Newsletter of theJapanese-German Center Berlin(Japanisch-Deutsches Zentrum Berlin)
No. 134, March 2021

echo

Greetings from the Ambassador of Japan to the Federal Republic of Germany
Yanagi Hidenao

On 7 December last year, I presented
my credentials to President Steinmeier and officially began my service
as ambassador. After studying in Japan, I joined the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs in 1982, and was given theopportunity to study at the Universityof Konstanz for two years. Having
worked at the Embassy in Bonn andBerlin and serving as consul generalin Munich, I have lived in Germany forover 11 years altogether. It is my greathonor and pleasure to now return toGermany as ambassador after serving as ambassador to Jordan for justunder three years.
With regard to the Japanese-German
Center Berlin (JDZB), I was able to accompany the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) and Kansai Economic
Federation (Kankeiren) chairman
mission in November 1987 on theoccasion of the opening of theJDZB’spremises at the current embassy, an
event attended by Crown Prince Naruhito (now His Majesty the Emperorof Japan). I also have fond memories
of Prime Minister Kaifu’s visit to Berlin in January 1990, shortly after thefall of the Berlin Wall, whereby I was
one of the interpreters when he gave
a lecture at the JDZB. After this, theJDZB moved to its current location,
but I remember visiting many times
and attending seminars during mytime in Berlin between 2006 and2009. In April 2014, I visited fromTōkyō to attend a security conference.
In Germany, too, the Covid-19 pandemic has spread, and the situation
continues to be serious. In light ofsuch circumstances, on January 19
the German government put in placemeasures such as the mandatory
wearing of medical masks and thestrengthening of contact restrictions
in order to prevent further infections.
Furthermore, lockdown, including
the closure of restaurants and retailstores, has been extended. There aresome grounds for optimism, such as
the roll-out of vaccinations that beganat the end of last year, but the corona
situation will continue to be fluid andhighly unpredictable. I strongly hopethat life will have normalized somewhat by the time you read this, but I
humbly ask that you continue to pay
attention to the latest corona-related
information, including the embassy
and consulate websites, consular
emails, and the websites of the various German states, and prevent infection by all means possible.

© Embassy of Japan

Against this background, this year
is the 160th anniversary of JapanGermany relations, and although
the coronavirus necessitates some
restrictions, we would like to further
deepen cordial relations by means ofvarious events in Japan and Germany.

CONTENT
Greetings from the Ambassador
Yanagi Hidenao

Germany has around 45,000 Japanese residents and more than 1,800
Japanese companies, the largest
concentration in Europe. Grassroots
civic exchange is also widespread,with 56 Japanese-German twinned
cities, around 50 German-Japanese
associations, and more than 1600
inter-university agreements.

1-2

Interview
Crisis Communication

3

Conference Report
Arms Control

4

Exchange Program

5

Preview of Events 2021

6-7

VSJF Annual Conference8

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

EDITORIAL
Dear Readers!

On the political front, Japan and Germany are both U.S. allies and partners
that share fundamental values suchas democracy, human rights, and therule of law. In response to the challenges faced by a rules-based international order, efforts by like-mindedcountries are essential to protect thisorder. The Indo-Pacific Guidelines
formulated by the German government in September last year set out
principles such as freedom of navigation, the rule of law, and connectivity,
and are highly appreciated by theJapanese government, which advocates a “free and open Indo-Pacific”,
as a project to strengthen cooperation
with Japan. It is my hope that Japan
and Germany will work even moreclosely together in the Indo-Pacificregion in the future.
On the economic front, too, JapanGermany relations are close. Germany is Japan’s largest European trade
partner, and Japan is Germany’s second largest trade partner in Asia after
China. Japan advocates the conclusion of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) as a standard-bearer offree trade, and trade between Japanand the EU has been expanding since
the Japan-EU EPA entered into force inFebruary 2019.
Japan-Germany cooperation is also
important in the environmental andhigh-tech fields. In October 2020,
Prime Minister Kan announced Japan’s aim to be carbon neutral by
2050. Key to this are fresh innovations
such as next-generation solar cells
and carbon recycling. It is hoped that
Germany and Japan, which have great
technological prowess in the environmental field, will cooperate in driving
global green industry.

