Japanese-German Forum
The 15th Japanese-German Forum was held in Berlin from October 12–14, 2006. Twenty-three participants gathered to discuss various issues including the regional situation in East Asia, energy security, common socio-economic challenges caused by aging populations, and meeting common challenges through innovation.
The meetings reaffirmed the commonalities in the international and domestic issues and situations affecting Germany and Japan, and confirmed the continuing need for close contacts and sharing of the experiences of each country.
Vice Chancellor Franz Muentefering held a reception for the participants on the final day of the meetings, where he stayed longer than scheduled, indicating his interest and appreciation of the value of the Forum.
At the end of the forum the Chairmen prepared a statement summarizing the discussions, which was presented to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Agenda
Thursday, October 12 |
Session I: Changing Socio-Economic and Political Dynamics of Germany and Japan Japanese Speaker:• Katsuyuki YAKUSHIJI, Editor in Chief, Monthly Magazine RONZA German Speaker:• Matthias NASS, Deputy Editor, DIE ZEIT |
Friday, October 13 |
Session II: German and Japanese Response to Threats to Regional Security Japanese Speaker:• Shinichi KITAOKA, Professor, University of Tokyo; Former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations German Speaker:• Hanns MAULL, Professor, University of Trier |
Session III: Common Socio-Economic Challenges Caused by Aging Population Japanese Speaker:• Kenji KOSAKA, Member, House of Representatives (LDP, Liberal Democratic Party); Former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology German Speaker:• Gert WAGNER, Head of German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) and Research Director at German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) |
Saturday, October 14 |
Session IV: Meeting Common Challenges by Innovation Japanese Speaker:• Taizo YAKUSHIJI, Member, Council for Science and Technology Policy, Cabinet Office German Speaker:• Heinz RIESENHUBER, Member of German Parliament (Bundestag) (CDU, Christian Democratic Union of Germany); Former Minister for Research and Technology |