PROGRAM／SUMMARIES

• Hiroaki Nakanishi
  Chairman of KEIDANREN (Japan Business Federation)
  Executive Chairman of Hitachi, Ltd.

• Yuriko Koike
  Governor of Tokyo

The confusion in the Middle East is deepening. The “Arab Spring”, which raised people’s expectations, ended up in failure to deliver democracy. Terror attacks, conflicts and violence do not show any sign of decline. Increasing instability and changes in the framework of this region, which are embodied in such phenomena as receding presence of the United States and correspondingly increasing intervention by Russia, confrontation among regional powers like Iran and Saudi Arabia and spread of extremist groups, may impact the international order itself. Where is the Middle East heading? How should we perceive the changes, and how should we act? The panel, consisting of Nathan J. Brown and Satoshi Ikeuchi, both renowned researchers on Islam, will explore the clues for breakthrough. It will also present the Asahi Shimbun GLOBE’s fresh reports from the region.

• Nathan J. Brown
  Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, The George Washington University
• Satoshi Ikeuchi
  Associate Professor, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo

Nathan J. Brown

Satoshi Ikeuchi

• Norito Kunisue
  Editor in Chief of the Asahi Shimbun GLOBE
  

Kengo Kuma, one of the architects of the New National Stadium now under construction, has been advocating the concept of “losing architecture”, which emphasizes harmony with the surrounding environment and embraces various external forces. It can be paraphrased as “tolerant architecture”, which is flexible to the environment and society and respects others. When and how was this concept born? How is it materialized and conveyed to the future? We will seek the answers, while taking up his past works and ongoing projects including the New National Stadium.

• Kengo Kuma
  Architect
  Professor, The University of Tokyo

• Wakato Onishi
  Senior Staff Writer of the Asahi Shimbun

Eriko Yamaguchi’s MOTHERHOUSE produces bags, accessories and other items in developing countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India. Ryan Takeshita, Editor in Chief of HuffPost Japan, which has been running a campaign titled “Atarashii Time” to support those who take on a new way of living, working or thinking, will ask her what she values in her craft work and business and explore the future of Japan’s craftsmanship.

• Eriko Yamaguchi
  Chief Executive Officer and Chief Designer of MOTHERHOUSE Co.,Ltd.

• Ryan Takeshita
  Editor in Chief, HuffPost Japan

Jared Grusd, CEO of the "HuffPost" Group, which operates in 16 countries over the globe, will discuss the latest movements and trends in digital media. From Norihiko Sasaki, CCO of NewsPicks, which acquired US economic media business Quartz in July this year, we will hear about the aim of the acquisition and the company’s future strategy. The panel will explore the way digital media should be in five years from now, while considering how they, content makers, can exert influence on social media (SNS) such as Facebook and Twitter.

• Jared Grusd
  Chief Executive Officer, HuffPost
• Norihiko Sasaki
  Chief Content Officer, NewsPicks
  Chief Executive Officer, NewsPicks Studios　

Jared Grusd

Norihiko Sasaki

• Ryan Takeshita
  Editor in Chief, HuffPost Japan

With rigid social security and education systems intact, friction has been developing between conventional values and new ways of life. An increasing number of young people find life difficult because they easily come under fire as a result of only petty actions and words. Failure is not something to accuse someone of, but to be shared as valuable experience so that other people can learn from it. Louis Yamada the 53rd, Hige Danshaku, debuted as a comedian after a time of isolating himself from society and living under extreme poverty. While being hit by drastic ups and downs of his popularity and called “a flash in the pan”, he found his way in writing to convey his own experience. We live in an era when social safety net cannot be relied on, and we need to find our own compass. This session will discuss “talking about failures”.

