Newsletter of theJapanese-German Center Berlin(Japanisch-Deutsches Zentrum Berlin)
No. 136, September 2021

echo

Global Health Governance Issues to be Addressed Jointly
by Japan and Germany
Professor Katsuma Yasushi, Waseda University, Tōkyō
The Japan-Germany partnership, whichenjoys long-standing exchange in thefields of medicine and public health, isimportant for achieving Goal 3 of the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)– “Ensure healthy lives and promote
well-being for all ages” – by 2030. The
advent of Covid-19 has made it difficult
to achieve Goal 3, however, while at thesame time structural challenges havearisen for global health. With no clear
end to the Covid pandemic in sight,
the cooperation between Japan andGermany is becoming more important
than ever. Five challenges in particular
are discussed below.
1. Global equitable access to vaccines
In preventing infection and the spreadof Covid-19, the focus was initially on
non-pharmaceutical interventions suchas changing personal hygiene behavior,improving the spaces where people
gather, and restricting human interaction. Non-pharmaceutical measuresremain essential in 2021, but pharmaceutical inventions such as vaccines andtherapeutic drugs have become indispensable. It is anticipated, in particular,that vaccines will prevent exacerbationof the disease.
But not all have fair access to vaccines.
Attempts by high-income countries tosecure as many vaccines as possible for
their own citizens have been censured
as “vaccine nationalism”. Meanwhile, alack of funds has meant that low-income
countries are unable to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies,
making it difficult for them to secure
vaccines independently. However, top
earners in low-income countries canpartake in “vaccine tourism”, whereby

they travel abroad (to the United Statesor the United Arab Emirates, for example) to be vaccinated. This gives rise toconcerns that many people, including
healthcare professionals, are being left
behind in low-income countries.
The COVAX Facility is an internationalframework for the co-purchase of vaccines. High- and middle-income countries can self-fund vaccines for 20% of
their populations, while low-income
countries are provided with vaccines for
30% of their populations free of charge.
The Government of Japan held a vaccine
summit on June 2, 2021 to raise thefunds required for this.
It is hoped that Japan and Germany will
collaborate more than ever to achieve
global equitable access to medicines,
including vaccines.
2. Intellectual property rights
Access to medicines, including vaccines,
is essential in the fight against Covid-19,
but high prices and short supply havebecome issues in the oligopolistic market. 62 countries jointly proposed atemporary waiver from Covid-19-related
intellectual property rights protection
obligations under the WTO Agreement
on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual
property Rights (TRIPS). The proposal isendorsed by more than 100 countries;
many high-income countries were opposed, but the United States and France
were in favor.
The protection of intellectual property
rights is an important mechanism forresearch and development organizations to recover their investments and isan essential premise for publishing theresults of research and development.
On the other hand, public money from

© Waseda University

governments, international bodies andresearch grants from foundations fundR&D by the various organizations, promotes the purchase of pharmaceuticalproducts and also positions them asinternational public goods.
Japan and Germany must consider temporarily waiving intellectual property
rights obligations while also encouraging voluntary licensing by pharmaceutical companies. Discussions on
how public and private sectors should
CONTENT
Global Health Governance...
Katsuma Yasushi

1-2Interview
Higher Education

3

Conference ReportManaging the Covid Crisis

4

Exchange Programs

5

Other Events

6

Preview of Events 2021

7

Formats of the Pandemic

8

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C O N T I N U E D EF D
R IOTMO RP IAAGL E 1

EDITORIAL
Dear Readers!

