Newsletter of theJapanese-German Center Berlin(Japanisch-Deutsches Zentrum Berlin)
No. 132, September 2020

echo

Japan and Germany after Covid-19 – A New Reality?
Dr. Martin Schulz (Chief Policy Economist, Fujitsu Ltd., Tōkyō)Both Germany and Japan are wellplaced to meet the challenges of theCovid-19 pandemic on the basis ofdifferent “analogous” systems andpolicies. In doing so, policymakers
in Japan relied on the “resilience”
of its social system, which has long
been prepared for “flu” epidemics bywearing masks, keeping personal distance and adhering to hygiene regulations, and was able to contain the
spread even without “lockdowns”.
Germany, on the other hand, reliedon the “robustness” of its health andresearch systems, which, with many
tests and intensive care beds, waswell able to treat a higher proportionof illnesses.
However, these traditional strengths
were not enough to overcome thecrisis. In order to remain operational
despite physical distancing, companies and households relied on thepossibilities offered by comprehensive “digitalization” of the living
and working environment. The experiences of the Covid-19 crisis thus
coincide with long-term strategies inJapan and Germany focused on striving for comprehensive digitization,and not only to create new economic
growth but also to improve the quality of life.
In contrast to concepts such as “Industry 4.0” and “Society 5.0”, whichstarted digitization in the official
corporate and government sectors
and were therefore not very success-ful, the digitization of the Covid-19
crisis took place predominantly inthe private sector and was therefore
very successful. Ultimately, nothingelse happened except the consumer
platforms of the younger generation(such as Facebook, Skype and Amazon) suddenly spread to the businesssector and the older generation.
The “new reality” after the Covid-19
crisis therefore differs from the “normality” that preceded it primarily
through comprehensive digitization,
which is no longer perceived as aparallel world, but has arrived at thecore of social processes. Companies
now plan “new” digital work andproduction processes not just sporadically for a few efficiency gains, but
at the core of their business models
and relationships. The same applies topublic administrations, which before
the Covid-19 crisis still treated theareas of sustainability and digitization
as largely separate. The EU Commission’s “Green Deal”, for example,
which also included regional development and infrastructure, stoodalongside a “data strategy” that was
intended to promote comprehensive
data exchange, security and technology developments such as AI. This
separation is now being removed.
“Green” is now no longer seen asa limitation of the analogue world(emissions), but as an extension of thedigital world with all its possibilities
for increasing efficiency, resilience,robustness and quality of life.

© Embassy of Japan© GermanEmbassyMetzler
Tōkyō© Bankhaus© Fujitsu Ltd.

This applies in particular to the entire
field of transport, which was particularly affected by the “shock” of Covid-19. Here, telework suddenly replaced the commute to work, zoom
replaced meeting rooms and e-commerce replaced the central departCONTENTJapan and Germany after...
Martin Schulz

1-2Interview
Autonomous Driving

3

Making of
Virtual Open House

4-5

Exchange Program
Online Seminar

6

Preview of Events 2020

7

Cultural Events in Autumn

8

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

INTERVIEWEDITORIAL

33

Dear Readers!