• Louis Yamada the 53rd, Hige Danshaku
  Comedian

• Shojiro Okuyama
  Editor in Chief of withnews

• Masataka Watanabe
  President and CEO of The Asahi Shimbun Company

• Seiko Noda
  Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications
  Minister in charge of Women's Empowerment
  Minister of State for Gender Equality
  Minister of State for the Social Security and Tax Number System

With its economy continuing to stagnate, Japan faces the challenges of globalization and a declining population. In order to survive in the world, innovation that creates new value is indispensable. Innovation requires diversity, which should be about wide-ranging values held by people beyond gender, nationality and other attributions. In Japan, however, the word is still talked about largely in the context of “women’s empowerment”. Against this backdrop, we invite Kathy Matsui, who proposed “womanomics”, Miki Iwamura, who has practiced a flexible way of work through Google’s technology, and Haruno Yoshida, who became the first female executive of the Japan Business Federation, to discuss women’s leadership from global perspectives.

• Kathy Matsui
  Vice Chair, Goldman Sachs Japan Co., Ltd.
• Miki Iwamura
  Managing Director APAC CMO Japan, Google
• Haruno Yoshida
  Former Adviser, BT Japan Corporation
  Member for Regulation Reforming Council
  Co-Chair for W20 of G20 Advisory Council for Women in 2019

Kathy Matsui

Miki Iwamura

Haruno Yoshida

• Hiromi Ohnishi
  Executive Director (Digital Business / International Affairs) of the Asahi Shimbun Company

Populism seems to be further gaining strength in the West, as embodied by an array of questionable moves by U.S. President Donald Trump under the slogan, “America First”, and deepening confusion in Europe over the migration issue. Against this backdrop, some observers argue that democracy as a universal value is indeed under threat, with China, while remaining under dictatorship, ever more increasing its presence on the world stage. A high-calibre panel consisting of Pascal Perrineau, foremost researcher on France’s far-right National Rally (formerly National Front) party; Jan-Werner Müller, author of What is Populism?; Colin Woodard, author of American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America; and Masaru Sato, writer and former intelligence analyst at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, will engage in dynamic discussions on the current issues and the prospect of democracy.

• Pascal Perrineau
  Professor, Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris
• Jan-Werner Müller
  Professor of Politics, Princeton University
• Colin Woodard
  Historian and Journalist
• Masaru Sato
  Author
  Former intelligence analyst at Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Pascal Perrineau

Jan-Werner Müller

Colin Woodard

Masaru Sato

• Yoichi Nishimura
  Managing Director of the Asahi Shimbun Company (Representative of Tokyo Head Office / Chief Content Strategy Officer/Executive Editor)

The speaker was attracted to nature in Okinawa, where he spent his years from primary school to University. His current study focuses on taxonomy and phylogeography of the Ryukyus plants, especially threatened species, including comparisons with plants in related areas of Taiwan, China and the Philippines. In this presentation, he will talk about biological features of the Ryukyus plants, factors that brought about their high species diversity, and the situation and problems of threatened species, based on his research results and the latest information.

• Goro Kokubugata
  Senior curator, Division of Plant Diversity and Conservation, Department of Botany, National Museum of Nature and Science

As technologies like artificial intelligence and IoT become more common, information and communications technology (ICT) receives high expectations for greatly changing our lives. This lecture will present NTT’s efforts to achieve a safe, secure, enriched and dreamful society.

• Katsuhiko Kawazoe
  Senior Vice President, Head of Research and Development Planning, NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE

Communication, which connects people through dialogue, is among the most important elements human society is based on. In the fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing, new research on communication, utilizing machine learning and big data, is in progress. Our daily life is also hit by large waves of change as IoT devices that connect the internet and things spread everywhere. In this age of AI and IoT, how will the relationships among people, and thus society and life, change?

• Yoshikazu Akinaga
  Manager, Innovation Management Dept., NTT DOCOMO, INC.
• Toshiyuki Ichiki
  Director & Managing Executive Officer, Executive General Manager of Business Development Headquarters, TOKYU CORPORATION
• Kentaro Inui
  Professor, Graduate School of Information Sciences, Tohoku University
  Leader of the Natural Language Understanding Team, RIKEN AIP Center

Yoshikazu Akinaga

Toshiyuki Ichiki

Kentaro Inui

• Takashi Horie
  Executive Director (Media Lab), Director of Media Lab-Open Innovation Office of the Asahi Simbun Company

Foreigners have increasingly become a part of the Japanese society due to its aging population and labor shortage. We Japanese thus sometimes face unexperienced “language barriers”. The “barriers”, however, are becoming lower thanks to the advancement of speech translation technology using artificial intelligence (AI). With the power of technology then, can we also overcome “mind barriers” arising from differences in cultural and social backgrounds? We will discuss this topic, while listening to those who have faced the “barriers” and got over with them.