cooperate in the pandemic must also
be deepened.
3. Vaccine “passport”
The movement of people between Japan and Germany has stagnated in allareas of diplomacy, business, scientificand academic exchange, and tourism.
How can we promote the movement ofpeople between the two countries while
preventing the spread of infection?
Also known as a vaccine “passport”,
vaccination certificates can exempt
the holder from quarantine or shorten
the period required. The World HealthOrganization (WHO) has internationallystandardized inoculation certificatesfor yellow fever, etc., but has not yet
responded to Covid-19. On the other
hand, the EU has introduced regional
inoculation certificates.
There are many issues to be solved tofacilitate the movement of people between Europe and Asia. How would it be
to begin by scrutinizing travel between
Japan and Germany? That could be avery meaningful social experiment for
the EU to promote the movement ofpeople outside the region, includingAsia.
4. International shipping
In February 2020, the outbreak of
Covid-19 on the Diamond Princess attracted widespread attention not onlyin Japan but also internationally. The
flag state of the Diamond Princess was
the United Kingdom, and the cruise
ship operating company was based in
the United States. The ship was permitted to dock at the port of Yokohama inJapan. The United Nations Convention
on the Law of the Sea and the International Labour Organization’s Maritime
Labour Convention of 2006 set out the
responsibilities of flag states. The WHO’s
International Health Regulations set out
the responsibilities of the country inwhich the vessel is located. Further, theUN Convention on the Law of the Sea
provides for the rights and obligationsof coastal states vis-à-vis foreign vessels.
Although the case involved several internationals, the division of roles between
the UK, the United States, and Japanwas not clear.

Moreover, although Japan permitted
the Diamond Princess to dock, it refused
the same permission to the Westerdam(flag state is the Netherlands; operatingcompany is in the United States). Afterbeing turned away by various countries,
the Westerdam ended up docking in
Cambodia.
With a lack of clarity regarding theroles of the various nations involved,
the burden on the countries in whichsuch ships actually dock is increasing,and it is no wonder that many countries
are reluctant to respond. How about
Japan and Germany jointly envisioninga mechanism for international cooperation for the event that an infectious disease occurs on an international vessel?
5. Pandemic treaty
Calls for a pandemic treaty to be drafted
in preparation for future infectious disease contagions are being discussed by
the WHO. I personally am not in favor ofa WHO-centric treaty, such as the WHO
Framework Convention on Tobacco
Control, the reason being that issues
such as how to deal with the intellectual
property rights of many publicly funded“international public goods” and how
to respond to infectious diseases on international vessels, as mentioned above,
go beyond the areas for which the WHO
has a mandate. Looking back at the
response to the Ebola virus outbreak in
Guinea and its neighboring countries
in 2014, the WHO alone had difficulty
responding, so the United Nations wasforced to establish the United Nations
Mission for Ebola Emergency Response(UNMEER) through a Security Council
resolution.
Japan and Germany should deepen discussions on what kind of global healthgovernance should be established in
preparation for future infectious diseases and, from a medium- to long-term
perspective, what a pandemic treaty
should look like.
Katsuma Yasushi (Ph.D., LL.M.) is Professor
at the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies(GSAPS) of Waseda University, and Director at
the Institute for Global Health Policy Research(iGHP) of the National Center for Global Health& Medicine (NCGM), Japan.

The Tōkyō 2020 Olympic and Paralympic
Games have almost come to an end.
Unfortunately, COVID-19 still has us “inits grip”, and Professor Katsuma Yasushi
from Waseda-University has provided areport on the challenges of global healthgovernance, which Japan and Germany
should jointly tackle.
Fortunately, under the new “3G rule”(geimpft, genesen, getestet / vaccinated,recovered, tested) it is once again possible
to welcome visitors back to the JDZB.
Nevertheless, we will continue to focus on
digital and hybrid events too. Currently weare working hard on our events portfolio
for 2022. We are experimenting with newformats and media, and networking with(new) partners – including partners frombusiness and industry. One of our particular goals is to raise interest for Japan andGermany among the young people ofthese countries who previously may havenot been interested in the other country.
Therefore, I am pleased to announce
that Mr Stefan Zierke, ParliamentaryState Secretary at the Federal Ministryof Family Affairs, has recently taken overthe patronage for the German-Japanese
Exchange Programs for Youth and YouthWork Specialists.
We are interested in hearing from you,dear readers. What topics do you think are
relevant and interest you? We would bepleased to hear them and discuss further!
I wish you a golden autumn.
With kind regards
Dr. Julia Münch
JDZB Secretary Generaljdzb echo
Published quarterly in March – June – Sept. – Dec.
Publisher:
Japanese-German Center Berlin (JDZB)
Editor: Michael Niemann
Tel.: +49-30-839 07 186, E-Mail: niemann@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
Library closed! Only returning of media items
possible, please contact us by E-Mail (bibliothek@jdzb.de) or phone (030) 839 07 167.

