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Conferences & Events

Throughout the year, JFIT hosts seminars and meetings with scholars, visitors, business professionals, postdocs, students and executive program participants to invite exchange, discussion and learning about Japan.

Since April, JFIT has provided an exciting look into the hidden transformation of Japan in its weekly Japan Zoominars, connecting the audience to cross-disciplinary experts and enabling live Q&A sessions on current topics. The Japan Zoominars are open for free to the public, and just require online pre-registration. Please see the Japan Zoominars page for more detailed information.

Events

COVID-19 in Japan [Japan Zoominar series]

Conferences

There are no conferences at this time.

Past Conferences

“AI and the Future of Society: A Global Approach to Understanding the Digitalization Disruption”
April 27-28, 2018
JFIT held a two-day conference of its new research program on Digitalization Disruption and the Future of Society. The goal is to analyze the ongoing changes associated with AI, IOT, industry 4.0 and society 5.0, with a focus on the social science perspective and the global comparison. The conference brought together scholars and practitioners from the U.S., Germany and Japan, to discuss the role of global social science research in the ongoing discourse on the future of production, business, work and regulation.

Joint JFIT/STAJE Conference at UC San Diego on "Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Japan"
May 5 – 6, 2016 
This joint two-day research conference between JFIT, Santa Clara University, The University of Tokyo, and Stanford University, focused on Japan’s current innovation dynamics. The conference convened academics and practitioners to explore, analyze and evaluate the current situation of venture capital, entrepreneurship and corporate renewal and reorganization in Japan. How is innovation in large and small companies evolving in Japan, and what are the biggest differences in regulatory and institutional parameters between Japan and the U.S. in fostering innovation?

Past Events

Japan's Evolving Security Assessments of China and North Korea and its Impact on Japan's Security Posture
Oct. 15, 2018 
Speaker: Narushige Michishita, Member, National Security Secretariat Advisory Board of the Government of Japan

Japan-US Security & Military Relations, Past, Present, & Future
March 2, 2018
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Koichiro BANSHO offered a historical and security perspective on the importance of the Japan-U.S. bond, a relationship that dates back more than 150 years.

San Diego Global Forum: Japan-U.S. Relations Going Forward
Feb. 15, 2017 Photos
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Environment in Japan, the Honorable Professor Yoriko Kawaguchi shared her views on Japanese-U.S. diplomatic relations with regard to the economy, the environment, and geopolitics and Asia going forward. Following her presentation, Professor Ulrike Schaede led a conversation on how these matters affect global trade and San Diego.

New Insights from the Brain Mapping Project in Japan
Nov. 16, 2016
Professor Hideyuki Okano, dean of Keio University School of Medicine and Dr. David Brenner, vice chancellor for Health Sciences and dean of the School of Medicine at UC San Diego spoke on “New Insights from the Brain Mapping Project in Japan: Modeling Human Diseases with iPS cells and Transgenic Non-Human Primates.”

The Sino-Japanese Relationship and the Regional Order in East Asia
Nov. 10, 2016 
Speaker: Masahiro KOHARA, Professor, University of Tokyo

Biomedical Research: Lessons from Global Health
Oct. 5, 2016 Video | Photos
Sir Tadataka Yamada, the former director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Global Health Program, discussed key global health issues and current trends of biomedical research and its impact.

Asian Internet Companies and the Global IT Industry Dynamics
A Conversation between EVP of Softbank Eric Gan and Dean Peter Cowhey
May 4, 2016 | Video and Photo Gallery
Asian IT and Internet firms, as well as Internet-based consumer-oriented services, now dwarf the U.S. market. This has created a new competitive dynamic in the global IT industry, and its associated providers, producers, and startup activities in the software, shopping, games, social media and other industries. Meanwhile, regulatory restrictions as well as privacy concerns loom large. How is this industry shaping up, and what do we need to know to understand its dynamics?

Japanese Business Strategies under Abenomics
Oct. 7, 2015 | Interview and Photo Gallery
Presenter: Pacific Leadership Fellow Reiko Akiike, Partner & Managing Director, Boston Consulting Group; Discussant: Ulrike Schaede, Professor, GPS
"Abenomics” – a new policy regime under Prime Minister Abe – aims to revive the Japanese economy by addressing macroeconomic challenges and pushing Japanese companies to a new level of global competitiveness. Even as some observers remain critical, Japan has in fact introduced a large number of measures that change the incentives and pressures faced by Japanese CEOs. How have they responded? What is happening in the business strategy realm in Japan as of 2015, and what are the truly important developments that should not be overlooked?

New Approaches for the Promotion of Innovation, Science and Technology: Bridging Japan and San Diego
May 19, 2015 | Agenda and Conference Participants’ Bios (PDF) and Photo Gallery
This one-day conference brings many high-ranking guests from Japan and San Diego to discuss universities and entrepreneurship, science policy, commercialization in the IoT and biotech industries, and the current business climate in Japan.

Japan and San Diego: An Evening of Art and Science
May 18, 2015 Video and Photo Gallery
Speaker: Dr. Hiroshi Fujiwara, founder and president of Tokyo-based firm BroadBand Tower (BBTower); Pianist: Rutsuko Yamagishi
We celebrated our new initiative to connect San Diego with Japan through a variety of business-related activities focusing on the Internet of Things (IoT), biotech and wireless health industries.