The Japanese-German Forum was held in Tokyo on November 16–18, marking the 30th anniversary of this dialogue that was launched in 1993 as a joint initiative of Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, as a private, bilateral dialogue designed to promote mutual cooperation and understanding. The meetings are held annually, with JCIE and the Japanese-German Center Berlin serving as the secretariat. The forum, hosted in-person for the first time since COVID-19 began, was facilitated by Chairman Eizo Kobayashi (Director Emeritus, Itochu Corporation) and Chairman Matthias Nass (Chief International Correspondent, DIE ZEIT). More than 40 Japanese and German politicians, policy experts, business leaders, and journalists participated to discuss the key topics of politics and economics in Japan and Germany a year into the Ukraine Crisis, the German and Japanese roles in fighting authoritarianism, and possible German-Japanese cooperation on reformulation of energy strategy. Throughout the three Forum sessions, the overarching theme was that multifaceted cooperation between the two countries is more necessary than ever in the face of ongoing international instability.
Highlights of the Forum included receptions hosted by State Minister for Foreign Affairs Kenji Yamada and Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Japan Dr. Clemens von Goetze, respectively, as well as a meeting with Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno.
Wednesday, November 16
Reception
Host: Kenji YAMADA, State Minister for Foreign Affairs
Thursday, November 17
Session I: Current Political and Economic Situation in Germany and Japan—Marking One Year in Office Amidst the Ukraine Crisis
Chair: Eizo KOBAYASHI (Director Emeritus, Itochu Corporation)
Japanese speaker: Naoya YOSHINO (Chief Political Editor, Nikkei Shimbun)
German speaker: Prof. Dr. Karl-Rudolf KORTE (Professor, Institute of Political Science, Duisburg-Essen University)
Session II: German and Japanese Role in Fighting Aggressive Authoritarianism, the Crisis of Democracy and Global Inflation
Chair: Matthias NASS (Chief International Correspondent, DIE ZEIT)
German speaker: Dr. Claudia MAJOR (Head of Research Division, International Security, German Institute for International and Security Affairs)
Japanese speaker: Tomiko ICHIKAWA (Director General, The Japan Institute of International Affairs)
Reception
Host: Dr. Clemens von Goetze, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Japan
Friday, November 18
Session III: Reformulation of Energy Strategy and Possible German-Japanese Cooperation—Towards Non-Dependence on Russia and Decarbonization
Chair: Eizo KOBAYASHI (Director Emeritus, Itochu Corporation)
Japanese speaker: Shin HOSAKA (Commissioner, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy)
German speaker: Prof. Dr. Peter HENNICKE (German Chairman, German Japanese Energy Transition Council)
Meeting with Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu MATSUNO
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CHAIRMAN |
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Matthias NASS |
Chief International Correspondent, Weekly Newspaper DIE ZEIT |
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PARTICIPANTS |
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Prof. Dr. Verena BLECHINGER-TALCOTT |
Vice President/Professor of Institute of East Asian Studies, Japanese Studies, Free University Berlin |
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Ambassador Dr. Clemens von GOETZE |
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Germany |
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Prof. Dr. Peter HENNICKE |
German Chairman, German Japanese Energy Transition Council (GJETC) |
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Prof. Dr. Karl-Rudolf KORTE |
Professor, Institute of Political Science, Duisburg-Essen University |
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Dr. Claudia MAJOR |
Head of Research Division, International Security, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) |
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Matthias MOOSDORF |
MP (Alternative for Germany) |
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Michael MULLER |
MP (Social Democratic Party of Germany) |
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Frank MUELLER ROSENTRITT |
MP (Free Democratic Party) |
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Dr. Julia MÜNCH |
Secretary General, Japanese-German Center Berlin |
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Prof. Dr. Gabriele VOGT |
Chair in Japanese Studies, Director to Department of Asian Studies, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich |
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Dr. Johann D. WADEPHUL |
MP (Christian Democratic Union/ Christian Social Union) |
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Prof. Dr. Franz WALDENBERGER |
Director, German Institute for Japanese Studies |
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Gerhard WIESHEU |
Member of the Executive Board, B Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG |
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CHAIRMAN |
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Eizo KOBAYASHI |
Director Emeritus, ITOCHU Corporation |
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PARTICIPANTS |
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Prof. Dr. Ken ENDO |
Professor, Faculty of Law, The University of Tokyo; Adjunct Fellow, Japan Institute for International Affairs |
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Yasunori FUJI |
Corporate Auditor, Ono Sokki Co., Ltd. |
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Koichiro GEMBA |
Member of the House of Representatives (The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan) |