33

INTERVIEW

A virtual university leadership meeting of the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK),
the Japan Committee of Universities for International Exchange (JACUIE) and theFrench Conférence des Présidents d’Université (CPU) is planned for 20 October
2021. The JDZB has a long-standing cooperation with HRK and JACUIE. Below is
an interview with the HRK Vice President for International Affairs, Prof. Bernd
Scholz-Reiter, on German-Japanese relations in higher education.
Please give us a brief overview of GermanJapanese cooperation in higher education.
What role does the HRK play, and how
does cooperation with the Japanese counterparts and other institutions such as the
JDZB work?
International cooperation in higher education is of central importance for both
Germany and Japan, and the beginningsof German-Japanese cooperation in higher
education go back a long way. The intensity of cooperation between our universities has increased significantly in recent
years. Currently, the HRK’s “International
Cooperation” portal lists around 830 cooperation agreements between Japaneseand German universities. Nevertheless,there is untapped potential, both in termsof the range of universities involved incooperation and in terms of the range ofsubjects covered.
Stable, long-standing relationships exist
between the HRK and its Japanese partner organizations. In order to strengthen
student exchange, the HRK signed aframework agreement on higher education cooperation with its Japanese partnerorganizations in 2015. The frameworkagreement contains recommendations
on cooperation and academic mobility
between higher education institutions
in both countries in teaching, studies,
research and development. It also includes
recommendations on the recognition ofacademic degrees and qualifications andon the admission of German and Japanese
students and doctoral candidates. We havealso been organizing joint symposia on
selected higher education policy topics
since 2006. These take place every two
years in Tōkyō and Berlin. It has becomea solid tradition that we hold these events
together with the JDZB. Unfortunately,
due to the pandemic, the event planned
for June 2020 had to be cancelled. In order
to continue the exchange even in these
difficult times, a virtual trilateral university
leadership meeting is now planned for
October. We are pleased that this time ourFrench partner organization, which also
maintains a lively exchange with Japan,
will be on board, too.
What are the current problems in higher
education in both countries? And what role
does the pandemic play here in bilateralrelations and in the respective societies?
Of course, dealing with the direct andindirect consequences of the pandemic foruniversities has been and continues to be
the focus of attention at present. This concerns not only the formats, organizationand content adaptation of teaching, butalso the implementation of research projects and the management of all university
fields of activity under rapidly changing
conditions. Communication within theuniversity as well as the exchange withsocietal actors on scientific and societal
issues have thereby experienced a considerable increase in importance. It could beassumed that the deficits in state budgets,
which have increased further as a resultof the pandemic, will have an impact on
the future financing of universities – bothin Germany and in Japan. Under no circumstances should the current cohortsof students, who have had difficult study
conditions as a result of the lockdown,
be further disadvantaged by having
their study conditions fall short of highstandards for years to come as a result of
possible declining funding for universities.
It is therefore our collective responsibility
to clearly communicate the extraordinary
achievements of higher education. Scienceis making a significant contribution to
overcoming the pandemic and also otherchallenges and their consequences. It
can only achieve this performance in thelong term if it can act in a science-driven
and autonomous manner. We agree with
our Japanese partners that, in view of
the increasing pressure on universities toeconomize, we need to make even clearer
the importance of higher education andresearch for the future viability of societies.

