Neues vom JSPS-Club 03/2021

 

EDITORIAL

Academic Awards

By Chairman Prof. Dr. Heinrich Menkhaus

The recent announcement of this year’s Nobel Prizes offers a good opportunity to write about academic awards in the Japanese – German speaking scientific environment as academic awards are regarded as an important tool for the advancement of an academic career, although it is rarely known according to which criteria they are actually conferred.

It goes without saying that usually there will not be any award if there is no nomination. If the awarding organisation is not hand picking the possible awardees, there are basically two ways in which nominations are collected. Either they can only be handed in by certain scientific institutions selected by the awarding organisation or everybody is called upon to nominate prospective candidates. As the first approach offers a high quality, easy to comprehend nomination, it is used quite often. Therefore the Club has always tried to be selected as nominator for a certain award, but not always with success.

The nomination then has to be well prepared according to the conditions made by the award giving organization to be taken into serious consideration. Therefore the board of the Club created a designated position for awards. It asks the members of the Club for nominations which are then screened by the board before the necessary documents for the nomination are produced. This is a lot of work and the members of the board are grateful to the respective board member for performing this task.

A number of awards are offered on a global basis. The Club takes notice of this if the price is offered by an organization in the German speaking world and is awarded to a Japanese scientist and also if a Japanese price is awarded to a scientist from the German speaking world. A look on the HP of the Club under the heading “Awards” offers details. It is rather surprising how small the numbers of awardees are on both sides.

The Club is of course particularly interested in prices that are offered for Japanese Studies in the German Speaking area and for German studies in the Japanese environment. A look at the number of respective prices, which are as well documented on the HP of the Club, however proves that their number is very limited and that they are usually short-lived.

The highest interest of the Club is paid to prices offered in German speaking countries to Japanese scientists and, vice versa, prices offered in Japan to scientists from the German speaking world. It is always said that the German speaking countries and Japan scientifically hold each other in high esteem. A look at the number of available prices offered in bilateral relations and also documented on the HP of the Club shows a different picture. Many existing prices in this respect have also been short-lived and the few still existing ones are offered on the German speaking side.

Here is plenty of room for improvement.

 

EVENTS

Virtual symposium “Coping with the Crisis – The Psychosocial Impact of the Pandemic”

June 10th 2021

By board member Prof. Dr. Katja Kölkebeck

The corona crisis hit the societies in Japan and Germany in many ways. In addition to the health consequences, the Covid-19 pandemic also has significant social and psychological effects such as unemployment and growing poverty, depression, loneliness and conflicts in the home environment.

In the virtual symposium “Coping with the Crisis”, organized by the DWIH Tokyo and the Japanese- German Center Berlin (JDZB), practitioners dealing with patients on an every-day basis from Germany and Japan reported on their experiences during the pandemic. Renowned science experts in the field of mental health from German and Japanese universities presented their findings and assessments of the consequences of the pandemic for both countries – with the aim of identifying social trends and ways out of the crisis. Over 300 participants joined the symposium that day.

Dorothea Mahnke from DWIH talked first on the course of the pandemic in Japan and Dr. Julia Münch from the Japanese-German Center then talked about the German perspective. Interestingly, the course of the disease (up to that point) was milder in Japan than in Germany. Also, in Japan there were other measures taken as compared to Germany. In Japan, most measures were voluntary. Schools and restaurants are open, and the public mostly adheres to the measures suggested by the government.

Moderated by Ulf Kirse from Bielefeld University, practitioners to speak were Koki Ozora, founder of 24-h-hotline (“A Place for You”) for psychosocial guidance around the world, a non-profit organization, and Jens Gräbener, from Berliner Krisendienst (emergency service) for psychosocial emergencies. Mr. Ozora informed that help-seeking individuals have multiplied from about 120/day to 600/day, which makes it very hard to keep pace and to find enough volunteers to take part. Most help-seekers claim suicidality, at a much higher rate as compared to pre-Covid-19 times. For the emergency service in Berlin, “only” 7% more contacts have been reported. However, 60% of the consultations now are Covid-19-related. In Berlin, suicidality seems to have not increased. Covid-19 itself, social distancing and the question how to care for patients during social-distancing (helpsystem) are hot topics in the consultations. Gräbener indicated that individuals with pre-existing mental disorder had a high rate of relapses during the Covid-19 pandemic and many are thought to have a first episode of mental disorder due to related stressors. Mr. Gräbener pointed out that a specific hardship of the current situation is that also the care-givers are in crisis, so it is harder to give advice to help-seekers, as usual pathways are probably disabled. Mr. Ozora points out that volunteers used to be elderly people which might have had difficulties using online forms of consultation. Luckily, it was possible to find younger volunteers that managed use of online devices.