ment stores and malls. Interestingly,
the consequences of these changes
were neither easy to predict nor particularly linear. While the transport
sector initially came to a standstill,
urban logistics boomed. While many
part-time workers lost their jobs, the“gig economy” boomed in all areas
where work could already be done
digitally. While public transport was
restricted, not everyone got into thecar, but got on a bike or walked.
While international companies were
hit hard with closed borders andinterrupted supply chains, they had
the tools for virtual working methods
and only had to transfer them to the“local area”.
Many things must therefore be
reimagined for the new reality. Now
that telework, online meetings ande-commerce have become normal,
the question arises why should wereturn to the office or to the department store. The answers will be different than before. We go to work
because there we have space andtechnology (machines) that we can’t
have at home. Above all, however, wemeet colleagues there to exchange
ideas more intensely than is possible
online. We go on business trips inorder to gather a comprehensive
impression on location and to build
personal relationships. We go to thedepartment store or the mall to see
and touch objects, be inspired byexperts and take part in events.
This “reimagining” has serious consequences for many industries. The
German automotive industry, forexample, is experimenting with“sharing” concepts that ensure cars
can play a role even if the enormous
amount of space used in cities forparking and thoroughfares is to belimited. The Japanese car industry isgoing one step further and thinking
about completely new urban concepts. For example, cars are plannedon the basis of simple chassis withindividually designable passenger
areas (“pod”), which can be usedby flexible service providers, fromdoctors to coffee shops to retailers,to develop variable marketplacesand “mobile communities” in cities
that are significantly car-free but evenmore mobile.
The development of such “Smart
Cities” is by no means just a dreamof the future. With its “Morgenstadt”
initiative, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
is pursuing innovative urban concepts that have already been successfully implemented and will become
even more popular in the “newreality”. Toyota is not only thinking
about new mobility design, but isalso building a Smart City (“Woven
City”) itself, in which new mobility
and work concepts can be tried andtested.
The actual “lived” urban concepts
also speak for major shifts in the “newreality”. For example, the greateruse of social media and e-commerceamong the younger generation has
significantly increased the proportionof those who build their lives aroundtheir homes, their “neighborhoods”.
The younger generation in Tōkyō hasfor years been making significantly
fewer daily trips. In 2015, the 20 to
29-year-olds made only 1.4 daily trips
compared to 2.1 in 1992, while theolder generation lead a more active
life at the same time. For example, the70-79 year olds made 1.6 trips compared to 1.2 earlier. In a reversal ofearlier mobility patterns, 30-39 year
olds now also make fewer daily trips
than the retired generation. Thereis no doubt that systems providing“Mobility as a Service” (MaaS), where
we shift away from personally-owned
modes of transportation and towards
mobility provided as a service, will be
among the winners of the new reality
in this environment.

How were your summer holidays this year?
Hopefully, you have spent them safely andpleasantly, even if you have not been able
to travel abroad.
This issue starts with an article by the Chief
Policy Economist of Fujitsū Ltd., Dr. Martin
Schulz, with many references about the
emerging of a “new reality” in the time
post Covid-19. Dr. Schulz is co-organizerof the symposium “The New Normal: New
Mobility and the Future of the City”, which
will take place on 24 August. I would like toinvite you to tune in via Zoom or YouTube
to get an insight view of the changes inmobility in Japan and Germany post Covid-19, urban planning and others.
The annual Open House took place on
13 June. The JDZB-staff did not want tocancel the day because of coronavirus related restrictions and made a real effort torealize it virtually. I was very happy about
the lively contributions of the participantsof our exchange programs and Japanese
courses, who sent us contributions produced at home.
Starting this autumn, the JDZB will adapt
to the “new reality” and offer hybrid
events from the big hall and via video. I
am looking forward to this new form of exchange, which is not tied to any location.
Next year is the 160th anniversary year of
establishing German-Japanese relations.
Despite the ongoing coronavirus crisis, theJDZB will continue to promote GermanJapanese exchange as well as international
exchange – I thank you for your ongoingsupport here.
Kiyota Tokiko
JDZB Deputy 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: http://www.jdzb.de
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Thu: 10 am - 0.30pm + 1 pm - 5pm