• Noriko Omori
  Manager of Counseling Services for Foreigners, Ehime Prefectural International Center
• Eiichiro Sumita
  Fellow, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology
• Pack’n Mack’n
  Comedy Duo

Noriko Omori

Eiichiro Sumita

Pack’n Mack’n

• Toshihiko Katsuda
  Social Media Editor of the Asahi Shimbun

With major sporting events on the horizon, preparations for catering to a large number of visitors from abroad are being made at a rapid pace in Japan. As the importance of global (multilingual) communication grows, translation systems that enable any Japanese speaker to communicate with foreign language speakers will surely become a vital part of the country’s infrastructure.

• Mitsuhiro Nakao
  Director & Managing Executive Officer, Social Innovation Center, Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games are dubbed as "SDGs Olympics". Whether we will be able to create a sustainable society as the Games’ legacy is keenly watched. Yet year 2020 is only a point on the way towards the goal. What kind of future are we aiming for beyond the point? This session will try to find an answer by a panel consisting of Hiroshi Komiyama, who was involved in the Tokyo Organizing Committee’s development of an operation plan for the Games that takes sustainability into consideration; Taiichi Sato, who has been leading a town-wide push to promote sustainable forestry in Minamisanriku-cho, Miyagi Prefecture in the reconstruction efforts after the Great East Japan Earthquake; and Kozo Ishii, who has been the representative of the Japan office of MSC, an international certification body for fishery products, since its establishment 11 years ago.

• Kozo Ishii
  Programme Director Japan, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
• Hiroshi Komiyama
  Chairman of the Institute, Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc.
  Former President of The University of Tokyo
• Taiichi Sato
  Senior Managing Director, Sakyu Co., Ltd.
  Secretary General, Forest Management Council in Minamisanriku-cho, Miyagi

Kozo Ishii

Hiroshi Komiyama

Taiichi Sato

• Akemi Kanda
  Staff Writer, Science and Medical News Section of the Asahi Shimbun

The AEON Environmental Foundation has been actively conducting environmental activities in many parts of the world for 28 years. Last year, it singed a collaboration agreement with the Japan Coordination Committee for MAB (UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Programme) and started new engagements under the agreement. This lecture will present the Foundation’s tree-planting activities and environmental education based on the concept of UNESCO’s Biosphere Reserves.

• Yuriko Yamamoto
  Secretary General, AEON Environmental Foundation
  Member, Science Council of Japan

Wind power generation, with its clean and low cost features, has been steadily adopted, particularly in Europe. Its reputation in Japan, however, is not necessarily strong despite its potential. Masaki Egami has been developing condition monitoring systems for stable operation of wind turbines for power generation, utilizing the bearing and sensing technologies his company has acquired. Kimio Yamaka has been disseminating information on the efforts made in countries that are advanced in the use of renewable energy through his books including An International Comparison of Renewable Energy Policy and Electric Power Revolution in America. Keiko Ota is a weather forecaster, who takes strong interest in renewable energy. The three panelists will explore the ways to grow wind power into the “main power supply of the next generation”.

• Masaki Egami
  Senior Executive Officer in Charge of the Advanced Technology R&D Center and General Manager of the New Product Development R&D Center, NTN Corporation
• Keiko Ota
  Weather Forecaster
  Weather Presenter for tv asahi’s “Good! Morning”
• Kimio Yamaka
  Director, The Energy Strategy Institute Co.,Ltd.
  Professor, Renewable Energy Economics Program, Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University

Masaki Egami

Keiko Ota

Kimio Yamaka

• Kiyoshi Isshiki
  Coordinator, Education Business Division of the Asahi Shimbun Company

Efforts are under way to utilize hydrogen, which is hoped to become the energy source of the next generation, for the reconstruction of Fukushima and the operation of the Tokyo Olympics. How can we produce hydrogen, a CO2-free energy source derived from natural energy, economically and stably and utilize it for people’s daily life? This panel comprising Koichi Kojima, who has long engaged in the development of fuel cells at Toyota Motor Corporation; Masaru Nakaiwa, researcher on renewable energy in Fukushima; and Mayumi Matsumoto, who is well-versed in energy policy, will discuss the potentials of a “hydrogen society” while touching upon the latest results of research concerning hydrogen and the ongoing efforts to support the infrastructure for the Tokyo Olympics.