The panel discussion was led by Dr. Nora Kottmann from the German Institute of Japanese Studies, who is researcher in the field with a viewpoint of the Covid-19 pandemic. Experts speaking in the panel discussion were Prof. Dr. Klaus Lieb from Mainz University, Prof. Dr. Klaus Berger from Münster University, Prof. Michiko Ueda from Waseda University and Prof. Yukiko Uchida from Kyoto University. Prof. Berger based his input statement on the NAKO health study, where more than 200.000 random subjects were investigated on psychosocial stressors. During the pandemic, all were interviewed on their feeling of subjective stress. Over gender and ages, stress has been higher, but younger participants seem more stressed than elder ones. In total, subjective loneliness and anxiety were measured higher, but in the elder population, although Covid-19-related risks are higher, mental health issues were not prevalent as strongly as compared to the younger group. Prof. Ueda also presented data on 11.000 people which have been interviewed by online measures. Similar to Prof. Berger´s data, she could show that the mental stability of elderly people is better. However, suicide rate has climbed alarmingly high in younger women, specifically in single-working parents, students and such that lost their jobs. In one year, 900 additional deaths by suicide have been counted. Prof. Lieb presented data on resiliency in Mainz, where also a larger cohort has been interviewed during Covid-19 pandemic and he confirms data of the other speakers regarding stressors, including fear of infection. In worldwide samples, anxiety and depressed symptoms seem to me more prevalent. He stressed however that by database analyses the situation has to be judged with care, as some data do not support the increase of suicidality or stress in mental health workers. Additional to age and better financial situation, he mentioned resilience factors as daily routines, psychological reappraisal styles, and higher education. He presented stepped care intervention and screening programs for health-care workers. Prof. Uchida, as a researcher on happiness, talked about how empathy towards others is a specific point in the Japanese culture. While in Western cultures, the pursuit of personal interests make people happy, in so-called inter-dependent societies, the harmony between people is a very important point. This is why, so she claimed, Japanese people had difficulties dealing with the measures suggested by the state, as it cut the social interactions. Moreover, other specifics made it hard to deal with measures, e.g. sending workers to home-office. Only to mention two problems: discussion and consensus-processes were not possible and the consent given by the hanko stamp (equals a signature) was impossible- this imposed stressors on many workers that depended on these procedures. On the other hand, more time for family and avoidance of difficult interactions in team meetings were perceived as positive results of the pandemic measures.

The discussion first focused on why elderly people were less stressed. It was assumed that elderly people might not have a financially instable situation and they already might have mastered other crises. Moreover, they live less extrovertly; thus, the majority might not need extensive social interactions or activities. However, in elderly people that cannot use online tools, loneliness might be felt stronger. In Germany, children and adolescents seem not to be additionally stressed. However, in Japan, suicide rates in children and adolescents have been doubled after the crisis measures. Transcultural differences with regard to individualism and collectivism were again discussed. In collectivistic societies, the mutual feeling to preserve the society helps to keep measures, but on the other hand, people might get angry about the government that does not apply strict rules to themselves. In individualistic countries, top-down measures might be needed. However, differences in the view of European citizens regarding governmental measures were discussed, e.g. curfews that would not be accepted in Switzerland, but have been imposed (successfully) in Germany or France. Lastly, stigmatization of Covid-19 infected people was discussed. In the beginning of the pandemic, this stigmatization was seen in Japan but seems to have been reduced in the meantime.

