Kotaro Akiyama
President, The Asahi Shimbun
Born in 1945, Mr. Akiyama graduated from Kyoto University in 1968. He then joined The Asahi Shimbun. After serving as Political News Editor and Deputy Managing Editor, he was appointed Managing Editor in 2001. He took up his present post in June 2005. Beginning in July 2011, he also took on the role of Chairman of the Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association.
Goshi Hosono
Minister of the Environment, and Minister for the Restoration of and Prevention of Nuclear Accidents
Mr. Hosono was born in 1971 in Kyoto and graduated from the Faculty of Law of Kyoto University in 1995. He then joined Sanwa Research and Consulting. He was elected to the House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) in 2000. He has served in various posts, including DPJ Deputy Secretary General, Acting Secretary General and Special Advisor to the Prime Minister. He has been the Minister for the Restoration of and Prevention of Nuclear Accidents since June 2011. He was appointed Minister of the Environment in September 2011. After the accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in March, he supervised the task force working on Tokyo Electric Power Company’s operations in the accident. After he became Minister, he worked up a draft reform to separate the nuclear power regulating section from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and place it under the control of the Ministry of the Environment.
Sadako Ogata
President, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Mrs. Ogata has traveled the world as a notable political scientist.
Because of her active international background, she was once put forward as a candidate for the Foreign Minister.
After serving as the Minister of the Permanent Delegation of Japan to the United Nations and as a Professor at Sophia University, Mrs. Ogata was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees between 1991 and 2000.
She took up her present post after her appointment as the Special Representative of the Prime Minister of Japan at the International Conference on Reconstruction Assistance to Afghanistan.
Mrs. Ogata is the first President of JICA who is not a former Foreign Ministry official. She has authored numerous books and papers about international relations and diplomacy. She has a PhD from the University of California at Berkeley.
Emmanuel Ze Meka
Executive Director, International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO)
Mr. Ze Meka was born in Cameroon in 1951. After a career with the Cameroonian government, including such posts as the Director of the Forestry Department of Cameroon (1983-1989) and Adviser to the Minister in Charge of Forests (1989-1991), he joined ITTO, an international organization headquartered in Yokohama to promote conservation, sustainable management and usage of rain forests. His previous posts included Project Manager in the Division of Reforestation and Forest Management, Assistant Director for Forest Industry, and Assistant Director for Reforestation and Forest Management. He was appointed to his present post in November 2007 as the first African Executive Director of ITTO. He has a master’s degree in wood physics from Laval University in Canada.
Bernd Tischler
Lord Mayor, City of Bottrop, Germany
Bernd Tischler is the Lord Mayor of the City of Bottrop, elected in October 2009. One of his main objectives is a reduction of carbon dioxide emission by 50% until the year 2020. His essential environmental focal points as the Mayor includes energy managements on all urban buildings, increased use of regenerative energy such as solar energy on civic and private roofs, increased use of district heating, designation of geothermic building areas in the city and use of industrial waste heat for the heating of public buildings.
He is also responsible for other strategically important objectives such as an environmentally compatible mobility, an increased application of vehicles with electric-, hydrogen or hybrid drive together with setting up a network of hydrogen and electric stations, and improvement of the public transport. His major mission before being elected as the mayor includes reactivation of former industrial land, revitalization and renewal of public places in the city centre, and supervising urban development of major location projects of the municipal promotion of trade and industry such as the location of the Alpine Centre which is the longest indoor ski slope in Europe built on a former slag heap.
In 2004 he was elected as city engineer of the city of Bottrop with responsibilities of city planning and civil engineering. Prior to this, he headed the city planning office with major tasks including environmental planning and urban redevelopment. He became the head of the environmental planning department in 1989. Before taking his career in the City of Bottrop, he was a deputy chief officer for urban and business development at the town of Dormagen. He graduated the Technical University of Dortmund as urban and regional planner. He is married with two children and he is an enthusiastic marathon runner.
Nobuo Tanaka
Former Executive Director, International Energy Agency
Mr. Tanaka was born in 1950. He joined the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) (formerly the Ministry of International Trade and Industry) in 1973 and served in various positions, including director of international nuclear power planning of the Nuclear Energy Industry Division at the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy. After his assignment as Director of the Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 1992, he was appointed minister to the Japanese Embassy in the United States in 1998. In 2002, he became Director-General of the Multilateral Trade System Department, Trade Policy Bureau at METI and was instrumental in leading a number of energy-related and World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations. Mr. Tanaka took up his present post in September 2007 to coordinate international cooperation in ensuring energy security in the world.
Takuya Hattori
President, The Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, Inc. (JAIF)
Mr. Hattori joined Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) in 1970 and worked his way up the corporate ladder, holding a variety of positions, such as working as a nuclear technology mechanical engineer and in senior managerial positions. These jobs included a stint at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant. He was constantly at the center of operations of TEPCO’s Nuclear Power Division. He became executive vice-chairman of JAIF in 2006 and was appointed to his current post in 2007. Since 2009, Mr. Hattori has also been serving as president of the JAIF International Cooperation Center. He is well-informed as to the current situation both regarding the electric industry and atomic energy manufacturers, which have a major impact on Japan’s atomic energy and energy policies. Mr. Hattori emphasizes the need to enhance Japan’s energy policy, with atomic energy at its core, and advocates implementing a strong overseas strategy that takes full advantage of Japan’s competitive atomic energy manufacturers.
Tetsunari Iida
Executive Director, Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies (ISEP)
Mr. Iida was born in 1959. After a career at a major steel manufacturer and carrying out research and development at the Central Research Institute of the Electric Power Industry, he studied about environmental energy policies at Sweden’s Lund University. Thereafter, he established ISEP, a non-profit research institution. Mr. Iida is considered to be one of the country’s foremost specialists on natural energy policies. He makes proactive policy recommendations to the central and metropolitan governments based on his expertise. He has a rich international network of contacts, and serves as a strategy advisor to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Under the Democratic Party of Japan administration, Mr. Iida was appointed to the taskforce to attain medium-term goals in the fight against global warming, and was named an evaluator for budget screening to the Government Revitalization Unit. He authored the book “Energy Democracy of Northern Europe."
Frank von Hippel
Professor of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University
Prof. von Hippel is a theoretical physicist and a specialist on nuclear nonproliferation policy. In the past, he convinced former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev to embrace the idea of a Fissile Material Production Cutoff Treaty (FMCT) and his comments on nuclear arms control and nonproliferation have had great international implications. He has been in his present post since 1974. For a year beginning in 1993, he was Assistant Director for National Security in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Since 2006, he has been Co-Chair of the International Panel on Fissile Materials, which is comprised of researchers from 16 countries, including Japan. In 2010, he was awarded the Leo Szilard Lectureship Award for his outstanding work in using physics to illuminate public policy in the areas of nuclear arms control and nonproliferation, nuclear energy, and energy efficiency.
Keiji Takeuchi
Senior Staff Writer, The Asahi Shimbun
Mr. Takeuchi worked at The Asahi Shimbun’s Wakayama Bureau before moving to its Science News Section. He later became the newspaper’s London correspondent. After leaving this post, he served as an editorial writer before assuming his current position. After the Chernobyl nuclear accident, he made four news-gathering trips to Russia to report on the disaster and its aftermath. His main areas of focus have been the environment, energy and nuclear energy issues. He has been covering international discussions on global warming since 1990. Most recently, he was in charge of The Asahi Shimbun series entitled “Eco War,” which ran in 2009 and 2010. This year, he has been focusing on the Fukushima nuclear plant accident and Japan’s nuclear policy.
There is no doubt that the accident that occurred on March 11 at the Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant dramatically changed Japan’s nuclear power policy. In July, Prime Minister Naoto Kan expressed his intention to move towards a “future society that does not rely on nuclear power.” The Asahi Shimbun ran an editorial proposing a “zero nuclear power generation society” as a long-term target.
So far, Japan has relied on nuclear energy as its mainstay—almost completely. A major shift in policy comes as a major challenge. Natural energy—with the exception of large scale hydraulic power generation—accounts for a mere 1 percent. Given such a situation, we will discuss “how to deal with nuclear power plants.”
This year, Germany made the decision to “abolish all nuclear power plants by 2022.” We have with us Bernd Tischler, Mayor of Bottrop, a city located in the Ruhr industrial area. Mayor Tischler will give us a report on the background as to how Germany was able to reach the decision; which will be followed by a short discussion with the mayor on some of the lessons Japan can learn from the experience. Then, four specialists will continue discussions on such themes as “Can Japan continue to maintain nuclear energy? If so, in what way?”; “What kind of costs related to denuclearization will households and industries have to bear?”; “What are the realistic possibilities of natural energy?”; “The future of nuclear-cycle policy”.
The panelists are:
Mr. Nobuo Tanaka, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, is well versed in nuclear and energy policies around the world. He will report on the differences between major global trends and Japan’s energy policy. Mr. Takuya Hattori is president of the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF). Formerly from Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), he is a specialist in the field of nuclear power. He is of the opinion that when considering nuclear energy policy, there are three crucial points: “economic efficiency, energy safety, and environmental soundness.” He stresses that it is important to retain “the option of nuclear power.” Mr. Tetsuya Iida, director, Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies (ISEP), says that it is time to dramatically shift towards a natural energy-based society. He warns that Japan is lagging behind in the field of sustainable energy. Professor Frank von Hippel’s field encompasses not only nuclear policies of the U.S. and the world, but also Japan’s nuclear policies, especially its nuclear fuel cycle policy. We will hear about special characteristics that mark Japan’s nuclear policy. The session coordinator, Asahi Shimbun senior staff writer Keiji Takeuchi, will also expand on the Asahi Shimbun editorial that ran on July 13, titled “Seeking a society without nuclear power generation.”
Japan is pushed to seriously re-examine its energy policy. The country cannot continue with the status quo where the government and the electric utility industry decides the future as an extension of what has been—it must now disclose all information related to energy supply and demand to consumers, and incorporate consumer opinion into its energy policy. In other words, consumers will be tasked with a greater responsibility in deciding energy policies in the future. This panel will give a look-ahead on such discussions.
Shinichi Fukuoka
Professor, School of Cultural and Creative Studies, Aoyama Gakuin University
Prof. Fukuoka was born in 1959. He graduated from Kyoto University and became a biologist. He was a fellow researcher at Harvard, then became Assistant Professor at Kyoto University. Before taking up his present post at Aoyama Gakuin University, he was a professor at the university’s College of Science and Engineering. He has written a number of easy-to-follow books on “what is life.” He received the Kodansha Publishing House’s award given to scientific publications for his “Is the theory on Prion really true?” which challenged the accepted notion of the Nobel Prize. In addition, a book he wrote in 2007 entitled “In between life and nonlife” became a bestseller and received both the Suntory and Chuo Koron awards. Among his many books are “Dynamic Equilibrium” and “The Shining Kingdom of Vermeer.”