The Tōkyō Olympic and Paralympic
Games are scheduled to be held from
July to September this year. I hopethat the Games can be a sign of humanity overcoming the coronavirus
and a demonstration to the world ofrecovery after the Great East Japan
Earthquake, and that many athletes
from Germany will participate.
There are many think tanks in Germany, such as the German Institutefor International and Security Affairs(SWP), the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), the Konrad
Adenauer Foundation, and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation; there is also
the German Government’s German
Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ) in
Tōkyō, while Japan has the Japan Institute of International Affairs and theJapan Foundation. The JDZB, in cooperation with these organizations, isactively engaged in activities centeredon Japan-Germany relations, such as
co-organizing symposiums in Japan
from its base in Berlin, and, thanks
to its 30 years of activity, has beena valuable platform for intellectual
exchange between the two countries.
The JDZB also offers cultural projects,
Japanese language classes, youth exchanges, etc., and I hope that, under
new Secretary General Münch, it will
make an increasingly significant contribution as an indispensable bridge
between Japan and Germany.
The coronavirus makes it difficult topredict the future, but as I take up my
new post my wish is that Japan, Germany, and the world will overcome
this pandemic as soon as possible andthat 2021 will be a good, healthy year
for everyone.

Our new website is online! Please visit us
on jdzb.de. You will find details on upcoming events, our exchange programs andJapanese language and calligraphy courses, as well as background information on
JDZB. Past projects will be documented
with photos, videos and publications. The
relaunch of the website is being carried out
in cooperation with HTW – Hochschule fürTechnik und Wirtschaft Berlin (Universityof Applied Sciences).
To commemorate the 160th anniversary ofGerman-Japanese diplomatic contacts in
2021, we have also come up with something special: A specially created blog will
be integrated into our new website as soon
as possible, allowing us to share current
news, opinions and reflections with youin the form of texts, photos and contribution via audio and video. In this way, we
will introduce you to the activities of theJDZB and other people who are building
bridges between Germany and Japan. We
would like to provide food for thought,show potential for cooperation and initiate discussions. We are looking forward
to it – and you too can look forward to it!
For now, we hope you enjoy reading thefirst issue of this year’s jdzb echo. For his
interesting contribution to this issue wewould like to thank H.E. Yanagi Hidenao,
recently appointed to the new Ambassador of Japan in Germany. We would
like to take this opportunity to welcome
him again and look forward to our futurecooperation.
We wish you all the best, and please stayhealthy!
Dr. Julia Münch, Secretary General
Kiyota Tokiko, 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: https://jdzb.de
Library open (return and pick up with reservationonly): Tue + Wed: 11am - 0.30pm + 1 pm - 5pm;
Thu: 10 am - 0.30pm + 1 pm - 5pm

33

INTERVIEW

On 4 February 2021, the Japanese-German Center Berlin, in cooperation with theJapan Foundation, held a Japan-Germany symposium: “Crisis Communication:
Japanese and German Perspectives”. jdzb echo spoke with Prof. SEKIYA Naoya(Associate Professor, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies,
Center for Integrated Disaster Information Research (CIDIR), University of Tokyo),who participated as a panelist at the symposium.

cate facts and science-based information at theinitial stage – I think turmoil within society inthe direct aftermath is not unavoidable. Therewas some disruption in Germany too, but inJapan there were some experts who fueled
anxiety, including a few virologists critical of
the government or who created panic. How-Do methods of communication (dissemination

East Japan Earthquake, experts have played

ever, on the whole, doctors and virologists

of information) related to the covid-19 pan-a huge role in the coronavirus crisis. At thebasically have the same knowledge base, anddemic, as well as the impact and effectivenesstime of the earthquake, the main experts werewhat is said doesn’t change, so I think the dif-of these, differ in Japan and Germany?

those in the fields of nuclear power and radia-

ference is between inflaming a sense of crisis

I don’t think there’s much difference. Intion, but this time the experts were virologists

and avoiding this by playing things down.

order to keep this disease under control, theand medical personnel and I believe this to be

behavior of each individual, such as refrain-significant. I think one of the big differences

Please tell us your thoughts on attending theing from going out, is crucial, but in Japanbetween radiation and nuclear experts andonline symposium in February? Did participa-

in particular, cluster strategies, i.e. clarifying

doctors and public health professionals istion leave you with any fresh knowledge ortransmission routes, are emphasized and thethat the latter excel at dealing with patientsawareness?

focus is on identifying and tracing high-riskand communicating with them as a matter

Frankly, I was surprised that Japan’s commu-

contacts as a measure to prevent the spreadof routine.

nication and infectious disease control wereof infection. Discrimination against those

Another difference is the nature of the spe-considered successful, and that, in particular,

infected would also appear to have increased

cialism. Some nuclear experts are critical of

the “3Cs” strategy (avoid the three Cs: closed

as a consequence of the pressure to conform

nuclear power, while others are affirmative.

spaces, crowded places, close-contact settings)

being strong in Japan.

