a benefit at atime when the worldis becoming increasingly fragmented.

Young Japanese at the vanguard of technology, sustainability
Every year, the World Economic Forum designates around 100 individuals from all different sectors and nations as Young Global
Leaders to become the world’s next generation of leaders. This year, three Japanese were selected as YGLs.

Miku Hirano

Co-Chief Executive Officer, Cinnamon AI
Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence from University of Tokyo. Started her firstbusiness to create “middleware,” which enables the simultaneous developmentof the iOS, Android and Feature Phone operating systems. Founded Cinnamon in
2012. She has been a member of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy at the
Cabinet Office; a member of the New Economic and Industrial Policy Subcommittee at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; and a member of the Council
for Realizing New Capitalism in the Cabinet Secretariat. She is also a member of theAdvisory Board at the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Engineering.

Yoichi Ochiai

Associate Professor, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture
An award-winning digital media artist, recognized scholar, entrepreneur and media
influencer. Ochiai is an associate professor at the University of Tsukuba specializing in media art, human-computer interactions and their application, as well ashead of the Digital Nature Laboratory. He is also founder of Pixie Dust Technologies, a company developing digital fabrication through artificial intelligence-based
solutions. He is the author of “The Century of Enchantment (Planets)” and “Digital
Nature (Planets).” Ochiai received his doctorate in Applied Computer Science fromthe University of Tokyo.
YOSHIKUNI NAKAGAWA / KADOKAWA

Yuito Yamada

Partner, McKinsey & Company
A partner at McKinsey & Company serving as Asia co-leader and Japan leader for
McKinsey Sustainability, a global client service platform designed to help all industry sectors achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. His influence and activities span topics as broad as sustainability transformation, portfolio decarbonization and green
business globalization, particularly in support of the global energy and materials
practice, the financial and banking practice and the public sector practice. He earned
his master’s degree in Sustainability Leadership from the Cambridge Institute of
Sustainability Leadership at the University of Cambridge.
The above content comes from the World Economic Forum’s website and was edited by The Japan Times. Visit https://www.younggloballeaders.org/ for more details. The Forum of Young Global Leaders is an initiative of the World Economic Forum. YGL and Young
Global Leaders are registered trademarks of The Forum of Young Global Leaders.

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Combines business and economic
news with in-depth feature stories
that give you a closer look at thelatest trends within Japan andaround the world.

NHK NEWSLINE

Delivers the latest new from Japan, Asia and the rest of the world.
The wide network of correspondents around the globe covers breaking news
and developing stories, offering a unique Asian perspective.
Together with a team of trusted anchors, NHK NEWSLINE presents a picture ofwhat's happening now, and what's ahead.

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