Mieko Yoshimura
Governor of Yamagata Prefecture
After working with Recruit Co., Ltd., she obtained the qualification of administrative scrivener during her child-raising period and opened her office in 2000. She was a member of various Yamagata Prefectural Government committees on education, protection of personal information, comprehensive policies, and public bidding supervision among others. She was elected to her present post in February 2009. In July this year, together with Shiga Prefectural Governor Yukiko Kada, she jointly announced breaking away from reliance on nuclear power and shifting to alternative energy such as solar energy. She graduated from Ochanomizu University. Her favorite expression is, “when you drink water, do not forget the person who dug the well.”
Ian Johnson
Secretary-General, The Club of Rome
Mr. Johnson is a British economist and is well-versed on sustainable development and energy-related economic policies. He joined the World Bank in 1980 and was appointed Vice President for Sustainable Development in 1998. Thereafter, he served as the chair of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). After leaving the World Bank in 2006, he became an advisor to a number of private sectors in addition to serving as advisor to the Government of Chile and a member of the Swedish International Commission on Climate Change and Development. Mr. Johnson took up his present post in April 2010.
Fumihiko Yoshida
Editorial Writer, The Asahi Shimbun
Mr. Yoshida graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1980. He was a reporter in The Asahi Shimbun’s Foreign News, Science News and Economic News sections. He became a correspondent in Washington, D.C., and later was Chief of The Asahi Shimbun’s Brussels Bureau. He was an MSFS Fellow at Georgetown University in 1984-85 and obtained his PhD in international public policy from Osaka University in 2007. In 2010, he was a lecturer at the graduate school of Princeton University. He has been a visiting professor at Chuo University’s graduate school since this year. He has written a number of books, including “Human Security Strategy” and “Nuclear America – from Truman to Obama.”
What will be happening in the near future—here in Japan, and the world?
We can predict that many developing countries, centering in Asia, will transform into “newly emerging advanced countries.” What we will see before us will be a world with a heightened mutual interdependence of a global scale.
However, optimism alone will not suffice. All the characteristics that have shaped modernization so far, namely, urbanization, promoting efficiency and the advantage of scale, have now arrived at a major turning point. The Great East Japan Earthquake in March managed to, albeit unexpectedly, shed light on the underlying vulnerability of such modernization. The catastrophe that struck Fukushima, a region that had become a concentration of nuclear power stations, as a way to provide electricity to large cities and major industrial areas, triggered an immediate power shortage. That is a typical example of our vulnerability. Many of the people who managed to survive the sweeping tsunami and were evacuated to safety were senior citizens. This fact showcased Japan’s Achilles’ heel: the large concentration of people in large cities, depopulation and aging in rural areas.
It is being said that what Japan needs now is not a simple “recovery” but “resumption.”Maybe what Japan really needs to do is to “emerge” as a new Japan, different from what we were. The new direction for Japan should not be a re-enactment of the fast-track “expanding GDP” route, a mere extension of rapid economic growth that was dubbed the “post-war miracle,” but a completely new development model.
It has long been said that Japan will have no future without structural reform. Yet that progress has not been smooth. The enormous temblor in March served as a wake-up call for Japan, and the country is now ready to construct a development model in earnest—that is a responsibility that the current generation living here in Japan owes to future generations.
Of course, there can be no future if we think only about ourselves. Competition with advanced countries is inevitable. If we get too caught up in that, we may end up with a narrow view of things. If we are to cast our eyes on the near future, based on knowledge accumulated from our extensive experience in supporting developing countries, home to 5.5 billion people, we should be able to come up with measures for Japan’s new “emergence” and implement new development models that can also be applied in promoting progress in developing countries.It is important to establish such interactive communication. This stance becomes indispensable in fostering cohabitation of the global environment and humankind, and for sustainable development in the future.
Examining the “post-March 11” situation as such, the panel will discuss “Environment and Civilization: A New Growth Strategy.” We have three panelists: Shinichi Fukuoka, a Professor at Aoyama Gakuin University, who will share his views covering a wide range of fields, but not limited to his specialty of biology research; Mieko Yoshimura, Governor of Yamagata Prefecture, who has been supporting earthquake survivors and is involved in promoting measures to contain the damages caused by radiation; and Ian Johnson, secretary general of The Club of Rome, which posed the question to the world regarding the relationship between man and resources in its report, Limits of Growth. Fumihiko Yoshida, an editorial writer at The Asahi Shimbun, will serve as coordinator.  MC Masaki Nomura Announcer, TV Asahi Corporation Ms. Nomura joined TV Asahi Corp. in 1998 and has worked on such programs as “Super J Channel” and “Super Morning.” She currently appears on a range of news programs, including “Yajiuma,”and “On the Medical Front”. She received one of sub-prizes of the “ANN Announcer” Award. |
On the first night of the Forum, the Asahi Shimbun is holding a dinner, inviting some of the top leaders in diverse fields. There will be a special lecture by former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda titled “The Struggle Between Energy and Mankind ~ Lessons from March 11.” Asahi Shimbun Editor-in-Chief Yoshibumi Wakamiya will serve as host.
Yasuo Fukuda
Former Prime Minister of Japan
Mr. Fukuda was born in Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture, in 1936. He graduated from Waseda University and joined Maruzen Petroleum (now Cosmo Oil Company). In 1977 he became a private secretary to his father, Takeo Fukuda, who at that time was the Prime Minister of Japan. Then in February 1990 he was elected to the House of Representatives. He served as Chief Cabinet Secretary under Prime Ministers Yoshiro Mori and Junichiro Koizumi. In September 2007, he was elected President of the Liberal Democratic Party and became the 91st Prime Minister of Japan. In June 2008, Mr. Fukuda addressed the Conference for Environmental Security organized by The Asahi Shimbun as Prime Minister and discussed climate change issues in the G8 summit meeting held in Toyako, Hokkaido, the following month. After retiring from Japan’s top political post, he became Chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia, the Asian version of the World Economic Forum. He concurrently serves as the Chairperson of the Asian Population and Development Association.
Yoshibumi Wakamiya
Editor-in-Chief, The Asahi Shimbun
Mr. Wakamiya, who was born in 1948, graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Tokyo. He has written many columns and articles on Japan’s politics and diplomacy as a reporter for The Asahi Shimbun. He has served in various posts with the newspaper, including Political Editor and Chief of the Editorial Board (2002-08). He took up his present post in May this year. He covered 9.11 when he was with the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., in 2001. He also studied in South Korea and is a member of the Japan-Korea Forum. Among his books are “Conciliation and Nationalism—a new version of Asian perspective of postwar conservatism” and “Fighting Editorials: A Record of 2,000 Days in the Editorial Room.”
*by invitation
Hideki Minamikawa
Vice Minister, Ministry of the Environment
He joined the Ministry in 1974.After serving top posts including Vice-Minister for Global Environmental Affairs, he took up his present post in January 2011. As Director-General of the Global Environment Bureau, he was involved in enacting and revising the law concerning promotion of measures to cope with global warming. Mr. Minamikawa was instrumental in efforts toward adoption of the “Nagoya Protocol” at the COP10 held in Nagoya in October 2010. He is currently tackling with radiation pollution resulting from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant from the environmental administration stand.
Izabella Teixeira
Minister of Environment, Brazil
Born in Brasília, Izabella Teixeira is a biologist and holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Planning at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. She has taught environmental courses at different universities and MBAs. A career civil servant since 1984 at the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, she served as director at the institute, as well as Secretary for the Environment at the state government of Rio de Janeiro. Before assuming her position as Minister of Environment in March 2010, she was Executive Secretary in the ministry from 2008 to 2010(photo: Elza Fiuza/ABr).
Hikaru Kobayashi
Professor, Graduate School of Media and Governance, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University (former Vice Minister, Ministry of the Environment)
After graduating from Keio University, Mr. Kobayashi joined the present Ministry of the Environment (formerly the Environmental Agency) in 1973. From 1995, he was in charge of inviting to Japan the 3rd Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. He also handled international negotiations on the Kyoto Protocol and helped draft the law to promote prevention of global warming. He was appointed to Vice Minister of the Environment in July 2009, after serving in various other posts including Director-General of the Environmental Policy Bureau. Mr. Kobayashi retired in January 2011 and took up his present post in April. He has authored a number of books on Japan’s pollution experiences and on eco-housing.
Akihiro Sawa
Executive Senior Fellow, The 21st Century Public Policy Institute
Born in Osaka in 1957, he graduated from Hitotsubashi University in 1981. After joining the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (currently the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry), he obtained his MPA from Princeton University in 1987. He served in various posts including Director of Environmental Policy Division, Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment Bureau, and Director, Policy Planning Division, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Natural Resource and Energy Policy. He was a Professor at the Research Center for Advance Science and Technology of the University of Tokyo from 2004 to 2008. He took up his present post in May 2007. He has written a number of books including “Reexamining the Global Warming Issue.”
Tomohiro Murayama
Deputy Editor, The Asahi Shimbun GLOBE
After joining the Asahi Shimbun in 1989, he reported on endocrine disrupters (environmental hormones) and problems associated with dioxins. He worked for AERA magazine as a staff writer and was a correspondent in the American General Bureau. After his assignment as deputy editor of the science section, he was an editorial writer from 2008, covering environmental and energy issues, contributing editorials on topics pertaining to global warming, renewable energy and nuclear power. He reported on the international negotiations at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP15), which was held in Copenhagen in December 2009. He also covered proceedings in the Diet regarding the Basic Bill for Global Warming Strategy, which was submitted by the Democratic Party of Japan. He took up his present post in July 2010.