© Bremen University

What do you generally expect from GermanJapanese cooperation in the field of higher
education in the future, and especially withregard to possible new challenges in bothcountries’ post-pandemic societies?
Against the backdrop of global developments, the strategic partnership between
Germany and Japan is becoming increasingly important. This also applies to scientific cooperation: Japan will remain an
important partner for German universities
in the future. It will be important to futureproof German-Japanese cooperation in
all areas. This means that in research weshould jointly develop topics such as hydrogen technology, artificial intelligence,battery technology, nanomaterials, oreven climate change and biodiversity.
In addition, cooperation in the humanities and social sciences is also of great
importance. We should focus more onthese in the future; German universities
are excellently positioned in this area. At
the same time, we should make progressin joint teaching. The number of joint
study programs between German andJapanese universities is still quite low.
The many opportunities for collaborationin the digital space, the development of
which accelerated during the pandemic,
can help overcome existing hurdles. At
the same time, we need to make greater
efforts on both sides to appropriately
communicate our own system and its
strengths, as well as further strengthen our
focus on multilingual teaching. Formats
such as the university leadership meetingin October will help to further strengthen
cooperation.

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CONFERENCE REPORT

Symposium “Managing the Crisis. Psychosocial Impacts of the COVID-19
Pandemic” 10 June 2021.
Lewis Erckenbrecht, B.A., Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
In the more than eighteen months since
the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, thefear of becoming ill and the consequences of the measures to contain the virus
presented massive challenges to many
people and led to numerous personal
and psychological crises.
This virtual symposium therefore focusedon the social and psychological impact of
the Covid-19 pandemic in Germany andJapan. The collaborative event between
the JDZB and the German House of Science and Innovation (DWIH) Tōkyō on 10
June 2021 combined the perspectives ofpractice and science to create an overall
picture.
Experiences from practiceAt the beginning of the symposium,Ōzora Kōki, founder of the 24h counseling center “A Place for You” in Tōkyō, andJens Gräbener, head of the Berlin Crisis
Service in the Western Region, shared
their personal experiences of working
with people in distress in an interview
conducted by Ulf Kirse from Bielefeld
University.
Both noted an increase in the numberof people seeking help, the majority ofwhom also saw the pandemic as thereason for their illness or emergency situation. Both the fear of the disease itself
and the psychological stress caused bylockdowns played a decisive role. In addition, many organizations had to limit
the help they offered – especially thosewith personal contact.
This situation also increasingly affected
the employees and volunteers in assistance-service organizations, who wereconcerned about their own health andwere themselves affected by the pandemic and its consequences. However,at “A Place for You,” the pandemic also
had positive effects. The organization,
which offers its help primarily online, wasable to expand its services as a result. The
increasing number of people working
from home also means that more people
were flexible in terms of time and werewilling to provide support.

Scientific perspective
The field reports were followed by apanel discussion moderated by Dr. Nora
Kottman from the German Institute forJapanese Studies in Tōkyō, in which Prof.
Klaus Berger, representative of the NAKO
Health Study (a long-term population
study by a network of German research
institutions), Prof. Klaus Lieb, Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research, Prof. Ueda
Michiko, Waseda University, and Prof.
Uchida Yukiko, Kyōto University, presented their research findings and discussed
the psychosocial consequences of thepandemic from a scientific perspective.

Focusing on vulnerable groups
The discussion focused particularly on
evaluating the consequences of thepandemic in more affected vulnerable
groups. Scientific studies on participantsrevealed that stress and mental illness
increased as a result of the pandemic
in both Japan and Germany, but thisincrease was unevenly distributed in the
population.
While stress, depression, anxiety, andsuicide were more prevalent among
young people aged under 30, women,
single parents, precarious workers, andthe economically disadvantaged, older
people and those with high incomes or
education levels were hardly affected.
The pandemic thus further exposedalready existing disadvantages in thesocieties of both countries. According to the participants, future politicalmeasures should pay more attention tovulnerable groups.
Evidence-based policy needs reliabledata
The pandemic has brought into focus anevidence-based, science-driven form ofpolicymaking. However, such decisions
would also need reliable data, which,according to the experts, are often notavailable.
For example, an evidence-based statement about mental illness in children in
the Covid-19 pandemic is currently notpossible in Germany, they said. In Japan,
the rising suicide figures among children
and adolescents as well as young womenare alarming, but a study examining theconnection with the consequences ofthe pandemic is lacking. If policymakers
were to aim for evidence-based decisionmaking in the psychosocial field in the
future as well, more and reliable data
would have to be made available for the
next crisis.

