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.
Tuesday, October 29
Welcome Reception
Host: Takeshi IWAYA, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Japan
Wednesday, October 30
Opening Remarks by Chairs
Eizo KOBAYASHI (Director Emeritus, Itochu Corporation)
Matthias NASS (Chief International Correspondent, DIE ZEIT)
Session I: Current Political and Economic Situation in Germany and Japan—How to Cope with the Population Issues and the Demographic Change
Moderator: Eizo KOBAYASHI
Japanese speakers: Naoya YOSHINO (Chief Political Editor, Nikkei Shimbun)
Dr. Reiko HAYASHI (Director-General, National Institute of Population and Social Security Research)
German speaker: Prof. Dr. Karl-Rudolf KORTE (Professor, Institute of Political Science, University of Duisburg-Essen)
Session II: Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Changes and Impacts on Society and Desirable Forms of Regulation
Moderator: Eizo KOBAYASHI
Japanese speaker: Prof. Dr. Yutaka MATSUO (Professor, University of Tokyo)
German speaker: Prof. Dr. Paul LUKOWICZ (Scientific Director, German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence [DFKI GmbH])
Session II (Hybrid Public Session): Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Changes and Impacts on Society and Desirable Forms of Regulation
Moderator: Keisuke MURAKAMI (Head of Group of Services for Citizens, Digital Agency of Japan)
Japanese speaker: Prof. Dr. Yutaka MATSUO
German speaker: Prof. Dr. Paul LUKOWICZ
Reception
Host: Ambassador Petra SIGMUND, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Japan
Thursday, October 31
Session III: Foreign Policy – Outlook on the International Order after the US Presidential Election
Moderator: Matthias NASS
German speaker: Prof. Dr. Daniela SCHWARZER (Executive Board, Bertelsmann Stiftung)
Japanese speaker: Ichiro FUJISAKI (Former Japanese Ambassador to USA)
Closing Remarks by the Chairs
Courtesy Call on Prime Minister Shigeru ISHIBA
CHAIRMAN | |
Matthias NASS | Chief International Correspondent, Weekly Newspaper DIE ZEIT |
PARTICIPANTS | |
Tobias B. BACHERLE | MP (Alliance 90/The Greens) |
Prof. Dr. Verena BLECHINGER-TALCOTT | Executive Vice President/Professor of Institute of East Asian Studies, Japanese Studies, Free University Berlin |
Prof. Dr. Karl-Rudolf KORTE | Professor, Institute of Political Science, University of Duisburg-Essen |
Prof. Dr. Paul LUKOWICZ | Scientific Director, German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI GmbH) |
Gerda MEUER | Journalist; former Managing Director of Programming at Deutsche Welle |
Michael MÜLLER | MP (Social Democratic Party of Germany) |
Frank MUELLER ROSENTRITT | MP (Free Democratic Party) |
Dr. Julia MÜNCH | Secretary General, Japanese-German Center Berlin |
Prof. Dr. Daniela SCHWARZER | Executive Board, Bertelsmann Stiftung |
Ambassador Petra SIGMUND | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Germany |
Sabine STRICKER-KELLERER | Attorney at Law, SSK Asia |
Prof. Dr. Gabriele VOGT | Chair in Japanese Studies, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich |
Dr. Johann D. WADEPHUL | MP (Christian Democratic Union/ Christian Social Union) |
Hanno D. WENTZLER | Former Member of the Executive Council of the Freudenberg Group |
Christian WULFF | Former Federal President of Germany |
CHAIRMAN | |
Eizo KOBAYASHI | Director Emeritus, ITOCHU Corporation |
PARTICIPANTS | |
Ichiro FUJISAKI | Former Japan Ambassador to the U.S.; President, The America-Japan Society, Inc. |
Koichiro GEMBA | Member of the House of Representatives (Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan) |
Dr. Reiko HAYASHI | Director-General, National Institute of Population and Social Security Research |
Yasuhiro IHARA | Executive Managing Director, K.K. Kyodo News |
Kaori IIDA | Deputy Chief Commentator, NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) |
Keiko IIZUKA | Editorial Writer & Senior Political Writer, Yomiuri Shimbun |
Tsutomu ISHIAI | Senior Staff Writer, Asahi Shimbun |
Ren ITO | Co-Founder and COO, Sakana AI |
Takashi ITO | Senior General Manager, Corporate Economic Security Division, Mitsubishi Electric |
Dr. Yoko IWAMA | Professor, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) |
Isao KANO | President, JCIE/Japan |
Yoriyuki KASHIWAGI | Director, Senior Managing Executive Officer, Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. |
Izuru KATO | President & Chief Economist, Totan Research Co., Ltd. |
Dr. Yoko KAWAMURA | Professor, Department of Cross-Cultural Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Seikei University |
Minoru KIUCHI | Minister of State for Economic Security; Member of the House of Representatives (Liberal Democratic Party) |
Makiko KOMATSU | President and Representative Director, Komatsu Spring Industrial Co., Ltd. |
Dr. Yutaka MATSUO | Professor, Matsuo-Iwasa Lab, University of Tokyo |
Norihide MIYOSHI | Journalist |
Dr. Masahiko MORI | President, DMG MORI Co., LTD |
Keisuke MURAKAMI | Director General for Public Service Group, Digital Agency of Japan |
Masaharu NAKAGAWA | Former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; Former Member of the House of Representatives (CDP) |
Tetsuo NARUKAWA | Deputy Chairman, Japanese-German Business Association (DJW); Outside Director of Okasan Securities Co., Ltd. |
Shinichi SATO | Senior Manager, Overseas External Affairs & Advocacy Department, Marketing & External Affairs Division, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. |
Mitsuko SHINO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan in Germany |
Atsushi TAKEDA | President and CEO, Chief Economist, ITOCHU Research Institute Inc. |
Kenji TOTOKI | Executive Officer, General Manager of Marketing and External Relations Division, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. |
Takeshi YAGI | President, Japanese German Center Berlin |
Hidenao YANAGI | Former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Embassy of Japan in Germany |
Naoya YOSHINO | Chief, International News Center Editorial Division, Nikkei Shimbun |
YOUNG LEADERS ALUMNI | |
Rieko FUKUTOME | Deputy Director of the National Personnel Authority, Government of Japan |
Naho KAWAUCHI | Contract Manager, Siemens K.K. |
Jenny LEHMANN | Deputy Head of the Department of Science Policy, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft |
Leo SAKAGUCHI | Project Manager, Sumitomo Corporation/Chairman of the German-Japanese Young Leaders Forum Alumni Association |
SECRETARIAT (JAPAN CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE) | |
Dai FUNAKI | Senior Program Officer, JCIE |
Patrick ISHIYAMA | Digital and Print Production Officer, JCIE |
Kana KANEKO | Program Associate, JCIE |
Gaeun KIM | Assistant Researcher, JCIE |
Shigeko KONDO | Program Officer, JCIE |
Sonoko UDAGAWA | Staff member, JCIE |
SECRETARIAT (JAPANESE-GERMAN CENTER BERLIN) | |
Dr. Phoebe Stella HOLDGRÜN | Head of Project Management, Japanese-German Center Berlin (JDZB) |
Carolin WEIDMANN | Assistant to Team Projects, JDZB |
