News

To mark the 150^th anniversary of the Belgium-Japan relations and the opening of Waseda University’s Brussels Office, the 2016 EU-Japan Forum was held at Egmont Palace in Brussels on October 24 and 25. The forum was jointly sponsored with Free University Brussels and Université Catholique de Louvain.

The purpose of this forum was for Japanese and European researchers to engage in a dialogue on ten topics in the humanities and sciences during roundtable discussions lasting over a course of two days (the roundtable topics are listed below).

Before the discussions, the “Expert Panel on the State of the EU-Japan Partnership” held on the opening day invited Ambassador Kazuo Kodama, Head of Mission of Japan to the European Union, to speak on how Japan and European countries must come together for addressing global issues.

Moreover, keynote lectures in the “Anniversary Panel on 150 Years of Belgo-Japanese Diplomatic Relations” included that of Masafumi Ishii, Japanese Ambassador to Belgium, who spoke of the recent Belgium-Japan international relations.

Schedule

Monday, October 24, 2016

EXPERT PANEL ON THE STATE OF THE EU-JAPAN PARTNERSHIP

• 09:15 Welcome Words
• 09:30 Keynotes
• 10:30 The European Union and Japan a New Chapter in Civilian Power Cooperation
• 11:45 Concluding Words

Round Table

• The EU-Japan Strategic Partnership in Criminal Matters: The Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Revisited
• The EU-Japan Strategic Partnership in health/medical research: prospects associated with Biomechanics and Robotics
• Citizens and their Rights: Shifting understandings of the Rule of Law
• Transition Planning and Architecture to meet the environmental agenda in Belgium and Japan

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Round Table

• NATO, Europe and Japan: the Prospects of deeper Security Cooperation
• Identity Politics in Europe and Japan: Polities facing Nationalism and Fragmentation
• The EU-Japan Strategic Partnership on Competition: From The Agreement on Co-operation on Anti-competitive Activities to the FTA/EPA
• Microfluidics and Lab-on-Chips: Research on Emerging Technologies in Europe, Japan & Belgium
• Politics, Culture and Traditional Values in Post-Modern Societies: Europe and Japan
• Popular Culture in Japan and Europe: Manga & the Franco-Belgian Comic Book

ANNIVERSARY PANEL ON 150 YEARS OF BELGO-JAPANESE DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

• 16:00 Japan and Belgium: 150 Years of Diplomatic Relations
• 17:45 Closing Words