However, in the case of this coronavirus, thewas thought to be a good infection counter-In crisis communication during a pandemic

experts are generally in the fields of infectious

measure immediately after the outbreak. Inor crisis, fostering confidence in the bod-

disease treatment and public health, so theyJapan, many were critical that the Japaneseies disseminating information, such as thehave a degree of common expertise evenversion of the 3Cs weren’t understandable

government, is essential. However, in thewhen their methods of expression differ. I

or that countermeasure plans were just beingcase of Japan, the public has the experience

also think that Japanese medical personnel

drawn up at random. People were asking:of insufficient information being provided tohave a good mathematical grounding and

Why don’t we lock down like in Europe andthem during the crisis involving the accident

understanding of infectious diseases andthe U.S.? Isn’t it important to avoid social

at TEPCO’s Fukushima I nuclear power station

so were capable of communication based

contact? Rather taking half-hearted measures,

as a result of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

on comprehension of the epi curve and theeliminating social contact, as implemented

Many people remember that, and in this sortcorona infection situation.

elsewhere, was supposed to be the most directof crisis that threatens our very survival, it’s in-

Similarity lies in the media. The situation at theand effective countermeasure and there wasevitable that a conservative attitude in terms oftime of the Great East Japan Earthquake wascriticism in the early stages that a hasty 3Cs

acquiring information develops. I think there

similar in that the information transmitted bystrategy wasn’t an appropriate response to

was bound to be a tendency for the public

the media and online was disjointed and wethe coronavirus.

to be cautious about accepting information

didn’t know what to trust. At the time of the

The same goes for cluster countermeasures.

unless doubts that the government and theearthquake, a lot of contradictory information

These are not implemented in other coun-

media were providing information properlyon radiation doses, the spread of radioactive

tries, only in Japan. Essentially, social contact

could be completely dispelled.

materials, what was happening at the nuclear

must be reduced, so many were critical that

In fact, in the spring of 2020, comparisons

power plants and so on was flying around andJapan failed to implement the lockdown thatwere made to the Great East Japan Earthquake

it was hard to know what to believe. Such was

was seen as so important in other countries.

and there were discussions in the media andthe situation in spring 2020 too, with varying

Infection numbers were low in Japan. I thinkelsewhere about why this sort of thing hap-coronavirus information being disseminatedmany Japanese didn’t believe, that it was due

pens repeatedly in Japan and why the govern-– for example with regard to PCR testing,to Japan’s good infection control.

ment is incapable of properly disseminating

treatment, hospitalization – and not knowing

I was also surprised to learn that in Germany

information at such times, just like at the time

what to believe.

the Japanese government’s communicationof the Great East Japan Earthquake.

strategy was considered successful. In Japan,
What role do experts play in crisis communica-

it was rather Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mes-

Has communication been different for corona-tion following a state of emergency?

sage that was well received. I recognized once

virus than in crises such as the Great East Japan

Irrespective of country or era, there is social

again that the “grass is always greener” when

Earthquake in March 2011?

turmoil immediately after a crisis, rumors

it comes to the situation in other countries,

Comparing the two situations again, there arecirculate, and you’ll find many people panic-

and that perceptions beyond national borders

differences and similarities.

buying toilet paper. This is likely to remain the

can also be quite different.