Two years ago, at the Asahi Environment Forum 2009, then Japanese Prime Minister-elect Yukio Hatoyama made the enthusiastic announcement that Japan would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions “by 25 percent by 2020, compared to the 1990 level.” This same figure has become Japan’s international commitment to reducing global warming. Should we today continue to uphold this 25 percent target? Or is it more realistic to lower that ambition, at least for now? Having experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake and the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, Japan now faces a watershed moment in its policies for combating global warming. The figure of 25 percent is the focal point of deliberations in the Diet regarding the Basic Law for the Prevention of Global Warming. The issue is not merely about jiggling the figure itself – it is nothing less than setting Japan’s entire energy policy for the near future. Now that increasing the number of domestic nuclear power plants has become difficult, and Japan may even shift towards abolishing nuclear energy entirely, the country must address the problem of how to supplement the power shortfall. Even if we choose to increase thermal power generation, we need to curb our dependence on fossil fuels in order to prevent global warming. On the other hand, there are many uncertainties over the degree to which we can rely on sustainable energy sources – such as sunlight and wind – due to concerns over infrastructure development and investment. If Japan should suffer persistent energy shortages, that would prompt companies to move abroad; any such exodus could accelerate the hollowing-out of Japan’s economy. Faced with the risks of nuclear power, global warming and the economy, we will be forced to solve a difficult set of equations that involve numerous interconnected variables. We have invited a panel of two specialists to consider this situation.Hikaru Kobayashi is a professor at Keio University and formerly served as Vice-Minister at the Environment Ministry, and Akihiro Sawa is Senior Executive Fellow with the 21st Century Public Policy Institute and was previously with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Our two speakers will take a multifaceted approach to discussing topics such as how we can promote measures to prevent global warming, fitting environmental needs with industrial activities and how Japan can fulfill its role in the global community. Tomohiro Murayama, Deputy Editor of GLOBE, will serve as our coordinator.
Christiana Figueres
Executive Secretary, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Ms. Figueres was born in Costa Rica, where her father and elder brother served as President. She was appointed to her present post in May 2010. She has been a member of the Costa Rican negotiating team since 1995. She represented Latin America and the Caribbean on the Executive Board of the Clean Development Mechanism in 2007.
Kunio Harimoto
Representative Director and President, TOTO Ltd.
After graduating from the Faculty of Commerce of Waseda University in 1973, Mr. Harimoto joined TOTO Ltd. (formerly TOTO Kiki Ltd.). Following his assignment as the head of the Marketing Management Department, he was appointed as a director & corporate officer in charge of Sales Promotion in 2003. He took up his present post in April 2009, and in July of the same year he came up with the “TOTO V-Plan 2017.” This is a long-term corporate vision with three business pillars that focus on domestic housing equipment, overseas housing equipment and new business domains. In April 2010, Mr. Harimoto announced the “TOTO GREEN CHALLENGE,” which will further accelerate TOTO’s environmental activities. He is now promoting united efforts that are aimed at the centenary of TOTO in 2017.
The amount of CO2 emitted by residential plumbing systems such as washbasins, toilets, bathrooms and kitchens is about 5% of the total CO2 emissions in Japan. TOTO undertook a simulation research to examine how the creation of a water-saving society could contribute to reducing CO2 emissions. As a result, it has become clear that by 2020 it will be possible to reduce CO2 emissions associated with residential plumbing systems by 25% through the united efforts of the plumbing-related industry, including TOTO, through developments of eco-conscious products, enlightening customers on water-saving efforts, and support of government administrations toward efforts to widely spread eco-conscious products. In order to make this simulation happen, TOTO is promoting the “TOTO GREEN CHALLENGE,” an environmental vision with challenging development goals such as providing a leading product that can reduce CO2 emissions by 50% compared with 1990 figures by the year 2017.
Katherine Richardson
Professor and Vice Dean, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen,
Chairman of the Danish Commission for Climate Change Policy
Katherine Richardson is a professor in biological oceanography and Vice Dean at the Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen. From 2008 she was Chairman of the Danish Commission for Climate Change Policy which reported in 2010 and presented a roadmap for how Denmark can become independent of fossil fuels by 2050. She is a lead author on the book Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions (Cambridge University Press, 2011) and co-authored with Stefan Rahmstorf Our Threatened Oceans (2009). She is a principle investigator in the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate (www.macroecology.ku.dk) where her research focuses on the importance of biological processes in the ocean for the uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere and how ocean biology, including diversity, contributes to ocean function in the Earth System. She is active both as a member in and/or chairperson for a number of national and international research committees/advisory boards. She was Vice President of European Science Foundation from 2001-2008 and Chairman of the Earth System Science Evaluation Panel for European Research Council Starting Grants from 2008-2010. She has published over 100 scientific papers and book chapters.
Joseph Pesch
Managing Director, fesa GmbH, Freiburg, Germany
Josef Pesch was raised on a small farm near Cologne, Germany. He had his first contact with wind energy near the farm where an old wind mill was in use for grinding barley. Later, he co-founded the German Wind Energy Association (BWE) in the early 80s, set up its local office in the state of Baden-Württemberg in 1999 and served as Chairman of the regional board of BWE and as member of the national board of BWE.
He began his professional work in the renewable energy in 1999 in fesawhich is the renewable energies association in Freiburg where he developed projects in wind and small hydro. He is managing director of fesa GmbH, the commercial branch of fesa, founded in 2001. fesa has developed wind, solar, and bio projects. All fesa projects are citizens’ participation projects. He also co-founded fesa Energie Geno, a renewables Cooperative in 2011. He is Senior Manager 100% Renewable Projects with juwi Holding AG – and a temporary lecturer at Centre for Renewable Energy Management at Freiburg University.
Earlier in his life, he studied Geography and English Literature at the Universities Bonn and Münster, and in England at Coventry Polytechnic and St. Catherine’s College, Oxford. His PhD thesis is on Oscar Wilde and James Joyce. He taught English and American Literature at the Universities of Saarbrücken and Freiburg.
He is married to Natascha with four children: Leonard, Dylan, Ewa, and Josef jun.
Lars Johannes Nordli
Vice President, Statoil
Lars Johannes Nordli is a Vice President in charge of Wind Business Development for the Norway’s largest energy company Statoil. He is currently responsible for all the business development within wind world wide including both conventional offshore as well as floating offshore concepts. Prior to the current position, he was the Head of Corporate Strategy , responsible for developing and setting the strategic direction of the company and support the CEO in his obligations towards the Board of Directors vis-a-vis corporate strategy setting. He was also in charge of developing a Biofuel business unit, with a focus on developing and securing production assets on a global basis. His early career includes a senior field manager, responsible for the planning and execution of geological and geophysical logging surveys in hydrocarbon wells for major oil and gas operating companies, providing data acquisitions services both offshore Norway and onshore South America. He is a Master of Mechanical Engineering, graduated University of Trondheim, Norway. His hobbies and interests include cycling, cross country skiing, architecture and designs.
Kaoru Nishizaki
Organizer, Asahi World Environmental Forum, The Asahi Shimbun
Kaoru Nishizaki is the Asahi Shimbun's previous foreign economics correspondent based in Washington DC during the Bush and Obama administration from 2006 to 2009 when he covered the turbulent US and global economy. Prior to this, his role in breaking news, analysis and commentaries in the field of economics, business and foreign affairs continued when he pursued editorship as News Desk, and a section chief for the business beat group in Tokyo. His previous assignment as the business and finance correspondent in New York from 1998 led to the establishment of the Silicon Valley bureau based in San Jose in 2000 where he took charge of reporting the emerging business giants. Before the postings abroad, he covered the Japanese government's various ministries including finance, trade, industry and foreign affairs, while he also covered the electronics and other industries. He started filing for the Asahi Shimbun in Shizuoka and later in Sendai during the 1980s when he began as a police beat. He read economics at the University of Cambridge.
While Japan struggles hard with the massive burden of the Great Earthquake and Tsunami in March (3.11), more and more globally pace setting initiatives in mitigating and adapting to the climate change are put in motion abroad. The session “Resilient Societies: Leading Europeans” introduces the spearheading cases of government policies, business and community led initiatives in answering the climate challenges foremost in Europe.
As it is quite difficult to grasp the extent of the effects of global warming, pessimists even point out the futility of efforts directed at the mitigation and adaptation. However, mankind has the hopeful responsibility of sustaining and rehabilitating the ecosystem. One of the immediate tasks apart from significantly reducing the carbon emmissions globally, would be to restore the resiliency of our society in preparation and prevention of the possible crisis in future.
Even before the 3.11 disaster, Japan had an impression of already losing its momentum in sharing the global responsibilities. This may be attributed not to the pessimistic view on the climate change but regarded mostly due to lack of force and determination in setting strategies and priorities. The session aims to show the utmost importance of not only having a bold and through government policy but also proactive business minds plus an active community-led participation in achieving the low carbon society.
Danish Government unveiled its “Energy Strategy 2050” in February with its roadmap to achieve its independence from coal, oil, and gas by 2050. Approximately current 80 percent share of the fossil fuel would decline to zero, while the share of the renewables would rise to 100 percent, and hence cutting the greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 90 percent. How can they attain the goal? Such may be a typical reaction in Japan as some might wonder at the different weight of importance given to the concept of the environmental national security, while equally impressed with the sense of urgency and determination. Professor Katherine Richardson was the Chairman of the Danish Commission for Climate Change Policy that recommended the transformation.
German federal government announced its plan to accelerate the timing of retirement of the nuclear reactors by 2022 in June. Further news from the Switzerland and Italy regarding their revisions in the nuclear energy policy has fueled great debates in Japan in the light of the nuclear reactor disaster in Fukushima. Not many knew that the German decision was possible only with its decades of commitments in encouraging the renewable energy across the country. Dr Josef Pesch who manages a sustainable energy company fesa GmbH has promoted wind, solar and biomass in the region of Freiburg that is known as a leading eco-compact city. His experience of affecting also the urban design and lifestyle can be viewed as a timely and relevant case for Japan.
Japanese share of the renewables in the electricity generation at home is approximately 1%. Following the 3.11 disaster, the government announced to fasten the plan of raising the level so that it would reach 20% in the 2020s while others abroad continues their dash. In Sheringham and Dogger Bank in UK, largest offshore wind farms are planned. Innovative concepts such as tidal generation is tested and scheduled to put into operation in Scotland. In both cases, Norwegian companies pursue active involvements. Mr Lars Nordli, a vice president of Statoil, would present their global renewables business strategy.
Kazunuki Oizumi
Professor, Miyagi University
Born in 1949 in Miyagi Prefecture, Mr. Oizumi completed his doctoral course in agriculture at the University of Tokyo. He is undertaking agricultural development through improved farm management. He has formulated policies for rural areas and proposes agricultural policies to the government. He is president of the Japan Association of Regional Policy and a member of various cabinet committees. He is actively involved in reconstruction of the Tohoku area after the Great East Japan Earthquake, and serves as the chair of the committee in Minami-Sanriku Town in Miyagi Prefecture, to establish policies for reconstruction. He has authored a number of books including “Japanese Rice” and “Japanese Agriculture Can Transform into a Growth Industry.”
Nobuo Haryu
President, Butai Farm Co., Ltd.
