Past Symposiums
7. Human Rights in China
May 16, 2008 (Friday)
There is increasing focus on how each country is dealing with issues confronting the international community that have been raised by the advance of globalization. China has seen particularly rapid change due to the growth of its economy, and there are growing calls for the country to become a responsible stakeholder in the global community.
Expectations that China would adhere to the rule of law are rising. How will it develop and reform its system of domestic governance, and how will it deal with the problem of human rights?
The guest speaker at the seventh in the series of symposiums on Reconstructing Values for the Global Age will be Luo Haocai, president of the China Society for Human Rights Studies, who until the most recent National People's Congress served as the vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. In the panel discussion, Luo will be joined by Akio Harada, president of the International Civil and Commercial Law Centre Foundation and former prosecutor general. The discussion will be moderated by The Tokyo Foundation Distinguished Fellow Masahiko Aoki
6. Diplomatic Strategy in the Age of Globalization
May 09, 2008 (Friday)
The advance of globalization is having a major impact on the organization and governance of international society. The cooperation of all states is indispensable to resolve problems of global scale. But negotiations at the United Nations, the WTO, the World Bank, and other international organizations have become bogged down due to the entangled web of conflicting assertions and circumstances faced by each country. Diplomatic strategy is becoming ever more important in addressing those issues that cannot by resolved by any one country or through bilateral forums. National leaders must therefore have a firm grip of where they steer their countries.
The sixth in the series of symposiums on Reconstructing Values for the Global Age features professor of politics and international affairs John Ikenberry of Princeton University and Han Sung-Joo, chairman of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. They will discuss a broad range of topics, including the impact of rapid globalization on the international regime, the democratic decision-making process in the international community, and each country’s diplomatic strategy in the age of globalization. During the ensuing panel discussion, moderated by Senior Research Fellow Shinichi Kitaoka, debate will center on diplomatic strategy and leadership in the age of globalization, with reference to the recent presidential election in the Republic of Korea and the upcoming contest in the United States.
5. The Market Economy in China
April 03, 2008 (Thursday)
While its per capital gross domestic product is still relatively low, China has achieved rapid growth in the globalized economy, having become the world’s second biggest consumer of energy and boasting the third highest volume of trade. China is the first-ever developing country to have emerged as a superpower.
These inherent contradictions, though, are forcing the country to make tough reform choices. Will it create a more democratic legal system to further promote its market economy? How will it rectify the increasingly glaring polarization of income distribution in the country? And will the rampant corruption resulting from the privatization of state assets trigger a retreat from additional reliance on market forces?
These issues will be addressed by Professor Wu Jinglian, one of modern China's leading economists and a strong proponent of the shift to a market economy. In the ensuing panel discussion—to be moderated by Masahiko Aoki, Distinguished Fellow of the Tokyo Foundation—experts will debate the future of Sino-Japanese economic relations and their impact on the global economy.
4. Humanitarian Support under Conflict Conditions: Perspectives on the Implementation of Universal Values
February 28, 2008 (Thursday)
Regional conflicts continue to occur for a variety of reasons and are growing in complexity. While diverse players engage in humanitarian activities under conflict, the optimal approach for achieving genuine peace remains open to debate.
The fourth symposium will be held as a public meeting of the Tokyo Foundation’s United Nations Research Project, welcoming President Jakob Kellenberger of the International Committee of the Red Cross as a speaker. The ICRC engages in the protection and relief of victims of conflict while daily confronting the stark realities challenging human dignity. Kellenberger will share with us how it puts to practice such fundamental principles as humanity, neutrality, and independence.
The panel discussion will look at the challenges and outlook for Japan, which is involved in peace building at every level and aspires to become a peace cooperation state. Sadako Ogata and Koji Tsuruoka will join in to share their views, introducing such practical perspectives as human security and the safety of humanitarian assistance personnel.
3. The Pathology of Contemporary Society
February 12, 2008 (Tuesday)
To resolve the deepening environmental issues and the global issues facing modern civilization, there is a need to debate where the fundamental problems lie in the contemporary society in which we live.
In the third symposium, members of the Tokyo Foundation’s Research Group on Contemporary Pathology will discuss diverse phenomena in contemporary society from unique perspectives, such as corporeality and incorporeality, loss of diversity, and speed. We will investigate the fundamental importance of cultural traditions by focusing on Namahage—a ritual observed in the Oga district of Akita Prefecture—as a typical example of things that serve as stoppers on the excessive development and expansion of civilization.
2. Challenges for Peace Building in Africa: The Case of the Democratic Republic of the Congo & Second SYLFF Prize Award Ceremony
January 25, 2008 (Friday)
Many countries in Africa—despite their wealth of natural resources and great potential—have dysfunctioning basic infrastructures and administrations, their political and security situations having been battered by years of conflict caused by their very resources.
The second symposium will welcome Rigobert Minani-Bihuzo, winner of the second SYLFF Prize. From 2005 to 2006, Minani-Bihuzo greatly contributed to realizing democratic elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which actively strove to achieve peace with the help of official development assistance from various countries and of international nonprofit organizations. Taking his experience as a case example, we will explore the reality of international issues and the challenges and future prospects of international assistance from both the inside African perspective and the outside perspective, including that of Japan.
1. Dietary Culture in the Global Age
January 24, 2008 (Thursday)
There are a wealth of excellent, time-honored ingredients and processed foods across the globe. How is increasing globalization in food affecting traditional foodstuffs, ways of cooking, food industries, and food cultures worldwide?
In the first symposium, we will discuss the future potential of food, focusing in particular on the food reform movement initiated in Italy and the results of research under the Tokyo Foundation’s “Rediscovering the Treasures of Food” project.