There was a consensus that data-based decisions by the governments are relevant to make informed steps in Germany and Japan, while at the present, decisions seem politics-based.

For those interested, please find the link to the impulse speeches of the mental health researchers here:
https://www.dwih-tokyo.org/en/2021/06/18/coping-with-the-crisis/

 

Meeting of the JSPS club regional group Berlin / Brandenburg

By board member Dr. Arnulf Jäger-Waldau

On September 29th, the JSPS regional group Berlin / Brandenburg met on invitation of the regional group leader Prof. Kamp at the restaurant “Alter Krug” in Berlin, Dahlem. Amongst the participants was Naoyuki Ueda, the Science Attaché of the Japanese Embassy in Berlin. He confirmed the willingness of the Embassy and the Ambassador to host a reception at the Embassy on the occasion of the 25th Japanese-German Symposium “Bioeconomics” organized by JSPS-Bonn office and the Deutsche Gesellschaft der JSPS-Stipendiaten e.V., on May 20th 2022. The Ambassador and Mr. Ueda are looking forward to this event and hope that the situation will allow an on-site event.

The symposium is organised by our members Prof. Bellingrath-Kimura (Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF)) and Prof. Baum (Fulda University of Applied Sciences).

At the meeting, Prof. Sauerland (Leibniz-Centre General Linguistics (ZAS), Berlin) told the participants about his research project “Realizing Leibniz’s Dream: Child Languages as a Mirror of the Mind” (https://www.leibniz-zas.de/en/research/research-areas/semantics-pragmatics/leibnizdreamgenerator). He expressed his interest to get in contact with members of the JSPS Club, who are interested in the topic or work on similar research topics.

 

11. Treffen der JSPS-Club Regionalgruppe Rhein-Main-Neckar

von Vorstandsmitglied Matthias Hofmann

11. Regionalgruppentreffen der Regionalgruppe Rhein-Main-Neckar am 24. September [von links nach rechts: Frau Vizekonsulin Yano (jap. GK Ffm), Herr Dr. Schraut (DJG Ffm), Herr Generalkonsul Asazuma (jap. GK Ffm), Herr Dr. Wennmann, Frau Dr. Hofmann, Herr Dr. Hofmann, Frau Mochimaru, Frau Dr. Krohmer, Herr Dr. Berberich, Herr Dr. Pflanzer (alle Clubmitglieder) und Frau Weidmann (jap. GK Ffm)] (Bildquelle Dr. Anita Hofmann)

Auch im laufenden Jahr 2021 hält uns die globale SARS-CoV2 Pandemie weiterhin fest im Griff, so dass auch immer noch die meisten Veranstaltungen im virtuellen Raum stattfinden. Für das Regionalgruppentreffen hatten wir bislang auf eine virtuelle Austragung verzichtet, da der „Charme“ der Regionalgruppe über den gemeinsamen (Japan-)Austausch zwischen langjährigen Mitgliedern aus Akademia und Industrie, sowie neuen Mitgliedern geprägt wird. Dementsprechend war bereits ein Jahr seit dem letzten „gesplitteten“ Regionalgruppentreffen am 18. September 2020 in Mannheim und 25. September 2020 in Frankfurt vergangen.

In Bezug auf die deutlich fortgeschrittene Impfquote konnte nun am 24. September 2021 das erste diesjährige Regionalgruppentreffen Rhein-Main-Neckar in der Frankfurter Innenstadt im Izakaya Mangetsu-City unter den geltenden 3G Regeln stattfinden. Damit bestand in diesem Jahr erstmalig die Möglichkeit für unsere Mitglieder sich persönlich auszutauschen und zu vernetzen.