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Dr. Eiichi HARADA |
Managing Executive Officer/General Manager, Hydrogen Strategy Division, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. |
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Shin HOSAKA |
Commissioner, the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) |
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Tomiko ICHIKAWA |
Director General, The Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) |
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Director General, The Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) |
Executive Advisor, Ricoh Institute of Sustainability and Business |
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Prof. Dr. Yoko IWAMA |
Professor, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) |
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Hideto KAKINOKI |
President/CEO, Nikkei Media Promotion Inc. |
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Yoriyuki KASHIWAGI |
Managing Executive Officer, The Policy Management Center, Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. |
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Izuru KATO |
President & Chief Economist, Totan Research Co., Ltd. |
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Prof. Dr. Yoko KAWAMURA |
Professor, Department of Cross-Cultural Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Seikei University |
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Dr. Shinichi KITAOKA |
Special Advisor to the President, Japan International Cooperation Agency |
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Minoru KIUCHI |
Member of the House of Representatives (Liberal Democratic Party) |
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Makiko KOMATSU |
President and Representative Director, Komatsu Spring Industrial Co., Ltd. |
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Toshiaki MIURA |
Journalist |
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Norihide MIYOSHI |
Journalist |
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Dr. Masahiko MORI |
President, DMG MORI Co., LTD |
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Tetsuo NARUKAWA |
Director, Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd./Outside Director, Okasan Securities Co., Ltd |
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Shin NIMURA |
Senior Commentator, Japan Broadcasting Corporation |
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Akio OKAWARA |
President, Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) |
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Prof. Dr. Noriko OKUBO |
Professor, Graduate School of Law and Politics, Osaka University |
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Hidenao YANAGI |
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Embassy of Japan in Germany |
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Naoya YOSHINO |
Chief Political Editor, Nikkei |
OBSERVERS | |
Makoto ISHIKAWA | Senior Research Associate, ITOCHU Research Institute Inc. |
Emi IWASAKA | Research Associate, ITOCHU Research Institute Inc. |
Isao KANO | Member, Board of Directors, Japan Center for International Exchange |
Takuya NAKAJIMA | Manager Executive Officer, The Policy management Center, Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. |
Hiroki SAWAMURA | Deputy Director, Central and South Eastern Europe Division, European Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
Asako TAKASHIMA | Research Fellow, The Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) |
Atsushi TAKEDA | Chief Economist, ITOCHU Research Institute Inc. |
Karsten KIESEWETTER | Defense Attaché, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to Japan |
Gunnar MICHEEL | Second Secretary, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to Japan |
Daniel OCKENFELD | Desk Officer Japan, Federal Foreign Office |
Shikibu OISHI | First Secretary, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to Japan |
Erik REINHARD | First Secretary, Economic Affairs, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to Japan |
Claudia SCHMITZ | Minister Counsellor, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to Japan |
Dr. Dan TIDTEN | First Secretary, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to Japan |
Dr. Klaus VIETZE | Minister, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to Japan |
Susanne WELTER | Minister, Head of Economic and Scientific Department, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to Japan |
YOUNG LEADERS | |
Dr. Daniela BLASCHKE | Public Affairs and Innovation Strategist & CoLead within the Volkswagen Group Future Heads Network, VOLKSWAGEN Group Technical Representative Tokyo, VOLKSWAGEN Group Japan K.K. |
Randolf CARR | Senior Policy Advisor (on leave), Munich Security Conference Foundation |
Kiichi IKEDA | Chief Officer, General Affairs Department, New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) |
Saki SAKUMA | International Affairs Bureau (in charge of the U.S. affairs, Trade and Investment), Japan Business Federation |
SECRETARIAT (JAPAN CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE) | |
Patrick ISHIYAMA | Digital and Print Production Officer, JCIE |
Kana KANEKO | Program Associate, JCIE |
Dr. Hyejin LEE | Senior Program Officer, JCIE |
Toshihiro MENJU | Managing Director and Chief Program Officer, JCIE |
SECRETARIAT (JAPANESE-GERMAN CENTER BERLIN) | |
Dr. Phoebe Stella HOLDGRÜN | Head of Conferences/Project Management, Japanese-German Center Berlin (JDZB) |
Tokiko KIYOTA | Deputy Secretary General, Japanese-German Center Berlin |
Amélie LECHTAPE | Assistant to Secretary General, Japanese-German Center Berlin |
Sven TRASCHEWSKI | Conferences/Project Management, Japanese-German Center Berlin (JDZB) |