One difference is in the dissemination of in-case. As the public’s sense of anxiety increases,

formation by experts. Compared to the Great

it is important to conscientiously communi-

4

CONFERENCE REPORT

Nuclear Disarmament, Arms Control, and Non-Proliferation.
German and Japanese Perspectives ahead of the NPT Review Conference
Nakako Hattori-Ishimaru, M.A. (Freie Universität Berlin)
This timely and interdisciplinary symposium brought together high-ranking
experts from politics, government, academia, and civil society from Germany,
Japan, and other parts of the world.
The 10th Review Conference of the
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) has been
postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19
pandemic. Ahead of this conference, thesymposium aimed to review the current
state of the multilateral nuclear order andweigh sustainable pathways to nuclear
disarmament embedded in the context
of a standstill in nuclear disarmament
and the proliferation crisis. It was organized by the Japanese-German Center
Berlin (JDZB) in cooperation with theGerman Federal Foreign Office (AA), theFriedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), and the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA).
The virtual program took place over two
consecutive days via Zoom on December
3 and December 4, 2020. The structurereflected the various areas and stakeholders of nuclear disarmament: Germany’s
and Japan’s perspectives on the first day,followed by Asia’s and Europe’s regional
viewpoints on the second day.
The program of the first day opened
with scene-setting speeches by the
representatives of JDZB, FES, and JIIA.
While we celebrated both the seventyfifth anniversary of the founding of theUnited Nations (UN) and the fiftieth anniversary of the entry-into-force of the NPT
in 2020, the speakers pointed out that
nuclear weapons still pose an imminent
threat to humanity under the turbulentchanges in the world order. All emphasized the expectations with regards tothe upcoming NPT Review Conference
and changing nuclear dynamics as theTreaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear
Weapons (TPNW) will come into force
on January 22, 2021. The TPNW, or ban
treaty, prohibits undertakings to acquire,use, develop, test, produce, and stockpile
nuclear weapons. The role of civil society,such as the International Campaign toAbolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the2017 Nobel Peace Prize winner, is crucial
in order to draw attention to the nuclear

weapons’ catastrophic humanitarianconsequences. Both Germany and Japanare non-nuclear-weapon states. They
have actively contributed to multilateral
nuclear disarmament negotiations, andboth share various challenges in their
mission to build a nuclear-free world.
Both governments and societies are responsible for contributing to progressive
as well as peace policy approaches whiletackling the complexity of their respective regional power politics and nuclear
arms controls.
For a successful Review Conference of
the NPT, both countries should invest
more resources and enhance the existing
non-proliferation framework as precious
assets. On the other hand, the dynamism
which the TPNW process has generated in the nuclear regime should not
be understated, even if both countries,
just like many European states, have notparticipated yet.

The second discussion panel widened
the scope of nuclear dynamics in a regional context of Europe and Asia. The
key questions included: what are themeasures required of US allies in order tomaintain nuclear deterrence; what is theregional impact of the current situationof the multilateral nuclear disarmament
framework. Also, what are the required
measures for nuclear arms controls inboth regions; what are national measures
for a state of both regions to address thegrowing nuclear risks; as well as possible
bilateral and inter-regional cooperation.
In the final discussion, the panel reflected on the recurring themes of theconventional nuclear deterrence regime’s
limitation in order to create stable global
peace. Motivated by the audience’s questions, the speakers delved into the different approaches toward the ban treaty
taken by several states in the regions, i.e.,
Sweden, Switzerland, Australia, and New
Zealand. All the speakers agreed that weneed to develop a more inclusive andbroader scope of nuclear disarmamentand international security.

55

EXCHANGE PROGRAM

The challenges faced by child and youth welfare professionals in Germany andJapan due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Nishimura Takayuki (Associate Professor, Hokusho University, School of Lifelong
Sports, Department of Sports Education)2020 was a year in which the whole world

important role in forming connections with

was at the mercy of the coronavirus. Thissocially disadvantaged children and parents,

ongoing pandemic is creating new social risks

thus ensuring their sense of connection withfor us: not only is everyone at risk of infec-

society and of security. In doing so, we musttion, but social anxiety, coupled with policies

maintain our own mental and physical healthdesigned to curb the explosive spread of theas we provide assistance and support, sincedisease (e.g., restrictions on movement andour own lives are also exposed to risk andshortened hours for restaurants), continues

uncertainty because of the corona crisis. The

to have serious negative impact on our lives

seminar highlighted the importance of creat-(unemployment, hardship, domestic violence,

ing a working environment that emphasizes

homelessness, suicide, etc.). It should not be

the care of staff to help them cope with ev-

forgotten that these risks affect the sociallyeryday stress.

disadvantaged in particular: women, single
parents, the elderly, people with disabilities,

Fears of widening inequality

non-regular employees, the poor, foreign-

The online seminar also addressed the limits

ers, etc..

of aid and support. There are disparities
here among local governments and regions.