On 8 October 2020, the JDZB in cooperation with the Ecole des Hautes Etudes
en Sciences Sociales (EHESS, Paris) will hold the first French-German Dialogue
on Japan on the topic “Autonomous Driving – Perspectives in Japan, France andGermany”. The following is an interview with Dr. Armin Grunwald, Professor ofPhilosophy and Ethics of Technology at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)and Head of the Institute of Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) at
KIT as well as the Office of Technology Assessment at the German Bundestag (TAB).
Could you please start by explaining what
exactly “autonomous driving” is and what
advantages and disadvantages have become
apparent in the course of its development?
The history of the automobile is a history of
automation. Parking aids and lane keeping
systems are already established, not to mention automatic transmissions and the antilock braking system for emergency braking.
Autonomous driving is at the end point of thisdevelopment. In its full expression, an autonomous car would drive from A to B completely
independently. In other words, it would determine the route, observe traffic rules on theroad, cope with ice and snow on the road andmake the right decisions at lightning speed
to deal with unexpected situations. This is an
ideal situation with many advantages: people
can read books; watch films or just doze offon the road instead of having to constantly
concentrate on the traffic. Road traffic would
be much safer because, unlike humans, onboard computers obey rules, do not exceed
speed limits and do not drink alcohol. Afterall, over 90% of road accidents are caused byhuman error. Mobility impaired people would
get better access to transport. Unfortunately,
it doesn’t quite work this way yet. Road traffic is incredibly complex, unlike flying. And
it’s not the motorways, rather urban traffic isthe big challenge. And there are still a whole
series of ethical and then legal questions to beclarified, especially with regard to responsibility and liability.
What is the division of tasks between humans
and technology? After all, decisions are being
made by technical systems where it doesn’t
seem clear who is ultimately in control.
In an autonomous vehicle, the question oftask distribution doesn’t arise. Because the carwould drive completely independently andwould have neither steering wheel nor accelerator or brake pedal. However, the question
makes sense for semi-autonomous cars thatcan drive autonomously as well as be operated
by humans. If it were not clear here who is incontrol, they would never be registered. Because questions of responsibility and liability
would have to be answered quite differently
in each case. If the person is in control, thenthat person is responsible and can be held

liable. But when the on-board computer isdriving, the human being is only a passenger
like in a taxi and has no responsibility. Instead,in the event of an incident, the manufacturer,
the operator or the owner would have to beliable. Legal certainty requires that this is clear
at all times who is in control. This must also
be documented in a way that will stand up in
court. This is also what the Ethics Committeeof the Federal Ministry of Transport demanded
for autonomous driving in 2017.
How can ethical problems be classified from thepoint of view of technology assessment, or to put
it another way: where does the human being
stand in the face of increasingly autonomous
technology?
Ethical problems are often illustrated by theexample of dilemma situations: in city traffic, a child suddenly runs out into the street
between parked cars, but avoiding would
lead to a head-on collision with an oncoming small car. In situations of this kind, there
are no good solutions, only the choice of thelesser of two evils: running over the child or
risking a head-on collision? Such questions
are good for doctoral theses in ethics. Fromthe perspective of a technology assessment,
however, the first thing to be said is that thisproblem, which sounds so dramatic, is only
an artificial problem. Dilemma situations do
not exist de facto, or they are so rare that
there is no information about them. Our great
ethical problem with road traffic are accidents,
deaths and injuries that occur in day-to-day
operations, they are by no means dilemma
situations. Secondly, it would be completely
pointless to program the on-board computer
for the situation described above. Because any
number of other dilemma situations can beinvented, and for each of them there are variants to which the program wouldn’t be able
to react to each and every one. We shouldn’t
pay too much attention to illusory problems.
Another question is where is the person
located. Specifically, it is justified when, forexample, tens of thousands of lorry drivers
become unemployed as a result of truck automation. For them, there must be alternative offers and educational opportunities at an earlystage. Beyond that, of course, this too is moreof a sham question. Because if people are no© KIT

longer sitting behind wheels themselves in the
future, then they can do something else for
their livelihoods. Perhaps that would be muchbetter than being at the mercy of traffic all thetime, getting angry with other drivers, having
to cope with bad weather and finally arriving
at their destination aggressive and irritable.
How far advanced is the technology or its introduction – there are already trials and tests
on the road – is there any evidence of social
acceptance in the three countries?
Autonomous cars exist as prototypes and intrials, but not in normal operation. People
have always been in charge there. Under
good conditions, for example on American
highways, autonomous cars have covered
many millions of kilometers without accidents. However, there have already been
two fatalities. Not because technology failed,but because people thought it could do toomuch. In Europe, legislative changes haveopened the way for autonomous cars undercertain conditions. Just a few years ago, there
was great optimism in some circles that largescale market entry could take place around2020. This is no longer the case today. Mastering the complexity of road traffic is sucha major challenge that rash steps are out of
the question. Nor would it be in the interestof the automobile companies if they were toenter the market with immature autonomous
cars, which would then lead to considerable
problems and negative headlines. I welcome
the fact that more realism and a sense of
responsibility have come into play here. This
will also be good for acceptance. Indeed, if
the technology works properly, it will be more
readily accepted by sectors of the population
as a welcome extension to the range of transport options. This does not apply to specificcountries, but across the board.

