The 5th Kobe University Brussels European Centre Symposium

Innovation, Environment,
and Globalisation- the Latest EU-Japan Research Collaboration Date: 14 October 2014

Image Copyright CristinaMuraca, Used under license from Shutterstock.com

Preface
I am pleased to publish this report on the 5th Kobe University Brussels European Centre(KUBEC) Symposium “Innovation, Environment, and Globalisation Latest EU-Japan researchcollaboration” which was held in Brussels on 14 October 2014. KUBEC has been holding anannual symposium in Brussels since its establishment in 2010. Since then, we have been
striving to expand our academic network in Europe and to raise the profile of Kobe University
and Japanese universities overall. In this regard, we place an emphasis on our “visibility” inEurope, by holding a number of academic workshops and seminars at KUBEC or at partner
institutions as well as the annual symposium in Brussels, which features guest speakers from
European institutions as well as Japanese universities.
The theme of the 5th symposium, “Innovation, Environment, and Globalisation” focused on
the shared challenges Japanese and EU society face as they pursue future development.
The latest research results and applications of bioproduction, membrane technology, natural
disasters and water in biological systems were introduced by both Japanese and European
researchers in the hope of establishing future collaboration using advanced technology foreach project. Furthermore, we also discussed the forefront of Japanese studies in the world as
an example of the globalisation of academic society, welcoming prominent researchers fromaround the world. As a result of this symposium, collaborative projects are under discussionor have already begun, which I hope will enhance EU-Japan research collaboration for the
betterment of our societies.

Hideki Fukuda
President
Kobe University

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The 5th Kobe University Brussels European Centre Symposium

Innovation, Environment,
and Globalisation- the Latest EU-Japan Research Collaboration Organiser: Kobe University
Co-organiser: JEUPISTE

Date & Time: 14 October 2014 9:30 - 18:00
Venue: Thon Hotel Bristol Stephanie
Avenue Louise 91-93 Louizalaan Bruxelles 1050 Brussel

Opening

9:30 - 10:00

MC: Prof. Hiroshi Takeda, Executive Vice-President of Kobe University
9:30
9:35
9:43
9:52

Opening Address: Dr. Hideki Fukuda, President of Kobe University
Speech: H.E. Mr. Keiichi Katakami, Ambassador of Japan to the European Union
Speech: Dr. Wolfgang Burtscher, Deputy Director-General, DG RTD
European Commission
Speech: Dr. Toshiyasu Ichioka, Project Manager, EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation

Session 1

10:00 - 13:30

Current Status of Bio-based Chemical Production Technology
in Japan and Europe
Session 2

14:30 - 18:00

Towards Further Development of Innovative Membrane Technology
Session 3

10:00 - 13:30

Climate Change and Water Resources Management
Session 4

14:30 - 18:00

Aquaphotomics, “Understanding Water in Biological World”
Session 5

10:00 - 18:00

Forefront Studies on Japanese Culture and Society

3Opening Speech
Dr. Hideki Fukuda
President of Kobe University

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, it is a great pleasure for me to welcome you to the 5th
Symposium of Kobe University Brussels European Centre.
Today, we have many distinguished guests in attendance, and I would like to express my sincere
gratitude in particular to our honorable guests, His Excellency Ambassador Keiichi Katakami, Missionof Japan to the European Union, and Dr. Wolfgang Burtscher, Deputy Director-General, DirectorateGeneral for Research and Innovation, the European Commission, and Dr. Toshiyasu Ichioka,
Representative of JEUPISTE. Moreover, today we have prominent researchers in attendance, inparticular we are honoured to welcome Professor Luc Montagnier from France, a Nobel Laureate. I
am grateful for everyone’s participation.
The theme of this symposium, “Innovation, Environment, and Globalisation” uses the major keywords representing the present world. BothJapan and the EU recognise that “Innovation” is critical to the further development of society. As with the EU, “Innovation” is one of the corefactors of Japan’s Growth Strategy and the role higher education in creating innovation. You will rediscover today how Japanese universities incollaboration with overseas partners are developing and creating state-of-the-art methods and technologies.
As for “Environment”, we can and also must share measures to protect the environment and address climate change. I believe and I expect thatthe contribution of research, here I might say universities, in this field is invaluable.
Finally, “Globalisation”, this is no longer a unique phenomena, but common practice to us. This naturally extends to the academic world.
This holds true in the area of natural sciences and even in humanities. You will observe how “Japan”, its society and culture, is studied byresearchers around the world, which we call forefront studies.
I hope you will discover today the essence of Japanese research eminence, which has resulted in the recent announcement of 3 new Nobel
winners in Physics adding to the previous total of 19, and enjoy this symposium as a showcase of the latest Japan-EU research collaboration
and as an opportunity to further collaboration or create new cooperation to enhance research abilities so as to better society.
I thank you all again for participating in today’s Symposium.

H.E. Mr. Keiichi Katakami
Ambassador of Japan to the European Union

Dr Hideki Fukuda,
Dr Wolfgang Burtscher, European Commission,
Distinguished participants,
Ladies and Gentleman.
It’s a great honour to be here at the 5th Kobe University Brussels European Centre Symposium.
I would first like to extend my appreciation and congratulate those who have organised this event.
Today's themes of Innovation, Environment, and Globalisation are priorities for Japan. My wish for this
symposium is that the combined contributions from academics, students and industry, will give new
momentum to Japan-EU collaboration in these fields.
I would first like to touch upon the latest developments in Japan.
As you are aware, Japan has been struggling for 15 years with chronic deflation. We are in the middle of our earnest effort to address this issue.
To this end, the Abe administration has implemented a string of policies called “Abenomics” in quick succession, and it seems these efforts are
beginning to bear some fruit.
One of the principle pillars of “Abenomics” is the new growth strategy. Under this pillar, one of the key actions that Prime Minister Abe has
stressed is “Actions for innovation.”
We need concrete actions to invoke innovation which awakens and taps the huge potential our societies should be able to enjoy.
In one response to this call and following nationwide discussion to reflect the present Japanese and global situation, Japan has created theComprehensive Strategy on Science, Technology and Innovation Plan.

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Today’s themes are at the heart of this plan, which also requires all related official bodies in Japan try to promote Science and Technology
activities.
This is just a very small example of the actions that Japan is taking at home, under Abeconomics, but this policy also has major external aspects.
Looking globally, international cooperation is essential to promote the further development of science and technology in the borderless world. I
am particularly glad to see today’s topic of globalisation reflect this.
Effective international cooperation requires strong and determined partners. I firmly believe that Japan-EU collaboration in these fields will have a
profound and positive impact, and help us to overcome the common challenges we face.
To demonstrate the evident potential in Japan-EU collaboration, I would like to briefly touch up the governmental cooperation that exists in thefield of environmental science. Namely;- Joint research and development of advanced solar cells,- Joint calls in the field of substitution of critical raw materials,- Joint efforts in cooperative support of research in the field of energy management.
Greater efforts will be needed to enhance our cooperation in all areas, and we must endeavour to make the Japan-EU relationship stronger than
before.
In our joint collaborations we must act with a sense of responsibility.
Japan and the EU have a responsibility to realise a new society, not just for us but for the whole work, which is based on the innovation andscientific knowledge.
Today’s symposium marks a golden opportunity for all academic, researchers and innovators of Japan and the EU to come together with new
wisdom, to discuss, to enhance cooperation, and to work towards a better world.
From this perspective I am looking forward to results of this symposium.
Thank you.

Dr. Wolfgang Burtscher

Deputy Director-General, DG RTD, European Commission

First of all, I would like to thank the organiser of the conference, Kobe University, for giving me theopportunity to present Horizon 2020 and the opportunities for Japanese researchers and researchorganisations to participate. I would also like to thank the co-organiser of the symposium, the BILAT
project JEUPISTE, which through its different activities is an important support in our efforts tostrengthening EU-Japan cooperation.
I am very delighted to meet with His Excellency Ambassador Keiichi Katakami for the first time, whois the new Ambassador at Japan's Mission to the European Union, and who I would like to give mywarmest welcome to Brussels. I am convinced that we will have a productive relationship.
Let me also take this opportunity to congratulate the Japanese research community for theannouncement on Tuesday 7 October of the 2014 Nobel Prize for physics, awarded to a trio of Japanese scientists for the invention of blue lightemitting diodes (LEDs). The blue LEDs developed by Professors Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura helped produce bright,
energy-efficient white light sources.
Now, let me turn to the topic of my intervention – Horizon 2020. The EU's Horizon 2020 programme (2014-2020) is the largest and most open
research and innovation funding programme in the world with a budget of nearly 80 billion euro. Horizon 2020 is open to participation ofresearchers and research institutions from anywhere in the world, to extend the frontiers of scientific knowledge, tackle challenges that affect us
all and make industries more competitive.
The focus of this symposium is on innovation, environment and globalisation. These are all key elements of Horizon 2020. Global challenges
are important drivers for research and innovation. Our planet has finite resources which need to be cared for sustainably; climate change,
environmental problems and infectious diseases do not stop at national borders, and food security is a pressing issue in many regions acrossthe globe. This calls for global responses and are drivers for international cooperation in research and innovation to build critical mass, poolknowledge and identify innovative solutions.
EU-Japan relations have developed steadily over the past two decades. The EU and Japan share many of the same challenges (energy
security, access to critical raw materials, ageing populations) and defend a similar approach to key international objectives such as security andcombating climate change. Japan is in many ways one of Europe’s closest partners on the international stage.
This is why we believe there is a strong potential for strengthened cooperation with Japan in research and innovation. As stated at the last EUJapan Summit in May 2014, together we aim for a new strategic partnership in research and innovation. We therefore strongly encourage anincreased level of participation of Japanese researchers and research organisations in Horizon 2020.

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As you may know, Horizon 2020 is fully open to international participation. We target strategic areas of cooperation with our international partnercountries and regions, in particular Japan.
We have a cross-cutting approach to international cooperation in Horizon 2020, which means that international cooperation activities permeate
all the areas of Horizon 2020: a full 20% of all topics in the first Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2014-15 have been flagged as being specifically
relevant for international cooperation. Multi-lateral approaches are also fostered and a number of 'flagship' co-funded initiatives have been
identified, such us the EU-Japan cooperation in the area of ICT.
Technically, there are two ways to cooperate with industrialised countries such as Japan in Horizon 2020:
The "General Opening " means that any organisation from any country can join a consortium and submit a proposal. We call this also the‘bottom up’ approach. The evaluation is based solely on the quality of the proposal submitted by the consortium. So far, there have been 108
participations by 50 different Japanese organisations in 79 FP7 projects.
The Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, which support international research careers, networking and mobility of researchers, have since 2007
funded 412 Japanese researchers, and 59 Japanese organisations have participated in the scheme.
In the "Targeted Opening " approach, international cooperation with specific countries is either encouraged or required in the proposal. We callthis the ‘top down’ approach.
One way of implementing this targeted opening is through "coordinated calls". The "coordinated calls" are organised jointly with fundingorganisations from third countries. This has worked well with Japan for five calls in FP7 in the fields of ICT, aeronautics, energy and criticalraw materials. In addition, during the first year of Horizon 2020, an additional two coordinated calls will be launched – one in ICT and one inaeronautics. These calls have been launched together with:− the New and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO) in new energy technologies;− the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) in new materials and critical raw materials;− the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in aeronautics; and− the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication (MIC) in ICT.
I am delighted to see that the organiser of this conference - Kobe University - already has participated in projects in the EU's frameworkprogramme in areas such as Nanotechnologies and Nano-sciences and environmental protection; in addition it is a partner in the FP7 JEUPISTE
project, which is the co-organiser of this conference.
To give you a concrete example, Kobe University was recently a partner in the FP7 project "Systemic seismic vulnerability and risk analysis forbuildings, lifeline networks and infrastructures safety gain" (SYNER-G), conducted together with partners in Europe and the US, which wasconcluded last year.
In conclusion, Horizon 2020 is ‘Open to the World’ – and we would be pleased if more Japanese researchers and research institutions will takethe opportunity to join the cooperation for the benefit of us all.
I would like to thank again the organisers for providing me this opportunity to introduce Horizon 2020 and our international cooperation policy tothis Symposium.

