Newsletter of theJapanese-German Center Berlin(Japanisch-Deutsches Zentrum Berlin)echo

No. 138, March 2022 (last edition)

Germany and Japan - Partners for the Challenges of the Future
Dr. Clemens von Goetze
Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Japan
Germany and Japan can look backon a longstanding close partnership:
last year we celebrated the 160th
anniversary of the establishment of
diplomatic relations, which date backto the Treaty of Amity, Commerce andNavigation concluded in 1861 by thethen Kingdom of Prussia and the Empire of Japan. From its first beginnings
in the field of trade, our relations havedeveloped intensively and broadly topolitical, economic, scientific, socialand cultural fields over the past decades.
Our two countries share a partnership of values as constitutional states
and liberal democracies. The diversityof our societies is represented in ourparliamentary political systems. At theinternational level, we both believethat a rules-based international orderis the foundation for any form of interstate interaction. As active members of
the G7, the G20, the United Nations
or other international forums, we arecommitted to this goal, to freedom,
the rule of law and democracy, as
well as to global disarmament andnuclear non-proliferation. Germany
is chairing the G7 this year and Japannext year – we are working hard toadvance issues central to the majorindustrialized nations across the board
and to pass the baton smoothly. Japan
and Germany also support reform of
the United Nations Security Council aspart of the G4.
In Germany and in Japan, we are convinced that the human rights standards
agreed upon by the international
community are universal values: They

are to be respected by every state andnon-state actor, and their violation cannever be an ostensibly internal matterof an individual state.
The rules- and values-based international order is under pressure as it
has not been for a long time. With its
brutal war of aggression in Ukraine,
Russia is challenging the international
community in a way never seen before.
This turning point in history is bringing
us and our partners worldwide withwhom we share the same values closer
together: we will stand decisively
against Russian aggression. Together
with the G7 partners, Germany andJapan have reacted resolutely and cohesively to this Russian aggression andimposed severe sanctions.
In other areas too, although mostly
without direct physical violence, manyrules and standards whose observance
we had taken for granted are now being openly questioned in some cases.
In other cases, decisions of international courts are disregarded, as in thecase of the decision of the international
arbitral tribunal in The Hague on territorial claims in the South China Sea.
We must counteract the disregard anderosion of established internationalrules in the interests of the stability andprosperity of our countries. In doing
so, we want to work with like-minded
partners within the framework of our
networks and partnerships.
Germany put this in concrete terms in
the Indo-Pacific Guidelines publisheda year and a half ago. The visit of theGerman frigate “Bayern” to Japan andits subsequent participation in moni-© German Embassy in Japan

toring the UN sanctions imposed on
North Korea was one of the steps taken
to implement our guidelines. Between
our approaches and plans on the one
hand and the Japanese concept of afree and open Indo-Pacific, we quickly
find great overlaps and numerous
parallels.
Exchanges at the political level are very
close and diverse: there are currently
over fifty regular bilateral consultations
CONTENTJapan and Germany
Clemens von Goetze

1-2Interview
Artificial Intelligence

2-3

33 Years “jdzb echo”
Michael Niemann

4-5

JDZB next level
J. Münch & P. Holdgrün

6Preview of Events 2022

7

Events in Winter 2021/22

8

22

I TM
O RPIAAGL E 1
C O N T I N U E D EF DROEDITORIAL
Dear Readers!

between high-ranking government
representatives of our two countries.
Economic relations are also ver yintense: the bilateral trade volume
was 44.6 billion euros immediately
before the pandemic in 2019 and thendropped to 38.8 billion euros in the
pandemic year 2020. Germany exported goods worth 17.4 billion euros
to Japan and, conversely, imported a
volume worth 21.4 billion euros fromJapan to Germany. Currently, about
450 German companies are present
in Japan, throughout very different
sectors of the economy. Conversely,around 1800 Japanese companies areactive in Germany.
Our societies are facing similar challenges: demographic change, environmental and climate protection, energy
transition, digital transformation, toname just a few. New technologies,
disruptive innovations and artificial
intelligence offer us opportunities tomeet these challenges. Wherever wecan, we should join forces as major
technology nations to jointly develop
suitable and appropriate solutions.
The German-Japanese Energy Partnership, for example, serves this purpose.
With the involvement of government,science and the private sector, weare discussing suitable ways to makeour economies CO2-neutral in orderto preserve and protect our planet
for future generations. In the field of
economic security, one of the focal
points of the new Japanese government, we also maintain a growing
exchange on issues of data security,
critical infrastructure protection, supply chain security or export controls
for dual-use goods.
Numerous city partnerships and theactivities of the German-Japanese andJapanese-German societies – some 50
each in Germany and Japan – repeatedly bear witness to our lively cooperation at all levels of society. I verymuch hope that these partnerships cansoon be filled with life again throughlively reciprocal visits, which has been
impossible for such a long time dueto the pandemic, but should urgently
be resumed.