Zum Treffen selbst konnten sieben Clubmitglieder begrüßt werden (zwei weitere Mitglieder mussten ihr Kommen leider kurzfristig absagen). Für die teilnehmenden Mitglieder bot das Regionalgruppentreffen jedoch nicht nur die erste Gelegenheit im Jahr 2021 weitere Clubmitglieder persönlich kennenzulernen, sondern es bestand auch die Möglichkeit zum Gespräch mit Vertretern des japanischen Generalkonsulates in Frankfurt. So konnten als Ehrengäste der neue japanische Generalkonsul von Japan, Hr. Shinichi Asazuma, sowie Frau Vizekonsulin Yano und Frau Weidmann vom Generalkonsulat begrüßt werden. Des Weiteren war mit Herrn Dr. Schraut ein Vertreter des Vorstandes der DJG Frankfurt zu Gast bei unserem Regionalgruppentreffen. Als Vertreter des Clubvorstandes und der Regionalgruppe konnten Frau Mochimaru und Herr Dr. Hofmann das Treffen nutzen und Herr Asazuma über die Aktivitäten des JSPS-Clubs im Allgemeinen und in der Region unterrichten. Ein Bericht über das Regionalgruppentreffen ist auch auf der Facebook Seite des japanischen Generalkonsulates Frankfurt nachzulesen: https://www.facebook.com/JGK.Frankfurt.

Des Weiteren bot das Treffen eine gute Gelegenheit in einer offenen Atmosphäre über gemeinsame mögliche Aktivitäten mit der DJG Frankfurt zu diskutieren.

Wir Mitglieder der Regionalgruppe freuen uns schon sehr auf das nächste Treffen.

 

REVIEW OF A LIFE AS A SCIENTIST

“Leading Japan”

A retrospective by our member Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Andreas Schlachetzki

The 1970s were the years when Japan was leading the world in communication and semiconductor technologies, all areas of fundamental importance up to our days. Since then great changes have taken place not only in Japan where once dominating companies, like Toshiba, Sharp or Sony, are now struggling with serious problems. Yet it might be interesting to look back at these bygone times when Japan provided 80% of the world's semiconductor memories and 65% of the equipment for their production. The prediction among professional circles was that Japan would reduce the USA to a negligible quantity in these crucial fields. “Mighty MITI”, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, was a kind of architect behind this success story. MITI was believed to be the steering agency for the development of key industries in Japan. What were the impressions Japan made on a foreigner visiting in those days?

Sent by the German Post Office in 1975, I had the chance to work for half a year with Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Public Corporation (NTT). At that time I was employed at its Research Institute in Darmstadt, with 300 employees a tiny unit compared to NTT's five laboratories each of them larger or even much larger than the Darmstadt institution. NTT's management felt that their researchers had to be made fit for international contacts by exchanging staff with foreign companies.

The reason for choosing the Darmstadt group as one of NTT’s exchange partners was probably our field of activity, namely very fast integrated electronic circuits based on GaAs utilizing the Gunn effect. I was in charge of the growth of suitable crystalline layers for this purpose. Several Japanese teams worked in the same area. Thus we had frequent visits of Japanese researchers from industry, like Fujitsu, Toshiba, Sharp, Hitachi, and from universities like Tokyo or Sendai. Katsuhiko Kurumada was the first from the Japanese side to come to Darmstadt for a few months. I tried to help him to accommodate in a new environment, completely strange to him. I showed him around Darmstadt and took him on visits to Cologne, Aachen, and Würzburg. I am afraid that I was not very successful, since he missed the cosy feeling within the group of his colleagues.

In Tokyo my location was the Electrical Communication Laboratory (ECL) in Musashino. Before NTT took over, the place was the factory for the famous Zero Fighters of World War II. I was received with great curiosity since for many Japanese I was the first foreigner to meet. My new colleagues made me feel at home and helped as much as possible. A young engineer, Takeshi Mizutani, was even delegated by contract to guide my first steps in an environment where I was almost completely illiterate. Designated as “caretaker” in the contract, Takeshi patiently introduced me to daily life: bank, post office, shopping, buying tickets for the train, and many more of these trivial, but for me essential activities.

I was curious about Japanese life. So I asked my hosts to accommodate me not in an ordinary hotel, but in a home for young engineers instead. For the next half year a place in Shin-Tokorozawa was my home, a short walk to the terminal station of the Seibu-Shinjuku line, indeed very convenient for the daily trip to the Higashi-Fushimi station nearest to Musashino ECL. I always found a seat in the train for comfortable reading of any literature on my list. Travelling time became reading time, an unexpected relief for me. I lived in one of the tiny rooms provided by NTT for junior members of the staff. To the amusement of Dr. Toyoda, the kind director of my division, my bed had to be extended by a wooden board to fit my height of 1.90 m. Dr. Toyoda considered himself “the tallest of the Japanese”, only to be “embarrassed and surpassed” by me as he teased whenever we met.