Dr. Toshiyasu Ichioka

Project Manager, EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation

The FP7 project “Japan-EU Partnership in Innovation, Science and TEchnology (JEUPISTE) is for thepromotion of Europe-Japan cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). The consortium
consisting of 10 partners from across Japan and Europe (including the Institute for International
Studies and Training as Coordinator and Kobe University from Japan) is engaged in wide range ofpromotional activities, such as collection of relevant data and analyses to support STI policy dialogues,
organization of information seminars for dissemination and workshops for active partnership building,operation of help desk and organization of training courses. The project started in September 2013
and will run until the end of August 2016.
http://www.jeupiste.eu
With a vision that appropriate information and support services are useful and can greatly enhance the level of EU-Japan STI cooperation, theproject has established a system for useful and comprehensive services and is extensively addressing the STI communities both in Europe andJapan towards further collaborative projects in the era of open innovation. Cooperation with relevant schemes like National Contact Point (NCP)
and the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), for which both the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation is involved, makes the activities organicand effective. Furthermore, the participation of Japanese academia in the JEUPISTE projet, namely Kobe University, complements the efforts
and active networking among the participants of the symposium was strongly encouraged.

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Session 1
10:00-13:30

Current Status of
Bio-based Chemical Production Technology
in Japan and Europe
Chair:

Prof. Kenichi Yoshida, Kobe University, Japan

Speakers: Prof. Akihiko Kondo, Kobe University, Japan
Prof. Michihiko Ike, Osaka University, Japan
Prof. Colin Webb, University of Manchester, UK
Prof. Em. Pierre Monsan, Director Cell Ex TWB, France
Prof. Roel Bovenberg, DSM/Groningen University, the Netherlands

We have become more eco-aware to live more sustainably, and thus global trends are driving an
increasing demand for bio-based chemical production. The rapid development in biotechnology is oneof the most important elements to reduce dependence on petroleum-based products and to encouragetransition to a greener way of living. Not only the scientific researches but also the intimate collaboration
between academia and industries are required to implement the newly developing technologies to therealistic productions. This session was dedicated to share our knowledge and current status of researchand development in bio-based chemical production in Japan and Europe. The two Japanese speakers,
Professors Akihiko Kondo (Kobe University) and Michihiko Ike (Osaka University), presented the highlights
in their researches going on the Japanese side, especially the former speaker impressed the audience withthe emerging progress in the Innovative BioProduction Kobe (iBioK), which is the project supported by
the Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology, Creation of Innovation Centers for
Advanced Interdisciplinary Research Areas, MEXT, Japan. Professors Colin Webb (Manchester University,UK) and Pierre Monsan (Toulouse, France) made the pair of beautiful talks on their achievements andperspectives in European bio-based chemical production. And finally Professor Roel Bovenberg (DSM/
Groningen University, NL) offered us the chance to learn the industrial vision and developing bio-based
economy in Europe.

Prof. Ken-ichi Yoshida Chair

Department of Agrobioscience,
Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University,Japan

After a Master obtained at Kyoto University in 1989, he got the position of Assistant professor at Fukuyama
University in 1990 and obtained a PhD at Kyoto University in 1993.
After a Post-Doc experience at INRA, France, from 1996 to 97, he moved to Kobe University in 2004 as
Associate professor, and was promoted to be Professor of Applied Microbiology in 2009.
He has specialized in functional genomics of bacteria including Bacillus subtilis and its relatives since thevery beginning of his career to date.
He was once awarded the prize for "Encouragement of Young Scientists" (2002) and twice the prize for"Excellent papers" from the Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry (2008 and2014).
He served in the Research Promotion Bureau in Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science andTechnology, Japan (MEXT), as a Program Officer (Scientific Research Senior Specialist) (2005-2007).
Currently he serves as well in Kobe University Brussels European Centre as one of the directors (Executive
director, since April 2014).

Prof. Akihiko Kondo

Director of Biorefinery Center, Kobe University, Japan

A. Kondo obtained his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Kyoto University in 1988. He started his academic
career at Department of Applied Chemistry, Kyushu Institute of Technology in Japan as an associate
professor. Then he moved to Kobe University in 1995 and he was promoted to a full professor in 2003. He
has developed cell surface engineering and synthetic bioengineering as core technology, and promoted
extensive research. In 2007, Kobe University established Biorefinery Center headed by A. Kondo as adirector, and he is also leading the Biomass Engineering Program at RIKEN as a team leader from 2012.
He also launched a big project “Innovative BioProduction Kobe” as vice director, which is supported by
MEXT, Japan. From 2010, A. Kondo was appointed as Editor: Journal of Biotechnology, Associate Editor:
Biochemical Engineering Journal, Editorial board members: Biotechnology for Biofuels, Bioresource
Technology, Journal of Biological Engineering, FEMS Yeast Research. Kondo received several awards,
including Iue Memorial Foundation Award (2011), Achievement Award of the Society for Biotechnology
Japan (2010), Renewable Energy 2010 Best Paper Award (2010), and Excellent Paper Award of The
society for Biotechnology Japan (1999, 2000, 2001).

“Development of microbial cell factories for biorefineries”
Abstract: To build an energy and material secure future, we mustpioneer the next generation of renewable fuels and chemicals using
environmentally benign production processes. Since biomass
represents an abundant carbon-neutral renewable resource for the
production of biofuels, numerous environmental and social benefits
could result from the replacement of petroleum-based transport fuelswith bioethanol converted from biomass. One of the key technologies
for the development of biorefineries is cell surface engineering,which is a powerful tool for engineering and functionalizing manyorganisms. Using the technology, various kinds of functional proteins,
such as enzymes, can be expressed on the cell surface without lossof cell activity. The display of amylolytic and cellulolytic enzymes on
the surface of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has accomplished directethanol production from starchy and cellulosic biomass. Moreover,the display of hemicellulase on the surface of S. cerevisiae that hasa xylose-assimilating metabolic pathway has enabled production of
ethanol from hemicellulosic materials. Furthermore, reutilization of
the cell-surface engineered yeast has an advantage in the reductionof enzyme cost, which enables reuse of enzymes on the cell surface
by collecting the cells. Thus, cell surface engineering is a promisingtechnology for the development of a consolidated bioprocess by
integrating enzyme production, saccharification and fermentation.
Regardless of the biomass hydrolysis, metabolic engineering of
microorganisms is emphasized for the efficient production of ethanolfrom biomass.

9Prof. Michihiko Ike

Professor at Graduate School of Engineering (GSE), Osaka University, Japan

Awarded MSc and PhD from GSE in 1987 and 1993, respectively.
After working for Kubota Co., joined Osaka University as an academic member.
The research focuses on technologies concerning conservation of environment and resources using
biological means.

“Enhanced production of duckweed biomass using a novel plant growth-promoting bacterium,
shinorhizobium sp. SP4”
Abstract: Duckweeds, small floating aquatic plants, have become
regarded as an ideal raw material for biorefiner y, especially
production of liquid fuels. Because they don’t compete with foodcrops for arable land, don’t need fertilizer and irrigation whencultivated with wastewater or in eutriphicated water bodies, canbe cultivated worldwide and easily harvested, and are relatively
rich in starch though the lignin content is low. To further improvethe value of duckweeds, we have isolated a novel plant growthpromoting bacterium (PGPB), Sinorhizobium sp. SP4, and its ability
to enhance the biomass production of a duckweed, Spirodela

polyrhiza, was evaluated. Co-cultivation with SP4 for a day enhanced
the photosynthesis activity of S. polyrhiza. 1.9 times, and resultantly
increased the biomass production 2.3 times during 5-day cultivation
in a synthetic medium, when compared with that of untreatedduckweed. Similar effects were observed for other two duckweeds,
Lemna minor and Wolffia arrhiza. The enhanced biomass productionof S. polyrhiza was also demonstrated in the cultivation in a nonesterile secondary effluent from a real sewage treatment plant. In thisexperiment, very efficient removal of nitrogen and phosphorous fromthe effluent was also indicated as a by-product.

Prof. Colin Webb

Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Manchester, UK

Colin Webb is Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Manchester and currently VicePresident of Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE).
He is also Editor-in-chief of The Biochemical Engineering Journal.
Colin’s research has always been at the interface between biotechnology and chemical engineering andnowadays is largely directed towards the sustainable bioconversion of agricultural raw materials and thedevelopment of integrated biorefinery systems.

“Bio-based industrial chemicals from biorefinery wastes”
Abstract: It is almost 100 years since, at the University ofManchester, Chaim Weizmann laboured in his laboratory to perfect
the acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation as the first example oflarge scale Industrial Biotechnology. We now look to Industrial
Biotechnology to supply a wealth of different products and it istechnically feasible to produce the full range of functional molecules
required to meet our chemical, fuel and material needs. The‘biorefinery’ now exists as a concept, set to challenge the dominanceof the petro-refinery in supplying our everyday needs from feedstocks
that we can rely on being available well beyond the limited supplies of
petroleum. Our challenge is to ‘engineer’ these biorefinery processes
to compete economically and key to the successful achievement of
this will be the development of integrated systems in which waste
streams are transformed into value-added products.
Much interest has been shown recently in the biological conversionof glycerol, a by-product of the biodiesel process, into commodity
chemicals, which can be used as building blocks for a variety ofvalue-added products. We have combined this strategy with the

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production of rich fermentation feedstocks from biofuel processing
by-products, such as rapeseed residues, to produce a range of
bio-based products including succinic acid, PHB and microbial oil.
The inhibitive effects of crude glycerol impurities have also beenstudied and the whole system has been modelled to enhance designpredictions.

Prof. Em. Pierre Monsan
Director Cell Ex TWB, France

Pierre F. MONSAN is Professor at Mines ParisTech and Professor Emeritus of INSA, University of Toulouse.
He heads the preindustrial demonstrator “Toulouse White Biotechnology”, with a consortium of 20
industrial and 4 financial partners.
He is member of the French Academy of Technology and of the ExBo of the EFB.

“Toulouse White Biotechnology”: a public/private consortium
Abstract: Toulouse White Biotechnology (TWB) is a pre-industrial
demonstrator in the field of Industrial Biotechnology, which was
granted €20M in 2011 by the French National Research Agency (ANR)
within the frame of the “Health & Biotechnology” call of the “Investment
for the Future” National Program. It is aimed at accelerating thetransfer of the scientific results from academic research groups,
particularly the Laboratory of BioSystems and Chemical Engineeringof INSA (350 researchers). TWB is based on a public/private
consortium gathering 20 industrial and 4 financial partners. Current

projects are in the fields of biofuels, biomaterials, biopolymers, andindustrial chemical synthons. TWB offers research and development
contracts to private companies from research to pilot scale (metabolic
pathway design, strain optimization, process optimization andscale-up). Each project is not only assessed from a scientific andtechnological, but also from a sustainable development and ethicalpoint of view, in collaboration with philosophers and sociologists fromthe Higher School of Ethics of Sciences of Toulouse.

Prof. Roel Bovenberg

DSM/Groningen University, the Netherlands

Roel Bovenberg (PhD) is Corporate Scientist Biotechnology at the Life Sciences and Material Sciencescompany DSM.
He is affiliated to the DSM Biotechnology Center, Delft (NL) and honorary professor of Synthetic Biology andCell Engineering at the University of Groningen (NL).
He studied chemistry at the University of Leiden with a focus on biochemistry and genetics followed by a
PhD at the University of Utrecht on molecular biology of human gene expression. After his PhD in 1988 hejoined the industrial biotech company Gist-brocades (Delft, since 1998 part of DSM) and started to research
the genetic-and metabolic pathway engineering of filamentous fungi for the production of antibiotics.
Since then he has been involved in a broad range of metabolic engineering and screening projects.
He coauthored >60 peer reviewed papers and patents in this field. In 2007 he was appointed as honorary
professor at the University of Groningen starting new initiatives in Synthetic Biology. He is co-founder of
the Center for Synthetic Biology and the iGEM student competition at the University of Groningen, of (inter)national programs on discovery of natural products like antibiotics and sustainable production methods
for biochemicals, participant and chair of industrial platforms in EU Framework programs, chairman of
the scientific advisory board of the Kluyver Center of Genomics of Industrial Fermentation (NL), memberof the international scientific advisory boards of Metabolic Engineering (IMES) and Genetics of Industrial
Microorganisms (GIM) conferences, member of the industrial advisory board of the Synthetic Biology
Engineering Research Center (SynBERC) and member of the World Council on Industrial Biotechnology.
He has a special interest in microbial screening technology, exploration of Fungal and Actinomycetes
genomes for novel bioactive compounds, engineering of enzymes and microbial cell factories for sustainableproduction of antibiotics and other (bio)chemicals.