In addition to our Goethe Institutes in
Tōkyō and Osaka/Kyōto, the offices ofthe political foundations, the German
Academic Exchange Service, the German House of Science and Innovationin Tōkyō, the East Asia Society, the German Institute for Japanese Studies in
Tōkyō and many others, the JapaneseGerman Center Berlin is a supporting
pillar of our bilateral cooperation in
the fields of politics, science, educationand culture.
The Japanese-German Center Berlin provides us with an excellent
framework to discuss all the issues ofcommon interest between Japan andGermany that have been raised andto work out solutions. As with otherinstitutions, communication suffersfrom the lack of opportunity to meetin person. For a meeting center likethe JDZB this is naturally a very special
burden. All the more reason to appreciate how the center continues its work
energetically and successfully, evenunder the current difficult conditions.
I look forward to many more events at
the JDZB throughout this year.

33 years ago, the first issue of the “jdzbecho” was published to fulfill the “longcherished wish of our committee members
and friends” to “report on our activities
and planning” with a “newsletter” (issue
1/May 1989). Then as now, we would
like to inform you about our offerings,
communicate the outcome of discussions,show possibilities for exchange and allow
you to participate in current JapaneseGerman developments. In the meantime,
however, completely different, digitalcommunication channels have become
available. In the future, we will therefore
reproduce our familiar columns from the“jdzb echo” in the blog “ECHO+” on our
website.
Although you are holding the last printed
edition of our magazine in your hands,
you will of course continue to hear fromus, e.g. via our e-mail newsletter. We also
invite you to connect with us on social
media – on Facebook, Instagram and, fromnow on, LinkedIn.
See you soon!
Dr. Julia Münch (JDZB Secretary General)
andKiyota Tokiko (Deputy Secretary General)

The JDZB is planning a conference on “Artificial Intelligence and the Human –Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Science and Fiction” from May 11 to 13, 2022 incollaboration with the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society(HIIG) and Waseda University. Below is an interview with Dr. Thomas Christian
Bächle, Head of the Research Program “The Evolution of Digital Society” at HIIG,
and Dr. Nagai Yukie, Project Professor at the International Research Center for
Neurointelligence at the University of Tōkyō.
How do cultural representations of artificial
intelligence (AI) and the actual conceptualand technical advancement of AI influenceeach other?
In fact, these two areas cannot be so clearly
distinguished from each other. At the beginning of a technical development there isalways an idea, or at least a rough idea, ofwhat function, what benefit or – more generally speaking – what meaning a technology
has or should have.
Especially in the case of developments thatpeople like to call “revolutionary,” i.e., thosethat are supposed to be categorically new, references can quickly be made to cultural texts
that have anticipated certain technologies.
These concepts, developed and tried out in fiction, so to speak, are translated into scientificinnovations, research and development goals.
They also take their inspiration from popular

culture, such as comics, film, television. At thesame time, however, the aspects discussed inpolitics, journalism, religion or ethics about
possible future scenarios are also part of theimaginaries that exist around a technology.
How do these imaginary and cultural representations of AI in turn affect political and social

INTERVIEW

discourses about AI – for example in Japan andin Germany?
They have the important social function of
making hopes, opportunities or dangers associated with AI visibly and understandably foras many people as possible. The crucial thing
here is to open up a space for debate. Imaginations therefore not only influence researchand development, but also guide politicaldecisions, journalistic reporting and public
opinion. They are thus not mere entertainment, but always an essential and formative
part of the reality of technologies.
This is especially true for AI, because thetechnology associated with it is imagined as
an intelligence similar to humans but at thesame time independent and autonomousfrom them, equal or even superior to us.
This naturally stimulates the imagination,
in a broad spectrum from cooperation tocompetition, from AI as the solution to all our
problems to the feared demise of humanity.
In the country-specific view, imaginations canof course not be understood independently ofcertain larger discourses and interests. The socalled “Japanese Robot Culture”, for example,
not only corresponds to the self-image ofmany developers and companies. The Japanese government has deliberately used thisbuzzword as political branding, which is sup-posed to be useful for the business location.
In Europe, it is readily adopted: What can welearn from the Japanese? What developments
in Japan should we be wary of? After lectures
on robots in Japan, I am often asked whether
we should delegate nursing work to the cold,
emotionless machine, as is supposed to be thecase in Japan. This is a demarcation gestureand fulfills a rhetorical function. Robots inJapan – they are then something special for
Japanese and Europeans, and for both sides
it serves its purpose.