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MAKING OF VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE

Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we were unable to hold this year’s Open House on 13 June in its usual format. Instead, we streamed a virtual Open House with many online offerings live via the JDZB Facebook page; the individual
contributions could also be seen at the same time via our YouTube channel.
Creative director (camera + editing): Fanny Harlan, photographer and working at the JDZB library
Photos page 4 from above:
Welcoming Address by Deputy Secretary-General, Kiyota Tokiko
Introduction to the Japanese language by the Head of JDZB Language Services, Sekikawa Fujiko
Reading “Die Pupsbraut” with Makino Hitomi (DJJA) and Jörg Reinowski (project management)
Heartly wishes from the German-Japanese Youth Exchange (DJJA), Makino Hitomi and Miura Nauka
Photos page 5 from above:
Drawing Manga figures with Karin Nagao
Exercise method KaQiLa with Tamaki – Miura Nauka and Sekikawa Fujiko joining in(left) Shodō Calligraphy with Minagawa Saiu / (right) Origami Paperfolding with Dr. Almuth Wiedemann
Streaming works with Sascha Lück (press and public relations) and Stephan Neumann (IT/EDV)In addition: Cloth knotting techniques with Furoshiki with Wakita Keiko; flower arrangements Ikebana with Bärbel Kessenbrock and Kitagawa Takako; reports and testimonials of participants of all exchange programs of the JDZB; Interview
with Kyle Egret and Matsubara Katsuhiko, both artists of the current exhibition “Lost in Transfomation”; information about
Japanese courses and testimonials of two participants; music by Nakamura Tempei (four concert recordings).
Photo middle bottom:
Cheers everyone, it’s a wrap for this year! Celebrating a successful program - see you next year live on location at the JDZB!

55

6EXCHANGE PROGRAM

Conferences by
Focal Areas

Online Seminar for Participants of the German-Japanese Study Program for Children and Youth Services Professionals 2020
Claudia Mierzowski, International Youth Policy Cooperation Officer at IJAB –Fachstelle für Internationale Jugendarbeit der Bundesrepublik Deutschland e.V.
Next year the German-Japanese Study
Program for Children and Youth Welfare
Professionals will celebrate its 50th anniversary. This is a remarkably long periodof time over which numerous German
and Japanese experts from the youth sector have received valuable professional
ideas through discussions and exchanges
with colleagues from the partner country.
Networks have been established at boththe professional and private level, andrepeatedly these have led to long-term
partnerships from which entire organisations, including youth of both countries,
have benefited. In summary, this program
has been an important and enduringbuilding block of German-Japanese relations over the decades. Funded by theGerman Federal Child and Youth Plan,from its inception this study program has
been executed by the IJAB - Fachstelle fürInternationale Jugendarbeit der Bundesrepublik Deutschland and for the past 15
years in cooperation with the JapanischDeutsches Zentrum Berlin.
This spring we were planning for 16
experts to visit Japan and participate ina two-week intensive exchange program
dealing with topics of media and poverty,
which would have been organised by theJapanese partner organisation NIYE (National Institution for Youth Education). In
keeping with past practices, a two-day staywith a host family would have been part ofthis exciting program as well. However, theGerman-Japanese Study Tour to Japan also
fell victim to the effects of the Covid-19
pandemic and was cancelled.
Nevertheless, IJAB and the JDZB wanted
to give the German participants, who had
been accepted into the Study Tour at the
beginning of the year, at least some initialinsights into Japan. Via an online seminar
held at the beginning of June, participants
were able to familiarise themselves withthe socio-cultural and political conditionsin Japan as well as the organisational
structure of children and youth welfare
services and the living situation of young