My days began with the cleansing routines in the common washroom, side by side with my colleagues. A breakfast Japanese style was available in the dining hall. In the lab we had a cup of green tea before starting our work. I was the first to leave the lab between 6 or 7 p.m., very early for Japanese standards. Consequently I was also among the first in the large pool with hot water in my lodging to relax and enjoy ofuro, the Japanese style of bath. Ofuro is one of the great amenities of Japanese life as is sushi, the raw fish on rice cubes then almost unknown in Germany. Justly the Japanese are proud of the outstanding quality of their rice.

Besides the development efforts of its suppliers, NTT with its huge resources funded an extended research branch, much more than the modest efforts of the German Post Office. In the German system research was done predominantly at industrial labs, like those of Siemens, AEG-Telefunken, Standard Elektrik Lorenz and others. Several of these companies were split up, merged, or disappeared in the following years. NTT’s research operated in a broad variety of fields and produced imposing results. I had the chance to see several samples of them. Needle, ink, and laser printers were among them, all in an early stage of development so that it was not yet clear which type would dominate in which field of application. Crystal growth techniques for semiconductors were studied in various forms, some of them, like molecular beam epitaxy, utilizing very expensive equipment. Semiconductor lasers for optical communication were in the focus of development. Of course, glass fibers were studied extensively at a time when traditionalists denied them any future due to their large attenuation. How wrong they were is obvious today.

Two sides of Japan struck me, on the one hand the openness to modern achievements and on thevother hand traditions of the Japanese society. Quartz wrist-watches were omnipresent withvSeiko rolling up the world market. Fashionable audio systems were a “must” for young people. Illustratingvthe other side, one day I was looking out of the lab’s window. I was amazed to see a Shinto priest in the typical outfit: white robe, black lacquered clogs, peaked cap, wearing a ceremonial wand. Several NTT officials were in his company, assembling in front of a tangle of tubes connecting a number of white containers. This brand-new installation was a waste-water plant intended for the purification of the effluent of the Musashino laboratories. The priest performed some ceremonies, asking for beneficial and successful operation of the new facility. At least, this was my interpretation. Then the group left.

My particular situation became clear to me when prominent visitors were expected at Musashino ECL. I was asked to wait at the entrance of the main building, along with the Director of the lab and three or four other people. My task was to tell them who Hans Matthöfer was, when the high guests were to arrive. Matthöfer was the Minister of Research and Technology of the Bonn government. Soon a VW bus arrived and the passengers crawled out one after the other. Number 3 or 5 was Matthöfer; I pointed at him. I thought that my job was finished by that. Instead I was asked to follow to the conference hall where the Director General and his entourage were waiting. The German delegation was seated in one line, behind two young men, possibly body guards. Opposit to the Germans, the Japanese officials were placed. To my surprise I was considered part of the Japanese side and my seat was at one end of their line. Only much later I became aware of this exceptional and thoughtful honour.

I accompanied Matthöfer during the following laboratory tour, showing the achievements of NTT research, among them integrated circuits of the latest standards. Matthöfer was disappointed that he could not ride on a Shinkansen due to the spring walkout, affecting this symbol of Japan’s technological leadership. So he missed the first-hand experience of the performance of “the rail-wheel system” at high speed, as he put it. Shinkansen was still the train by far the fastest in the world.

The NTT people made every effort to present to me as many attractions as available during my stay. It was much more than we ever could do to our guests in Germany. An outstanding experience was a two-day trip to Kyoto. Two of my colleagues accompanied me to this marvel of the Japanese culture where we saw many of the treasures of this exceptional city. We enjoyed the delicious Japanese food including tofu in various ways of preparation. A number of colleagues and I climbed Mount Fuji to admire the sunrise at the top. We visited Nikko during the weekend of its famous festival with a procession of warriors in ancient dress, supposedly one thousand of them. While this excursion was touristic, the Tokyo Sumo Tournament impressed me by its commercial aspects. Besides the entrance ticket I had to buy a tea set. Yet all this was a great experience.