You conduct research in the field of neurointelligence on cognition in robots – and in
humans. What exactly is the subject of yourresearch?
My research aims at understanding the development principles of human cognitive
function using a computational approachand thus designing a support system forthose with developmental impairment. Humans acquire cognitive abilities in the firstfew years of life, but it is unclear how thebrain and body implement them. In contrast to AI, human intelligence is open ended
and acquires multiple cognitive abilities cooperatively and continuously, producing individual and group diversity. In experiments
using a neural circuit model mimicking thehuman brain in a humanoid robot, I havebeen able to verify the neural network underlying this continuity and diversity of cognitive function. Such research, which until
now has rather been empirical, can also be
used to support people with developmental impairment.

cognitive function development based on
the theory of "predictive coding". The brain
is a "predictive machine" that combines
bottom-up sensory signals with top-down
prediction signals generated by the internal
model acquired through experiences, seeking to minimize prediction error in thesesignals. I proposed that cognitive functions
such as self-other cognition, imitation, andprosocial behavior are acquired through theprediction-error minimization process anddemonstrated this in robot experiments
using neural circuit models. I found that an
imbalance in combining sensory and predictive signals is potentially the cause of thedevelopmental impairment found in autism
spectrum disorder, etc. These results showthat two aspects of cognitive development,
continuity and diversity, can be explained
uniformly based on predictive coding theory, and have important implications for developmental (impairment) research.

How are cognition in humans and in robots
related? What surprising findings were youable to make in your research?
One result is the unified account of the

In your research, you compare Japanese andEuropean concepts of human-like robots. Howis “humanity” in AI defined in the respective
discourses, or are there apparent significant
conceptual differences?
In comparative research, you have to be very
careful not to tell stories about the exotic
country in the Far East, especially when you
look at these phenomena with European eyes.
It is popular, for example, to always use Shintoism to describe the Japanese relationship totechnical artifacts: for the Japanese, everythingis animate, so it doesn’t make much difference
whether it is a robot or a human being. This
simplistic view is a bit simplistic.
Of course, there are very specific contexts in
the history of ideas and different patterns in

How is the relationship between humans androbots evolving as technology advances?
By developing AI and robots that reproduce
human cognitive functions, we can better
understand human intelligence. The concept of neurodiversity was proposed in the33

dealing with robots can be recognized. In
addition to the imaginaries about robots, thisalso becomes clear in the interaction withthem. A developer once told me that it makesa difference to whom he presents his robots.
While people from Japan mainly enjoy interacting with the machine, Europeans want toprove to the robot and its developer as quickly
as possible that the machine is not really intelligent after all, that it has no consciousness,
feels nothing, etc. This reflex certainly has to
do with a European understanding of robots
and of how humans are conceived, namely
as rational, sentient, indivisible but also special individuals with autonomy and uniqueconsciousness. Many fears and uncertainties
formulated in Europe probably also stem fromthis particular conception of humans. If you
like, the Japanese attitude is more inclusive,
less focused on the uniqueness of the human being.
These many levels of meaning are a greatchallenge for research: What does AI meanin different cultures? Which interpretations
are launched specifically, and for whom dowhich images of AI serve which purpose?
It is enormously difficult to distinguish thiswithout constructing cultural differences
oneself.

late 1990s, and the idea expanded of seeing
developmental disorders as individualitythat manifests as normal fluctuations in theneural architecture. It is difficult to evaluate
what kind of individuality a person has, andeven the cognitive characteristics of the self,
especially in people with developmental
impairment, are difficult to grasp. But, if robots can develop and learn like humans andreproduce and acquire human cognitive
characteristics, human intelligence can beunderstood through the medium of robot
intelligence. We hope that the developmentof such artificial intelligence technology will
enable us to realize a symbiotic society thatmakes use of the individuality of people androbots.