people - this would normally be part of a
two-day preparatory seminar. This sort ofbackground information on the partnercountry plays an important role in learningfrom each other. Contextual knowledge isimportant for participants to classify andunderstand technical aspects, discourses
and practical approaches in the work withchildren and youth they are learning more
about. The online seminar was designed toprovide participants with the informationand knowledge they needed for a morein-depth examination, including specifictopics. At the same time, the participants
were also given the space for mutual discussions and of course opportunities to
get to know each other.
Using the potential of virtual seminars
The event concept allocated two hours ofthe virtual meeting to be exclusively available for questions and discussions. The
lectures by Eder-Ramsauer (Freie Universität Berlin), Dorothea Wünsch (IJAB) und
Miura Nauka (JDZB) were pre-recorded
as 15-25 minutes videos in several parts,and sent to the participants in advance.
This gave them a week to familiarize themselves with the contents and also an opportunity to research further information
and reflect on individual aspects. Anotheradvantage of this delayed approach also
became evident: the usual preparation
seminars seek to cover many different
types of content and it goes without saying that the lectures and the respective
thematic priorities must be handled withlots of judgment. Aspects that can only betouched on briefly or for which there is notime for more intensive discussions regularly occur. This approach not only gave
more time to digest the contents of thelectures, but also allowed more time fordiscussions - and participants made ample
use of this. There is no question that moretime could have been filled addressing all
the participants’ queries. What are thetopics affecting Japan’s youth? What does
youth participation look like in Japan? How
does inclusion work in education? What
are the differences between Germany and77

PREVIEW OF EVENTS 2020

Global Responsibility© Mierzowski

Japan in social security systems for families
or children and youth? How is extracurricular education digitized? And how are
media educators trained in Japan? These
were only a few of the questions that were
lively discussed with the speakers during
the two-hour session.
Of course, this sort of format cannot be
a substitute for what an actual study
tour can offer, which after all is much
more than just collecting and processing
information. Discussions and encounterswith colleagues from the partner country
are missing here. Professional learning is
also more intensive during a study tour
when personal conversations with colleagues from the partner country takeplace – even if they are led outside of theofficial program - not only are new things
are experienced, but our own approaches
are tested as well.
Nevertheless, the online seminar provided
a good platform for an initial immersion into Japan. In times when an actual
encounter is not possible, it is especially
important to offer alternative opportunities to learn about the partner country andencourage further discussions. The feedback from the participants at the end of
the seminar confirms how successful thiswas. And it was exciting anyway for IJAB
and JDZB to open up new didactic paths.
After the summer break, topic-specificseminars will follow for the two specialists’ groups on the focal points “Media
environment of youth” and “Poverty inchildhood and youth”.

Virtual Panel Discussion:
After the US Election: Rebuildinga Sustainable International Order– what Roles and Responsibilities
for Germany and Japan?
C: Konrad Adenauer Foundation(KAS), Tōkyō Office; German Institute for International and Security
Affairs (SWP), Berlin
Date: Beginning of November 2020,
in TōkyōConference: EU-Japan Relations:
Beyond the Strategic Partnership
Agreement
C: European Advanced Research
Network (EJARN), Stockholm Schoolof Economics; Freie Universität Berlin
Date: 26-27 November 2020
Conference: Disarmament andthe Role of the United Nations:
German and Japanese Perspectives
C: Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Berlin
Date: to be confirmed in 2020
Symposium: Global Health IV
C: Global Health Center (GHC),
Graduate Institute of Internationaland Development Studies, Geneva;
National Center for Global Healthand Medicine (NCGM), Tōkyō
Date: to be confirmed in 2020, in
Tōkyō

Demographic Change
Symposium: “Active Aging” in the
Digital Age
C: German Institute for JapaneseStudies, Tōkyō; Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Tōkyō Office
Date: 25 November 2020, in Tōkyō

Workshop: Aging and Care in German and Japanese Communities(participation on invitation only)
C: German Institute for JapaneseStudies, Tōkyō; Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Tōkyō Office
Date: 26-27 November 2020, in
Tōkyō

Digital Transformation
Symposium: Autonomous Driving:
Perspectives on Japan, France andGermany
C: Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), Paris
Date: 8 October 2020

Cultural Events
Dialog Exhibition “Silent Shadows” Paper Reliefs by Iso Masko
and Installations by Wolf Kahlen
Opening: 24 September 2020, 7 pm
(registration essential)
Duration: 25 Sept. 2020 until 8 Jan. 2021

