Field Trip to Japan

​​​​​​25 May to 2 June 2024

In 2024, the Körber Network Foreign Policy traveled to the most distant destination in its history: from 25 May to 2 June, the group visited Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Ashiya and Osaka.

After a 14-hour flight, the programme began with a guided tour of Tokyo’s Akihabara district and a dinner with fresh fish and other Japanese delicacies.

Monday started off with a series of discussions: Together with Professor Hideshi Tokuchi, President of the Research Institute for Peace and Security, and Rear Admiral of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (ret.), Katsuya Yamamoto, the group talked about the question of whether and to what extent a „Zeitenwende“ can (also) be observed in Japan. The network then met with Professor Yoko Iwama, Head of the Strategic Studies Program at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, and Dr. Rumi Aoyama, China expert at Waseda University, to discuss Japan-China relations. Before a joint lunch, the group met with Professor Akira Igata and Daisuke Kawai, who, as experts on economic security from the University of Tokyo, presented the Japanese strategies, developments, success and challenges in this area.

The cultural part of the day followed in the afternoon with a visit of the interactive museum teamLab Planets, that is an impressive example of the synthesis of art, culture and technology that Japan masters like no other country.

In the evening, the network visited the German embassy: Upon the kind invitation of envoy Martin Huth, the members first received a briefing of Japan’s political system, its bilateral relations and the country’s role in the region. They spoke about economic security, energy policy, and demography among other with the head of the political department, Dr. Tilman Schmit-Neuerburg. At the following reception, the group talked to representatives from politics, media, diplomacy and science.

The next day began with a visit to the Japanese Parliament: After a guided tour of the lower house, the group met representatives of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry: With Shinichi Kihara, Director General for International Policy for Carbon Neutrality, as well as Kazuhiro Kurumi and Kazuyuki Yamada, Deputy Head of the International Department of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, the network exchanged views on the progress of the energy transition in Japan and Germany. This was followed by a conversation with two Members of Parliament: Gen Nakatani, MP of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and former Minister of Defense of Japan, and Minoru Kiuchi, also MP of the LDP and former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Environmental Affairs, spoke with the group about Japanese security policy and current challenges from a parliamentary perspective.

At the following lunch at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Tokyo, the group discussed domestic and foreign policy as well as the Japanese press landscape with journalists.

In the afternoon, a visit to the Japanese Foreign Ministry was on the agenda: With Dr. Kimitake Nakamura, Deputy Minister for European Affairs, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science, the group discussed the role of G7 countries such as Germany and Japan in the world – especially with regard to the relationship with the so-called „Global South“.

The afternoon programme concluded with a conversation with Momoko Nojo, Lena Gabriela Shinozaki and Ayumi Adachi. The young activists of NO YOUTH NO JAPAN and FIFTYS PROJECT are committed to a stronger presence of young people, women and other marginalized groups in Japanese politics and society.

On Wednesday, the group met with representatives of the National Security Council and spoke about the security situation in the region as well as the origins and functioning of the institution itself. This was followed by a conversation with energy experts Mika Ohbayashi, Director of the Renewable Energy Institute, and Professor Hiroshi Takahashi from Hosei University, who presented their perspectives on the energy transition in Japan and its current challenges. In the afternoon, the group visited the Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park: Here, in the event of earthquakes, tsunamis or other disasters, the disaster response and civil protection for the greater Tokyo area are coordinated. The group had the opportunity to experience the simulation of an earthquake in interactive training rooms and to learn more about the correct behaviour in case of natural disaster.

The day concluded with a discussion with Dr. Masahiko Mori, President and CEO of the German-Japanese machine tool manufacturer and world market leader DMG MORI.

After having travelled by Shinkansen from Tokyo the evening before, Thursday’s programme began in Hiroshima. After a guided tour of the Peace Memorial Park, which commemorates the victims of the atomic bomb on the city on August 6, 1945, a visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum followed. Both park and museum show the history of the city and the horrors in the aftermath of the bombing in a shocking and and moving way. Afterwards, the group visited the island of Mijyajima and the Itsukushima Shrine located there – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – before continuing to Kyoto in the evening.

Friday began with a visit to the German Consulate General in Osaka, where Consul General Melanie Saxinger spoke about the consulate’s work in the Kansai region, including the upcoming Expo 2025, and exchanged views with the members of the network about the numerous experiences of the week. The next stop of the trip led the group to Ashiya, a city near Kobe. There, the network met with Japan’s youngest mayor: With Ryosuke Takashima, who was only 26 years old at the time of his election, the members talked about challenges and opportunities at the municipal level as well as the extraordinary situation of taking on a prominent role as a young mayor in Japan’s political landscape, where usually seniority plays a crucial role.