44

3 3 Y E A R S “J D Z B E C H O”

How it all began... 33 years of “jdzb echo” – from printed newsletter to electronicmagazine ECHO+.
Michael Niemann, Head of Press and Public Relations at the JDZBThe Number One edition of “jdzb echo” appeared in May 1989 with the headline “Oneyear of full operations at the JDZB”. The first
Secretary General of the JDZB, Dr. Thilo Graf
Brockdorff, announced that the new newsletter would be published quarterly and provide
information on current and future activities.
The lead article on page one was intended asa forum for JDZB committee members, withGerman and Japanese contributions alternating – and indeed it was the case that in thefirst five years after publication we were able toAfter completing their terms of office, committee members bid farewell in the “echo” with retrospectives, such as FC Chair Dr. Wilfried Guth,
Deutsche Bank (No. 52, September 2000), Vice
President Danielmeyer (No. 63, June 2003),
FC Vice Chair Prof. Oshio Takashi (No. 84,
September 2008), and President Ambassador(ret.) Takashima Yūshū (No. 111, June 2015).

attract almost two-thirds of the then membersof the Foundation Council (FC) and Board of
Executives to contribute. The first of these were
President Ambassador (ret.) Miyazaki Hiromichi(Daichi Kangyō Bank) on “New Tasks for the
JDZB” (No. 6, February 1991) and Vice President Prof. Hans Günter Danielmeyer (SiemensAG) on “Perspectives for Exchange between
Japan and Europe” (No. 2, September 1989).
While the jdzb echo (“echo”) was initiallypublished only in German and Japanese, anEnglish-language edition was added startingwith No. 9 (January 1992).

Prominent members of the governments fromboth countries and Berlin have expressed theirideas and political thoughts as editorials in
echo. For example, Ambassador Kimura Keizō,then still in Bonn, on “Japan looks to the newEurope” (No. 4, June 1990), Vice Foreign Minister Saito Kunihiko on “The JDZB and JapaneseEuropean exchange” (No. 21, February 1994),
State Secretary Dieter Kastrup with “GermanJapanese relations – dialogue and cooperation”(No. 24, August 1994). “Further Deepening ofJapanese-German Relations” was advocatedby Ambassador NAKANE Takeshi (No. 100,
September 2012), while Peter Prügel, Regional
Representative for Asia and the Pacific at theGerman Foreign Office wrote on “Shaping Our
Future Together” (No. 101, December 2012).
Moreover, newly appointed ambassadors to
the other country shared in the “echo” theirthoughts on their new post, the host country, or German-Japanese relations in general:
Ambassador Heinrich-Dietrich Dieckmannwith “First Impressions from Japan” (No. 26,
December 1994), Ambassadors Takashima
Yūshū (No. 62, March 2003) and Yanagi Hidenao (No. 134, March 2021) with greetings on
taking office, Ambassador Dr. Hans Carl vonWerthern with “Japan – Remarks of a Newly
Enthusiast” (No. 108, September 2014), as wellas Ambassador Ina Lepel “Japan Enthusiast”(No. 130, March 2020) and Dr. Clemens vonGoetze in this edition.
Another noteworthy contribution was by Federal President Johannes Rau on “Tradition andModernity: Living Together after September11” (No. 60, September 2002).

New presidents and secretaries general (SG)have always introduced themselves in the“echo” with greetings and reflections after
taking office, such as President Kimura Keizō(no. 36, December 1996), SG Volker KLEIN (no.
44, autumn 1998), SG Angelika VIETS (no. 61,
December 2002), President Kume Kunisada(No. 64, September 2003), SG Dr. Friederike
Bosse (No. 77, December 2006), Ambassador
Nakane Takeshi (No. 124, September 2018), SG
Claudia Schmitz (No. 125, December 2018),
and most recently SG Dr. Julia Münch, (No.
133, December 2020).

In general, many contributions dealt with the
JDZB and its role in German-Japanese relations.
“Expectations for an intellectual meeting place”
were formulated by Ambassador Arima Tatsuo(No. 25, October 1994) and “Expectations for
the JDZB” by Ambassador Tsumori Shigeru(No. 29, June 1995). “The Growing Role of
the JDZB” was noted by Ambassador Kume
Kunisada (No. 48, August 1999), “More tasks
for German-Japanese relations” by Ambassador
Nomura Issei (No. 56, September 2001), and“Advocating for the further strengthening ofGerman-Japanese Relations” by Ambassador

