To commemorate 150 years of scientific cooperation between Japan and Germany, a joint conference of the Japanese embassy and the Leibniz Association was held on May 19.
It was the aim of this conference in Berlin to advance mutual understanding in fields of science policy that pose similar problems for both countries - for instance the small number of women pursuing a career in natural sciences, as well as “brain drain”.
The conference was opened by the Japanese ambassador, His Excellency Dr. Takahiro Shinyo, together with the president of the Leibniz Association, Professor Karl Ulrich Mayer.
Nobel Prize Winner Professor Makoto Kobayashi, chairman of the “Japan Society for the Promotion of Science“ (JSPS) and Professor Henning Scheich from the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology in Magdeburg were keynote speakers.
Subsequently a panel discussion gave junior scientists from both countries the opportunity to exchange opinions about the conditions for science and research in Germany and Japan. Participants from the Leibniz Association were Professor Julia Fischer from the German Primate Center - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research (DPZ) and Dr. Aspasia Ploubidou from the Leibniz Institute for Age Research - Fritz Lipmann Institute.