Saturday was the last day in Japan and with that the last chance to once again take in the cultural diversity of Kyoto – the capital of the Japanese Empire for over 1,000 years. Guided visits to the temples Ryoan-ji with its famous rock garden, Kinkaku-ji with its golden pavilion and the Fushimi-Inari shrine complex rounded off the trip and allowed a look back into the long history and culture of the country. Of course, a karaoke evening was not to be missed as the last cultural highlight before the group went back to Berlin on Sunday morning.

  • Guided city tour through Tokyo
    Guided city tour through Tokyo Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Discussion about a "Zeitenwende" in Japan
    Discussion about a "Zeitenwende" in Japan Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Discussion with Yoko Iwama of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies and Rumi Aoyama of Waseda University
    Discussion with Yoko Iwama of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies and Rumi Aoyama of Waseda University Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Visit of teamLab planets
    Visit of teamLab planets Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Guided tour through the Japanese Lower House
    Guided tour through the Japanese Lower House Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Discussion with members of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)
    Discussion with members of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Conversation with MPs Gen Nakatani and MP Minoru Kiuchi
    Conversation with MPs Gen Nakatani and MP Minoru Kiuchi Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Discussion with Kimitake Nakamura, Deputy Minister for European Affairs, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
    Discussion with Kimitake Nakamura, Deputy Minister for European Affairs, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Discussion with activists of No Youth No Japan
    Discussion with activists of No Youth No Japan Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Discussion with Mika Ohbayashi of the Renewable Energy Institute and Hiroshi Takahashi of Hosei University
    Discussion with Mika Ohbayashi of the Renewable Energy Institute and Hiroshi Takahashi of Hosei University Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Körber Network Foreign Policy visits DMG MORI
    Körber Network Foreign Policy visits DMG MORI Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Shinkansen
    Shinkansen Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Visit of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
    Visit of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Visit of Miyajima Island (Itsukushima-shrine)
    Visit of Miyajima Island (Itsukushima-shrine) Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Visit of Ryoan-ji temple
    Visit of Ryoan-ji temple Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Visit of Kinkaku-ji temple
    Visit of Kinkaku-ji temple Photo: Körber-Stiftung

Rückblicke

Seit 2005 fanden über 15 Field Trips des Körber Netzwerk Außenpolitik in mehr als 20 Länder statt.

Bisherige Field Trips des Körber Netzwerk Außenpolitik

  • Field Trip nach Japan, 2024
    Field Trip nach Japan, 2024 Foto: Körber-Stiftung
  • Field Trip nach Marokko, 2023
    Field Trip nach Marokko, 2023 Foto: Körber-Stiftung
  • Mini Field Trip nach Rostock und Warnemünde, 2022
    Mini Field Trip nach Rostock und Warnemünde, 2022 Foto: Körber-Stiftung
  • Field Trip nach Nordmazedonien und Albanien, 2022
    Field Trip nach Nordmazedonien und Albanien, 2022 Foto: Körber-Stiftung
  • Field Trip nach Ungarn und in die Slowakei, 2019
    Field Trip nach Ungarn und in die Slowakei, 2019 Foto: Körber-Stiftung
  • Field Trip Ukraine und Belarus, 2018
    Field Trip Ukraine und Belarus, 2018 Foto: Körber-Stiftung
  • Mini Field Trip to Szczecin, 2018
    Mini Field Trip to Szczecin, 2018 Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Field Trip in den Iran, 2017
    Field Trip in den Iran, 2017 Foto: Körber-Stiftung
  • Field Trip to Korea, 2016
    Field Trip to Korea, 2016 Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Field Trip to Israel and the Palestinian Territories, 2015
    Field Trip to Israel and the Palestinian Territories, 2015 Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Field Trip to China, 2013
    Field Trip to China, 2013 Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Field Trip to Turkey, 2012
    Field Trip to Turkey, 2012 Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Mini Field Trip to Lüneburg, 2012
    Mini Field Trip to Lüneburg, 2012 Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Field Trip to Saudi Arabia, 2011
    Field Trip to Saudi Arabia, 2011 Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Field Trip to Warsaw, 2011
    Field Trip to Warsaw, 2011 Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Field Trip to Kazakhstan, 2010
    Field Trip to Kazakhstan, 2010 Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Field Trip to Syria and Lebanon, 2009
    Field Trip to Syria and Lebanon, 2009 Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Field Trip to Ukraine, 2008
    Field Trip to Ukraine, 2008 Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Field Trip to Iran, 2007
    Field Trip to Iran, 2007 Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Mini Field Trip to Kiel, 2007
    Mini Field Trip to Kiel, 2007 Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Field Trip to Georgia, 2006
    Field Trip to Georgia, 2006 Photo: Körber-Stiftung
  • Field Trip to Pristina/Prizren/Belgrade, 2005
    Field Trip to Pristina/Prizren/Belgrade, 2005 Photo: Körber-Stiftung