“Industry vision on Biobased Economy”

Abstract: The presentation aims to give some insight into industrial
efforts to develop a biobased economy. The establishment androle of both public-private as well as private partnerships will be

discussed. Selected examples will be used to illustrate and highlightthe importance of required competences, both technical and societal,
to develop a sustainable biobased economy.

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Session 2
14:30-18:00

Towards Further Development of
Innovative Membrane Technology
Chair:

Prof. Hideto Matsuyama, Kobe University, Japan

Speakers: Prof. Koji Kuraoka, Kobe University, Japan
Prof. Toshinori Tsuru, Hiroshima University, Japan
Prof. Bart Van der Bruggen, KU Leuven, Belgium
Prof. Ivo Vankelecom, KU Leuven, Belgium
Prof. Nieck Benes, University of Twente, the Netherlands

Membrane technology is now growing and applied to various fields such as water treatment, gas
environmental protection, electronic device, medical use and so on.
In this session, three speakers each from Japan and Europe presented their latest research results andapplications of membrane technology.
Professor Hideto Matsuyama introduced Center for Membrane and Film Technology (MAFTech Center)
which he established as the first membrane center in Japan. In addition to extensive research by 5
research groups at MAFTech Center, collaboration with industry is initiated by Research Organization for
Membrane and Film Technology holding the members of 60 companies.
Following his introduction, 5 professors introduced the latest technologies: Professor Koji Kuraokapresented silica/poly (vinyl alcohol) organic-inorganic hybrid gas barrier films vis the so-gel methodby microwave irradiation and layered double hydroxide/poly (methyl methacrylate) organic-inorganic
hybrid gas barrier films. Professor Toshinori Tsuru proposed a new strategy to control pose sizes ofsilica membranes using bridged alkoxides.3-8) Bis (triethoxysilyl) ethane (BTESE), consisting of ethanegroup between 2 silicon atoms (-Si-CH2-CH2-Si-) as the minimum unit in hydrolysis and condensation
reaction. Professor Bart Van der Bruggen introduced advanced application of electrodialysis. Professor
Ivo Vankelecom presented solvent resistant nanofiltration (SRNF) as well as a new concept of biocatalytic
membrane reactor. Finally, Professor Nieck E. Benes explained the synthesis of hyper-cross-linked
ultrathin membranes. After those presentations, all members discussed those novel technologies and theirapplications, and explored the possible collaboration among those projects.

Prof. Hideto Matsuyama

Chair

Center for Membrane and Film Technology
Department of Chemical Science and Engineering,
Kobe University, Japan

Prof. Matsuyama has been working on membrane research for over 20 years.
He received B.A.Sc., M.A.Sc. and honors PhD title from Kyoto University.
In 2004 he became full professor in Kobe University.
Since 2007, he has been the director of the Center for Membrane and Film Technology which is the firstand only one membrane center in Japan.

“Cutting edge of center for membrane and film technology in kobe university”
Abstract: We established Center for Membrane and Film Technology(MAFTech Center) in Kobe University on April 2007. This is the firstmembrane center in Japan. The membrane technology is now
growing and applied to various fields such as water treatment,
gas environmental protection, electronic device, medical use andso on. Especially, water purification by the membrane has been
attracting much attention due to the worldwide water shortage. The
CO2 membrane separation is also the hot topic with respect to theprotection of global warming.
The MAFTech Center in Kobe University consists of 15 faculty
members and more than 110 students. The center consists of 5groups such as Water Treatment group, Gas Separation/Gas Barriergroup, Film Coating group, Organic Thin Film group and Membrane
Bioprocess group.

One of the main research topics of MAFTech Center is water
treatment by membrane filtrations. Serious problems occurred in themembrane water treatment is membrane fouling, which is usuallyinduced by deposition or adsorption of impurities on membranes. Our
Center focused on the comprehensive researches on the membrane
fouling.
Besides MAFTech Center, Research Organization for Membrane
and Film Technology (MAFTech Organization) was established on
July 2007. The mission of MAFTech Organization is to bridge theindustry and MAFTech Center together. Now 55 companies are themembers of MAFTech Organization. Collaboration between industry
and MAFTech Center is progressing on both education and research
fields in the support of MAFTech Organization.

Prof. Koji Kuraoka

Graduate School of Maritime Sciences, Kobe University, Japan

1993 Osaka National Research Institute, AIST, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan
2003 Associate Professor, Graduate School of Maritime Sciences, Kobe University
2014 Professor, Graduate School of Maritime Sciences, Kobe University
Research interest:
Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Materials (Gas Barrier, Separation Membranes and Biodegradable Materials)“Preparation and properties of organic-inorganic hybrid gas barrier films”
Abstract: The gas barrier property of plastic films is an importantfactor for their application as packaging materials. Transparent
inorganic coatings (SiOx, Al2O3 or other metal oxides) on plastic films
attracted the attention of many researchers in the food packaging
field due to their excellent oxygen and water vapor barrier properties,
comparable with conventional aluminum-metallized plastic films,
as well as their significant advantages in transparency, microwave
compatibility. The deposition of SiOx films on polymer films using
vapor deposition has been used for gas barrier applications in foodand pharmaceutical technologies. Recently, organic-inorganic hybrids
were also used for such applications. Incorporation of inorganic

elements at the molecular level in organic polymers has resulted in
novel properties such as improved mechanical strength and thermal
stability. Moreover, the incorporation of organic elements can likewise
improve on the brittleness of inorganic materials.
In the present presentation, I wish to introduce silica/poly (vinyl
alcohol) organic-inorganic hybrid gas barrier films via the sol-gel
method by microwave irradiation and layered double hydroxide/
poly (methyl methacrylate) organic-inorganic hybrid gas barrier films.
Preparation of the hybrid films will be indicated in detail. Propertiesof films, such as oxygen and water vapor barrier properties are also
discussed.

15

Prof. Toshinori Tsuru

Department of Chemical Engineering, Hiroshima University, Japan

Toshinori Tsuru received his Ph.D. degree in 1991 after he graduated from The University of Tokyo in 1983.
He moved to Hiroshima University in 1995, and promoted to a full professor in 2006.
He has been working on membrane science and technology for more than 25 years. His researchexperience started with nanofiltration, and has expanded to inorganic membranes, including preparation,
characterization, transport mechanism, and the applications to various fields (gas, pervaporation, reverse
osmosis).
He has been president of The Membrane Society of Japan since 2013, and also an editorial board
member in Journal of Membrane Science.

“Silica-based robust membranes for expanding liquid-phase separation”

Abstract: Amorphous silica membranes show highly permselectivity
for hydrogen; however, there still remain two technical challenges:
pore size control and hydrothermal stability.1) Castricum et al. 2)
reported hybrid silica membranes using bis (triethoxysilyl)ethane,
which showed excellent hydrothermal stability in pervaporation of
aqueous alcohol solutions. We recently proposed a new strategy tocontrol pore sizes of silica membranes using bridged alkoxides.3-8) Bis(triethoxysilyl) ethane (BTESE), consisting of ethane group between
2 silicon atoms (-Si-CH2-CH2-Si-) as the minimum unit in hydrolysis
and condensation reaction, was found to lead to loose silica
networks. BTESE silica membranes showed approximately one ordermagnitude high H2 permeance compared with previously reported
silica membranes using TEOS (tetraethoxysilane), and a high H2 to SF6
permeance ratio of more than 1,000 with a low H2 to N2 selectivity (~10).3)
Applications, including gas separation (hydrogen, organic gas3-6)) andliquid phase separation (reverse osmosis7), pervaporation8)), will be

16

also discussed. BTESE membrane showed quite high rejection for
NaCl and high stability to chlorine in reverse osmosis.

References:
1) T. Tsuru, J. Sol-Gel Sci. Technol., 46 (2008) 349; J. Japan
Petroleum Institute 54 (2011) 277.
2) H.L. Castricum et al., J. Mater. Chem. 18 (2008) 2150.
3) M. Kanezashi et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 131 (2009) 414.
4) H. R. Lee et al., AIChE J. 57 (2011) 2755.
5) G. Li et al. J. Membr. Sci. 379 (2011) 287.
6) M. Kanezashi et al. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 51 (2012) 944.
7) R. Xu et al, Langmuir 27 (2011) 13996.
8) T. Tsuru et al. J. Membr. Sci. 421-422 (2012) 25-31.

Prof. Bart Van der Bruggen
KU Leuven, Belgium

Bart Van der Bruggen is a chemical engineer by education. After obtaining his PhD at KU Leuven,
Belgium.
He worked as a visiting scientist at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, the Institute for
Membrane Technology in Calabria, Italy, and Lappeenranta University of Technology in Finland.
In 2004 he obtained a permanent position at KU Leuven in Belgium (professor since 2009), where heleads a group of 20 PhD students in the research division “Process Engineering for Sustainable Systems”
within the department of Chemical Engineering.
He authored over 240 publications in international journals (current h-factor: 42) and 25 book chapters.
He received several national and international prizes as a recognition for his work, including the Prince
Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water, 4th Award (2008-2010) in the 3rd Branch – Alternative(Non-traditional) Water Resources.
In addition to his activities at KU Leuven, he also served as Executive Editor for Journal of Chemical
Technology and Biotechnology, and as Editor for Separation and Purification Technology.
He served in the Council of the European Membrane Society (EMS) between 2006 and 2010 and wasVice-President from 2008 to 2010.
In 2012 he was re-elected for a new term (2013-2017) in the Council, where he serves as the current
President of the EMS.
Since 2014 he is also Extraordinary Professor in Tshwane University of Technology.
See also: https://cit.kuleuven.be/process/bart_van_der_bruggen“Beyond desalination: advanced applications of electrodialysis”
Abstract: Electrodialysis is a separation process that remained aniche technology for a long time, with only one important application:
desalination of brackish water. This has changed in recent years, forseveral reasons. One of these is the high interest in particularly China,
yielding not only new applications but also new membrane types.
A second reason is the development of new stack configurations
allowing for advanced separations, combined with the use of
more selective membranes. A third reason is the breakthrough ofbipolar membranes, serving as extraordinary engineering tools instack design. This presentation gives an overview of (some) new
applications that result from this evolution, in Europe as well as in
China. These are mostly focused on resource recovery, targeting
not only water recycling but rather the selective concentration andupgrading of e.g., phosphates, acids and bases, but also specificproducts in chemical and pharmaceutical synthesis and heavy metals
in waste streams from the metal plating industry. Several of thesemake use of bipolar membranes, but also classical stacks or stacks
with an alternative design can be used. Applications are describedon lab scale, pilot scale and industrial scale. Conclusions andperspectives for electrodialysis are given.

17

Prof. Ivo Vankelecom
KU Leuven, Belgium

Ivo Vankelecom graduated in 1990 as bio-engineer at KU Leuven (Belgium) where he also obtained his
PhD in 1994 on "Inorganic Porous Fillers in Polymer Membranes". He subsequently worked as postdoc at
KU Leuven, at Beersheva University (Israel) and at Imperial College (London, England). Since 2002, he isprofessor at KU Leuven teaching Membrane Technology, Adsorption and Chromatography. He has morethan 20 peer-reviewed papers, 1 spin-off and 18 patents.

