News

Report: Virtual Symposium

Coping with the Crisis – The Psychosocial Impact of the Pandemic

The Corona crisis has affected societies in Japan and Germany in many ways. In addition to the health consequences, the pandemic also brings with it significant social and psychological effects such as unemployment and growing poverty, depression, loneliness, and conflicts in the home environment.

Toru Kumagai’s report on R&D trends in Germany

The Future of Work: New Technologies and the Workplace

June 16, 2021 [by Toru Kumagai] The ongoing COVID-19 crisis that began in spring 2020 is significantly changing how people work in Germany and Japan. The pace of digitalisation, the shift to working remotely, the spread of artificial intelligence (AI), and the adoption of robots are all accelerating. In particular, in Germany the idea that telecommuting should be retained as one working arrangement even after the COVID-19 crisis is over is a powerful one. Moreover, with the further spread and propagation of the oncoming Fourth Industrial Revolution (the so-called “Industry 4.0”), expanding telecommuting beyond the companies in the financial services and information technology (IT) sectors into manufacturing industry is becoming an important issue.

Toru Kumagai’s report on R&D trends in Germany

The fight of the German government and medical community against the psychological effects of the Corona pandemic

June 08, 2021 [by Toru Kumagai] The Corona pandemic threatens not only people’s physical health, their economic wellbeing (as well as the national economy), but also their mental health. As in Japan, the negative impact of the pandemic on people’s minds has been taken up as a serious issue in German academic circles and discussion forums.

Connecting East and West – A Short Interview with …

Prof. Dr. Nils Madeja

Our new series “Connecting East and West – A Short Interview with …“ presents people involved in German-Japanese research collaborations – and their insights on how and where to cooperate successfully! This week we welcome Prof. Dr. Nils Madeja, Professor for Business Administration at the University of Applied Sciences Mittelhessen (THM) in Germany.

Toru Kumagai’s report on R&D trends in Germany

Why did the German government create an agency for disruptive innovations?

May 25, 2021 [by Toru Kumagai] The German government is actively working to encourage innovation by providing significant financial support for individual and corporate research and development projects based on landmark ideas that would overturn conventional wisdom. Here, we will introduce you to SPRIN-D, the agency that the government has created to achieve this goal.

Overview: German Embassy Tokyo

Hydrogen research and technology in Japan

The German Embassy Tokyo has compiled information on hydrogen research and technology in Japan. The overview summarizes the current situation and the goals of the Japanese government as follows:

News: DAAD

New DAAD Secretary General takes up his office: Dr. Kai Sicks

Dr. Kai Sicks officially takes up his office as new DAAD Secretary General on Thursday morning (1 April 2021). He succeeds Dr. Dorothea Rüland, whose time in office at the world’s largest organisation for academic exchange came to an end in January.