The Japanese-German Forum was held in Tokyo on October 29–31. It was the 32nd convening of the forum, 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). Mr. Nass, who has served in that role for the past decade, will be stepping down after this year, and the Forum members celebrated his contributions to the dialogue over the years.
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 current demographic challenges facing the two countries, the impact of and ways to regulate AI, and how the US elections might impact the international order. This year, the discussion on AI was opened to the public via a hybrid session. The Forum participants also paid a courtesy call on newly elected Prime Minister Ishiba. Following the program, the chairs presented their summary of the dialogue to Prime Minister Ishiba and Chancellor Scholz.