“Molecular design of membranes for SRNF, GS and MBRs”
Abstract: Solvent resistant nanofiltration (SRNF) is a quite recent
development in membrane technology where molecular separations
can take place in organic media. Crosslinked polyimide membranes
will be presented, in addition to 2 new approaches to prepareinterfacially polymerized solvent-stable membranes: by using ‘Click’
chemistry and by using a method where support impregnation andsupport crosslinking happen simultaneously. Finally, UV-stabilised
SRNF-membranes will be discussed as well as the use of ‘green’

solvents in membrane preparations.
In the field of gas separations, carbon-silica mesoporous materials
will be shown to lead to so-called reverse-selective membranes whenincorporated in PDMS.
Finally, a new concept of biocatalytic membrane reactors will
be discussed in which superparamagnetism is applied to bringimmobilized enzymes exactly near the surface of the membrane.

Prof. Nieck E. Benes

Inorganic Membranes, Department of Science and Technology / Mesa+ Institute for Nanotechnology,
University of Twente, the Netherlands

Prof. Benes has a longstanding history in the field of inorganic and hybrid membranes for molecularseparation under harsh conditions.
He received his MSc and honors PhD title from the University of Twente, worked for DSM Research, theProcess Design Group of the TU/e, and in 2008 returned to Twente.
Particular current topics include the synthesis of hyper-cross-linked ultrathin membranes, and in-situ andin-operando.

“A new generation of robust hyper-cross-linked hybrid membranes”

Abstract: A new generation of novel hyper-cross-linked ultrathin
membranes is presented, consisting of giant molecular networksof alternating polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes and organic
bridges.
The thin film membranes are prepared by a facile synthesis
procedure, based on interfacial polymerization. The silsequioxanes
are provided from an alkaline aqueous solution; the precursors forthe organic bridges are dissolved in an organic liquid that is not
miscible with water. Upon contact of the liquids a thin (~10-7m) hybrid
film is formed at the liquid-liquid interface. This film consists of a
3D alternating copolymer of the covalently bonded inorganic andorganic precursors, with a distribution that is inherently homogeneouson a molecular level. Pertinently, both the inorganic and organic
constituents are integral segments of the network; without either ofthese constituents the network cannot exist. This facilitates hybridmaterials characteristics that are distinct from those of the individual
constituents. These characteristics are for instance manifested byexcellent sieving of small hot gases at temperatures up to 300 °C.
Design rules are presented that allow tuning the sieving performance18of the giant molecular networks at such high temperatures.
The combination of the absolute facile fabrication procedure and thetunable chemical architecture of the hybrid membranes is anticipatedprovide a new and key enabling technology for many important
industrial scale applications.

Session 3
10:00-13:30

Climate Change andWater Resources Management
Chair:

Prof. Satoru Oishi, Kobe University, Japan

Speakers: Dr. Pradeep Mujumdar, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
Dr. Carlos de Oliveira Galvao, Federal University of Campina Grande, Brazil
Dr. Roberto Ranzi, University of Brescia, Italy
Dr. Ramesh Teegavarapu, Florida Atlantic University, USA
Dr. Philippe Goubesville, University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, France
Dr. Young-Oh Kim, Seoul National University, Korea
Dr. Elipda Kolokytha, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Dr. Daisuke Nohara, Kyoto University, Japan
Dr. Satoru Oishi, Kobe University, Japan

Water is an essential element for life as described on the protocol of the 3rd World Water Forum in
Kyoto. However, we have a lot of news showing flood disaster, water scarcity and water related disease.
Unfortunately, many facts show that Climate Change condition enforces severe agony on many of us.
Therefore, we have to establish more sophisticated management of water. The session of "Climate Change
and Water Resources Management" consisted of the various aspects of water resources managementfrom theoretical to real implementation. First, it started from the theoretical points of view, by giving
three topics entitled, “Hydrologic Impacts of Climate Change: Quantification of Uncertainties”, “Impact of
Climatic and Anthropogenic Changes on River flows” and “Hydrologic Design under Changing Regional
Precipitation Extremes and Characteristics: Influences of Climate Variability and Change”. Second, thediscussion is followed by application and their impact of climate adapting countermeasure in the local area
which is entitled, “Flood protection and resilience strategies by using integrated hydrological model under
Climate Change in Vietnam”, “Testing Applicability of Real Options for a Flood Mitigation Planning Under
Climate Change Agriculture and Climate Change”, “The Role of the Water Footprint of Major Crops in
Combating Climate Change Agricultural Development in Lake Koronia”, “Integrated Reservoir Operation for
Adaptive Water Resources Management considering Global and Local Hydro-Meteorological Information”
and “Optimization of the Integrated Operation of DAMs using Ensemble Prediction”. Finally, the discussion
between floor and speakers, among speakers raised the focusing point of our target as feasible applicationby using strong theoretical background in order to adopt the Climate Change.

Dr. Pradeep Mujumdar
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India

Prof. P P Mujumdar is currently serving as the KSIIDC Chair Professor in the Department of Civil
Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.
His recent research contributions include development of new methodologies for quantification andreduction of uncertainties in assessment of climate change impacts on regional precipitation, streamflow,
urban and river floods, water demands and river water quality.
He is a recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt Medal (2014) of the European Geosciences Union and theDistinguished Visiting Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering, UK.
He is a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences.

“Hydrologic impacts of climate change: quantification of uncertainties”
Abstract: Climate change results in regional hydrologic change interms of modifications in water availability, evaporative water demand,floods and droughts, water quality, salinity intrusion and groundwater
recharge.
A commonly adopted methodology for assessing the hydrologic
impacts of climate change uses the climate projections provided by
the General Circulation Models (GCMs) in conjunction with hydrologic
models. Hydrologic projections obtained with such procedureare burdened with a large uncertainty introduced by GCMs andemission scenarios, small samples of data used for model calibration,
downscaling algorithms and other sources. In this presentation, an
overview of recent research carried out by the author’s group on
quantification and reduction of uncertainties in hydrologic projections
is provided. Methodologies developed with conditional random fields,
Dempster-Shafer theory, possibility theory, imprecise probabilities
and non-stationary extreme value theory are discussed. Specificapplications of impacts on streamflows, evaporative water demands,
river water quality and urban flooding are presented.

Dr. Carlos de Oliveira Galvao
Federal University of Campina Grande, Brazil

Associate Professor at the University of Campina Grande, Brazil, is a Civil Engineer (1984) and PhD in
Water Resources Engineering (1999).
His main research interests are related to experimental-basin hydrology, climate change and water
resources, rainwater harvesting and water resources management.

“EU-Brazil CloudConnect Project: water resources under climate and land-use changes”
Abstract: EU-Brazil CloudConnect Project is a R&D initiative involving
research groups and institutions from Brazil and EU, targeting at
exploiting new collaborative cloud-computing technologies forapplication in problems related to health, climate change, biodiversity
and water resources. This talk will present an overview of the project
and, particularly, the application being developed to identify andcharacterize relationships between climate and land-use changes,
vegetation biodiversity and water resources. This application uses
the cloud-computing environment to process a long time series ofdigital satellite images over large areas, producing data that canenable enhanced multi-temporal and multi-scale analysis of such
relationships.

21

Dr. Roberto Ranzi
University of Brescia, Italy

Professor of Hydraulic Structures and Riverbasin monitoring and restoration at the University of Brescia(Italy). He got a PhD in Hydraulic Engineering at Politecnico di Milano. He is author of about 40 publications
refereed on Web-of-Science and Scopus with almost 500 citations in hydrology, water resources,
hydraulic and environmental engineering.

“Impact of Climatic and Anthropogenic Changes on Riverflows”
Abstract: Long term statistics of river flow regime for some
Italian rivers in the Central Alps are presented and comparedwith precipitation, temperature, land use changes. In particular a
new hydrometric series for the Adige river dating back to 1862 ispresented and compared with sparse precipitation and temperature
data available for the same period. For the same basin a comparisonof land use in some mid XIX century cadastral maps show dramaticchanges in the land use, thus indicating how the natural afforestationin Europe occurring over the last two decades may be a majoranthropogenic factor influencing runoff, more than climatic ones.
Impact of other factors, as constructions of reservoirs on riverflow
regimes are further discussed.

Dr. Ramesh Teegavarapu
Florida Atlantic University, USA

Dr. Ramesh Teegavarapu is currently an associate professor in the department of Civil, Environmental
and Geomatics department at Florida Atlantic University (FAU), Boca Raton, Florida and leader of theHydrosystems Research Laboratory (HRL).
His research interests focus on understanding, modeling and managing hydrological systems undervarying and changing climate.

“Hydrologic design under changing regional precipitation extremes and characteristics:
influences of climate variability and change”
Abstract: Climate change and variability are expected bringchanges to hydro-climatic extremes both at regional and global
scales. This presentation focuses on climate variability through acomprehensive analysis of influences of inter-year, decadal andmulti-decadal coupled oceanic and atmospheric oscillations onregional precipitation extremes and characteristics. Long-term rain
gauge, gridded precipitation, future climate change projectionsbased data from a region in Southeastern United States are used forthe analysis. Results from comprehensive evaluations of individualand combined influences of these oscillations using descriptive
indices-based assessment of statistically significant changes inrainfall characteristics, identification of spatially varying influences

22

of oscillations on dry and wet spell transition states, antecedent
precipitation prior to extreme events, intra-event temporal distributionof precipitation and changes in temporal occurrences of extremes
including dry/wet cycles will be reported. The influences of oscillations
in different phases modulating each other with seasonal and spatiallyvarying signatures and their implications on flood control and watersupply in the region are assessed. Considering the climate change
perspective, statistically downscaled precipitation data from multimodel and multiple scenarios are analyzed. Uncertainties associatedwith future climate change projections of precipitation extremes,
coupled with limitations of climate change models are addressed via
new optimal compromise hydrologic design concepts.

Dr. Philippe Gourbesville
University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, France

Prof. Dr. Philippe Gourbesville, the Director of Polytech Nice Sophia, Nice Sophia Antipolis University,
France, has authored more than 120 scientific papers dedicated to hydroinformatics, numerical methods,
modeling tools, flood management and resilience.
Those research activities are taking place in various research frameworks including EU - FP7 & FP6, Stic
Asie, ICI ECP, AsiaLink and so on.
Philippe has developed the first joint master degree EuroAquae focused on hydroinformatics and water
management currently with 11 partners covering all continents.
In 2011, Philippe received by the Hydrotechnic Society of France (SHF) the Special Hydrotechnical Awardfor his scientific achievements.

“Flood protection and resilience strategies by using integrated hydrological model under
Climate Change in Vietnam”
Abstract: Climate Change is commonly known as global warming
and associated with extreme events. Such process is supposed to be
one of the most serious challenges faced by the human beings in the
21st century. Under the impact of these phenomena, extreme climatic
phenomena are expected to be more frequent and serious, leading
to natural disasters especially related to water. Flood risk represents
a major issue especially for developing countries where the economy
as well as the adaptation capacity against disaster is still poor. As
shown in World Bank studies, with more than 70% of the population
working in agriculture, inhabitants essentially concentrate at thecoastal plains, Vietnam is among the countries most heavily affectedby the consequences of climate change. To get more understandingon the impact of this natural phenomenon to Vietnamese people,
a methodology has been elaborated in order to assess different
climate scenarios over a large catchment and flood dynamics. The
simulations are based on a validated deterministic hydrological model
which is integrating geology, soil, topography, river systems andclimate variables. The validation of the model is obtained throughmeasurements and observations made at different stations within thecatchment. The actual climate in the period of 1998-2004 is properly
reproduced by the model and provides a clear view about the floodprocesses. Future climate is obtained from downscaled GCM datathat provide a scenario for 2094-2100 of hydrological variables. The
new simulation allows to analyze the changes in the flood dynamics
and to perform the frequency and the return period analysis. The
approach allows providing an operational approach for integrating theclimate change within the engineering design activities dedicated toflood protection measures and resilience strategies.

23Dr. Young-Oh Kim
Seoul National University, Korea

Dr. Young-Oh Kim is Professor of Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Seoul National
University, Korea.
He received a Ph.D. degree from University of Washington, USA.
His research interests include hydrologic forecasting, development of simulation and optimization models
for water resources systems, and integrated climate change assessments.
He currently serves as a vice chairman of Water Resources Management Committee of IAHR.