Harnessing the energy of the crisis
The participants emphasized that the Covid-19 pandemic not only had negative
effects on the mental health of people inGermany and Japan. The shift of work to
the home office especially reduces themental pressure for many people, theysaid. The fact that they no longer haveto travel to work and have fewer social
obligations means they have more time
for their own interests and their families.
In addition, moments of crisis always
release energy for change. In this context, adapted therapies alone are notsufficient. The reasons why vulnerable
groups are particularly affected mustalso be researched and their situation
improved in the long term through farreaching reforms.
In view of the opportunities presented
by the crisis, the symposium ended on a
cautiously optimistic note. Although there
were fears that the learning effects might
evaporate and change might fail to materialize, if the momentum that has been created were to be used for change, this andfuture crises could be better dealt with.

55

EXCHANGE PROGRAMSFilling German-Japanese friendship with life: Kai Winter – From bridge walker
to bridge builder.
Makino Hitomi, German-Japanese Youth Exchange Department

and stayed with host families, among otheractivities: “We were inspired by the JDZB’sprogram when designing our program.”

Kai Winter was in his early 20s when afriend told him about an exchange programto Japan. An opportunity to learn more
about Japan and its people with otheryoung volunteers? A host family weekend?
That sounded like a special program. As avolunteer with the Hamburg Youth Fire
Department, Kai also hoped to learn something about disaster management in Japan.
In 2008, Kai successfully applied for theGerman-Japanese Exchange Program for
Young Volunteers, one of three exchange
programs run by the JDZB on behalf of theGerman Federal Ministry for Family Affairs,
Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. This is
how Kai becomes a bridge walker!

In 2011 the JDZB nominated Kai for the“German-Japanese Friendship Award” forhis commitment, which was awarded in
the anniver-sary year “150 Years of GermanJapanese Friendship”, and he was one of
the 61 German award winners! The return
visit to Japan planned for 2011 had to be
postponed due to the Great Eastern Japan
Earthquake on March 11. However, in 2012,
Kai, Marion and eight young volunteers
finally flew to Ōsaka!

September 2008: JAPAN! Kai is thrilled.
His host family in Nara even organizes avisit to a professional fire department for
him! One day before the return trip, theGerman delegation is scheduled to be inŌsaka and they can explore the city. Thisis perfect for Kai, because there has beena twinning agreement between his hometown of Hamburg and Ōsaka since 1989,
and he wants to visit a fire depart-mentin Ōsaka. So before the trip, he did someresearch: “I found a Japanese page on theInternet with a fire truck on it, translated
some Japanese text with Google Translator,
and then emailed them in English, kind of
like, ‘Hi, here’s Kai, I want to visit you!’ And
they replied to me!” So Kai is able to visit
the marine harbor fire station.
He has Kuniko, who is a Japanese alumnaof the exchange program helping out during the stay in Ōsaka, explain the way in
English. Kuniko is worried whether Kai will
really manage to find his way there. Kai,