Yagi Takeshi (No. 115, June 2016). FC Chairman
Prof. Bernhard Scheuble (Merck) advocated“Learning from each other – networking witheach other” (No. 73, December 2005), FC
Chairman Gerhard Wiesheu (B. Metzler seel.
Sohn & Co. Holding AG) advocated “Timefor closer cooperation between Japan andGermany” (No. 129, December 2019), andState Secretary Miguel Berger from the Federal
Foreign Office hailed “160 years of GermanJapanese friendship” (No. 135, June 2021).
From the business world, for example, FC
member Edzard Reuter (Chairman of the Board
Daimler Benz), wrote on “Germany in Competition” (No.11, June 1992), FC member Nagaoka
Minoru (President Tōkyō Stock Exchange) followed with the article “The Japanese Securities
Market” (No.15, February 1993). “The Japan
Initiative of German Business” was presented
by BDI President Hans-Olaf Henkel (No. 35,
October 1996), and “A German-Japanese Trade
Union Initiative” by DGB Chairman Dieter
Schulte (No. 37, February 1997) followed
right behind.
The scientific community also had its say. On
the Berlin side, the member of the Senate
responsible for science was in charge of theJDZB. Accordingly, the Senator for Scienceand Research, Prof. Manfred Ehrhardt, firstcontributed to “On the Future of the JDZB” (No.
7, May 1991). Prof. Günter Stock (Schering Ltd)wrote on “Berlin – City of Science, Partner ofJapan” (No. 92, September 2010). “Scienceand Education in the Sign of Diversity: Topics
for German-Japanese Dialogue” came from FC

member Prof. Gesine Foljanty-Jost, Universityof Halle-Wittenberg (No. 114, March 2016).
In 1993, the German-Japanese Dialogue Forum(today: German-Japanese Forum GJF) wasestablished, a non-governmental discussion

3 3 Y E A R S “J D Z B E C H O”

group of individuals from business, science,
politics, culture and the media of both countries, which still meets alternately in Berlin andTōkyō. They discuss various topics, and provide recommendations for German-Japaneserelations to the heads of government of bothcountries. A report on the “First Meeting of the
GJF in Bonn and Berlin” was in issue No. 16 ofApril 1993; since then, all meetings of the GJF
have been covered in detail in echo, especiallywith guest contributions by GJF members andwith photos on the first page, which often also
documented the visit of the meeting participants to the respective heads of government.

dent of the Japan Foundation Andō Hiroyasu(No. 128, September 2019). FC member anddirector of the Martin Gropius Building Gereon
Sievernich reflected on “Museums and SoftPower” (No. 119, June 2017).

A major topic were the visits of members of theJapanese Imperial Family, first and foremost“The visit of the Japanese Imperial Couple to
the JDZB” (No. 19, September 1993), followed
by “Japanese Prince and Princess at the JDZB”
with Prince and Princess Akishino (No. 49, Fall
1999). Then in June 2011 it was a great honor

The Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011
was the subject of several lead articles: For
example, in Number 95, June 2011, “Frivolous
ignorance: Japanese stoicism is not exotic.
What is exotic is our ignorant view of a foreignculture” by Matthias Naß, a reprint from DIE
ZEIT of March 24, 2011; “Impressions from acountry between trauma and awakening” by
MP Dr. Rolf Mützenich (No. 97, December2011), “One Year after the Great East Japan
Earthquake – A Comparison of Energy Policies
in Japan and Germany” by Wakisaka Noriyuki,
Asahi Shimbun (No. 98, March 2012) and “OneYear after Fukushima” by Manfred Hoffmann,
Delegate of German Business in Japan (No. 99,
June 2012).

The JDZB’s move to Dahlem in March 1998
was covered in the “echo”, from the laying of
the foundation stone of the new JDZB building(number 39, June 1997) to the topping-out
ceremony (No. 41, December 1997) to theinauguration (No. 43, Summer 1998 Summer)
and the ceremonial handover of the outdoor
facilities (No. 47, June 1990).

Another topic was twinning: “20 years of twinning Berlin – Tōkyō” was celebrated by the
Deputy Governor of Tōkyō, Akiyama Toshiyuki(No. 105, December 2013), “25 years of twinning Berlin – Tōkyō” by the Governing Mayor of
Berlin, Michael Müller (No. 126, March 2019).