“Testing applicability of real options for a flood mitigation planning under climate change”
Abstract: This study proposed use of the Real Options (RO) forwater resources planning under climate change uncertainty. With theRO, decision makers are offered flexibility reflecting uncertainty at
every stage of a project planning. The RO approach was applied tore-assess the flood mitigation alternatives that have been previously
screened using a traditional Discounted Cash Flow (DCF). Valuationof the RO was evaluated using a binomial tree model with two options
such as delay and abandonment with 30 years of maturity period.
12 GCM projection scenarios from 2016 to 2045 were incorporated

into the RO procedure to cover the climate change uncertainty. The
proposed approach produced two kinds of outcomes: one is the
30-year option tree for each alternative and the other is re-assessedvalues of the alternatives using the RO valuation (ROV). The outcomes
showed that the best alternative chosen by DCF was still the best with
ROV but only two alternatives were economically feasible with DCF
while all the alternatives became feasible with ROV. Such a result canbe crucial because the alternatives revived by ROV may be chosen as
the final alternative at the next screening step of feasibility test.

Dr. Elpida Kolokytha

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Associate Professor in the Division of Hydraulics & Environmental Engineering, Dept. of Civil Engineering,
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
Also Affiliate Assoc.
Professor, Colorado State University, Colorado State University, College of Environmental Engineering,
Colorado, Fort Collins, USA.
Scientific research interests: sustainable water resources management and engineering, socio-economic
aspects of water management, water pricing, transboundary water catchments, Greek and International
legal framework of water resources management.
Chairman of the Board of AUTH Center for Integrated Water Resources Management. Active member ofseveral Greek and International water related organizations.
More than 90 publications in Greek and International scientific journals, books, proceedings ofconferences and technical reports.
Participation in more than 25 Greek and European research projects funded by EU or other sources.

“Integrated water resources management under climate change in Greek islands. Policy
issues to achieve water conservation”
Abstract: The precise levels of climate change sufficient to trigger
tipping points (thresholds for abrupt and irreversible change) remain
uncertain, scientific evidence is sufficient though, to urge immediate
action. Therefore, while climate change mitigation should remain apriority for policy-making, there is also an urgent need to develop
adaptation strategies to tackle with the already inevitable climatechange-driven changes in water resources.
Greek islands are water-sensitive entities due to the special conditions
that occur. Severe water scarcity conditions that already occur inmost of the islands, increased seasonal water demand especially insummer due to tourism, less precipitation and the change in watersupply distribution through time and space are the main reasons for a24

further deterioration of the already distributed water balances.
This paper presents the water balance of different islands in the
Dodecanese complex of islands. First, differences in water availability
as well as in water demand in the different islands are discussed.
Then, climate change scenarios applied, predict future conditions.
By giving emphasis to what water agencies claim as well as what
people believe about water scarcity and water conservation issues from the findings of a field survey conducted in Rodos and Kalymnos
islands- this work combines the engineering component together withsocial and economic considerations to reach an integrated approach
towards sustainable water management in the Dodenanese complex
of islands.

Dr. Daisuke Nohara
Kyoto University, Japan

Daisuke Nohara, Assistant Professor at Disaster Prevention Research Institute of Kyoto University, has abackground on water resources engineering including real-time reservoir operation, and awarded Doctor
of Engineering from Kyoto University in 2011 for the paper titled “Decision support system for real-time
reservoir operation considering various kinds of hydro-meteorological information”.

“Integrated reservoir operation for adaptive water resources management considering global
and local hydro-meteorological information”
Abstract: Changes in hydrological cycles due to climate change
may threaten to reliability of water resources management systems.
Effective management of existing reservoirs is therefore important toestablish more robust water resources management systems. On theother hand, various types of hydro-meteorological information, which
can potentially include useful information for basin water resourcesmanagement, have been available in recent years, thanks todevelopment of data sharing technologies as well as advancement in
observation and prediction techniques of hydro-meteorological states.
Reservoir operation can be considered to become more flexible
and sophisticated by considering such information in appropriate
combination. In this presentation, a real-time reservoir operation
method considering various hydro-meteorological information sources
is presented in order to contribute to establishment of adaptive androbust water resources management under climate change. Realtime observations and prediction on hydro-meteorological conditions
in various spatial and temporal scales are considered to enhanceability of existing reservoirs effectively integrating reservoir operations

for flood and drought managements. A method to analyze theeffectiveness of adaptive reservoir operation for flood management
considering real-time hydro-meteorological predictions is also
discussed.

25Dr. Satoru Oishi Chair
Kobe University, JapanEDUCATION:
Graduate from Department of Civil Engineering from Kyoto University
Master of Engineering from Graduate School of Kyoto University
Doctor of Engineering from Graduate School of Kyoto University
WORKING HISTORY:
Research Associate from 1993 to 2000 in DPRI, Kyoto University
Associate Professor from 2000 to 2009 in University of Yamanashi
Professor from 2009 to present in KOBE University
RESEARCH ACTIVITIES:Urban Safety and Security Issues
Water Resources Problem during and Post Big Disaster
Hydrological Application of Advanced Radar System“Optimization of the integrated operation of dams using ensemble prediction”
Abstract: Flood control is one of the most important issues ofreservoir operation. Rivers in island countries like Japan, Philippines
and Indonesia that have smaller reservoirs than continental countries
needs short-term reservoir operation for flood control. In Japan,
typhoons give dominant amount of water to reservoirs. Prior releasingof water that makes effective use of the capacity of a reservoir requires
the forecast of rainfall amount (hyetograph). Therefore, weather
forecast of typhoons is indispensable for flood control. Oishi and
Masuda (2013) developed the reservoir control operation model using
stochastic dynamic programming with one week ensemble weather
forecast. One week ensemble forecast consists of 51 members, gives
many kinds of weather variables including rainfall amount, has leadtime of one week. In fact, frequency of updating one week ensemble
forecast is a problem for using it. In the present study, a solution forthe problem is proposed. For giving highly frequent updating, we
propose to use typhoon ensemble forecast which issues four times a
day but it does not include rainfall amount. By using a similarity index

26

with observed typhoon tracks and latest ensemble forecast result,a method to give typhoon ensemble reasonable forecasted rainfall
amount has been developed.

Session 4
14:30-18:00

Aquaphotomics,“Understanding Water in Biological World”
Chair:

Prof. Roumiana Tsenkova, Kobe University, Japan

Speakers: Prof. Masato Yasui, Keio University, Japan
Dr. Aoife Gowen, University College Doublin, Ireland
Dr. Tiziana M. P. Cattaneo, Agricultural Research Council (CRA), Italy
Prof. Albert Krastanov, University of Food Technologies, BulgariaProf. Christian Huck, University of Innsbruck, Austria
Prof. Luc Montagnier, Nobel Laureate, World Foundation for AIDS Research and Prevention
Prof. Harald Martens, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
Mr. Bernhard Pollner, Kobe University, JapanSymposium on Aquaphotomics in Brussels,
October 14th 2014
“Aquaphotomics – Understanding water in the Biological World” was one of the 5 sessions of the Kobe
University International symposium held in Brussels on the 14th of October this year.
Aquaphotomics is a new field of NIR spectroscopy describing the spectral nature of water in biologicalsystems. It was introduced by Biotechnology Laboratory at the faculty of Agriculture in 2006. Since
then, many research studies applying Aquaphotomics have been published and the above-mentioned
Symposium provided a good opportunity to summarize some of this research and consider future researchpaths.
The Aquaphotomics session had 38 attendees representing institutions of 11 countries.
The first part of the session was a summary of the recent results, presented by Roumiana Tsenkova,
professor at Kobe University, Japan, Masato Yasui, professor at Keio University, Japan, Aoife Gowen,
senior lecturer at University College Dublin, Ireland, and Tiziana Cattaneo, director of Research Unit for
Food Process at Agricultural Research Council (CRA) in Milan, Italy. The second part of the session was
focused on future applications of Aquaphotomics, presented by Albert Krastanov, professor at Universityof Food Technologies in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, and by Christian Huck, professor at University of Innsbruck,
Austria. The session was closed with two presentations on tools for data analysis given by Prof. Harald
Martens from Norway and Bernhard Pollner from Austria, and by remarks from Prof. Tsenkova on the
future of Aquaphotomics. There were 11 posters at the Aquaphotomics session, prepared by six working
groups from University of Sassari, CRA, Italy; Trakia University, Bulgaria; University of Belgrade, Serbia;
Aquaphotomix Study Center, Belgium; Kobe University, Japan. Based on the votes of the attendees, theposter award was given to Eri Chatani, associate professor at Kobe University, for presenting results onwater molecular system dynamics in the formation of amyloid fibrils using time-resolved near infrared
spectroscopy and Aquaphotomics.
The session was attended by the President, Prof. Fukuda, and other members of Kobe University, too.
The session on Aquaphotomics became the First International Symposium on Aquaphotomics. The second
will be held in December 2015, at Kobe University followed by Italy (2016) and Keio University (2017) as
hosts of the future symposiums.

Prof. Roumiana Tsenkova

Chair

Kobe University, Japan

Roumiana Tsenkova is professor and head of laboratory at Kobe University.
Recently she proposed aquaphotomics as a new scientific field to study the collective characterization andquantification of pools of water molecules that have the same molecular vibration and hold information on
structure, function, and dynamics of organisms or aqueous systems.

“Aquaphotomics: past, present and future”

Abstract: Aquaphotomics emerged from non-invasive analysis of
biological systems using near infrared spectroscopy where water
spectral patterns of bio fluids and tissues were found to be highly
informative for the health status and have been used as biomarkers
for diagnosis.
Nowadays, it has been applied in various fields. One of them ismeasuring very low concentrations of the solutes using the water
mirror effect on molecular level extended over the near-infrared rangeof the spectrum where the near-infrared light at various frequencies
has been absorbed by different pools of water molecules that havechanged correspondingly to the concentration of the solute. Other
applications are related to water quality and functionality evaluation,
understanding functionality of microorganisms and water molecularchanges related to amyloid formation, diagnosis of physiologicalconditions etc., all based on the holistic approach that the knowledgeof water molecular system provides.
The future is towards developing the entire “aquaphotome”, i.e.
collective characterization of all possible “windows” of electromagnetic

spectrum (Water Matrix Coordinates, WAMACS) where watermolecular system could be observed. In the future, we expect to beable to explain how the water spectral pattern is related to the foodcharacteristics and functionalities, like freshness. Very important
future direction is to understand how water, as the matrix of life, ischanging with the time and environmental changes like temperature,humidity, atmospheric pressure.

Prof. Masato Yasui
Keio University, Japan

Masato Yasui has been working on water channels, aquaporins in biology and medicine, and has spenteight years at Nobel Laureate Peter Agre’s workgroup.
As professor and head of department at Keio University, Tokyo, he focuses on biophysics to understandthe behavior and roles of water molecules, and has started collaborations in aquaphotomics.

“Water biology: roles of aquaporins (AQP)”

Abstract: Water constitutes roughly 70% of the mass of our
body. Water metabolism is one of the most important homeostatic
functions. There is a dynamic and precise regulation for water balancein our body; secretion such as tears or saliva and absorption indigestive tracts or kidney. Disturbance in water balance can be seen
in many clinical disorders from dry syndromes to brain edema. The
discovery of the water channel aquaporin (AQP) greatly expanded ourunderstanding of the regulation of the water permeability of biologicalmembranes.
We have introduced a couple of new technologies in order tounderstand further water dynamics and biological relevance of AQP

in the living system. A nonlinear optical microscopy technique, thecoherent anti-stokes Raman scattering (CARS) imaging, has been
applied to directly and quantitatively imaging water transport throughcell membranes.
We introduce “Aquaphotomics” approach to access water dynamics
of the cells as well as AQP functions. Molecular dynamics simulationis also used to evaluate our experimental findings. Taken together, we
try to understand life science better by focusing on water moleculebehaviors; how water molecules contribute to the complex of life
phenomenon, especially self-organization under non-linear open
system.