Mr. Haryu was born in 1962 as the 15th generation of a farming family with a history of more than 300 years in Sendai City. He established Butai Farm Co., Ltd. in 2003. The company created a network of highly-motivated farmers in eastern Japan to produce, process, and sell agricultural products such as rice and vegetables, and to manage restaurants. He is a pioneer in the so-called “sextic industry,” which means an integrated business of primary, secondary and tertiary industries. Mr. Haryu also promotes the development of youths to revitalize agriculture. Since his company’s farmland was partly damaged by tsunami in the Great East Japan Earthquake, he is currently tackling its reconstruction.
Hisao Hasegawa
President, Mizuho Village Market
Mr. Hasegawa was born in 1948. After serving the post of council member for Tsukuba City in Ibaraki Prefecture, he established a company in 1990 to manage a farmers’ market, “Mizuho Village Market.” The market has provided produce focused on high quality and agricultural safety, rather than low prices, and achieved remarkable growth, attracting 300,000 customers and 2,000 visitors per year, with annual sales of 700 million yen. Mr. Hasegawa was the President of Japan Agricultural Corporations Association from 2004 to 2009. He is the author of “A Farmer’s Market Changing Farm Villages.” In response to harmful rumors due to accidents in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, he is measuring radiation levels in agricultural products and publicly announcing the results.
Kiyoshi Isshiki
Editor, WEBRONZA, The Asahi Shimbun
Born in 1956, he joined the Asahi Shimbun in 1978 and worked in the Fukushima and Narita bureaus before coming to the Economic News Section. Mr. Isshiki was appointed editor of AERA magazine and editor of “be” in 2000. He was a commentator on TV Asahi daily news programs from October 2008 to March 2011. He covered the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery in the 1980s and is well versed in agricultural issues.
The Great East Japan Earthquake and resulting tsunami in March took away a tremendous number of lives and destroyed the livelihoods of many people. The disaster also inflicted a vicious blow on agriculture. Tsunami waves washed over more than 23,000 hectares of farmland, and it is unknown when land filled with salt from the seawater can be restored to normal. Radiation released from the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant polluted agricultural land, causing major damage to the farming and livestock industry. Furthermore, sales restrictions on fresh produce containing radiation levels exceeding guidelines were put in place, causing local and neighboring production areas to suffer from harmful rumors.
Agriculture has deep ties with the environment. When you look at well-tended rice paddies and fields, you notice how the water and the greenery protect the surrounding environment. On the other hand, it should be noted that there is over 400,000 hectares of abandoned farmland—farmland that has gone into disrepair due to lack of people who can tend the land—that sits here in Japan. Agriculture as an industry has lost its attraction and few people are willing to go into agriculture. This has a negative impact on the environment. Weeds are growing wild and tall, covering the land. Some places are turning into dump sites.
If we see more farmland that can’t be cultivated, or land that becomes abandoned, due to the recent disaster—this will ultimately worsen the environment. We need to seek ways to restore arable land that suffered salt pollution to its former state; we need knowledge and policies in place so as to alleviate the damage caused by radiation to farmland and crops. We have suffered such a magnitude of devastation. Now is the time for real structural reform that will see to the rise of numerous young leaders who will strengthen not only the devastated areas, but bring Japan’s overall agriculture to the next stage.
The three members of this panel are people who have had no way but to get deeply involved in the agricultural front because of the great earthquake, tsunami and the aftermath of these disasters.
Prof. Kazunuki Oizumi, Vice President of Miyagi University, who has been studying agriculture in Miyagi Prefecture for a long time, is involved in drawing up a reconstruction plan for the devastated areas. He hopes to take this opportunity to implement agricultural structural reforms.
Mr. Nobuo Haryu is the President of Butai Farm Co., a company that engages in the whole process of marketing, from the production of fresh produce, to distribution and on to consumption. Part of his company’s farmland was covered by tsunami waves caused by the earthquake. He is currently reviewing various ideas to restore the farmland to productive use again.
Mr. Hisao Hasegawa is the President of “Mizuhono mura ichiba,” a very popular fresh produce market in Ibaraki Prefecture. The company suffered from rumors related to radioactive material tainted produce. In order to dispel doubts by consumers, Mr. Hasegawa, with the cooperation of Ibaraki University, conducts radiation checks on merchandise at the storefront. His belief is that the central and prefectural governments should conduct even more detailed checks and go public with all the results.
Emmanuel Ze Meka
Executive Director, International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO)
Mr. Ze Meka was born in Cameroon in 1951. After a career with the Cameroonian government, including such posts as the Director of the Forestry Department of Cameroon (1983-1989) and Adviser to the Minister in Charge of Forests (1989-1991), he joined ITTO, an international organization headquartered in Yokohama to promote conservation, sustainable management and usage of rain forests. His previous posts included Project Manager in the Division of Reforestation and Forest Management, Assistant Director for Forest Industry, and Assistant Director for Reforestation and Forest Management. He was appointed to his present post in November 2007 as the first African Executive Director of ITTO. He has a master’s degree in wood physics from Laval University in Canada.
Makoto Inoue
Professor, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Department of Global Agricultural Sciences, University of Tokyo
Born in 1960, Mr. Inoue graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Tokyo. He has worked with the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery, the Indonesian Government’s tropical rainforest research center and the Faculty of Agriculture at his alma mater. He took up his present post in 2004. He has obtained his PhD in agriculture and is an expert in forestry governance and sociology as well as the Kalimantan region of Indonesia. Among his many books are “Seeking Thoughts of Commons” and “Vibrant Fieldwork.” He is a board member of the Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies and the Japanese Forest Society.
Mitsuyo Kusano
Freelance Announcer
Ms. Kusano was born in Gifu Prefecture. After graduating from Tsuda College, she joined Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) in 1989, and worked on many major programs, including NHK’s most popular music show aired annually on Dec. 31 called “Kohaku Utagassen.” After becoming a freelancer in 1997, she became active in popular news programs and covered the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano. She was a member of a group organized to promote biodiversity when the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties was held in Nagoya last year. She also serves on the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ committee on pensions, and on the National Committee for the International Year of Forests.
Miyuki Tomari
President, Biomass Industrial Society Network (BIN)
After graduating from the College of International Relations at Nihon University, Ms. Tomari researched environmental and social issues for more than 10 years at Fuji Research Institute Corporation. In 1999, she co-founded the Biomass Industrial Society Network (BIN). In 2004, BIN was reorganized into an NPO and Ms. Tomari became the president. She has co-authored numerous books on natural energy and biomass. She was a member of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s committee to research sustainability of biofuels, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ committee to evaluate biomass policies.
Hiroyuki Suematsu
Director-General of Forest Policy Planning Department Forestry Agency
Mr. Suematsu graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1983. He then joined the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. He was in charge of disaster prevention, local administration (Isahaya City, Nagasaki Prefecture), fishery negotiations, financial issues, rice issues, food recycling, and forestry business promotion. He has been an advocator of “Biomass Japan.” Among his books are “The Many Whys of Food Self-sufficiency” and “Food Recycling Illustrated.” He is a visiting professor at the Tokyo University of Agriculture.
Takejiro Sueyoshi
Economist, Special Advisor to United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative in the Asia Pacific Region (UNEP FI)
Born in 1945, Mr. Sueyoshi graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1967 and joined the Mitsubishi Bank, Ltd. After serving in various posts with the bank, including Manager of the New York Branch and President of the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi Trust Company, he became Vice President of Nikko Asset Management, Co., Ltd., in 1998. He was appointed to his present post in 2003. He also heads Carbon Offset Japan, which he helped to establish. He often appears in the media, including television, to comment on environmental issues from the perspective of finance. In 2003, he succeeded in inviting to Japan UNEP FI’s Global Roundtable, an international conference on finance and environment.
This is the International Year of Forests, which was agreed on at the United Nations General Assembly in 2006. This is the first forest year since 1985, a quarter of a century ago. Movements are increasing to protect forests around the world under the theme of “Forests for People."
Forests around the world are shrieking with pain due to destructive lumbering, climate change, and housing and rural developments. The International Year of Forests will be an important opportunity to consider what kind of forests the next generation can inherit in a sustainable manner. This special session will offer a place to think about the strength of forests from diverse perspectives as part of activities of the International Year of Forests.
Mr. Emmanuel Ze Meka, Executive Director of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), will deliver a keynote speech on the history of the international society since the first International Year of Forests was held as well as the organization's work with Japan’s Forestry Agency. The ITTO, which was established in 1986 through a special treaty, is the only international organization to be headquartered in Japan. And the organization has an extremely deep relation with Japan. People around the world are mounting their sense of crisis toward the destructive lumbering of forests in tropical countries. On the other hand, it is also indeed true that tropical wood trade is indispensable to the economic development of tropical countries. And for those rapidly growing tropical countries, economic growth is a requisite. The ITTO is expected to assume an important role in coordinating the interests of opposing forces.
In the panel discussion, specialists in forestry administration and nature will be invited to engage in debates from a wide range of views. High expectations are being placed on Japan for its role in protecting forests through aid to developing countries and international policy consultations in tandem with the ITTO, of which 60 countries including the EU are members. Toward achieving this goal, what kind of activities should Japan indulge in?
Mr. Takejiro Sueyoshi, a special advisor to the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative in the Asia Pacific Region, will serve as the coordinator. He is a strong debater on the issue of global warming and is known as a specialist on environmental issues. He has highly evaluated the role of woods and forests in line with protecting the environment. He is advocating re-building cities and towns that were destroyed in the March 11 earthquakes and tsunami by taking full advantage of nature. He hopes this reconstruction plan will be a run-up toward building a better society around the world in the 21st century.
Tadashi Inamoto
President, Oak Village
Mr. Inamoto was born in 1945 in Toyama Prefecture. After working at Rikkyo University, he founded Oak Village in Kiyomi, Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, in 1974, as an arts and crafts village, with a vision of “harmony among people and nature, tools and livelihoods.” While working on a wide range of crafts, ranging from everyday items such as soup bowls to architecture, Mr. Inamoto is actively involved in planting trees and draws attention to the importance of the forest ecosystem as part of the global environment. Mr. Inamoto currently serves as chairman of the Gifu Prefectural Board of Education and teaches at colleges in Tokyo. He is the author of many books, including “Aromas born from Japan’s forests,” “Towards a green country,” “Living with the woods,” “Dawn in LOHAS City” and “Time for wooden crafts.”
Daisuke Maki
Representative Director, Nishiawakura School of Forest, Inc.