• Koichi Kojima
  Project General Manager, Fuel Cell System Engineering & Development Division, Powertrain Company, TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION
• Masaru Nakaiwa
  Director-General, The Fukushima Renewable Energy Institute, AIST (FREA)
• Mayumi Matsumoto
  Visiting Associate Professor, Special Division of Environmental and Energy Science, Komaba Organization for Educational Excellence (KOMEX), The University of Tokyo

Koichi Kojima

Masaru Nakaiwa

Mayumi Matsumoto

• Toshiki Horigome
  Senior Staff Writer of the Asahi Shimbun

AGC established The Asahi Glass Foundation in 1933 aiming at creating a society and civilization in which people can benefit from what we call “genuine wealth.” The speech contains various initiatives by the Foundation such as the “Blue Planet Prize”, which awards contributors to the solution of global environmental issues.

• Kazuhiko Ishimura
  Chairman & Director, AGC Inc.
  Chairman, The Asahi Glass Foundation

Kate Raworth came up with the concept of “doughnut” to advocate responsible human activities. The outer ring of the doughnut is "planetary boundaries" beyond which lie unacceptable environmental degradation and potential tipping points in Earth systems. The inner ring is social boundaries inside which life's essentials may not be satisfied for all humans. Fair and sustainable economic activities lie between the two rings, she argues. Kate will discuss how humans will be able to live on the “doughnut”, referring to her book Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist.

• Kate Raworth
  Economist
  Senior Visiting Research Associate at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute

• Miyuki Hokugo
  Staff Writer of the Asahi Shimbun in charge of the SDGs Project

ESG investing, which incorporates environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into long-term investment decisions, is rapidly expanding in Japan. The notion that it is no longer possible to obtain stable returns while ignoring ESG factors seems finally to have become common in the country, which has been lagging behind the West. Businesses, regardless of their sizes, are increasingly adopting SDGs in their management strategy. This panel will discuss both domestic and global topics and their prospects, including how the way money circulates will change and how financial institutions and businesses should address issues such as climate change, resources circulation, gender equality and workplace.

• Takeshi Fujii
  Monitor Deloitte Japan Leader
• Daisuke Hamaguchi
  Senior Executive Director & Chief Investment Officer of the Pension Fund Association (PFA) of Japan
• Michiyo Morisawa
  CDP Japan Director
  PRI Japan Head

Takeshi Fujii

Daisuke Hamaguchi

Michiyo Morisawa

• Toru Ishii
  Senior Staff Writer of the Asahi Shimbun

With one in two people getting cancer today, an increasing number of patients continue working or doing housework while receiving cancer treatment. Cancer patients who have recognized the importance of “everyday life” that goes on even after becoming ill have started engaging in various activities for a “better life”. “Appearance care” is one such example. We will invite to this panel discussion two breast cancer survivors, who have added their perspectives acquired through experience as patients to the skills they originally had, makeup and fashion. The two, who are encouraging cancer patients and disseminating relevant information, will talk about the effect and importance of “appearance”.

• Ryoko Shiozaki
  President, TOKIMEKU JAPAN Co., Ltd.
• Takako Yamazaki
  Beauty Journalist

Ryoko Shiozaki

Takako Yamazaki

• Misako Takahashi
  Staff Writer, Culture and Lifestyle News Section of the Asahi Shimbun

Aderans is developing its business as a “total hair solution company” with global reach through diligently dealing with a very common issue of “hair trouble”. The speaker will talk about the company’s efforts for solving social issues during its conduct of business, with “smiles” as a key word.