29

Dr. Aoife Gowen

University College Doublin, Ireland

Aoife Gowen as a post-doctoral researcher investigated the intersection of near infrared spectroscopy,
chemical imaging and chemometrics for characterization of biological systems.
Nowadays, as senior lecturer at University College Dublin, her research area is multidisciplinary, involving
applications of sensor technology and chemometrics to biological systems, including food quality processmonitoring.

“Aquaphotomics and NIR hyperspectral imaging as tools for understanding the role of waterin foods”
Abstract: Despite recent advances in food product development (e.g.
nutraceuticals and functional foods) our understanding of the role ofwater in foods is still in its infancy. Monitoring of food quality via opticalmethods such as near infrared (NIR) and terahertz spectroscopy ismade possible due to the interaction of electromagnetic energy andthe water matrix.
Aquaphotomics provides a framework for understanding the roleof water in food systems and processes. This paper highlights theimportance of water in food quality and presents a number of casestudies that demonstrate the potential of NIR hyperspectral imaging
for monitoring food quality through analysis of water absorbancebands.

Dr. Tiziana M.P. Cattaneo

Director, Research Unit for Food Processes, Agricultural Research Council (CRA), Milan, Italy

Tiziana Cattaneo has been employed by the CRA, for more than 25 years. She has begun research in
NIRS more than 15 years ago. As President of the Italian Society for NIRS, she continues improving thedevelopment on NIRS. Fields of research: milk and dairy, fruits and vegetables.

“Aquaphotomics in food science and agriculture”
Abstract: The role of water and its influence on absorption in NIR
range has been studied over 40 years. In the past, the presence ofwater was often considered as a limit for the calibration performanceof other constituents, in particular for applications in food andagriculture fields. The Aquaphotomics concept helps to positively
evaluate the water changes occurring, after physical or chemical
perturbations, in different and several bio-systems.
The direct monitoring of food processes or/and chemical and physicalchanges in biological matrices is not often possible. These information
can be collected through the study of water patterns in NIR region.
Examples of Aquaphotomics application in food science (cheeseripening, effect of packaging on shelf life and product quality,
scattering and absorption contribution, rice quality, etc.) will be shownin supporting the approach transferability following a correct flowsheet of actions to demonstrate biological changes, rearrangements,
and process behaviours.

30Prof. Albert Krastanov

Professor, Deptartment of Biotechnology, University of Food Technologies, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Albert Krastanov is professor and head of department at University of Food Technologies in Plovdiv,
while he is visiting professor at several foreign universities. His research interests are in different fields ofbiotechnology science – industrial and applied enzymology and immobilized cells technology, industrial
microbiology and bio-product analyses.

“Aquaphotomics in biotechnology - new tools and opportunities”
Abstract: In recent years, the new approach of “aquaphotomics”
has been proposed. This presentation focuses on recent applicationsof aquaphotomics in the pharmaceutical technology, medicine, foodtechnology and for monitoring of food quality through observation ofwater absorbance bands. However, the use of aquaphotomics as atool for microbiological monitoring, ecological and physiological andbiochemical research remains underdeveloped.
There is a lot of potential for new applications of aquaphotomics
tools in the field of biotechnology and biochemistry - identificationof microorganisms, monitoring of fermentation processes (growthrate and production rate), specification of metabolites, mass transfer
in bioreactors, measuring the activity of enzymes, etc. Special
attention will be made for aquaphotomics as a tool in the reveal ofmolecular mechanism of enzyme reactions, especially for hydrolases.
Application of aquaphotomics as a new highly effective method forselection of probiotic bacteria strains through the analysis of thespectral changes caused by varying water molecular arrangement in
the solution as a molecular mirror for the rest of the solution will bealso discussed.

Prof. Christian Huck

Professor, Institute of Analytical Chemistry and Radiochemistry, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

Christian Huck is professor and deputy head of the institute for analytical chemistry at University of
Innsbruck. He holds several national and international awards, and as author of numerous scientificpapers, editorial member of journals in vibrational spectroscopy, and guest professor in foreign countries,
he has built up a wide international scientific network.

“Aquaphotomics in natural product analysis”

Abstract: Nowadays, the field of natural product analysis is urgently
demanding for the establishment of the Aquaphotomics approachdue to the following reasons:
On one side NIR absorption spectra of water in food products
might give a hint to their geographical provenience. This is of hugeeconomic importance as farming gets more and more pressurized byits high production costs, opening of the markets and globalization.
To be able to compete against cheaper sustainably producing
competitors, the added value of these products must be madecredible for the consumer in order to achieve reasonable prices.
In the field of medicinal plant analysis also the determination of thegeographic origin and plants species plays a crucial role. Additionally,

it is known that the water balance is essential for the medicinal effects
and therefore deeper insights are strongly demanded.
On the other hand the Aquaphotomics approach offers huge potential
to establish new methods for the fast quality control of different typesof contaminants.
The advantages to be expected by introducing Aquaphotomics
in natural products analysis can be summarized as following:
Simultaneous, fast and non-invasive determination of geographic
provenience, determination of species together with a quantitative
analysis of main ingredients, and a check for critical contamination as
well, new insights into a natural products’ water balance.

31

Prof. Luc Montagnier (Unable to attend)

Nobel Laureate, President, World Foundation for AIDS Research and Prevention, France

Luc Montagnier led the team at Pasteur Institute which first isolated the HIV1 virus for which he wasawarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine. As President of the World Foundation for AIDS Research &Prevention, he has co-founded two centers for the prevention, treatment, research and diagnosis of
AIDS patients in Ivory Coast and Cameroon. His current studies bear on the diagnosis and treatmentof microbial and viral factors associated with cancers, neurodegenerative and articular diseases using
innovative technologies.

“Photonic transduction of DNA information in living cells Co-authors: Jamal Aissa and Claude
Lavallee”
A b s t r a c t : We h ave p rev i o u s l y re p o r te d th e re c o rd i n g ofelectromagnetic signals (EMS) produced by aqueous dilutions ofbacterial and viral DNAs. These recordings can be stored under adigitized form in lap top computers and sent via internet to distantrecipient laboratories.
The original DNA sequences were retrieved from water nanostructuresinduced by EMS by means of the ingredients of Polymerase Chain
Reaction (PCR) using a thermo-resistant polymerase (TAQ).
We have now come to a new stage: instead of using PCR, we have
exposed human living cells cultured in flasks to the amplified EMS ofa bacterial DNA sequence. After several days of exposure, we have32

found the specific bacterial DNA sequence in these cells. At the sametime, these cells of tumoral origin, are inhibited in their growth andfinally die.
This indicates that such cells do possess the machinery to “read”
the message coming from the EMS and synthesize accordingly theforeign DNA.
Here we demonstrate a further step: that the latter process canbe carried out by living cells in culture, indicating that thesecells do possess the system to read the sequences from waternanostructures. Therefore this system does exist in nature.

Prof. Harald Martens

Professor, Department of Engineering Cybernetics
Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

Harald Martens has been working in chemometrics since the beginning of 1970s. He has had a great
influence on the field, developed several new methods, written numerous scientific papers, books andhad lectures all over the world. At NTNU he focuses on combining multivariate measurement-driven andknowledge-driven modelling.

“Multivariate data-modelling to separate light scattering from light absorbance: The Optimized
Extended Multiplicative Signal Correction OEMSC”
Abstract: Non-linear modelling of spectra: Measurements of lightintensity are often affected by a number of different causes. If they
have sufficiently different spectral profiles, they may – in principle – bedistinguished and quantified by multi-wavelength measurements andmultivariate calibration. But high-sensitivity aquaphotomics may callfor a combination of different mathematical forms in this modelling
process.
For instance, physical variation in specular- or stray light gives additiveeffects in the raw reflectance or transmittance measurements.
Variations in a sample’s different chemical constituent concentrations(as expected in aquaphotomics) give multiplicative raw signal
changes (additive in absorbance), and so does instrumental lightsource variation. Physical optical path length variation due to sample
thickness or light scattering gives exponential effects in the raw
signals (multiplicative in absorbance). Ideally, to calibrate a diffuse
spectrophotometer efficiently, one ought to handle the different
types of physical and chemical signal contributions mathematicallyaccording to their contribution types. So there is not only ReflectanceR; there may be e.g. a whole “ladder of logs” to be handled: [R,log(R), log(log(R)),…]. Therefore, the simple additive model is not theanswer to all calibration problems. More mechanistic modelling may
be required. The trick is to apply our prior knowledge in mathematicalmodelling, without causing information loss, supporting wishful
thinking or creating computational nightmares.
This lecture concerns the pragmatic but multivariate use ofmathematics and statistics to distinguish various types of variationin spectroscopic measurements. The Extended Multiplicative Signal
Correction (EMSC) facilitates the separation of additive chemical lightabsorbance and multiplicative physical light scattering. Combined withmultivariate metamodelling, the EMSC can give faster mechanistic
modelling of biological systems (e.g. Mie scattering in FTIR spectra ofcancer cells). The EMSC has recently been developed into Optimized
EMSC (OEMSC), for more versatile handling of combined additive& multiplicative calibration problems in complex systems. I shallpoint out how I think the OEMSC might be useful in aquaphotomics
and other systems that still have too many unknowns for traditional
mechanistic modelling.

Mr. Bernhard Pollner

PhD student, Biomeasurement Technology Laboratory, Graduate School of Agricultural Science,
Kobe University, Kobe, Japan/Scientific Consultant, Innsbruck, Austria

Bernhard Pollner graduated as a Medical Doctor from Innsbruck Medical School and works as a selfemployed scientific consultant. He will start his joint PhD course at Kobe University, University of Innsbruckand Innsbruck Medical School. His works focus on theories and models of water structure, information inwater and bio-systems.

“Demonstrations of new tools for spectral data analysis”
Abstract: The discovery of new scientific findings requires more andmore often the perception of many parameters simultaneously, which
results complex multivariate data matrices. The extraction of theuseful information and the determination of the relationships in suchcomplex data structures need the application of multivariate data
evaluation methods, i.e. chemometrics in the field of biological andchemical sciences.

To ensure the rapid and extensive development of modern water
researches the ongoing development of new chemometrics tools
is essential. The work reported here introduces the easy to use
application and interpretation of recently developed statisticalmethods for the data evaluation in near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy,
revealing interaction of electromagnetic energy and water as a system
point of view, i.e. Aquaphotomics approach.

33

34

Session 5
10:00-18:00

Forefront Studies on
Japanese Culture and Society
Speakers: Mr. Yoichiro Yamada, Deputy Chief of Mission/Minister, Embassy of Japan in Belgium
Mr. Brian Toll, Policy Officer, Directorate - General for Education and Culture, European Commission
Prof. Bjarke Frellesvig, Chair, Faculty of Oriental Studies University of Oxford, UK
Dr. Sebastien Lechevalier, President, France-Japan Foundation, École des hautes études en sciences sociales, France
Prof. Dr. Dimitri Vanoverbeke, KU Leuven, Belgium
Prof. Theodore Bestor, Director of the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University, USA
Prof. Andreas Thele, University of Liege, Belgium
Prof. Ian Neary, Nissan Institute, University of Oxford, UK
Prof. Marta Kudelska, Director, Centre for Comparative Studies of Civilizations, Jagiellonian University, Poland
Prof. Dr. Joerg B. Quenzer, Director, Asia-Africa-Institute, University of Hamburg, Germany
Prof. Bonaventura Ruperti, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy
Dr. Linda Flores, Oxford University, UK
Prof. Mitsuko Okamoto, Director, Graduate School of Film and New Media, Tokyo University of the Arts, Japan
Prof. Pascal Lefèvre, Leuven University, Belgium
Mr. Francesco Fiore, General Manager, Hello Kitty Live, Director, Axxe ltd, (London) , UK

Japanese Studies has been experiencing its turning point in the age of deepened and daily life-based
process of globalization. In the awareness of the point Kobe organized the Session to explore new agendathat scholars in the area are now exploring in coping with the turn. In this regard, each presentation wasa hot report from on-going investigation at the very job site of each researcher’s filed. By having wide
range of perspective in Japanese Studies from language, literature, via economy, polity, law, society tocontemporary culture in a Session, participants as well as audience were able to get overview of thecurrent achievements in the field. Speakers are most eminent scholars in the field not confined to Europe
but also from the USA.
Thus the merits of the Session had two holds; 1. Providing with comprehensive perspective in what isgoing on in the field, 2. Providing with the most up-dated overview in the field.
In these years, Kobe University has been organizing conferences with eminent researchers in JapaneseStudies from Asian countries, EU and the USA. By organizing these events Kobe University has been
trying to show new orientation towards which Japanese Studies in the world ought to develop while for
Kobe University to seek for how it can be involved in and to contribute to the orientation. Meanwhile, these
events have been drawn scholars’ and people’s attention both from domestic and outside Japan. Thus
the efforts of Kobe contribute to enhance its presence in a global setting. One of the exemplars of it is thereaction towards the Session in Brussels in October, 2014 that came both from inside and outside Japan,
countries/areas from which speakers and audiences came.