to have His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince
Naruhito – today’s Emperor – participate in
and address a German-Japanese symposium
on sustainable environmental, resource anddisaster management at the JDZB (No. 96,
September 2011).
Not only political but also cultural topics playeda major role: FC member and Director of theJapanese Culture Institute Cologne (JKI) Shimizu Yōichi (No. 23, June 1994) commented
on the “Promotion of Cultural Exchange in the
New Countries”, and Sakato Masaru, JapanFoundation (No. 59, June 2002) described the“Changing Image of Japan and Future Cultural
Exchange”. “The Goethe Institute in East Asia”
presented FC member and Secretary General of
the Goethe Institute Johannes Ebert (No. 117,
December 2016), “The Activities of the JapanFoundation in Germany” FC member and Presi-

Anniversaries of the JDZB Foundation were
given special recognition. FC member andscientist Sotobayashi Hideto made the startin No. 12 of August 1992 on the occasion of
the seventh anniversary of the JDZB with hisarticle “The East and the West”. SG Dr Thilo Graf
Brockdorff followed with “13 Years JDZB – Review, Evaluation, Outlook” (No. 46, April 1999).
SG Angelika Viets celebrated “20 Years of theJDZB” (No. 70, March 2005), and “25 Years of
the JDZB” was the contribution by Ambassador
Volker Stanzel in Issue No. 90 of March 2010.
Indeed, the anniversaries with great guest
speakers generated special response. In 2010,
for example, the keynote speech by former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt on “Japan,
Germany and their Neighbors” on the occasionof the JDZB’s 25th anniversary, the speech by
German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel at alecture event organized by the daily newspaper
Asahi Shimbun and the JDZB in Tōkyō on theoccasion of the JDZB’s 30th anniversary, andthe keynote speech by former German President Christian Wulff “Friends help each other55– Germany and Japan” on the same occasion(No. 111, June 2015).
If you have noticed that certain Japanese names
have appeared several times so far, this is no
coincidence: Some ambassadors of Japan inGermany have accompanied the developmentof the JDZB after the end of their term of officeas President of the Foundation, just as somedirectors of the Japanese Culture Institute
Cologne have worked and continue to workat the JDZB as Deputy Secretary General after
the end of their term of office.
For those who have now acquired a taste forthe magazine and would like to read more:
the issues from No. 106 (March 2014) onwards
can be downloaded as PDFs from our website.
However, there are still printed copies of eachissue of “jdzb echo” in all three languages in
the archive, please contact pr@jdzb.de if you
are interested. This issue, number 138, is thelast printed issue of jdzb echo. In the future,
you will find various articles from the JapaneseGerman context such as conference reports,
interviews, and reports from the exchange programs in our blog ECHO+; the tradition of theprominent lead article will also be maintainedin the form of contributions from the JDZB orfrom partners. However, there are still sometechnical requirements to be met – we ask fora little patience and hope to be able to present
our contributions to you in an appealing formby the summer.
Finally, a personal note: The discontinuation of
the print edition of the “jdzb echo” coincides
with my departure from the JDZB. Since I helped
shape the “jdzb echo” from start to finish as the
responsible editor, I also look back somewhat
wistfully on interesting and varied years. I wish
the Foundation all the best for the future in theservice of German-Japanese friendship.

66

JDZB NEXT LEVEL – PERSPECTIVES FOR 2022

Since its establishment in the mid-1980s,
the JDZB has made it its mission to promote and deepen German-Japanese andinternational exchange at all levels of
business, science, culture, society andpolitics. Against the backdrop of current
developments and challenges, the JDZB
is setting new accents in 2022 across its
portfolio of offerings:
This year, for example, we will be focusing intensively on the megatrend of“knowledge culture,” which we will
be examining from various perspectives
across cultures and generations as partof a theme week.
In selecting topics for our diverse analog,
digital and hybrid conferences and meetings, we are also guided by issues thatare equally important to Japan and Germany, such as “global responsibility,”“sustainability and the environment,”“digital transformation,” “state, economy, governance” and “demographic
change”. We already opened the yearwith several virtual panel discussions on
the transformation of communication –with a view to cutting-edge technologies,

but also to interpersonal aspects.
As part of the cultural program, we plan
to increasingly attract young artists to the
JDZB through “Open Stage” initiatives.
In the future we will regularly open ourbuilding with its exhibitions and theJapanese-German “Info Lounge” (previously: “Library”) outside of the usual
hours for interested parties (starting inMay, for example, on every first Mondayof the month also as part of an #OpenMonday into the evening hours). In
addition, we will send young people oninteractive “discovery tours” in various
cities in Japan and Germany at the sametime and then share their experienceswith you digitally.
Our online courses (currently mainly
calligraphy and Japanese lessons) areparticularly well received by professionals and people outside of Berlin, which
fortunately greatly increases our reach.
We therefore plan to expand this offering
even further after the pandemic.
The current travel restrictions are probably the biggest hurdle for the implementation of exchange programs.