Aid and support that continues to connect

Children and parents in rural cities with poor

people to each other and society

infrastructure have little opportunity to ben-

At the online seminar of “German-Japaneseefit from remote aid and support. In socially

Study Program for Child and Youth Welfare

disadvantaged families, especially those withProfessionals” in December 2020, participants

several children, it is difficult to create environ-actively shared their corona-related experi-ments for quiet study. Moreover, unemploy-

ences. With in-person developmental aid

ment has increased because of the crisis and,and support greatly constrained, the focus

in Japan, women in non-regular employmentof exchange and discussion was on how

have been greatly affected. In particular, many

practices have been developed to prevent thesingle mothers in part-time or irregular em-

isolation and mental/physical strain of sociallyployment are experiencing financial distress,

disadvantaged children and parents. We havenor can we overlook these same negative

worked through trial and error to provide vul-

effects on the family income of dual-income

nerable children and parents with information

households. Even middle-class families whoon infection prevention and with resources

can weather the situation in the short term

for social education activities, such Christmas

are in the precarious situation of not know-

tree decoration kits and videos for physicaling when they might fall into poverty due toexercise at home, and has maintained “remote

unemployment, the decline in the part-timeassistance and support” by being in touch

incomes of the mothers or even a decrease

regularly with messages such as “I’m look-in the income of the family’s male, full-time

ing out for you”. With youth facilities closed,

earners. The increased social risk caused by theoutreach-type support has been provided bycorona crisis not only creates further economic

visiting places where young people gather,disparities between people, but also acceler-

and while many of the events planned at theates the decline of a society where people canbeginning of the year have been canceled,live with peace of mind.

practical initiatives and “in-person aid andsupport” are being resumed in those facili-

Towards actors in civil society who fightties (mainly in Japan) that are available underagainst social exclusion

infection-preventative conditions.

In the “With Corona” age, the generous

The smallest units of society – the family – areprovision of aid and support in the fields

under enormous pressure to cope with theof education, welfare, and labor is essentialsocial situation caused by the corona crisis.

for the inclusion of socially disadvantaged

In the hybrid practice described above, whichchildren and parents in society. And in such

utilizes the social workers’ skills, we play antimes of instability, we must pursue assistanceand support (universal services) in parallelwith urgent, targeted services to help people
divided by social strata re-connect through theactivities of a diverse civil society. The key isthe development of civil society-based actors
for solidarity against social exclusion. While inGermany in 2019, I learned that German society is rooted in the philosophy and practiceof enabling the social participation of children
and young people through youth activities inlocal communities. It is difficult to develop apractice that encourages social participation
when circumstances make coming together in
one “place” a challenge. So that we as childand youth welfare professionals from bothcountries can better dedicate ourselves tothis task, I hope that we can build a GermanJapanese network for mutual support, anddevelop and exchange best practices, newfindings and ideas.

The author is participant in the GermanJapanese Study Program for Child and YouthWelfare Professionals, which is funded by
the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior
Citizens, Women and Youth and the Japanese
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Scienceand Technology. The annual theme changes every three years. Since 2019 it has been “Poverty
in Childhood and Youth: Challenges and Solutions”. The JDZB is responsible for implementing
the program on the German side, while the
National Institution for Youth Education was
responsible on the Japanese side in 2019.

6

OTHER EVENTSPREVIEW OF EVENTS 2021

Conferences by
Focal Areas
Global Responsibility“Women can do anything” said Federal Minister for Family Affairs Franziska Giffey at the virtual
symposium “25 Years of the Beijing Declaration and Five Years of Agenda 2030: Progress in
the Policy Field of Gender Equality in Japan and Germany” at the JDZB on 4 and 5 March 2021
(pictured right, left Hayashi Tomoko, Director-General; Gender Equality Bureau, Cabinet Office).
In the run-up to International Women‘s Day, renowned speakers took stock of successes, lack ofprogress and possible solutions for equality in politics and the world of work in both countries.
In addition to the Director of the UN Women Japan Liaison Office, Ishikawa Kae, and the German
Ambassador to Japan, Ina Lepel, development cooperation experts provided insights into Japan
and Germany‘s commitment to promoting equality at the international level.
Prof. Dr. Ute Klammer (University of Duisburg-Essen) addressed the “fragility of egalitarian rolemodels” in view of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives of men and women, while
Prof. Dr. Shirahase Sawako (Tokyo University) spoke pointedly about how women are morestrongly affected by the negative consequences of the pandemic due to structural inequalities.
The speakers agreed, however, that the crisis also brings with it opportunities for social change
toward greater equality. The task now is to take advantage of these opportunities.
The JDZB will continue to place the topic of “gender equality” on its agenda.