Mr. Maki majored in Forest Ecology at the Graduate School of Agriculture at Kyoto University. After joining a private sector think-tank, he established in 2005 the AMITA Institute for Sustainable Economies Co., a research institute for specialists in the fields of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and became its director. Mr. Maki is involved in planning and producing new projects in farming, mountain and fishing villages across the nation. In 2009, he established Tobimushi Inc. and became its director. He also set up the Nishiawakura School of Forest Inc. in a joint venture with Nishiawakura village in Okayama Prefecture, and serves as the company’s representative director. At the Nishiawakura School of Forest, he launched a regional brand called “nishihour” that sells wood and agricultural products directly to end-users. For more information, visit http://www.nishihour.jp
Atsuo Tanaka
Forest Journalist
Born in 1959 in Osaka Prefecture, Mr. Tanaka graduated from Shizuoka University’s Faculty of Forestry in its Department of Agriculture. Mr. Tanaka’s ambition is to identify the comprehensive relationship between people and forests from the natural level to the regional society level. He writes and gives lectures on the themes of forests, forestry and mountain villages and his books include, “The reason why we need satoyama now,” “Living in the countryside!,” “Revitalizing Japan through forests,” “Abnormal changes in the forests,” “Wooden chopsticks are wasteful?,” “Golf links are filled with nature” and “Walking in the woods: An invitation to forest therapy.”For further details, see http://homepage2.nifty.com/tankenka/chosha.html
He lives in Ikoma, Nara Prefecture.
Mariko Takahashi
Senior Staff Writer, The Asahi Shimbun
Ms. Takahashi is a senior staff writer mainly for science and medical issues with considerable environmental insights. She also reports widely on critical agenda such as the post 3.11 disaster developments including the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident. She writes also for the internet periodical WEBRONZA and appears regularly on the Asahi Newstar’s TV talk show “Kagaku Asahi” as a navigator. Before serving as the editor for the science and medical news section in the Asahi Shimbun, Ms. Takahashi was an active member of the editorial board for more than seven years from 1997 and wrote mainly in the fields of science & technology and medical care. She coordinated a theme forum “Aiming for an environment-based society”during the Aichi Expo 2005. Earlier, Ms. Takahashi has been a staff writer at the Asahi Shimbun’s science news section and the monthly science magazine “Kagaku Asahi”.
Since the devastation of March 11 struck, we have been forced to take a close look at and review our way of life. People are asked to save energy at home and at work. Some companies have rescheduled their off days, others have opted to bring forward the start and close of their business day. There must be many people who have shifted to an “early to bed, early to rise” lifestyle. Still, these are merely temporary emergency measures to make it through this summer’s power shortage.
We experienced the scare of a nuclear power plant accident. We saw how a power blackout affects our daily lives. Now is the time to re-examine the basics of how we conduct our lives.
Mr. Tadashi Inamoto was a researcher of nuclear physics at Rikkyo University before he left the academia to move to Takayama in Gifu Prefecture. In 1974, he founded Oak Village, an arts and crafts village. For 37 years, Mr. Inamoto has been involved in manufacturing everyday articles from wood and wooden architecture. In the meantime, he has also been active planting trees. Based on his own experiences, in June this year he published “Towards a green country, Japan’s scenario for rebirth.” He proposes that, “Japan should be reborn into a new green country.”
Mr. Daisuke Maki is a young entrepreneur who has been creating new businesses in rural areas. In 2009, he established a company in Nishiawakura, a village in the mountainsides of Okayama Prefecture which serves as a base for his unique activities that go beyond conventional boundaries. As a businessman who actually puts a new lifestyle into practice, Mr. Maki will talk about the quintessence of what Japan needs now.
Mr. Atsuo Tanaka is a forestry journalist who is extremely well versed in what is happening in Japan’s forestry industry. What is the ideal relationship between forests, mountain villages and cities? How should people living in mountain villages and cities relate to each other? Mr. Tanaka, from the viewpoint of a journalist who has constantly been aware of such issues, is ready for an exciting discussion. Japan is a country where close to 70 percent of its landscape is covered by forests. It is crucial for us to learn how to co-exist with forests. That knowledge will demonstrate a new direction in shaping our way of life.
Mariko Takahashi, an Asahi Shimbun staff writer who has extensive experience as a reporter and editor in the fields of science, technology and medicine, will serve as coordinator for the session.
Hiromichi Shinohara
Director of Research and Development Planning Department, NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
Mr. Shinohara joined NTT in 1978, working primarily in research and planning. After becoming General Manager in charge of access network research, he was appointed chief researcher of the NTT access service system research institute in April 2003. In June of the same year, he was named head of the institute. In June 2007, he took on the post of head of the research institute to study information distribution. He assumed his present position in June 2009 and concurrently heads the Information Sharing Laboratory Group since June 2011.
Thanks to recent developments in information and communication technology (ICT), broadband communications have expanded rapidly, enabling the public to not only receive information through sounds and letters but also enjoy high-quality moving pictures and music. The expansion of communication services through ICT has contributed greatly to changes in business models and individual lifestyles. By reducing the movement of people and goods, as well as enhanced efficiency in business, we can expect an increased contribution toward solving the problem of global warming. After the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, public interest has focused on the use of communication services as a measure to ensure safety, and also on low-power ICT in response to a shortage of electricity. In my lecture, I will mainly give details on the efforts of the NTT group to realize a sustainable society through our ICT systems.
Hitoshi Ikuma
Director, Center for the Strategy of Emergence, The Japan Research Institute, Ltd.
Born in 1958, Mr. Ikuma joined Mitsubishi Heavy Industries after completing graduate studies in science and engineering of Waseda University in 1983. He joined the Japan Research Institute in 1990 and specialized in industrial policies, venture businesses, environmental industry and public IT policies. In 1995, he became a board member of ISV Japan, a company which decontaminates soil, and was appointed to his present post in 2002. He has been teaching graduate students at Waseda University since 2003 and became operating officer of the Institute in 2006. Recently, he is active advising on environmental and energy issues. He has written a number of books including “Why Japanese Water Businesses are Unable to Win Overseas—Japanese Strategy in Growth Markets.”
Takahiro Suzuki
Director-General, Labor Policy (EV & ITS Promotion), Nagasaki Prefecture Visiting Associate Professor, University of Tokyo
Mr. Suzuki was born in 1970. After graduating from the engineering department of the University of Tokyo, he obtained his PhD in 1998 from his alma mater. He became Assistant Professor in 2000 and was appointed to his present post in 2007. He specializes in robotics, mechatronics, control engineering, and intelligent transport system (ITS). He verified the effect evaluation of ITS measures and technologies which utilizes micro-transport simulation including human driver models. In 2010, he became supervisor of industrial labor policy of Nagasaki Prefecture. He is concurrently a visiting associate professor at the ITS Center at the University of Tokyo. He also serves as an adviser to the council that promotes electric cars.
Shigeki Tomoyama
Managing Officer, Toyota Motor Corporation
Born in 1958, Mr. Tomoyama graduated from Gunma University’s Faculty of Engineering in 1981. He then joined Toyota Motor Corporation and worked in such fields as production technology, production management and domestic sales before being put in charge of the GAZOO (currently e-TOYOTA) business division in 2000. After the launch of the “GAZOO” vehicle-information website for car users, in 2002 he helped launch “G-BOOK”, a vehicle telematics service. Afterward, he expanded the service to China and other parts of Asia. In 2010, as a managing officer in charge of IT/ITS and new business development, he pioneered TMC’s smart grid strategy. Presently, he is the president of Toyota Media Service.
Takayuki Yasui
Senior Staff Writer, The Asahi Shimbun
Takayuki Yasui was born in 1957. He joined The Asahi Shimbun in 1988 after a career as a reporter for a business magazine. He worked in the business news section in Tokyo and Osaka covering the fields of automobiles, trade, finance, banking and the business communities. He also covered the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Finance Ministry, reporting on industrial policies and public finance. He took up his present post in 2005 after becoming Deputy Editor of the Economic News Section. He covers business management and industrial policies. He has written a number of series for the newspaper, including the “Clean Car Race” and “Human Network: Our Car Nation.” He is the author of “Future Blue Chip Firms” and other books.
Eco-friendly cars are rapidly gaining popularity. Following in the footsteps of hybrid cars, electric vehicles (EVs) for personal use went on the market full scale in 2010. And the movement for vehicles to go electric will definitely accelerate. We will be seeing plug-in hybrids equipped with chargeable batteries that will allow the cars to be driven as EVs go on the market. In line with this, members of the panel will discuss how eco-friendly vehicles will spread from here on.
On the other hand, the Great East Japan Earthquake and resulting tsunami, which hit in March, has made it more than apparent that there are limitations to large-scale power generation systems and power distribution grids that center around nuclear power plants. We have yet to see how future power generation and distribution systems will be configured, but there is no doubt that we will be relying more on renewable energy sources, including photovoltaic generation systems and wind power. However, renewable energy can be affected by weather conditions, which can cause much instability in the volume of power generation. When utilizing such power generation systems, Smart Grid systems that make use of information-age technologies may become indispensable in the steady supply of power.
What roles will automobiles play in a society where a Smart Grid system is firmly in place? Maybe EVs equipped with high-capacity batteries will actually promote the widespread use of the Smart Grid? Such issues are major themes to be discussed by this panel of experts.
Generating energy at homes using solar panels, which in turn will be stored in EVs and plug-in hybrid vehicles, and which will be used as modes of transportation. An electric power selling scheme that will allow for excess energy to be sold to utility companies is now being planned. In case of a power shortage due to natural disasters, electric cells mounted on vehicles will provide emergency electricity and serve as lifelines. Already merchandise that makes such use of electric vehicles is on the market.
There are many uses envisioned for electric cells mounted on cars. They could realistically play important roles in promoting the Smart Grid as a high capacity reserve cell at homes.
We cannot conduct a discussion as to where the automobile society—that will be more and more electrically driven—is headed in the future without taking into account the future of the energy supply system. Specialists in the fields of automobile industry, eco-mobility and energy will offer their views from their respective standpoints and through discussions on existing issues and goals.
Takashi Onishi
Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo
Born in Matsuyama City in 1948, Mr. Ohnishi graduated from the Department of Engineering of the University of Tokyo. He obtained his masters degree and PhD from his alma mater. He has been assistant professor of both the Nagaoka University of Technology and the Asian Institute of Technology. He is a member of the Reconstruction Design Council in Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake. He is also President of the Japan Center for Area Development Research, Chairman of the Japan Association for Planning Administration and is a member of other city planning committees of local governments. Among his many books are “Age of De-urbanization,” “What Are Cities?” “Low-Carbon Cities” and “Reconstruction Proposals for the Aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake.”