Although not an adequate alternative,
virtual formats will again serve as a useful supplement to face-to-face offerings
this year. We are particularly grateful forthe creative commitment of our alumni.
In order to fully develop our potential, we
will consciously open our doors to widen
our future reach to even more people
who would like to actively contributeto the shaping of Japanese-German
relations: With this in mind, we are
specifically looking for synergies withpartners. We are also currently working
on a co-working concept, under which
you will be able to make use of our common spaces and our postal address for a
fixed monthly fee. Informal networking
salons are also being planned!
To keep you up to date with our plans,
we continue to develop our website withits blog, our newsletter offering and oursocial media presence. Please follow us
on Facebook, Instagram and, as of now,
LinkedIn.

Our Focus 2022: Knowledge Culture!

cesses are particularly exciting: How does

new worlds of knowledge. Information and

The JDZB is setting new accents in 2022.

the selection and absorption of knowledge

communication technologies contribute

One of our innovations this year is deliber-change in the face of the digital flood of

to a new kind of knowledge transfer. An

ately focusing on different perspectives on

information? How do we consume knowl-

international exchange of managers andwhat we see as a relevant and forward-look-edge, how can we deal with the complexity

experts from Japan, France and Germany

ing topic with respect to Japanese-Germanthat comes with it? Can we do this at all

will therefore focus on digital learning. This

relations: the megatrend of knowledge– or is the world becoming dumber rather

includes, for example, the upgrading of

culture. “The megatrend of knowledge

than smarter? Are we facing an unfoldingclassrooms with digital technology – which

culture is changing what and how we knowof creative potential through new oppor-

was repeatedly criticized as inadequate,[...], new forms of innovation, learning andtunities – or is our standard of knowledge

especially during the pandemic in Germany

research are emerging” writes Zukunftsin-

leveling down along with our attention– offers of virtual reality or augmented

stitut GmbH on its website – this think tankspan between WhatsApp and Instagram?

reality in learning, but also playful aspects

considers knowledge culture to be one of

One aspect of knowledge culture that we(“gamification”), which can be integrated

twelve current global megatrends in trend

deal with time and again, especially at the

into learning and facilitate it.

and future research. In our understandingJDZB itself, is the exchange of knowledge

A special focus on “knowledge culture”

at the JDZB, the term encompasses a wide

across countries and cultures – this is partwill be shared organizationally by therange of aspects around the meaning ofof our foundation mission. This experi-

entire JDZB and will not be fixed to certain

knowledge, around the generation andence is particularly important for young

formats. We want to develop creative syn-transmission of knowledge, around teach-people. The JDZB creates opportunities forergies by bringing closer together confer-ing and learning in schools, in training as

this within the framework of its exchangeences for executives, cultural offerings andwell as in the tertiary education sector, but

programs, for example for young experts

youth exchanges. Let us find out together,also around lifelong learning – in profes-or young volunteers. We want to turn ourfrom Japanese and German perspectives

sional life and in private initiatives, e.g. inspotlight on this as well and use selected

and beyond, how we can learn even bet-social and political engagement. We expect

examples to provide media coverage ofter from and with each other in the future.

a very fruitful exchange of the potentially

how international knowledge exchange be-

JDZB Focus 2022, September 12-16, 2022!

very different Japanese and German per-tween Japanese and German young people

spectives.

can be experienced. Digitization and arti-

Dr. Phoebe Stelle Holdgrün

From our point of view, transformation pro-ficial intelligence are opening up entirely

Head of Project Management

Dr. Julia Münch
JDZB Secretary General

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P R E V I E W O F E V E N T S 2ND Q U A R T E R 2 0 2 2

Conferences
Symposium: Artificial Intelligence and the
Human – Cross-Cultural Perspectives on
Science and Fiction
C: Alexander von Humboldt Institute forInternet and Society (HIIG), Berlin; Waseda
University, Tōkyō
Date: 11-13 May 2022

Date: 1-2 June 2022, in Tōkyō
Symposium: Aging and Caregiving in German and Japanese Communities
C: German Institute for Japanese Studies, Tōkyō;Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Tōkyō Office
Date: 9 June 2022, in Tōkyō

Annual Conference JSPS Club: Bioeconomics
C: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science,
Bonn Office
Date: 20-21 May 2022