Security Policy Workshop, Track 1.5
C: Federal Foreign Office, Berlin; Ministryof Foreign Affairs, Tōkyō; Konrad-AdenauerStiftung, Berlin; The Japan Institute of International Affairs, Tōkyō
Date: 19 May 2021
Conference: Global Health IV
C: National Center for Global Health andMedicine (NCGM, Tōkyō); Waseda University;
Alexander von Humboldt University, Berlin;
Heidelberg University/Heidelberg Institute of
Global Health (HIGH); Association of Researchbased Pharmaceutical Companies, Berlin
Date: To be confirmed in 2021, in Tōkyō
Symposium: The Role of Japan and Germany in a Changing World Order
C: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS, Berlin);
German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP, Berlin), Asia-Pacific Initiative(API, Tōkyō)Date: To be confirmed in 2021, in Tōkyō

Sustainability and theEnvironment

Japan quiz of Senior Class 2 at the digital graduation ceremony of the JDZB’s Japanese and calligraphy courses on 9 December 2020. The annual celebrations could not take place in person at the
JDZB due to COVID-19 – nevertheless numerous participants* from all course levels participatedwith their own presentations and had lots of fun.

10th Meeting of the German-Japanese Expert
Council on Energy Transition
C: Hennicke Consult, Wuppertal; ECOS Japan
Consult GmbH (Osnabrück); Institute forEnergy Economics Japan (IEEJ, Tōkyō); Federal
Ministry of Economics and Energy (BMWi, Berlin); Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry(METI, Tōkyō) (by invitation only)
Date: 13-14 September 2021
Symposium: The Role of Digitization in
Sustainability
C: German Economic Institute (IW, Cologne);
Fujitsū Ltd., Tōkyō
Date: October 2021, in Tōkyō

Demographic Change

MAUERSPIEL: An interactive word and movement game held as a workshop with the Japanese
performer Tezuka Natsuko (top left) in the Zoom version on 15 and 16 December 2020, in cooperation with the Japan Cultural Institute Cologne (The Japan Foundation). Participants experienced
how to communicate when you don‘t know the language of the other person.

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 2021, in Tōkyō

77

PREVIEW OF EVENTS 2021

Conference: Aging and Care in German andJapanese Communities
C: German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ,
Tōkyō); Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Tōkyō office
Date: November 2021, in Tōkyō

Culture and Change
German-Japanese Architects Dialog
C: Association of German Architects, Berlin;
Technical University Dortmund; Technical
University Berlin
Date: To be confirmed in 2021

Digital Transformation
Symposium: Hello Japan! How to establish
Transcontinental SME Collaboration
C: Shinshū University, Nagano; German
Research Ambassadors Network for Industrial Technology Endeavors (GRANITE) of the
Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information
Technology (FIT, St. Augustin)
Date: 25 May 2021
French-German Dialog on Japan II: AI and
Health
C: France-Japan Foundation of the École desHautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS,
Paris); Duisburg-Essen University
Date: 16-17 September 2021, in Paris
Conference: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Legal Areas and Legal Norms
C: German-Japanese Association of Jurists(DJJV, Hamburg)
Date: 19 November 2021, in Tōkyō

State, Economy, Governance
VSJF Annual Conference: Continuity andChange 10 Years after 3.11.
C: Association for Social Science Research on
Japan (VSJF)
Date: 19 March 2021
Conference: Olympia 2020: The Importance of Major Sporting Events for Society,
Politics and the Economy

String Quartet and Harp
Verus String Quartet (Tōkyō) meets MariePierre Langlamet (Harp, Berlin Philharmonics)
Date: 21 September 2021

