In a time marked by profound societal, technological, and geopolitical transformation, Japan and Europe share both longstanding values and emerging challenges. Questions of democratic trust, human-centered innovation, regional resilience, gender equality, and scientific excellence have become central to shaping sustainable futures in Japan and Europe.

Against this backdrop, the EJEA International Conference 2026 “Think Global, Act Local: Japan–Europe Dialogues on Transformation in Society, Technology, and Values” provides a vibrant platform for interdisciplinary exchange and collaborative knowledge acquisition. The conference aims to deepen mutual understanding, strengthen local and interregional cooperation, and identify actionable paths for shaping resilient, inclusive, and innovation-driven societies in Japan and Europe.

The conference is designed to create lasting impact by:

• Strengthening mutual insight into societal, technological, and value-driven transformations in both regions.
• Stimulating new partnerships, research collaborations and business cooperations among universities, institutes, governmental bodies, companies, entrepreneurs and NGOs.
• Providing visibility and opportunities for early-career researchers, women leaders, startup representatives and civil-society actors.
• Generating strategic recommendations on the future role of EJEA and comparable networks in Japan–Europe cooperation.
• Producing a digital publication summarizing key findings, insights, and policy-relevant perspectives.
• Cross-Sector Stakeholder Connection: Strengthening dialogue and networks across academia, administration, industry, and entrepreneurs to foster practical, real-world impact.

The conference brings together participants from Japan and Europe, including:

• Scholars and researchers from universities and research organizations
• Policy experts and representatives of public institutions, civil-society organizations and community leaders
• Professionals and innovators from industry and technology sectors
• Members of think tanks
• Early-career researchers, doctoral candidates, and students

This diversity enables broad and meaningful dialogue across disciplines, generations, and sectors.

Japan and Europe face parallel transitions: digitalization and AI, demographic change, shifting democratic participation, regional disparities, and a need for sustainable economic and ecological models. At the same time, both regions bring rich experiences in community-based innovation, civic engagement, scientific collaboration, corporate driven changes and value-driven policy making.

The European Japan Experts Association (EJEA), founded 1995 in Berlin to promote structured dialogue and cross-cultural collaboration, brings together a unique network of researchers, practitioners, entrepreneurs and innovators, policymakers, and civil-society actors (refer to past conferences https://ejea.eu/events/).

The 2026 conference builds on this mission by providing a space to compare strategies, share best practices, pitch new technologies and solutions and to jointly explore ways to “think globally” while “acting locally” in pursuit of human-centered futures.