The Forum 2000 is held in Prague every year. In 2011, the subject of the conference was “Democracy and the Rule of Law.” Nippon.com talked to Fujiwara Kiichi, a professor of international politics at the University of Tokyo, who gave a keynote address on “The Rule of Law in Asia” during the panel discussions.
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In the early 1990s, many in Japan were questioning the very raison d’être of the Japan-US alliance in the post–Cold War era. Yet by the end of the decade, the bilateral security relationship was on as firm a footing as ever. Defense expert Yamaguchi Noboru reviews and assesses the process by which Japan and the United States adapted their partnership to the challenges of a new era.
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The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Hokkaidō, has developed a state-of-the-art plant factory that is the first in the world equipped to cultivate transgenic plants and convert them into drugs, all on the same premises.
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This second installment in our series of interviews with rising Japanese politicians introduces Kitagami Keirō, vice minister of economy, trade, and industry. Kitagami reflects on his experiences since joining the cabinet and his ideas for how to reform Japanese politics.
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As well as developing robots and IT devices, Souki Systems trains systems engineers, placing its faith in the creativity of the young developers who will usher in a new era.
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Yasuhisa Koki makes the prototypes and trial models that provide the basis for new products. This flagship company is located within the small-factory industrial zone in Tokyo’s Ōta Ward. We look at its work in fields of medicine and welfare, where Japan is showing new economic growth.
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In December 2011, the government approved the draft budget for fiscal 2012. At over ¥96 trillion, the largest budget in Japan’s history includes funds for the 3/11 recovery effort. For the third straight year, government bonds outstrip taxation as a revenue source to cover spending.
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Every year, the city of Prague hosts the Forum 2000 international conference, established to promote global dialogue on the key challenges facing human societies around the world. Last October was the fifteenth conference—and for cofounder Václav Havel, it was also the last. The democratic activist and former Czech president died in December, but his moral legacy lives on.
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The city of Nishio in Aichi Prefecture is Japan’s foremost producer of matcha, the finest of all Japanese green teas. We visit the region’s top producer to hear about how quality and safety have helped it bring matcha to a new range of consumers around the world.
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The eyes of car enthusiasts around the world were on Tokyo in December 2011, when the forty-second Tokyo Motor Show was held. In line with the theme of the event, “Mobility can change the world,” automakers showcased futuristic electric vehicles designed to meet tomorrow’s needs for urban mobility. Japanese manufacturers in particular unveiled concept cars that combine fun and practicality.
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Centuries before the Sea of Okhotsk entered Japan’s collective awareness, the Ainu were crisscrossing its waters from Hokkaidō to Kamchatka, playing a pivotal role in the region’s lively cultural and commercial interaction.
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On September 11–12, 2011, six months after the Tōhoku earthquake, an international expert symposium took place at Fukushima Medical University. The symposium featured active debate on the radiation and health effects of the disaster among 40 experts and researchers from Japan and abroad.
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A small company with just 50 employees, Mitaka Kohki has developed a camera used by NASA and enjoys a 50% share of the market for neurosurgical microscopes. We take a look at the secrets behind the company’s success.
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Atelier Muji and the Institute for Art Anthropology at Tama Art University staged a Winter Solstice Festival at the Yūrakuchō branch of Muji from December 2011 through February 2012. The event invited contemplation of the meaning of the winter from a number of conceptual angles.
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The Geisai festival has been a fixture of the Japanese art calendar for 10 years. The event, organized by art world celebrity Murakami Takashi, is known as a hotbed of undiscovered and rising artists, and is nearly legendary for a vibrancy and immediacy unrivaled in the Japanese art world. What makes Geisai so special?
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Japan’s energy policies are being revised in the wake of the massive March 11 earthquake and tsunami that struck the northeast of the country and the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Nuclear power is currently second only to thermal power as Japan’s main source of electricity, but that is expected to change in the future. Here we take a look at data indicating changes in Japan’s electrical power supply over the past 60 years.
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