however, goes off cheerfully. At the harbor fire station, he is greeted by firefighter
Kōichi and given a tour of the station; theconversation in English is lively. Back at thestation, Kuniko asks Kai about his experiences and the two strike up a conversation
again. They get along so well that they
continue to exchange ideas regularly evenafter Kai returns to Germany. He also keeps
in touch with Kōichi.
In 2009, Kai flies to Japan alone with Ōsaka
as his destination. “I had with me the German-Japanese language primer from theGerman Sports Youth, which we received
at the preparatory seminar in 2008, and I
had your tips in my head about what to lookout for in everyday Japanese life. With that,
I felt well prepared for the trip.” In Ōsaka,
he visits Kōichi. He also meets Kuniko again
to talk to her about an exchange between
young people from Ōsaka and the Hamburg Youth Fire Department on the topic ofdisaster prevention, an idea that has beenon his mind since his stay in Japan in 2008.
Kuniko is enthusiastic about the idea! Bothof them immediately start planning. Kai
and his fellow youth firefighter, Marion,
form the Hamburg organization team. ForŌsaka, Kuniko and the Ōsaka Youth International Exchange Federation take over theorganization. Kai the bridge-walker now
becomes Kai the bridge-builder!
In 2010 the time has come: Kuniko and agroup of 11 young people from Ōsaka visit
Hamburg! They are welcomed at Hamburg
City Hall, they visit the Neuengamme
concentration camp memorial, they participated in youth fire department activities

For 11 years, the youth exchange between
Hamburg and Ōsaka has been an integral
part of the city partnership and has been
continu-ing digitally during the COVID-19
pandemic: “It was lucky that I participatedin the exchange program for young volunteers in 2008 and met Kuniko! Despite thedistance, we have such a great friendship.
Since the start of this year, we have been
discussing once a month via Zoom. The
joint program planning is so much fun, andKuniko and her team are very passionate
about it as well!!!”Friendships have also developed between
the young people from Hamburg andŌsaka, which Kai is particularly happy
about: “When I see the lasting German-Japanese friendships that develop through theexchange, my heart swells! The exchange
makes unique friend-ships possible! And I
hope that these friendships contribute to
making our world a little more peaceful.”This article is the abridged version of a post thatwas published on the JDZB website in our blog
ECHO+ on 14 June 2021.

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OTHER EVENTS

Virtual Symposium “Security Dynamics in the Indo-Pacific” held on 23 June dealt with the implications for shaping the international rules-based orderand the role of Japan and Germany. This event was held in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the German Federal Foreign Office,the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and The Japan Institute of International Affairs, as part of the Japan-Germany Security Dialogue Track 1.5 2021.

Virtual Book Launch and Panel Discussion “Recovery Games under the Mask. The Tokyo Olympics through the Lens of Japan Scholars” on social,political, economic, and historical aspects of the Tōkyō Olympic and Paralympic Games held on 17 June. In cooperation with the German Institutefor Japanese Studies (DIJ, Tōkyō).

Concert “AUTUMN SONG 秋の歌 Japanese-German Encounters” held on 9 June at the JDZB. For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic,
artists performed in the hall which was also available livestream on the JDZB’s YouTube channel. Concerts by various ensembles of the Junge Deutsche
Philharmonie for German-Japanese exchange have been held at the JDZB since 2017.

77

PREVIEW OF EVENTS 2021

Conferences by
Focal Areas
Sustainability and theEnvironment
11th Meeting of the German-Japanese Expert Council on Energy
Transition
C: Hennicke Consult, Wuppertal;
ECOS Japan Consult GmbH, Osnabrück; Institute for Energy Economics
Japan (IEEJ), Tōkyō; Federal Ministryof Economics and Energy (BMWi),
Berlin; Ministry of Economy, Tradeand Industry (METI), Tōkyō (by invitation only)
Date: 13-14 September 2021

Demographic Change
Symposium: Demographic Change
in Germany and Japan
C: Federal Ministry for Family Affairs,
Senior Citizens, Women and Youth(BMFSFJ), Berlin; Ministry of Health,
Labor, and Welfare (MHLW), Tōkyō
Date: October/November 2021