• Mutsuo Minowa
  Executive Officer in charge of Global CSR & Corporate Communications Office and Deputy Senior Executive Manager of Overseas Group, Aderans, Co., Ltd.

We live in a society that is aging at an unprecedented high pace unknown in any other part of the world. With a declining birthrate, how families and communities can support the elderly is a familiar but heavy theme that we face. There are only finite financial resources and manpower. What sort of solutions will AI and IoT, which the business sector is keenly pursuing, provide to this challenge? Masaru Yamaoka is facing the theme as a businessman. Tsuyoshi Mori is supporting independent living of senior people at day service centers across Japan. Reiko Ishiyama is an expert to consider the feelings of the elderly and produce optimum nursing care plans. With the three panelists, this session will discuss what kind of mechanisms we need for sustainable nursing care.

• Masaru Yamaoka
  General Manager, Business Innovation Division, Innovation Promotion Sector, Panasonic Corporation
• Reiko Ishiyama
  Professor, International University of Health and Welfare Graduate School
  Former Senior Long-Term Care Support Specialist, Promotion Division, Health and Welfare Bureau for the Elderly, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
• Tsuyoshi Mori
  CEO, POLARIS CO., LTD.
  Ph.D (Medicine)

Masaru Yamaoka

Reiko Ishiyama

Tsuyoshi Mori

• Katsuhiko Tagaya
  Senior Staff Writer of the Asahi Shimbun

The northern goshawk, long regarded as a symbol for the protection of satoyama (community forests), has been taken off the list of rare species under the Act for Preservation of Species due to population recovery. The crested ibis and the oriental stork, both of which once became extinct in Japan, are now returning to wildlife after successful artificial breeding. On the other hand, observers warn of the so-called “second crisis of biodiversity”, in which animals and plants diminish due to ecosystem’s breakdown caused by abandonment of community fields and forests, following the past “first crisis” caused by pressure for economic development. How should we perceive the value of ecosystem including birds, which once existed close to us, and convey it to the future generations? We will explore the answers with Koichi Endo, head of the Wild Bird Society of Japan, Ryuta Yabuuchi, Curator of Yabuuchi Masayuki Art Museum, and Izumi Washitani, a Chuo University Professor specialized in conservation ecology.

• Koichi Endo
  Chairperson of the Board, Wild Bird Society of Japan
  President, Goshawk Protection Fund
• Ryuta Yabuuchi
  Curator, Yabuuchi Masayuki Art Museum
• Izumi Washitani
  Professor, Department of Integrated Science and Engineering for Sustainable Society, Chuo University
  Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo

Koichi Endo

Ryuta Yabuuchi

Izumi Washitani

• Fumihiko Yamada
  Staff Writer, Culture and Lifestyle News Section of the Asahi Shimbun

To watch wild birds and know the environment—through learning from such efforts, we try to pass on fields where birds, humans and all creatures can prosperously live to future generations. This lecture will present the activities under Suntory’s “Natural Water Sanctuary” and the company’s various efforts to protect bird species.

Speaker
• Takeshi Yamada
  Chief Specialist, Corporate Sustainability Department, Corporate Sustainability Division，Suntory Holdings Limited
  Senior General Manager, Institute for Water Science, Suntory Global Innovation Center Limited

How can we raise the satisfaction level of a region’s residents into the future while solving issues that are surfacing therein? As a breakthrough, some cities are starting urban planning that is focused on SDGs (the United Nations’ sustainable development goals to be achieved by 2030). We will invite the mayors of three of the “future cities for SDGs” designated by the Cabinet Office and discuss new approaches to the solution of issues, using such key words as the future of children, multicultural co-existence, and autonomy of local residents.

• Tatsuo Igarashi
  Mayor of Tsukuba City
• Yasutomo Suzuki
  Mayor of Hamamatsu City
• Osami Takeyama
  Mayor of Sakai City

Tatsuo Igarashi

Yasutomo Suzuki

Osami Takeyama

• Miyuki Hokugo
  Staff Writer of the Asahi Shimbun in charge of the SDGs Project