Copied from Uchida’s photograph album with ironical comment by Kurumada: on the baseball field of Musashino ECL.

At the end of my stay with the Semiconductor Device Section of Musashino ECL my colleagues presented me a photograph album, covering all aspects of my life, from leaving the train station to the discussions with the group members, to the lunch strolls through the ECL grounds, even to my desperate efforts to hit a ball on the baseball field with the NTT people closely watching. They could not believe that I never had a bat in my hands. All this was documented by Uchida Masao, painstakingly noting date, type of camera, and exposure time of each photograph. Katsuhiko Kurumada wrote the comments.

Describing all this I feel that I did very little in response for NTT and its kind people. Several times I just helped researchers to polish up their English when they prepared for a conference talk abroad. And I wrote a short text for the company newspaper on my impressions of Japan.

Looking back on my time with NTT, it was extremely valuable not only from a professional point of view, but also on the private side. It opened up new horizons for me, particularly since the Japanese society differed in many ways from ours. Although I felt several times the pressure of the group, I now question our way of exaggerated individualism.

In later years my sympathy deepened for Japan, her virtues and her problems. I had the chance to spend several months in an academic environment, rather different from NTT’s. 1983 I was invited by Prof. Kamiya of Tokyo University and 1996 by Prof. Mizutani, my former “caretaker” of NTT, now at Nagoya University. It is my privilege to exchange Christmas letters not only with these colleagues, but with many other Japanese for more than four decades. The Japanese experience definitely enriched my life.

 

PUBLICATIONS BY CLUB MEMBERS

Okada Toshiki & Japanese Theatre


edited by Barbara Geilhorn, Peter Eckersall, Andreas Regelsberger, and Cody Poulton
Aberystwyth, UK
SKU: 9781906499129
First published by Performance Research Books, 2021. Paperback, 269 pages. Illustrated in colour

https://thecpr.org.uk/product/okada-toshiki-japanese-theatre/

Playwright, novelist and theatre director Okada Toshiki (b. 1973) is one of the most prominent voices of the current generation of Japanese contemporary theatre makers. He founded his globally influential theatre company chelfitsch in 1997. His plays, which have been staged at a large number of theatre festivals in Japan and all over the world, address issues such as social inequity, life in Japan after the 3/11 triple disaster and post-human society. Okada is a theatrical visionary whose use of language in his plays is indeed stimulating, ranging from the use of everyday colloquial expressions to meta-commentaries about the nature of language and its failure to communicate the complexity of human experience. As a pioneering artis in the field of interdisciplinary arts, Okada has created new forms of embodied performance. He has radically expanded the contexts and sites for live performance and has shown his works in theatres, nightclubs and galleries, on film and through digital media platforms.

Okada Toshiki & Japanese Theatre explores Okada’s work and its importance to the development of contemporary performance in Japan and around the world. Gathered here for the first time in English is a comprehensive selection of essays, interviews and translations of three of Okada’s plays by leading scholars and translators. Okada’s writing on theatre is also included, accompanied by an extensive array of images from his performances. In addressing the work of Okada Toshiki from an interdisciplinary perspective, the book provides an in-depth analysis of an outstanding Japanese artist and at the same contributes to a better understanding of art and society in contemporary Japan.
 