Symposium: Artificial Intelligence in Law.
Opportunities and Risks.
C: German-Japanese Association of Jurists.
V. (DJJV); Waseda University, Tōkyō; German
Federal Bar Association, Berlin; German Houseof Science and Innovation (DWIH), Tōkyō.
Date: 10 June 2022, in Tōkyō

Symposium: Decarbonisation and Digitalisation
C: German Economic Institute, Cologne;
Fujitsu, Tōkyō

Symposium: Attractive for Immigrants?
Japan and Germany in Comparison
C: University of Duisburg-Essen
Date: 24 June 2022

Courses
All Japanese language courses will continue
to be held online. In case of new registration,
the registration form can be ordered at fsekikawa@jdzb.de
Calligraphy courses are being held in personat the JDZB as well as online.

Exchange Programs- Junior Experts Exchange Program- German-Japanese Young Leaders Forum- Youth Group Leaders Exchange Program- Study Program for Youth Work Specialists- Exchange Program for Young Em­ployees- JDZB ScienceYouth Program

C: in cooperation with. Events in chronological order, preliminary planning as of March 2022, please verify each on the website. Venue is JDZB, if not statedother­wise. More information on the website: https://jdzb.de

Culture Projects
Exhibition: ‘Japan’s Wooden Heritage’, Photographs by FUJITSUKA Mitsumasa
On the occasion of the anniversary „160
years of friendship between Germany andJapan 2021/2022“ and within the Berlin-Tokyo town twinning
C: Japanese Culture Institute Cologne (The Japan Foundation); in cooperation with the Berlin
Senate Chancellery and the Embassy of Japan
Venue: Berlin City Hall (Rotes Rathaus, Vorhalle)
Duration: 21 March to 29 April 2022
Open: Monday to Friday from 9:00 am until
6:00 pm, admission free
Photo left: Aizu Sazae-dō (“Top-Snail-Hall”)© Fujitsuka Mitsumasa

jdzb echo
Publisher:
Japanese-German Center Berlin (JDZB)
Editor: Michael Niemann
E-Mail: mniemann@jdzb.de
Opinions expressed reflect the author‘s
opinion and not necessarily the opinionof the publisher.
JDZB, Saargemünder Str. 2, 14195 Berlin,
Germany
Tel.: +49-30-839 07 0 Fax: +49-30-839 07 220
E-Mail: jdzb@jdzb.de
URL: https://jdzb.de

Info-Lounge
Open: Tuesday noon until 6 pm +Thursday 10 am until 4 pm

Exhibition “Theory of Everything” Installations, Prints and Collages by Kornelia Hoffmann andYamamoto Noriko – Opening on 16 June 2022, Duration: 17 June until 7 October 2022.
Picture left: Weltformel 01 © Yamamoto Noriko; Picture right: scent rubbing © Kornelia Hoffmann/ Photo © Lukas Klose
Open: Mon-Thu 10am - 0.30pm + 1pm - 5pm, Fri 10am - 0.30pm + 1pm - 3.30pm. Admission free.
Starting in May, we have longer opening hours in the evening on every first Monday of themonth (#OpenMonday).

22

88

EVENTS IN WINTER 2021/2022

Symposium “Future Communication Technologies: Beyond 5G and 6G – Opportunities for Japanese-German Collaboration”, held in cooperation
with the Embassy of Japan in Germany was hosted virtually via the JDZB on 17 February 2022.
The keynote speaker was the President of the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Dr. Tokuda Hideyuki.

One year after the symposium “Crisis Communication” was held in February 2021, the JDZB continued its cooperation with the Japan Foundation
with another focus on communication: a panel discussion on the “Future of Communication and Us” on 4 February 2022 hosted virtually by the
JDZB – a Japanese-German roundtable discussion on social, philosophical and intercultural aspects of the present and future of communication.

Photo above: After the German-Japanese Young Leaders Forum 2020
had to be temporarily postponed several times, the “current” cohort“YLF2020+” has already met several times virtually as part of an “Interim
Program” – the last time on 16 January 2022 for a joint “New Year‘scelebration”! This cohort does not let itself be easily defeated and looks
forward to meeting soon “in real life”!
Photo right: After 9 of the 16 participants who live in Germany alreadyhad the opportunity to meet “in real life” in Berlin on 2 October 2021,
the 7 who live in Japan were finally able to meet “in real life” on 11
December 2021! The highlight of the day spent together was a joint
visit to the “Tokyo Christmas Market” in Hibiya Park and one (or rather
several) cup(s) of mulled wine!