ANU-UTokyo Joint Forum "Australia-Japan: Science & technology diplomacy and public policy"

On Monday, November 5, the joint-forum “Australia-Japan: Science & technology diplomacy and public policy” was held in the Koshiba Hall, the University of Tokyo in collaboration with Australia National University, one of UTokyo’s Strategic Partner Universities. Researchers, government officials and businesspersons attended the forum. After Vice President Naoto Sekimura and the Australian Ambassador to Japan, The Hon Richard Court AC, gave their welcoming remarks, joint research between Japan and Australia were introduced and panel discussions were conducted. The forum was divided into five different sessions, covering topics including international science diplomacy, climate change, public policy and sustainability. For the Keynote Address, the University of Tokyo Emeritus Professor Teruo Kishi, who serves as the Science and Technology Advisor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs since September 2015, shared his insights on science technology policies. During each session, lively discussions between Japanese and Australian researchers took place. Initiatives such as student exchange and joint research prove that further collaboration between multiple disciplines and the two universities can be anticipated.