Takashi Hama
Director and Managing Executive Officer, Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd
Mr. Hama was born in 1954. He joined Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd., in 1976. He was appointed Director and Managing Executive Officer, Head of Central Research Laboratory in 2003. He took up his present post in 2007 and became Head of Environment and Energy Business in 2009. In 2006, he developed a new product called “xevo,” which renewed the building method of a house that Daiwa House used for 25 years. He was able to realize a home whose living space is enlarged, but at the same time maintains earthquake resistance strength. He is involved in developing new environment and energy–related businesses and also supervises research and development of smart houses.
Teruhisa Noro
Director, Corporate Division for Promoting Systems & Equipment Business, Panasonic Corporation
Born in 1954 in Mie Prefecture, Mr. Noro graduated from Nagoya University in 1977. He joined Panasonic (formerly Matsushita Electric Industrial Company) that same year. After serving in such posts as chief of the Secretary Division and department head of Public Relations, he was appointed as the head of the sales department in charge of metropolitan area in Panasonic System Solutions Japan Co., Ltd., . Since then, he has been in charge of corporate planning and overseas business after assigning as a director in 2005 there. He took up his present post in 2009. He is globally responsible for systems & Equipment business including “Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town Project.”
Katsuhiko Tagaya
Senior Staff Writer, The Asahi Shimbun
Mr. Tagaya was born in 1962 in Kobe. After working for a department store for four years, he joined The Asahi Shimbun in 1988. He worked in various bureaus in Maebashi and Fukushima, and was then transferred to the Economic News Section in Osaka to cover distribution, retail and securities firms. He reported on the bankruptcies and realignment of major distributors around 2000. Since April 2007, he has been senior staff writer stationed in Osaka. He covers environment-related technologies and collaborations between industries and universities, a project that is being promoted by the Kansai business community as a way of revitalizing regional economies.
The Great East Japan Earthquake and the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in March forced us to face the reality that our lifestyle and our livelihood remains energy-intensive and hasn’t changed much from the times when we were going through rapid growth. We now find ourselves in a situation that makes construction of new nuclear power plants difficult, while it is just as difficult for existing plants to resume operations. This summer became an opportunity for us to reflect on our ways of life up until now. In order to overcome global warming, what kind of lifestyle, homes and cities should we build? And what about the disaster-struck areas that have begun to move forward toward restoration? What kind of new towns and cities should be constructed there?
We have attained the technology that enables us to realize future generation cities called “low-carbon cities” or “smart cities.” For example, we have the technology to make effective use of, and store, energy created by solar panels and fuel cells. The technology “creates energy, stores energy and conserves energy.” From here on, the challenge is how to distribute and expand the technology. Japanese companies are the world leaders in such environmental technologies—which is also a major business opportunity.
In fact, the experiment has already begun. The Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren) is proposing a “future city model project.” Under the proposal, 11 municipalities across Japan will collaborate with companies to bring together their latest technology to overcome immediate issues in the environmental, medical and elderly care sectors, future generation transportation, advanced farming and such. The experiment can be applied to designing cities in disaster-struck areas, and making them models that will work in the future. The panel will focus on the project as a way to talk about our future model homes and cities.
Seiichi Isshiki
Senior Vice President, JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation
Mr. Isshiki joined Nippon Oil Corporation in April 1972. After serving as the manager of finance and accounting, he was appointed board director in charge of accounting in June 2003, and operating officer in charge of business management in June 2006. In April 2008, he became president of ENEOS Celltech Co., Ltd., and promoted commercialization of the world’s first household fuel cells called ENE-FARM. He took up his present post in April 2011.
The JX Group aims to comprehensively and stably supply energy through its four pillars of business: petroleum refining and marketing, oil and natural gas exploration and production, metals, and new energy. In the new energy business, we are developing an independent and distributed energy network to achieve a low-carbon society. In October 2011, we will place on the market a new type of ENE-FARM, a fuel cell for house use, with the highest power generation efficiency in the world. In combination with solar power generation systems and rechargeable batteries, the new ENE-FARM will satisfy our customers’ needs to save and reuse energy, and achieve energy independence — therefore, it will contribute to the realization of a living cycle to generate, save and use energy in households. I will introduce the concept of the business and specific efforts we are undertaking.
Toshinobu Kanaya
Professor, Keio University
Born in Sapporo in 1962, Mr. Kanaya earned his doctorate from the Division of Natural Science at Tohoku University. He joined Fuji Research Institute in 1990, where he served as a senior researcher. He later became an associate professor at Aomori University of Health and Welfare and then at Keio University Graduate School of Media and Governance before becoming a professor in 2007, specializing in energy and environment policy. His research focuses on the development of a social system that puts emphasis on its citizens, a cyclical society and a society that utilizes local resources. He was the recipient of the Association of Japanese Geographers award in 1988. He is the co-author of such books as "What it means to drive a Mercedes Benz," "Micropower revolution," and the author of "Houses that become a deadly weapon, houses that don’t" and "Cool Solution," among others.
Atsuko Suzuki
President, Environmental Business Agency Co., Ltd.
Ms. Suzuki graduated from Gakushin University's department of law in 1992. After working for a major paper manufacturing company and later with a environmental consulting company, Ms. Suzuki established the Environmental Relations NPO in 2003 and became its director. She was also involved in establishing a business management consulting firm focused on the environment and, in 2005, became the representative director of the newly restructured company, Environmental Business Agency, Co., Ltd. Ms. Suzuki is a member of the Ministry of the Environment's ad hoc Environmental Business Women group and is active on the board of Business Women, a limited liability intermediary corporation. Ms. Suzuki is involved in developing ecology-related products and corporate environmental projects. She is the co-author of "Kankyo Business Women" ("Environmental Business Women"), among other works.
Kiyoshi Okonogi
Senior Staff Writer, The Asahi Shimbun
Born in 1952 in Gunma Prefecture, Mr. Okonogi graduated from the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Economics before joining The Asahi Shimbun. After working in the Toyama and Nara bureaus, he worked in the business news section at the Osaka bureau, the Tokyo business news department and the New York bureau, where he served as business writer. He then moved to the Tokyo business news desk, became chief of the Shizuoka bureau and later headed the Tokyo business news section. Mr. Okonogi then became assistant managing director, working in the editorial office, and then deputy chief editor in charge of business, environment, social welfare and other issues. He has been a member of the editorial board since April 2011. Currently, Mr. Okonogi is in charge of coverage of finance and social welfare matters. He is the author of such books as "What to do about the consumption tax," "Fiscal structure reform" and "The ABCs of the deflation debate."
When considering the future of the global environment and our energy requirements, we need to consider the issue in a broader context instead of simply developing cutting-edge technology. That needs to include combining new technologies with existing capabilities and implementing disaster prevention measures. For example, heat and electricity generated from natural energy sources could be put to efficient use by combining such technologies as storage cells, natural gas turbines, Smart Grids and insulation technologies in buildings and houses. This could help to create a new vision and new foundations for developments such as the local consumption of regional energy, the construction of dispersed power systems and Eco Towns. In the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake, and as we move forward in the recovery process, we hope to develop and utilize these technologies and establish cutting-edge systems and products that can proudly be called "quake-resistant models" - while maintaining a careful balance with efforts to combat global warming and remaining in harmony with our environment. Establishing such models as a brand will help Japan’s overall creative recovery. Exporting these technologies, systems and products to markets around the world - including rapidly growing Asian countries - will become more than simply a survival strategy for Japan. In fact, dispersing and providing safe, secure and effective technologies, products and systems to people around the world will be one way in which Japan can help serve the global community. With such long-term visions in mind, we will reflect on the environment business and the newest tides and trends. Keio University professor Toshinobu Kanaya is well-versed in the world’s environmental technologies and energy issues, as well as in business matters. With Atsuko Suzuki, who is representative director of the Environmental Business Agency and director of an NPO, we hope to shed light on the potential that lies in new technologies, products, systems and lifestyles to further cultivate the future for Japan and the world. Mr. Kanaya is a leading proponent of "Cool Solutions" - adopting smart ecological technologies that make use of existing knowledge. This covers a wide range of ideas, combining renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and biomass with co-generation using state-of-the-art gas turbines and energy storage technologies; rethinking internal-combustion engines, such as diesel engines; implementing insulation devices inspired by low-tech traditions, such as simple-but-effective Japanese "bamboo blinds"; and new construction ideas based on "passive ecology" philosophies that make clever use of wind corridors.
Ms. Suzuki will touch on the ocean thermal energy conversion technology - which was developed by a Japanese company yet whose fruits are about to be harvested by foreign investors - and the “PresentTree” activities for reforestation which have attracted 150,000 participants. Suzuki will point out issues such as the need to improve the ability to carry out technical reviews as a way to support and nurture environmental ventures, as well as to develop the financial infrastructure and to change the viewpoint of environmental policies. She will propose new ways to expand businesses and technologies based on studies of consumers’ preferences and their purchasing activities.
Junko Edahiro
Environmental Journalist
Ms. Edahiro completed her master’s course in educational psychology at the University of Tokyo. She heads the Japan for Sustainability NGO and e’s Inc., a company that supports CSR activities. Ms. Edahiro translated Al Gore's “An Inconvenient Truth” into Japanese and is renown for translating and writing numerous books on environmental topics. In January 2011, she established the Institute for the Study of Happiness, Economy and Society, an organization that examines happiness that is not premised on economic growth. Ms. Edahiro was a member of the Prime Minister’s Global Warming Issue Committee, under both the Fukuda and Aso cabinets, and participated in the Prime Minister’s open committee panel considering alternative energy sources that was held in June this year.
Tetsuro Nagata
President, Japan Wind Power Association
Born in 1950, Mr. Nagata graduated from the University of Tokyo with a BA in economics and obtained his MBA from the University of Chicago. After working for the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization and Tokyo Electric Power Company, he was appointed Vice President of Eurus Energy Holdings Corporation in 2002 and became its President in 2003. He expanded the firm’s business, centering on the U.S. and Europe, and saw Eurus achieve facility capacity of 2 million kW in April this year. He promotes solar energy projects in Korea and the U.S. He has served on the board of the New Energy Foundation since 2004 and was appointed head of the association in 2010. Mr. Nagata is appealing to the government and others to take advantage of wind as a source of energy.
Akihiro Hara
President, Ohisama Energy Co., Ltd.
Born in 1949 in what is today Iida City, in Nagano Prefecture, Mr. Hara worked in a credit affiliate of a manufacturing company and then at a food manufacturer. He returned to his hometown in 1983 and is active as head of the cultural committee of Iida City’s community center in promoting the sound development of young people. He established the South Shinshu Ohisama Shinpo NPO in 2004 and the Ohisama Energy Company in 2007 to promote renewable energy, such as through solar panels. He serves in a variety of public posts on environmental issues, such as Nagano’s global warming prevention scheme. He is also endeavoring to protect and hand down regional traditional arts, such as the “Inadani Lion Dance.”