持続可能な世界のために For a Sustainable World 
省エネ・再エネの可能性と大学の挑戦 Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy and the Engagement of Universities in Japan


edited by: E. Hitzer, G.C. Kimura, M. Shukuya, A. Takeuchi / ヒッツェル・エクハルト, 木村護郎クリスト フ, 宿谷昌則, 竹内彩乃
A4 size, Softcover, ISBN: 9789403631431
286 pages

Book order URL: https://publish.bookmundo.de/site/?r=userwebsite/index&id=eckhardhitzer/bookdetails/270157
Book order URL (ebook):
• Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/dp/B09D8JDRNB/
• Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B09D8JDRNB/

This volume is the result of three international workshops (2017-2020) on Sustainable University Development held at International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan.
本書は、2017 年から3回にわたり国際基督教大学で開催された持続可能な大学のためのワークショップに基づいている。

In 2017 the focus was on renewable energy, in 2018 on energy efficiency and in 2020 on management and education. Colleagues from ICU, Sophia University, Ritsumeikan University, Tokyo City University, Tokyo Kasei University, Toho University and Chiba University of Commerce jointly organised these workshops. The workshops received generous financial support from Japan ICU Foundation in New York, and from the German JSPS Alumni Club. A key motivation for organising these workshops was the urgent need for Japan to replace nuclear energy by sustainable forms of energy, and to aim at a reduction of expensive fossil fuel imports. Universities that try to prepare young people for social and life challenges, need to both teach about alternatives and become credible role models for students and society in general.
第一回目は再生可能エネルギー、2018 年の第二回は省エネルギー、2020 年の第三回は大学の運営と教育がテーマであった。国際基督教大学、上智大学、立命館大学、東京都市大学、東京家政大学、東邦大学、千葉商科大学からの教職員学生が企画・運営に加わった。ワークショップはニューヨークのICU財団およびドイツ語圏日本学術振興会研究者同窓会から助成を受けて行われた。これらのワークショップを企画する動機となったのは、日本が持続可能な社会となるためには、原子力や化石燃料の輸入に頼らないエネルギー供給を実現する必要があるという認識であった。そのためには、省エネルギーと再生可能エネルギーを活用することが前提となる。若い世代を社会に送り出す任務を負う大学は、これらの可能性について教えるとともに、大学自体が学生や社会にとって、信頼に足るモデルを提供しなければならない。
 

Humans and Devices in Medical Contexts: Case Studies from Japan


edited by: Susanne Brucksch (DIJ), Kaori Sasaki, with a chapter by club member Patrick Grüneberg: “Empowering Patients in Interactive Unity with Machines: Engineering the HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) Robotic Rehabilitation System”
Palgrave Macmillan, Hardcover
ISBN 978-981-336-280-2, 324 pages

Link: ttps://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-33-6280-2

This volume explores the ways in which socio-technical settings in medical contexts find varying articulations in a specific locale like Japan. It consists of a detailed theory chapter and nine case studies on topics concerning: experiences with radiation in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Fukushima; patient security, end-of-life and high-tech medicine in hospitals; innovation and diffusion of medical technology; and the engineering and evaluating of novel (robotic) devices in clinical trials.

 

Representations of the Club on External Events

  • 08.09.2021: Digital Meeting of the Alumni-Associations, DAAD | Dr. W. Staguhn
     
  • 29.09.2021: “Koordinierungskreis Forschung” at the Embassy | Dr. W. Staguhn
     

 

New Club Members

  • Masahiro Ryo
    Brandenburg University of Technology
     
  • Kerstin Kremer
    Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen
     

 

Upcoming Events

  • 13.11.2021: Mitglieder laden Mitglieder ein (online via ZOOM)
     
  • 17.11.2021, 19:00 CET: ZOOM talk of Konstantin Frederic Plett, Düsseldorf University, „Die Geschichte des japanischen Wirtschaftsstandortes Düsseldorf“. Nähere Infos
     
  • 20./21.05.2022: Symposium in Berlin
     

If you would like to publish articles on events, publications, please contact us via e-mail. We are looking forward to your articles.

 

Impressum

Herausgeber:
Deutsche Gesellschaft der JSPS-Stipendiaten e.V.
Redaktion: Prof. Dr. Katja Kölkebeck
Mitarbeit: Dr. Meike Albers-Meindl
Verantwortlich:
Deutsche Gesellschaft der JSPS-Stipendiaten e.V.
c/o JSPS Bonn Office, Ahrstr. 58, 53175 Bonn
Tel.: 0228/375050, Fax: 0228/957777
E-Mail

Die in den Beiträgen geäußerten Ansichten geben nicht
unbedingt die Meinung des Herausgebers wieder.