Since 1 October 2020, the Japanese-German Center Berlin has a new Secretary General: Dr. Julia MÜNCH has been a full-time Executive Board Member of the German-Japanese Business Association (DJW, Düsseldorf) since 2007. She studied Japanese Studies (M.A.), Business Administration and Psychology in Göttingen and Bonn and received her doctorate at the University of Duisburg-Essen (Chair of East Asian Economics / Japan). She has been chair and managing director of the International Internship Platform (KOPRA), is a member of the board of the German-Japanese Associations (VDJG) and its Foundation, as well as President of the Foundation for German-Japanese Cultural Exchange in North Rhine-Westphalia.

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has underlined the necessity for people around the world to cooperate in solving imminent threats facing humanity. However, the pandemic is merely one of many current threats undermining the safety and wellbeing of our societies.

ISDP is arranging a series of three webinars on the topic of ‘human security’ during the fall. This first webinar will analyze the fundamental aspects of human security and the importance of evaluating the concept of ‘security’ at the human rather than the national level. The speakers will also discuss the role of Japan in championing the human security agenda, in East Asia as well as in a global context.

We are honored to have a distinguished panel join us for a discussion on the topic ‘Human Security: Its Importance, Challenges, and the case of Japan’. Marie Højlund Roesgaard is an Associate Professor at the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies of Copenhagen University, Gerd Johnsson Latham is the Editor-in-Chief at the Swedish Online Magazine ‘Human Security’, Pål Jonson is the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Defense and Chairman of the Swedish-Japanese Parliamentary Association, and Lars Vargö is the Head of ISDP’s Japan Center.

The panel discussion will be followed by an audience Q&A and the event will be moderated by Torbjörn Lodén, the Head of ISDP’s China Center.

Details and Register from here.

The Japanese-German Center Berlin (JDZB) in cooperation with the France-Japan Foundation of the EHES (École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales) in Paris invites to the following event,

Virtual French-German Dialogue on Japan I:

Autonomous Driving: Perspectives on Japan, France, and Germany

on Thursday, October 8, 2020, 11 h (CEST) / 18 h (JST)

Autonomous driving has become a relevant and broadly discussed topic in Japan as well as France and Germany. However, political and corporate strategies on how to implement autonomous driving, regulatory policies in both national, and, in the cases of Germany and France, EU levels, and attitudes towards autonomous driving as well as the perception of risks and chances in each society might differ to a large extent. The French-German Dialogue on Japan will discuss this topic by bringing together trilateral perspectives, research findings, and hands-on experience by panelists from academia and business.

The first session on “Regulating Autonomous Driving” will focus on corporate strategies and the perspective of automobile manufacturers in regard to regulatory issues and policies concerning the development and implementation of autonomous driving.

The second session on “Autonomous Driving and Society” will compare the reception and acceptance of autonomous driving in all three societies: What attitudes and preferences can be found in the Japanese, French and German public? What chances and risks do citizens perceive in regard to autonomous driving?

The event will be held in English.

The virtual symposium will be streamed from the Japanese-German Center Berlin (JDZB).

For your virtual participation via Zoom please register by returning the requested information by E-Mail to Jörg REINOWSKI at jreinowski@jdzb.de by 1 October 2020:
Name, Position, Institution, E-Mail

I consent to the Data Protection Compliance: Please write Yes/No

In case you do not wish to participate actively in this conference, we kindly ask you to watch via the provided livestream on the JDZB YouTube Channel.

You can see the program here.

THE TOKYO TOILET Project

Pritzker Prize winners among 16 creators transforming 17 public toilets in Shibuya, Tokyo

The Nippon Foundation is launching THE TOKYO TOILET project to build public toilets that can be used by anyone. The project will build new toilets at 17 locations in Shibuya, Tokyo, as a way of moving toward the realization of a society that embraces diversity.Three of the toilets will be made available for use by the general public from August 5.

Japan is known as one of the cleanest countries in the world. Even public toilets have a higher standard of hygiene than in much of the rest of the world. However, the use of public toilets in Japan is limited because of stereotypes that they are dark, dirty, smelly, and scary. To dispel these misconceptions regarding public toilets, The Nippon Foundation has decided to renovate 17 public toilets located in Shibuya, Tokyo, in cooperation with the Shibuya City government. These public toilets are being designed by 16 leading creators, and will use advanced design to make them accessible for everyone regardless of gender, age, or disability, to demonstrate the possibilities of an inclusive society. In addition to the construction, we have arranged for ongoing maintenance so that people will feel comfortable using these public toilets and to foster a spirit of hospitality for the next person.

The toilets being made available for use from August 5 are in three locations: Ebisu Park (creator – Masamichi Katayama); Yoyogi Fukamachi Mini Park (Shigeru Ban); and Haru-no-Ogawa Community Park (Shigeru Ban). These will be followed by openings on August 7 in Ebisu East Park (Fumihiko Maki), and a location near Ebisu Station (Nao Tamura), August 31 in Nishihara Itchome Park (Takenosuke Sakakura), and on September 7 in Jingu-Dori Park (Tadao Ando), with the remainder scheduled for completion by the spring of 2021. Please refer to the attachment for a full list of locations and creators.

The toilets will be constructed by DAIWA HOUSE INDUSTRY CO., LTD., and TOTO LTD. will advise on toilet equipment and layout. Maintenance of the toilets will be carried out under a three-party agreement concluded by The Nippon Foundation, the Shibuya City government, and the Shibuya City Tourism Association.

*You can see further texts, photos of some toilets with its concepts, a list of toilet names, locations, and creators from here.