Atsushi Komori
Staff Writer, The Asahi Shimbun
Mr. Komori joined The Asahi Shimbun in 1987. After working at the newspaper’s Chiba and Shizuoka bureaus and in the business and financial news section at the Nagoya office, he moved to the business and financial news section in Tokyo, where he covered financial news and the then-Ministry of International Trade and Industry. He served as the Asahi's London business correspondent from 2002 to 2005, covering Europe and oil-producing countries. In 2006, he became project manager for The Asahi Shimbun Asia Network (AAN), which aims to serve as a bridge providing information between Asian countries and provide measures for energy cooperation throughout the Asian region. In 2008, he became senior staff writer in charge of energy and the environment. As part of the "Eco Wars" reporting team, Mr. Komori covered developments in environment management and environment businesses. He has published a book, "Shigen Sodatsusen o Koete: Asia Energy Kyodotai wa Kanoka?" ("Overcoming the Competition for Natural Resources: Is an Asian Energy Consortium possible?") and jointly authored, "Ushinawareta 20 Nen" ("The lost 20 Years") and "Eco Wars: Teitanso Shakai eno Chosen" ("Eco Wars: Challenges for a Low Carbon Society.")
We will attempt to define the “myth” of natural energy (renewable energy), while learning about its “actual power” and examine issues and specific measures for introducing natural energy on a large scale.
Ever since the catastrophe of the Great East Japan Earthquake that struck on March 11, introduction of natural energy has become the central theme of Japan’s energy policy. It is time for natural energy including solar energy, wind power, geothermal power, small hydroelectric generation and biomass — all domestic in origin and global environment-friendly sources — to come into play.
In the past, natural energy was considered “still far away” from being the solution due to various reasons, such as its reliance on the weather making it unstable, the high cost, and how it detracts the landscape. And there is the reality that natural energy makes up a mere 1 percent of Japan’s total energy generation (not counting large scale hydraulic power plants).
However, once we cast our eyes to the world, it is apparent that there is a growing trend to introduce renewable energy. Recently, for a time, in Spain, 54 percent of its energy was wind generated. Germany already made the decision to abandon nuclear power generation. The country has vowed to increase the proportion of renewable energy to 35 percent by 2020. Related industries are showing rapid growth. In the field of wind power generation, manufacturers in Europe, China and India are battling hard. Japan has enjoyed a cutting edge lead in photovoltaic power generation. Now China and Taiwan are quickly expanding their shares.
Japan experienced an overwhelming nuclear accident. Implementation of natural energy is now an urgent, pressing necessity. As the first step, there are high hopes for the “Special Measures for Renewable Energy Bill” to be passed, which would allow the feed-in tariff system that mandates utilities to buy electricity generated by using natural energy sources at prices set by the government, become effective.
Environment journalist Ms. Junko Edahiro will introduce what is happening around the world regarding natural energy. Based on her experience as acting “counsel” to numerous administrations, she will propose specific measures that the government should now implement.
We have two specialists who will share their views from the frontline of Japan’s natural energy. Mr. Tetsuro Nagata, representative director, Japan Wind Power Association, will discuss the current situation regarding wind power generation here in Japan and overseas. As the leading executive of a wind power generation company that has global operations, Mr. Nagata will talk about his experiences and his goals.
Mr. Akihiro Hara, president of Ohisama Shinpo Energy, a company based in Iida, Nagano Prefecture, that has long been promoting photovoltaic power, will discuss the respective roles of companies, citizens and the government, their collaboration, and his visions for local production and local consumption of energy.
Iwao Fuchigami
Representative Senior Managing Director, KYOCERA Solar Corporation
Iwao Fuchigami joined Kyocera Corporation in 1981 and has been involved in the promotion and sale of solar power generating systems. He was the main driving force behind the development of the nation's first residential-use solar power generating unit and he also contributed to expanding utilization of the system. Mr. Fuchigami was instrumental in setting up Kyocera Solar Corporation, a domestic sales company established in 1996. He became director in 1998, was appointed general manager of the Sales Division in 2007 and managing director in 2008, before assuming his current position in April 2010.
Following the Great East Japan Earthquake in March, many reports have focused on the strength of Japanese renewable energy technology, in particular, on both expectations and problems concerning solar power.
With the residential-use solar power market, which has been expanding after the introduction of a program to purchase surplus electricity at a high price, and the industrial-use market, where a program is expected to start to purchase 100% of generated electricity, Mr. Fuchigami will introduce the company’s efforts to further promote the market by showing examples of various solar power installations.
Shigeatsu Hatakeyama
Oyster farmer
Mr. Hatakeyama represents a group that conserves forests for oysters, plus he is a representative for the NPO “Mori Wa Umi No Koibito (Forests are Lovers of the Sea).” He also serves as a professor at the Field Science Education and Research Center at Kyoto University. When his oyster farm was damaged by polluted seawater, he recognized the need for protecting forests to maintain a bountiful sea. Since 1989, his organization has carried out activities to plant broadleaf trees on a mountain in Iwate Prefecture, which is the resource of a river flowing into Kesennuma Bay in Miyagi Prefecture, where he cultivates oysters. He is also undertaking educational programs for children to teach environmental issues through experiences on his farm; this project has attracted more than 10,000 participants. In the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake in March, his farm was totally destroyed and his ships and workplace were damaged. He is the author of such books as “Iron Is a Magician” and “Forests are Lovers of the Sea.”
Toru Hayami
Representative, Hayami Forest
Mr. Hayami is the 9th generation of his family to operate the Hayami Forest, which has been under continuous management by the Hayami family in Mie Prefecture since the Edo era (which began in the 18th century). His company produces high-quality wood products known as “Owase Hinoki.” It has created a forest with grasses and broadleaf trees through appropriate thinning to bring in sunlight, thus developing an artificial forest with biodiversity. There are 243 species in the Hinoki forest. In 2000, the company’s forest obtained certification from the Forest Stewardship Council, an international organization, verifying that its wooden materials are continuously produced in appropriately managed forests. It was the first such certification obtained in Japan. In 2009, Mr. Hayami was a member of the Government Revitalization Unit for budget screening. He also serves on the committee for the International Year of Forests. He has co-authored such books as “Efforts of Mechanization in Forestry” and “Encyclopedia of Forests.”
Toru Nakashizuka
Professor, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University
Mr. Nakashizuka specializes in forest ecology and biodiversity. After a career as a researcher at the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, professor at the Center for Ecological Research at Kyoto University, and professor at the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, he was appointed to his present post. He also serves as the president of the Ecological Society of Japan. His studies focus on diversity and generational change in warm temperate forests in Japan and rain forests in Malaysia and Thailand. He also investigates how biodiversity is affected by differences in forest types and forest management. He chaired the committee for “Japan Biodiversity Outlook,” which the Ministry of the Environment established in 2010 to assess the situation of biodiversity in Japan. He is the author of a number of books, such as “Sketch of a Forest,” and the co-author of “Why Is Biodiversity Important?”
Akemi Kanda
Staff Writer, The Asahi Shimbun
After working with a city news group in Tokyo, Ms. Kanda took up the present post in Asahi Shimbun’s Nagoya Head Office in April 2009. She was a team member of the report series on the environment, which ran throughout 2008, titled “The First Year of the Era of the Environment,” and she has been in charge of environmental issues including global warming, suburban transportation, food and the use of sustainable energy. She covered the Tenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP10), held in Nagoya. She is a contributing author of “Dear Earth – Declaring the First Year of the Era of the Environment” and other books.
Last year, the global society recognized the importance of protecting the myriad of life, conserving our global diversity, and making sustainable use of nature, and decided on new conservation goals and rules. We must take responsibility to fulfill these goals that were decided at the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) that was held in the City of Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture.
The forest is a treasure trove teaming with life. Trees and forests absorb carbon dioxide; they serve as a so-called “green dam” preventing damage from landslides caused by rainwater; they recharge water sources. Trees become wood material indispensable to our lives. Water resources that are stored in the rich ground of such forests stream into rivers and seas to become food that nurtures fish and shellfish. For us humans, the bounty of the forest is unfathomable.
The total forest area in Japan is not shrinking at any alarming pace. Actually, the volume of trees in our forests is growing, mainly due to artificial planted forests of cedar and Japanese cypress. However, forestry management has declined. Many forests are becoming unkept and dilapidated—with no undergrowth emerging.
There is a widespread movement to plant more broad-leaved trees, as a way to serve water resources and living things. But in fact, cedar and cypress forests, too, can be useful if they are kept in good condition.
At the session, we will have specialists who are active at the forefront of forestry give talks related to the relationship between the forest and biodiversity and the water cycle, based on actual cases and examples. Furthermore, we will address issues and challenges for us to protect forests that nurture life and water, and to make sustainable use of such resources; and deliberate on the respective roles of the government, companies and citizens.
We will hold discussions related to the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11. Many homes were destroyed and washed away by tsunamis. In the disaster-struck areas, there is a need to rebuild homes. There are proposals to make active use of Japan’s own timber resources to this end. The forestry industry will play a large role in Japan’s restoration project.
A growing number of fishermen across Japan are now planting trees as a way to protect their bountiful sea. Mr. Shigeatsu Hatakeyama began planting trees in forests 22 years ago, and has been doing so every year. He will talk about actual examples where water flowing into the sea from these forests have become real blessings.
Mr. Toru Hayami will give a presentation on biodiversity in artificial forests; where Japan’s forestry industry stands, and shed light on current issues and challenges related to sustainable forest management.
Mr. Toru Nakashizuka has been studying forests here in Japan and abroad for many years. He will discuss the biodiversity of forests and the sustainable use of such, from a global viewpoint.
Asahi Shimbun reporter, Akemi Kanda, will serve as coordinator.
Takeshi Yamada
Senior Specialist, Environmental Sustainability Strategy Division, Suntory Holdings, Ltd.
After graduating from the Faculty of Letters of the University of Tokyo, Mr. Yamada joined Suntory in 1978 as a copywriter. He was put in charge of advertisements for whisky and wine, as well as advertisements under such themes as music and the environment. In 2001, he proposed the “Natural Water Sanctuary Project,” in which forests were developed to recharge groundwater in source areas of natural water to be used in Suntory’s plants. He took up his present post after serving as a creative director of an environmental advertisement, “Bringing Water to Life.” He is promoting forest development and research activities in Natural Water Sanctuary areas covering a total of 7,000 hectares throughout Japan. He has written a number of books including novels on environmental issues. He is a member of the Japan P.E.N. Club.