Mr. Yoichiro Yamada

Deputy Chief of Mission/Minister, Embassy of Japan in Belgium

Mr. Yoichiro Yamada is a Japanese diplomat.
He has served in Moscow, Brussels, Warsaw, New York, Nairobi.
He is Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Japan in Belgium since September 2013. Mr. Yamada
speaks Japanese, English and Russian.

“Cultural Relationships between Japan, Belgium and Europe”

Mr. Brian Toll

Policy Officer, Directorate - General for Education and Culture, European Commission

Brian Toll joined the European Commission in 1993 and is responsible for international cooperation withJapan in the Directorate-General for Education and Culture. Previously, Brian worked extensively inacademia, as a lecturer and researcher. He completed his post-graduate studies in education and holds
an undergraduate degree in Russian studies.

“International Cooperation in Higher Education in relation to European and Japanese Studies”
Abstract: The European Union budget has been under particularpressure in the wake of the global economic downturn. Cuts havebeen introduced for the first time in almost every domain of EU
activity but even more money has been turned towards global
education, youth, research and innovation initiatives. In particular, theErasmus+ programme aims to boost skills and employability, as well
as modernising education, training, and youth work. In sport, there
will be support for grassroots projects and cross-border challenges
such as combating match-fixing, doping, violence and racism. Marie
Skłodowska-Curie actions, funded under the 'Excellent Science' pillarof the Horizon 2020 research programme, will support the careerdevelopment and training of researchers – with a focus on innovation
skills – in all scientific disciplines through worldwide and crosssector mobility. And Creative Europe will support the culture andmedia sectors by promoting cross-border cooperation, platforms,
networking, literary translation and the development, distribution, or
access to audio-visual works.

37

Prof. Bjarke Frellesvig

Director, Research Centre for Japanese Language and Linguistics, Oriental Institute, University of
Oxford, UK

Ph.D. (1993), Copenhagen. Since finishing my doctorate I worked in Aarhus, Copenhagen and Oslo before
coming to Oslo in 1999. My research is on the history of the Japanese language.
Recent books:
A history of the Japanese language (CUP, 2010);
Proto-Japanese: Issues and prospects (co-editor and contributor, 2008, John Benjamins)
Current posts and positions
Professor of Japanese Linguistics, University of Oxford.
Fellow, Hertford College, University of Oxford.
Director, Research Centre of Japanese Language and Linguistics, University of Oxford
Chair, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford.
President, the European Assocation for Japanese Studies“Japanese Linguistics and Europe”

Abstract: In this talk I will talk briefly talk about the history andcurrent state of Japanese Linguistics in Europe. I will then address
the role and importance of Japanese Linguistics for the developmentof Japanese Studies in Europe, as well as conversely the role andimportance of Europe in the development of Japanese Linguistics.

Dr. Sébastien LechevalierPresident, France-Japan Foundation, École des hautes études en sciences sociales, France

Sébastien Lechevalier is Associate Professor at L’École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS,
Paris) and President of Fondation France Japon de l’EHESS (EHESS Paris 日仏財団).
His research focuses on the Japanese economy, corporate diversity, evolution of welfare systems in Asia,and inequalities.
His recent publications include: The Great Transformation of the Japanese Capitalism (Routledge, 2014).

“Japanese studies and economics”

Abstract: From the viewpoint of standard economics, there is noplace for area studies and even less for Japanese studies. However,during the 1970s-1980s, when the Japanese economy overcome theEuropean economies and was about to overcome the US economy,
it attracted the attention of many non-Japanese economists, whoelaborated various competing theories of the so-called “Japanesemodel”. The point was that not only the Japanese economic systemseemed to be more efficient than the European and US ones but it
also seemed not to fully follow the basic rules taught in economics
textbook.
This period is over for two decades now and the interest for both
the Japanese economy and specialists of Japanese studies has

38

drastically declined. In this presentation, we will argue there are
however various options for a revival of the interest of economics forJapan. Putting aside the marketing flavor of concepts and practices
such as “Abenomics”, we will emphasize the following points: 1) thenecessity to continue opening the access to Japanese micro-data forforeign researchers in order to allow them conducting comparative
research; 2) the importance of studying the Japanese economy
in its Asian context and of avoiding perspectives that insist on thespecificities of Japan; 3) the merit of moving beyond mainstream
economics in mobilizing theoretical frameworks borrowing to socioeconomics, institutional economics and political economy.

Prof. Dr. Dimitri Vanoverbeke
KU Leuven, Belgium

Dimitri Vanoverbeke holds a PhD from Leuven University (Belgium) and lectures in Japanese Studies atthe department of Area Studies at Leuven University.
He is director of the Research Unit (Department) of Area Studies there and also lectures in the EuropeAsia: Interactions and Comparisons module of the Master of Arts in European Studies: Transnational andGlobal Perspectives (MAES) at Leuven University (KU Leuven).
He is a guest professor at the university of Lyon III (Jean Moulin), has been a guest professor at Tokyo
University's Social Science Institute and is regularly lecturing and conducting research at Kyushu
University and Kobe University.
His research deals with judicial policy-making, the function of legal institutions and the relationshipbetween law, politics and society in modern and contemporary Japan as well as with regional cooperationand human rights in East Asia.

Abstract: Many scholars in the Low Countries (the Netherlands
and Belgium) and France have been interested in various aspects ofJapanese law. Because interest involved scholars in law faculties,
Japanese studies and practitioners, and because of close links
between these groups, there has not always been a clear division
between socio-legal work and black-letter law. We will retrace
the main stages and approaches in the study of Japanese law byfocusing on the often-neglected work of scholars in Japanese studies
focusing on law in Japan in the Low Countries and France. An
important period in the Japanese studies discourse in law in Japan

was triggered by the success of the Japanese economy in the 1960s
which spurred interest in Japanese law beyond the academic world.
Various phases or periods can be seen in the perception of Japanese
law in France and the Low Countries. The themes in and approaches
to Japanese law developed over time along with the social
environment and political and economic demands of Belgian, Frenchand Dutch societies. I will (over)generalize by dividing the approaches
to Japanese law in France and the low countries into several phases
and also focus on more recent scholarship in this field which is forsure promising but in quest of an own identity and methodology.

Prof. Theodore Bestor

Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University, USA

Theodore C. Bestor is the Reischauer Institute Professor of Social Anthropology and Japanese Studies inthe Department of Anthropology at Harvard University.
He is a specialist on contemporary Japanese society and culture.
He has written widely on urban culture and history, markets and economic organization including supply
chains, food culture, the fishing industry and the global environment, and popular culture.
He received his Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1983.

“An overview of Japanese Studies in the United States”
Abstract: Bestor will present an overview of the organizational
structure of Japanese studies in the US, including major university
centers, library resources, funding agencies, and professionalorganizations, and discuss recent trends in the field.
After March 11, 2011, Harvard’s Reischauer Institute of JapaneseStudies immediately began to collect and catalogue digital media

about the disasters — emails, twitter feeds, photographs, video clips,
government reports, NGO bulletins, and so forth. We have now
assembled over 1.2 million items, all of which are freely accessible toanyone anywhere in the world. Bestor will introduce the archive andits use, an discuss some of the challenges facing digital research now
an in the future.

39

Prof. Andreas Thele
University of Liège, Belgium

In 1993 Andreas Thele obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Düsseldorf after research at Tsukuba
University and the “Eastern Institute”, Tokyo (1989-1991).
Professor at the University of Liège since 1995, he is the Director of the Centre for Japanese Studies (CEJ)
since 2010. He also teaches Japanese language and civilization at the University of Mons since 1994.

“Aspects of Japanese studies in belgium”

Abstract: In my talk I would like to present various facets of thesplendors and miseries of Japanese Studies in Belgium. The specificsituation of the educational system in the country, it’s separation intoa Flemish and a French speaking part, gives itself some indicationof a multicultural approach towards the Japanese culture, reflectedby the role Japanese Studies play in various institutions of higher

education. To enhance some of these aspects I will focus especiallyon the situation of Wallonia, the French speaking region of Belgium.
Once having set the scene I will try to analyse different possibilities
for the development of Japanese Studies in the light of Comparative
Thinking.

Prof. Ian Neary

Nissan Institute University of Oxford, UK

Professor Ian Neary is the professor in the politics of Japan, the Head of the School of Interdisciplinary
Area Studies at Oxford University and a Faculty Fellow at St. Antony's College. He has written about
various aspects of human rights policy mainly in Japan, but also in South Korea and Taiwan, and has
produced a textbook on Japanese politics. He is currently starting a project on the evolution and impactof the Dowa Projects Policy which he will continue as a visiting professor in Kyushu University fromJanuary 2015.

“The study of Japanese politics”

Abstract: The presentation will review the broad trends within
the study of Japanese politics outside Japan since the end of theoccupation. It will note the increase of study of Japan’s political
economy during the high growth era and the more recent emphasis

40

on narrower definitions of the appropriate scope of political science,
particularly in the North America. It will close with a consideration of
how an 'area studies' approach to the study of Japanese politics may
contribute to a more nuanced understanding.

Prof. Marta Kudelska

Director, Centre for Comparative Studies of Civilizations, Jagiellonian University, Poland

Marta Kudelska is a Professor and the Chair of the Centre for Comparative Studies of Civilisations,
Jagiellonian University.
Her researches include Indian philosophy and Sanskrit literature.
Main book publications: The Cosmological Scheme of the Classical Upanishads (1996), The Vision of theWorld in the Philosophical Thought of India (2003, in Polish), Why There Is ‘I’ Rather Than ‘This’. Subject
Ontology in the Upanishads. (2009, in Polish)
She has also translated the Bhagavadgita and Upanishads from Sanskrit into Polish.

“Project of Comparative Studies – Past and Perspectives”
Abstract: The Centre for Comparative Studies of Civilisations is anacademic centre located in Kraków and structurally it belongs to thePhilosophy Department of Jagiellonian University in Kraków. The
Centre came to life in 2005 when it separated from the Institute ofSociology and became an autonomous unit.
The Centre serves as the hub connecting both researchers andacademic teachers, which makes it a unique place not only in Poland
but also in Europe. The profile of the Centre, that is Cultural Studies,is broad enough to include and encompass virtually almost any
discipline classified as “humanities”. This makes the scope of theresearch conducted here unlimited; therefore, both researchers andstudents can pursue and explore their broad fields of interest.
For students the Centre offers courses grouped in four main categories.
Those were divided along the four main civilizations circles:•Western civilization (Europe and Americas)•Islam civilization (Arabic world, Iran along with Persian language
influenced regions, South-East Asia)•Confucian civilization (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam)•India civilization (India, Nepal, Thailand, Burma, Laos and Cambodia)
Each civilization circle is then divided into smaller areas of more detailoriented courses. In case of i.e. Japan, there are courses covering
almost every field of interest: history, culture, literature, language (onvarious levels of proficiency), modern culture (movies, anime courses,etc.).
The Centre allows students to graduate with BA and MA in cultural
studies. Since 2011, a new specialty has been present here –Buddhist Studies, as an answer to the growing interest in the research
focused on this tradition of East Asia and its reception in the West.