Digital Transformation

French-German Dialog on Japan II:
ArtificiaI Intelligence and Healthcare
C: France-Japan Foundation of the
École des Hautes Études en Sciences
Sociales (EHESS), Paris; DuisburgEssen University
Date: 16-17 September 2021, online

State, Economy, Governance
Virtual Symposium: The Futureof Democracy I: Post-Pandemic
Democracy in Japan and Germany
C: Seinan Gakuin University, Fukuoka; Duisburg-Essen University;
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (Berlin)
Date: 29 September 2021

Cultural Events
Exhibition“Good Morning My Moon”
Photographs by Nicole Ahlandand glass sculptures by Hirohata
Masami
Opening on 19 August
Duration: 28 August until 26 November 2021
(Photo below)

ConcertEnsemble Horizonte “Dialog on
Nature” Contemporary Compositions from Germany and Japan ( by
Hosokawa Toshio, Dr. Jörg-Peter
Mittmann und Ito Miyuki, among
others; Conductor: J.-P. Mittmann)
Date: 2 September 2021, 7 pm

Reading“Convenience Store Women”(Konbini Ningen) Reading and Dicussion with Murata Sayaka
C: The Japan Foundation / Japan
Cultural Institute Cologne; GermanJapanese Society Berlin
Date: 9 September 2021, 7 pm
“The Silkworm Room” Reading
and discussion with Murata Sayaka and the audience at the Berlin
International Literature Festival
C: Japan Cultural Institute Cologne
Date: 11 September 2021
Venue: “Silent Green” in BerlinWedding
Japanese + Calligraphy Courses
Calligraphy courses are once again being heldin person at the JDZB, information on thewebsite. All Japanese language courses will continue to be held online until the end of the year.

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
For details of the programs, please refer to:https://jdzb.de --> Exchange Programs
Opening hours of exhibitions
Mon - Thursday 10 am - 0.30 pm and 1 pm to 5
pm, Fri 10 am - 0.30 pm and 1 pm to 3.30 pm
Free admittance, but subject to retrictions
due to the pandemic
Left: „Still Life with Two Kakis II“ by Hirohata Masami 2020 © Hirohata Masami

C: = in cooperation with

Right: „Light and Space Refraction #4“ by Nicole Ahland 2021 © N. Ahland & VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2021

Venue: JDZB, if not stated other­wise (also
digital)Based on the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic, this is only a preliminary planof JDZB programs as reflected from August 2021.
Please confirm the dates and format for each event on the JDZB homepage!

For more information please refer to:https://jdzb.de22

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EVENT FORMATS OF THE PANDEMIC(1)Events in the Pandemic – Hybrid, Digital, Live?!
The JDZB was also forced to reorganize its activities due to the pandemic. Japanese language courses were the first to go online in March 2020 – and they’re
still online today, pictured are the teachers at the virtual farewell party for thecourses in December 2020 (1). The next challenge was Open House in June: cancelled to the public, a four-hour virtual program was created with pre-produced
videos, which could be watched in Japan as well (2). The first hybrid meeting inAugust 2020 succeeded with relatively simple means and a large screen in themain hall (3). After that, all meetings were held virtually using the Zoom digitalplatform, some with simultaneous interpretation (4). Exchange programs – here
the virtual introductory session for participants of the Young Leaders’ Forumthat was postponed to 2022 (5) – and cultural events also went online, here
the interactive word and movement game “Wall Game” (6). In May 2021, wewent hybrid again: At the German-Japanese Forum, the large hall resembled aprofessional TV studio (7), and at the concert “Herbstlied” (Autumn Song) in
June, musicians were able to play live in front of an audience again for the firsttime, pictured here setting up an additional livestream (8). Some events canstill be watched on the JDZB’s YouTube channel.
Conclusion: in the 18 months of Pandemic, we have tried out many new ideas
and formats and learned a lot in the process – we are confident that we will beable to continue many new hybrid and digital events and thus make ourselves
fit for the post-pandemic future. (Photos 1-8 clockwise from top left)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(8)

(5)

(7)

(6)