Concert “Flutes in Dialog”
Traditional and contemporary musicfor Shakuhachi and Recorder fromJapan with Tajima Tadashi (Shakuhachi) and Suzuki Tosiya (Recorder)
Date: 9 November 2020, 7 pm
(registration essential)

State, Economy, GovernanceJapanese Courses

Conference: Attractive for Immigrants? Migrants`Life Satisfactionin Host Countries in Comparison
C: Duisburg-Essen University
Date: 3 December 2020

The Japanese Courses are online until
further notice.
The Calligraphy Courses for adults(from 12 years) and children (from 6
to 12 years) have started with teaching in presence again. Participationis possible at any time.

Culture and Change
Architects’ Dialog „radical_modern_04“ with Lecture by Kadowaki Kōzō (Curator of the Japanese Pavillon at the Architecture
Biennale Venice 2021)
C: Association of German Architects,
Berlin; Techncal University Berlin
Date: mid-November 2020

Special Project
29th Japanese-German Forum
C: Japan Center for International
Exchange, Tōkyō
Date: 3-4 November 2020

Based on the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic, this is only a preliminary planof JDZB programs as reflected from August 2020.
Please confirm the dates for each event on the JDZB homepage!
Besides that, also the format may develop differently:
virtual, hybrid (partly online / partly with presence), with presence.

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:
http://www.jdzb.de --> Exchange Programs

Opening hours of exhibitions
Monday to Thursday 10 am to 0.30 pm
and 1 pm to 5 pm, Friday 10 am to 0.30
pm and 1 pm to 3.30 pm
Registration for the cultural events
opens close to the date

C: = in cooperation with
Venue: JDZB, if not stated other­wise
For more information please refer to:
http://www.jdzb.de --> Activities
For information on JDZB lan­guage
courses please refer to:
http://www.jdzb.de--> Japanese Courses

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8

CULTURAL EVENTS IN AUTUMN 2020

Dialog Exhibition “Silent Shadows”
Paper Reliefs by Iso Masko and Installations by Wolf Kahlen
Opening: Thursday, 24 September 2020,
7 pm (registration essential)
Duration: 25 September 2020 until 8
January 2021
Mon-Thu 10am to 0.30pm + 1pm to 5 pm,
Fri 10am to 0.30pm + 1pm to 3.30 pm
Light and shadow are the focus of this exhibition by Iso Masko and Wolf Kahlen. The
objects of focus are often of a tiny and inconspicuous size: Tiny insects (Iso) or dust
(Kahlen), almost invisible to the naked
eye or appearing inconspicuous, can castmeaningful, long shadows with the helpof light and thus gain in expressiveness.

(1)© Akihiko Iwasa© Nakamoto Hiroyo(3)

Matter or beings that are ephemeral exert
a fascination on Iso, as does that blink-ofan-eye moment that cannot be repeated.
Kahlen, on the other hand, is concernedwith the shadows cast by matter that decays into dust as “shadow of fire”. Natural
phenomena fascinate both artists and are
the source of their work.
Photo above“brandneu9” by Wolfgang Kahlen © Wolf
and Timo Kahlen, VG Bild_Kunst Bonn
Photo left
“Staub” by Iso Masko © Bernd Hiepe

Concert “Dialog of Flutes” Traditional and contemporary music for the shakuhachi and recorder from Japan with Tajima Tadashi(shakuhachi) and Suzuki Tosiya (recorder) on Monday, 9 November 2020, 7 pm (registration essential)
In this concert “Dialog of Flutes”, Tajima
Tadashi (shakuhachi) and Suzuki Tosiya(recorder), two masters of their respective instruments, will also meet here in
Berlin as part of their German tour. The
concert program includes traditional
pieces of music, which can be adapted
to each other, as well as new solo andduo works by contemporary composers.
They will perform traditional works suchas the classic Kokū (empty sky) or Shikano Tōne (distant call of a stag) as well asworks by Taira Yoshihisa, Fukushima
Kazuo or Hosokawa Toshio – a highly
exciting musical encounter between two
wind instruments that dares to bridge
the musical traditions of East and West.