Prof. Dr. Jörg B. Quenzer

Asien-Afrika-Institut Abt. für Sprache und Kultur Japans, Universität Hamburg, Germany

Jörg Quenzer studied Japanese Studies, German Literature and Philosophy at the University of Cologne(Ph.D., Habilitation). His PhD thesis explores the role of dreams within Buddhism in medieval Japan. Since
2006 he is professor of Japanese Studies at the University of Hamburg, since 2009 he acts as deputy
director of the research group “Manuscript Cultures in Asia and Africa”.

“Speaking of the path — conceptual metaphors in Japanese literature”
Abstract: Metaphors are some of the most powerful elements ofhuman language. This talk tries to explore its use by poets, especiallythe founder of classic Haiku, Bashô, as a means of poetic expression.

41

Prof. Bonaventura Ruperti
Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy

Bonaventura Ruperti is a Professor in the Department of Asian and North African Studies at Università Ca’
Foscari in Venice, Italy.
He received his Ph.D. from the Istituto Universitario Orientale in Naples, in 1992. A specialist in Japanesetheatre, he attended postgraduate courses at Waseda University, in 1994 he has been a Japan Foundation
fellow researcher, and in 2004-5 a visiting professor at the National Institute of Japanese Literature.
He is the author of various articles on nō, kabuki and bunraku.
He is presently working on the borrowing from nō in haikai poetry.
He has also translated some short stories by Izumi Kyōka into Italian.

“Arts and Japanese Studies”

Abstract: My main research field is Japanese Theatre, in particular
the traditional theatre genres, nō, ningyōjōruri, kabuki, i. e. Japanese
performing arts, not specifically Fine Arts.
However, in Japan, the creative productions are traditionally a
combination of several elements and frequently use a combination ofdifferent arts, a combination that in performing arts becomes a total
work of art at live; not a ‘synthesis’, but a composition of the arts, acomposition of several disciplines.
In fact, in Japanese tradition we can often find works of art that makeuse of different elements, and theatre/performing arts in particular
make/s use of all (or many) art forms, all (or many) major constituentsof the arts: words-literature-poetry-narration/epic, singing and music,
acting and dance etc.
Originally ideographic writing in China and in Japan is not only arepresentation of sounds (as phonetic writing systems, alphabets
or other, are), but also a sign, an image, that is kanji. Kanji (Chinesecharacters) also possess a visual value as images, and an aesthetic
value.
According to tradition, in China and Japan painting derives fromcalligraphy (“calligraphy and painting derive from the same root”) andin fact the combination of writing and painting is widely diffused. The
works of Fine arts are often a combination of drawing or painting andwriting/calligraphy.
Art forms often combine visual elements with performance/performative
elements (e.g., in film) and the written word (e.g., in comics).
In the Japanese Fine arts tradition, in an art work the individual
contributions from interrelated and collaborating arts blend together
and compensate each other, and this combination/balance somehow
forms a new world.
The practice of adding a written text to a painting dates back at least
to the Heian period: (this is the case of) waka poems 和歌 inscribedon shikishigata attached to sliding and folding screens (shōji e 障子絵and byōbu e 屏風絵), or gasan imported to Japan from China (mainly
by Zen monks), or shigajiku 詩画軸, an art form in which a simple ink
painting was embellished with a complementary inscription, and such
inscriptions and paintings were intended to be appreciated together.
We can find for instance the combination of images/pictorial subjects
and poetry in the so-called byōbu uta, poems/verses on themes
painted on folding screens. In this way, many poems were inscribed on
folding screens: these were poems composed following the pictures on
folding screens so that painting combined with the poetic contexts of42

the verses.
But besides this harmony between painting and poetry, as we know,
we can also consider the interactions between painting and narrative:
narrative painting depicting battles, romance, religion, folktales, andeven stories of the supernatural world, i.e. emakimono (絵巻物 literally'picture scroll'), emaki (絵巻), a horizontal, illustrated narrative form
created during the 11th to 16th centuries in Japan, painted, or stamped
on a handscroll, which combines both text and pictures by joining
together several scenes, alternating illustrations and their (verbal)
descriptions (most handscrolls contain a calligraphic explanation of thestory, either at the beginning of the scroll or directly preceding eachscene).
Vertical hanging scrolls (kakejiku) too, consisting of one entire scenerather than a series of scenes, as opposed to handscrolls, are usuallycreated by resorting only to painting or only to calligraphy, but, still, we
can frequently find the interaction/combination of writing and images.
In any type of art medium we can recognise these characteristics.
Similarly/In a different way, can recognize the practice of painting
with gasan, a kind of poetic inscription, added to a blank area aboveor next to a completed painting. This inscription gives expression to
the aesthetic value or content of the work, in the form of a poem orcommentary with religious implications. In some cases, the inscription
was written by a contemporary of the artist: a friend, associate, or
patron; in other cases, the inscription was written long after the painting
was completed by a connoisseur or collector.
And this matching of the aesthetical effects of poetical/lyrical verses,
images and narrative techniques was inherited by Ukiyoe 浮世絵 orManga 漫画 productions.
However, on the other hand, words are also sound (in origin with amagic power), and language is intimately connected with music. And
in Japanese tradition, the main stream is focused/centered on vocal
music, a combination of words and songs: (they can be found) inrituals, in chanting, in prayers, in banquets, in performances, from waka
poems 和歌 in utaawase, to gagaku’s accompanied songs (utaimono),from ritual performances (known as) kagurauta 神楽歌, to popular
dances (azumaasobi 東遊び etc.), to the saibara 催馬楽 and rōei 朗詠 (chinese poetry intonation) song forms of the Heian court etc.
But in these forms of vocal music, all the genres (either for solo voices
or voices in combination), generally have instrumental accompaniment,so music (prevalently monophonic music having a single line of melody)
generally combines with instrumental music.

And as music builds on language structures, that implies that music
evolved after language; in the same way, dance and music as well are
intimately associated.
In conclusion, in Japanese traditional theatres, and in Japanese
performing arts, consisting of or combining several disciplines, thiscombination of several constituents of art (literature and music, vocal
and instrumental music, acting and dance etc.) attains the highest
refinement and complexity/accomplishment.
In this perspective we can say that in order to study Japanese culture

and its artistic productions and phenomena, the multidisciplinary
approach is in fact natural and inevitable.
Interdisciplinarity involves the combination of multiple academic
disciplines by which we can cross and think across those boundaries
that we can find in Western traditional distinctions between disciplines
or schools.
Therefore, interdisciplinary methods are better suited to aestheticalproductions where it is required to understand a given subject in termsof multiple traditional disciplines.

Dr. Linda Flores
University of Oxford, UK

Dr. Linda Flores is an Associate Professor in Modern Japanese Literature at the University of Oxford and a
Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford.
She specialises in women’s literature, gender theory, and proletarian writing and is currently organising aninternational conference titled ‘Trauma and Narrative in Japan’.

“Modern Japanese Literature: Recent Trends in Scholarship”
Abstract: This presentation examines recent trends in modern
Japanese literary studies. This includes: (1) Interrogating Westernmodels (feminism, psychoanalysis); (2) "Transnational Feminisms";
the "Trauma and Healing Boom in Japanese literature"; and"Interdisciplinary Currents". The first section briefly explores attempts
to incorporate Western models of scholarship into Japanese literary
analysis and critiques of these approaches. "Transnational Feminisms"
involves theoretical approaches that resist post-colonial modes ofanalysis. The third section explores Saitou Tamaki's contention thatrecent decades have witnessed a "Trauma and Healing Boom" inmodern Japanese literature; this includes writers such as Murakami
Haruki and Yoshimoto Banana, for example. The final section ofthis paper considers the recent trend of studying modern literature
alongside popular culture, particularly film, manga and anime.

Prof. Mitsuko Okamoto

Director, Graduate School of Film and New Media, Tokyo University of the Arts, Japan

After graduating Kyoto University, she entered NHK.
As a producer, she developed many educational programs, such as ’Digital Stadium’, introducing young
creators’ works, and ‘TECHNE’, which shows filmmaking techniques.
In 2008, she moved to Tokyo University of the Arts, and in 2013, became the director of its graduate
school of Film and New Media.

“Animation and Japanese Studies”

Abstract: This summer, one big news in Japan was the announce
that Studio Ghibli would close. And Hayao Miyazaki has already
retired. It seems that one epoch of Japanese animation is ending. On
the other hand, media environment is changing rapidly, and a lot of
new platforms have appeared for contents distribution. Furthermore,
the market has become global. In these days, our issue is to consider
how to establish a new Japanese animation.
Tokyo University of the Arts, which is one of the oldest art university
in Japan, established its graduate school of cinema and new media in
2005. And it founded its department of animation in 2008. As the only

national school for animation, we are trying to build an educational
system, and to develop new ways of expression in animation througha curriculum based on creation. In the presentation, I will introduce
you some of our teaching trials and issues.
As a last point, I would like to talk about our new project of creating
an international center of Japanese animation. It is based on threeguidelines - research, education, archives. It will offer a base for learningand researching on Japanese animation. Since it is presently onplanning level, I hope I could get some hints and ideas on that issue
through this symposium.

43

Prof. Pascal Lefèvre
KU Leuven, Belgium

Pascal Lefèvre is Special Guest Lecturer in the Arts at LUCA, School of Arts (campus Sint-Lukas Brussel)
and the Faculty of Arts of KU Leuven (Belgium).
He has published about a hunderd publications in 9 different languages, including texts on manga (ofwhich 2 were translated into Japanese). <sites.google.com/site/lefevrepascal/>"Why international comparative perspectives are needed in the study of 'national' cultures?
The case of manga."
Abstract: Looking at Japanese contemporary culture from abroad
may sound ‘strange’, because how could an outsider give a goodidea of something that is experienced every day by people living ina particular culture? In the field of manga, it has been often claimed
that only Japanese people will really understand manga. Of course,
there will be always aspects of cultural products that will have a moreparticular meaning for people living in a certain culture at a certain
time. On the other hand, however, it is quite evident that even theJapanese popular culture is, at least, tinted by influences from othercountries. Not only locate many manga their stories outside Japan,

but more basically, the system of telling stories by means of drawings
and texts is widespread. Japan has certainly created specifictraditions in the field of graphic narratives that are quite different fromother traditions, as, for instance, the American superhero comic, or
the French bandes dessinées. I’ll argue that the study of Japanesegraphic narratives from an international, comparative perspective
will both show more clearly in what aspects Japan has been rather
singular, and in what aspects manga share characteristics withgraphic narratives from other countries.

Mr. Francesco Fiore

General Manager, Hello Kitty Live, Director, Axxe ltd, (London), UK

Over fifteen years of management experience in Europe and Asia in the creative industry.
Held managing positions with international market leaders in the field of live entertainment, contents& intellectual properties, mobile, gaming, TV formats and music. Strong propensity for bringing global
perspectives, cultural awareness and innovation to product design and marketing.

“Entertainment industry, cultural/creation industry in the Global Market”
Abstract: Japan is sitting on a treasure of incommensurable
dimension. A patrimony of creative ideas, stories, emotions translated
into product design, supreme techniques of any sort. In some fields,
this excellence has reached the global market, but still most of thetreasure remains veiled.
How this gap can be filled? What is actually needed to enhance theconnection and open opportunities?
Certainly a number of fixed notions, rules, manners, habits in use on
both sides need to be known and understood in order to form a solid
foundation and facilitate the mission.

44

Comparing business models, procedures, policies and above all how
to match them can be the first secret weapon needed.
But there is a second secret weapon which can make the difference.
When working for many years creating and managing businesses,
based on connecting Japanese and western industries (in the fieldof intellectual properties and contents in my case), a valuable chancearises for a professional. The chance of unlocking a new sight point, a
special skill, similar to a mechanical feature largely in use in the movie
industry, called "dolly".

Edited and published by

Institute of Promoting International Exchange Programs

Kobe University

1-1, Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe, 657-8501 Japan
E-mail: intl-relations@office.kobe-u.ac.jp