Special Project
Symposium: Progress in the Policy Fieldof Gender Equality in Japan and Germany
Date: 4-5 March 2021
29th German-Japanese Forum
C: Japan Center for International Exchange(JCIE), Tōkyō; Federal Foreign Office, Berlin;
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tōkyō
Date: 20-21 May 2021

Concert with contemporary compositions:Inoue Satoko (piano), Maurizio Barbetti(viola) and Hartmut Schulz (vocal/bariton)
Date: 22 October 2021

Workshop talk„Contemporary Music“ Ensemble Horizonte
and the composer Itō Miyuki
Date: 4 May 2021, 6 pm

Cultural Events

Japanese Courses

Exhibition

Due to the Covid 19 pandemic, all courses will
be held online until further notice.

Dialog Exhibition “Silent Shadows”
Paper Reliefs by Iso Masko and Installations
by Wolf Kahlen
Duration: 25 September 2020 until 7 May 2021
“The rain falls and the ground hardens”
Sculptures and installations by Akimoto
Naomi and Claudia Schmacke
Duration: 31 May until 22 July 2021
“Good Morning My Moon”
Photographs by Nicole Ahland and glass
sculptures by Hirohata Masami Duration:
August until the end of October 2021

Calligraphy Courses
Due to the Covid 19 pandemic, all calligraphy
courses are suspended until further notice
Please check our website (https://jdzb.de).

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:

C: German Institute for Japanese Studies ( Tōkyō)Date: 17 June 2021

“theory of everything”
Pictures and installations by Yamamoto Noriko and Kornelia Hoffmann
Duration: November 2021 until January 2022

Symposium: The Future of Democracy I:
Conservatism and Populism
C: Seinan Gakuin University, Fukuoka; DuisburgEssen University; Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (Berlin)
Date: 31 August 2021

ConcertSymposium: Depressive in the Crisis? Sociopsychological Impacts of the Pandemic
C: German Center for Research and Innovation(DWIH, Tōkyō)Date: 10 June 2021, in Tōkyō

Ensemble Horizonte “Dialogs on Nature”
Contemporary Compositions from Germany
and Japan
Date: 2 September 2021

“AUTUMN SONG” Concert with Members of
the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie
C: Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, Frankfurt
a.M.; Werner Reimers Foundation, Bad
Homburg
Date: 9 June 2021

Based on the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic, this is only a preliminary planof JDZB programs as reflected from March 202.
Please confirm the dates and format for each event on the JDZB homepage!

https://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:https://jdzb.de --> Events
For information on JDZB lan­guage
courses please refer to:
http:s//jdzb.de--> Japanese Courses

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CONFERENCE OF THE GERMAN ASSOCIATION FOR SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH ON JAPAN (VSJF)

VSJF Annual Conference 2021: Continuity and Change 10 Years after 3.11
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of
the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and thesubsequent catastrophe at the Fukushima
Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011, the
VSJF Annual Conference 2021 focuses on
the long-term effects of the triple disasteron Japanese politics and society.
The one-day online conference offers threepanels, which are devoted to change andcontinuity in energy policy (1), life in the
Tōhoku areas hit hardest by the triple disaster (2), and interactions between civilsociety and the state (3).
How has Japans energy policy changed
since nuclear power became associatedwith images of deserted regions, exploding
nuclear reactors, and leaking radiation?
Panel (1) ‘Change and Continuity in Energy
Policy’ will focus on these questions anddiscuss the policy field affected more thanany other by the triple disaster.
Panel (2) ‘Tōhoku – Life between Nuclear
Radiation and Reconstruction’ turns to thesocietal and political responses to 3.11 in
the region hit hardest by the triple disaster.
Panel (3) ‘Civil Society and the State after
3.11’ discusses change in the socio-politicallandscape in which Japan’s nuclear energy
policy is situated.
Photos right from:
Julia Gerster and Anna Niemann

The temporary library of Shichigahama (Miyagi Prefecture) was one of five projects supported by donations from the JDZB following the triple disasterof March 2011. The other projects were:A workshop of the National Institution for Youth Education (NIYE),
The Miyagi Prefecture Agricultural Secondary School,
Musical instruments for three middle schools in Sōma (Fukushima Prefecture),
A holiday in Germany for young people from Iitatemura (through the Japanese-German Society in Fukushima).