The Japanese-German Forum was held in Berlin on November 15–17, marking the 31th anniversary of this dialogue, which 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.
This year’s forum was facilitated by Chairman Matthias Nass (Chief International Correspondent, DIE ZEIT) and Chairman Eizo Kobayashi (Director Emeritus, Itochu Corporation). More than 40 Japanese and German politicians, policy experts, business leaders, and journalists came together to discuss crucial topics in politics and economics in Japan and Germany. They delved into the role of democracy in tackling global warming, accepting immigrants, addressing low birth rates and aging societies, security expenditures. Building upon last year’s discussions about the ongoing Ukrainian crisis, they explored the roles of Germany and Japan in international cooperation. In the face of ongoing international instability, the three sessions highlighted the necessity of extensive cooperation between the two countries. This year, a public symposium was also held on bilateral cooperation to strengthen economic security. This was the first time such an event was convened following the official part of the Forum in order to share some of the discussions of the Forum with the general public.
Wednesday, November 15
Welcome Reception
Host: H.E. Dr. Tobias Lindner, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany
Thursday, November 16
Opening Remarks by Chairs
Matthias NASS (Chief International Correspondent, DIE ZEIT)
Eizo KOBAYASHI (Director Emeritus, Itochu Corporation)
Session I: Current Political and Economic Situation in Germany and Japan—How Democracies Can Respond to Such Challenges as Global Warming, Accepting Immigrants, Problems Related to Low Birth Rates and Aging Societies, Security Expenditures, etc.
Moderator: Matthias NASS
German speakers: Michael MÜLLER (MP, Social Democratic Party of Germany)
Dr. Johann D. WADEPHUL (MP, Christian Democratic Union/ Christian Social Union)
Japanese speakers: Naoya YOSHINO (Chief Political Editor, Nikkei Shimbun)
Minoru KIUCHI (Member of the House of Representatives (Liberal Democratic Party)—video message
Session II: Foreign Policy—The War in Ukraine, New East-West Divisions, the Global South
Moderator: Matthias NASS
Japanese speaker: Dr. Shinichi KITAOKA (Special Advisor to the President, Japan International Cooperation Agency)
German speaker: Dr. Claudia MAJOR (Head of Research Division, International Security, German Institute for International and Security Affairs)
Reception
Host: Hidenao YANAGI, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Embassy of Japan in Germany
Friday, November 17
Meeting with Wolfgang Schmidt, Federal Minister for Special Affairs and Head of the Chancellery
Session III: Japanese and German Strategy for Economic Security—Working toward Specific Bilateral Cooperation based on the Results of the Japan-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations
Moderator: Eizo KOBAYASHI
German speaker: Prof. Dr. Veronika GRIMM (Head of the Chair of Economic Theory, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg)
Japanese speaker: Takashi ITO (Managing Director, Corporate Economic Security Division, Mitsubishi Electric)
Closing Remarks by the Chairs
Public Symposium: Building Economic Security Together
Introductory Remarks
Hon. Clemens von GOETZE (German Ambassador to Japan)
Panelists
Prof. Dr. Veronika GRIMM (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg)
Takashi ITO (Mitsubishi Electric)
Tetsuo NARUKAWA (Japanese-German Business Association, DJW)
Wolfgang NIEDERMARK (Federation of German Industries, BDI)
Moderators
Matthias NASS (DIE ZEIT)
Eizo KOBAYASHI (Itochu Corporation)
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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 |
Executive 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. Veronika GRIMM |
Head of the Chair of Economic Theory, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) |
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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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Gerda MEUER |
Journalist; former Managing Director of Programming at Deutsche Welle |
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Matthias MOOSDORF |
MP (Alternative for Germany) |
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Michael MÜLLER |
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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Wolfgang NIEDERMARK |
Member of the Executive Board of BDI, Berlin |
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Thorsten SCHÄFER-GÜMBEL |
Chair, Management Board, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). |
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Sabine STRICKER-KELLERER |
Attorney at Law, SSK Asia |
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Jürgen TRITTIN |
MP (Alliance ‘90/The Greens), former Federal Minister for the Environment |
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Alexander ULRICH |
MP (Die Linke) |
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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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Hanno D. WENTZLER |
former President and CEO of Freudenberg Chemical Specialties SE & Co. KG (FCS) |
CHAIRMAN | |
Eizo KOBAYASHI | Director Emeritus, ITOCHU Corporation |
PARTICIPANTS | |
Koichiro GEMBA | Member of the House of Representatives (Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan) |
Toshio HOSHINO | General Manager of Research & Business Development Division, ITOCHU Corporation |
Hidenori IMAOKA | Managing Director, Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) |
Takashi ITO | Senior General Manager, Corporate Economic Security Division, Mitsubishi Electric |
Prof. Dr. Yoko IWAMA | Professor, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) |
Emi IWASAKA | Senior Economist, ITOCHU Research Institute Inc. |
Isao KANO | President, JCIE/Japan |
Yoriyuki KASHIWAGI | Managing Executive Officer, Policy Management Center, Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. |
Izuru KATO | President & Chief Economist, Totan Research Co., Ltd. |
Dr. Shinichi KITAOKA | Special Advisor to the President, Japan International Cooperation Agency |
Minoru KIUCHI | Member of the House of Representatives (Liberal Democratic Party) *video message |
Toshiaki MIURA | Journalist |
Norihide MIYOSHI | Journalist |
Dr. Masahiko MORI | President, DMG MORI Co., LTD |
Tetsuo NARUKAWA | Director, Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd./Outside Director, Okasan Securities Co., Ltd |
Kazuo TERANISHI | Chief, Asahi Shimbun Berlin Bureau |
Takeshi YAGI | President, Japanese German Center Berlin |
Hidenao YANAGI | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Embassy of Japan in Germany |
Naoya YOSHINO | Chief Political Editor, Nikkei |
YOUNG LEADERS | |
Dr. Sinan AKDENIZ | Senior Policy Advisor, Federal Ministry of Health |
Aya OMOTO | CEO and Co-founder of Laere Inc. |
Pekka SAGNER | Economist, German Economic Institute (Institut der |
Saki SAKUMA | International Affairs Bureau, Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) |
Kou WATANABE | CPA and Senior Manager, Audit and Assurance Department, |
Anna WILLERT | Desk Officer/Policy Advisor, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community |
SECRETARIAT (JAPAN CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE) | |
Kana KANEKO | Program Associate, 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) |
Sascha LÜCK | Press and Public Relations, J JDZB |
Jörg REINOWSKI | Conferences/Project Management, JDZB |
Tatjana WONNEBERG | Conferences/Project Management, JDZB |