Suntory’s main products, such as beer, soft drinks and whisky, are made from high-quality underground water. To preserve the valuable groundwater, we have undertaken the “Natural Water Sanctuary Project” in water-resource areas for our plants all over Japan. In collaboration with experts, we have created plans to expand forests of the future—by looking ahead 30 to 50 years, plus we are promoting activities with local forestry workers. Japan’s forests are currently in a critical situation. When forests are ruined and soil flowage and large-scale landslides occur, the forests’ capability to recharge groundwater rapidly declines. To solve these problems, Suntory has organized a joint research team consisting of more than 30 experts. We will introduce our R&D activities, which have been carried out in Suntory’s Natural Water Sanctuaries.
Paula Hancocks
Seoul correspondent, CNN International
Paula Hancocks is an award-winning international correspondent for CNN International. Based in Seoul, South Korea, she is responsible for the network’s coverage of the Korean peninsula and the surrounding region.
Hancocks has been reporting on the aftermath of the March earthquake in Japan and was the first reporter to arrive Minamisanriku, a town near the epicenter of the quake.
To date she has reported on the increased tensions in the wake of North Korea shelling Yeongpyeong Island, the South Korean navy rescue of a ship hijacked by Somali pirates in the Arabian sea, and the country’s worst outbreak of foot and mouth disease. For i-List South Korea, she reported on medical tourism and Jeju island’s tourism and conservation efforts. Other assignments in Asia have taken her to remote parts of Western Indonesia to cover the aftermath of a tsunami, to Afghanistan to cover the country’s ongoing troubles, to Pakistan in 2005 for the earthquake and to Sri Lanka on the devastating impact of the 2004 Asia tsunami, for which the team won a DuPont-Columbia Award.
Prior to taking up her position in Seoul, Hancocks was based in Jerusalem from July 2008. She reported on the 2008 Gaza war, border clashes between Israel and Lebanon, smuggling tunnels and rocket factories in Gaza and the deadly confrontation aboard an aid ship bound for Gaza. On a daily basis, she covered the political intricacies of a never-ending peace effort and the anger and frustrations on both sides of the conflict. Travelling in and out of the region for many years, she also covered the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict in 2006, for which the team won the Ed Murrow award.
Previously, she served as an international correspondent at CNN's London bureau, reporting on a wide range of stories including the London bombings, the aftermath of the Iraq war and bombings in Istanbul.
Hancocks joined CNN in 1997 as a production assistant. Prior to joining CNN, Hancocks studied for a postgraduate degree in broadcast journalism at the University of Wales, Cardiff. She also graduated with a Bachelor or Arts in French and Italian from the University of Durham. Hancocks grew up in Monmouth, South Wales.
Bettina Gaus
Senior Staff Writer, German national paper Tageszeitung (taz)
Bettina Gaus, born 1956, is senior staff writer at the Berlin-based national paper tageszeitung (taz) . From 1996 to 1999 she was the head of the parliamentary office, previously she had been the African correspondent for six years, based in Nairobi.
Bettina Gaus is a regular guest on political TV-panels and the author of numerous books. Her latest - "Der unterschätzte Kontinent: Reise zur Mittelschicht Afrikas" ("The underrated continent - a journey to the African middle-class") - will be published in early September.
Peter Z.H. Qiu
Commentator, Phoenix TV (Hong Kong)
Dr. Qiu, born in Shanghai, graduated from Eastchinese Normal University in 1984 and obtained his Masters degree from Tongji University in 1987. He received his PhD from the University of Tuebingen in Germany in 1997. From February 1991 to August 1997, while studying in Germany, he worked as German Correspondent of the Hong Kong Daily Newspaper Wen Wei Po. As a diplomatic columnist he writes for a number of newspapers in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malysia, Mainland China as well as Europe. From March 2000 to August 2004, he was engaged as Hong Kong correspondent of Deutsche Welle, the foreign language broadcasting of Germany. He is with Phoenix TV since September 2004 as commentator on foreign affairs and appears on a weekly program. He is also a guest professor with Tongji University in Shanghai.
Koji Igarashi
Senior Staff Writer, The Asahi Shimbun
Mr. Igarashi joined The Asahi Shimbun in 1979 and worked in the City News Section in Osaka. After studying in London, he was a foreign correspondent for The Asahi Shimbun in Nairobi, Washington, D.C., and New York. He has been assigned to various posts in the newspaper, including the Director of Asahi Shimbun’s Institute of Journalism. He is a commentator on a popular news program on TV Asahi and a visiting professor at the University of Tokyo from autumn this year.
The Great East Japan Earthquake and the ensuing accident at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant has shaken not only Japan but the entire world. Following these unprecedented events that began with the powerful earthquake on March 11, reactions from the international community toward Japan included “praises for the Japanese people who were perseverant and composed in the face of tragedy.” At the same time there were opposing sentiments, such as those who were irritated with the slowness of the Japanese Government to cope with the situation.
The majority of such reactions were based on reports and commentaries by the overseas media.
Immediately after the powerful earthquake, various overseas newspapers and television networks dispatched their top reporters to East Japan to cover the unfolding situation first-hand. Paula Hancocks of CNN International was one of the first foreign journalists to step into Minami-Sanriku, a village in Miyagi Prefecture, immediately following the quake and tsunami. What did she see and how did she feel? She had experienced covering a similar story before, going to Sumatra in Indonesia after a killer tsunami hit that area. She reported on the “thereafter” of Indonesia. She will likely talk about the recovery and restoration process by making a comparison of the two tsunami-hit areas, the one in Indonesia and the one in northern Japan in March. We hope to exchange views on the CNN-type of coverage in which pinpoint reporting is made on the spot, such as in wars and disasters, and the world is fed with heavy news reportage.
What we must focus on in media reportage following the Great East Japan Earthquake is how the media reported on “Fukushima.” Amid the situation in which a large number of embassies in Tokyo gave instructions to their people to evacuate, how did the media react? How did the countries of those embassies react to the reports about the possible spread of radiation?
In Germany, in particular, where the Fukushima incident prompted its Government to change its nuclear policies, how did the local press report on the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant? Although there were criticisms that the reports were exaggerated and inaccurate, we would like to hear Ms. Bettina Gaus discuss the reports and tell how the German media arrived at their decisions. She writes for Tageszeitung, a liberal newspaper based in Berlin, and at the same time she is active as a commentator on TV programs. She is the best-suited person to talk on what has happened since March 11.
Dr. Peter Qiu is active mainly in Hong Kong’s Phoenix Television. He was born in Shanghai and worked for a newspaper in Hong Kong. He currently teaches at Tongji University in Shanghai. Dr. Qiu lived in Germany for a long time and at one time he was a correspondent for Deutsche Welle, Germany’s foreign language broadcasting company. We can expect multifaceted discussions encompassing China, Hong Kong and Europe. China has not altered its nuclear power promotion policy even after the March 11 disaster in Japan. It will be interesting to see how effectively public opinion and media reportage can affect various policies.
The Japanese media was criticized on its reporting of the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant incident, with many people saying “it issued perpetual press announcements” and “has not accurately reported on the criticality and danger to the Japanese people.” This panel will discuss how to depict Japan to the world and at the same time re-examine the Japanese media.
Shinji Miyadai
Professor, Tokyo Metropolitan University
Mr. Miyadai is a sociologist, a film critic, and a professor at Tokyo Metropolitan University. Born in Sendai in 1959 and raised in Kyoto, he obtained his PhD in sociology at the University of Tokyo. He has authored and co-authored about 100 books covering a wide variety of theories on authority, nations, religions, romance, crimes, education, diplomacy and cultures. His recent books include “Sociology from Age 14 On.” The key words in his studies are integrity, social designs, architecture, fundamental irregularity, etc.
Takeshi Okada
Former Coach of Japan's National Soccer Team
Mr. Okada was born in Osaka in 1956. After graduating from Waseda University, he was a defender with the Furukawa Electric soccer team, and was also selected as a member of the national soccer team. In 1997, he became the coach of the national soccer team and led it to its first appearance in the World Cup. He then became a coach in the J.League, first with Consadole Sapporo and then with the Yokohama F. Marinos where he won championships in 2003 and 2004. He returned to the national team again in 2007 after its coach, Ivica Osim, suffered a stroke. The team reached the top 16 in the 2010 World Cup. Mr. Okada has established the “Okada Institute Japan” to offer an educational program for children and youths, which combines nature experiences, sports and environmental education. He also serves in various posts such as director of the Japan Football Association, visiting professor at Waseda University and Rikkyo University, and as a councilor with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
The giant earthquake, the killer tsunami that overwhelmed predictions, the destruction of the nuclear power plant that smashed the myth of security – the experiences we have had to go through since March 11 have shaken the livelihood and values that the Japanese people had built and relied on from the past. It can be said that we were suddenly standing, facing a historic turning point. So, where do we go from here? What kind of Japan do we want to make of this beleaguered nation?
The live talk “The Path Ahead of Us – The Future Class” is a special lecture session directed at young people who will be responsible for leading the next generation. Topical speakers who are attracting the attention of the young people will talk on such themes as “How the environment and energy should be,” “How relations between the nation and individuals will change,” etc. The audience and the speakers will debate on the future of Japan and the positioning of individuals. The target is university students (college and technical colleges) and students in graduate schools.
This event was planned and organized in cooperation with Tokyo FM Broadcasting Co., Ltd., and will be broadcast as a special program on Oct. 10. The event will also be delivered via video podcasting so as to share widely the heated debate that has taken place here.
The speakers who will have a serious discussion with the young people are Prof. (Sociology) Shinji Miyadai of Tokyo Metropolitan University and Mr. Takeshi Okada, former coach of Japan’s National Soccer Team.
Prof. Miyadai has emphasized that Japan should break away from the nuclear power generation and advocates “departure from system reliance,” which can be said to be a disengagement from poor thinking on the situation following the March 11 disasters and leading toward the restoration of Japan. He will also press for a review of Japanese values.
Mr. Okada, the former coach of Japan’s National Soccer Team, is not only a capable leader of soccer, but has a strong interest in the environment and sports. He has pointed out the importance of grasping the environmental issue as something very close to one’s heart. He is teaching children and young people the significance of experiences in nature and gives guidance in outdoor classes for college students at a nature tutoring school located in Furano, Hokkaido.
Both of the speakers are known for developing attractive classes for students in special lectures and university classes. The live talk session which will proceed by seeking comments from students is in line with the “future class” program conducted and broadcast by Tokyo FM in February this year. We have high expectations that this event will be a place of lively interaction for students and young people of the next generation who will live the “age of environment” ahead.