Legacy Event Japan: Dementia Summit in Japan

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The World Dementia Council (WDC) (1) was launched last year in the UK at the G8 Summit. Until now, the Council has met three times, in London, Paris and London, with the Legacy Event being held in London in June, in Ottawa in September and in Japan on November 5-7th.

As a Council member, I have had many roles, including giving a speech at the opening ceremony, as you can see from my website and my twitter, at the Lagacy Event Japan of November.

I was pleased that the first day was even more successful than I had anticipated, due to the strong will and leadersip of the UK government and the ongoing events that were held five times over the past six months in London, Paris and Ottawa, allowing members to share many experiences. The Japanese government and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, who were the hosts of the event this time around, were also very pleased.

On the second day, both Minister Shiozaki and Prime Minister Abe spoke at the event, pledging a strong, ministry-wide commitment to dealing with dementia. I had the pleasure of presenting Dennis Gillings, the WDC Special Envoy, who spoke via video message as he could not be present at the event. After opening remarks were given by Mark Walport, the Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK Prime Minister and an old friend of mine, as well as by the World Health Organization (WHO), the panel commenced.

The first two-days of the event in Tokyo were comprised not only of presentations and panels by experts but also by people with dementia themselves; thus, it was evaluated very highly by people in the field from the participating countries.

On the third day, there were government-organized events held in Tokyo, Nagoya and Kyoto. In Tokyo, one of the events was a TED Talk-style presentation, led by my Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI), in cooperation with the OECD okyo office and ten private companies and NGOs that are independent from governments. The presentation included the topics of city planning and the potential use of robots. It was a huge success.

This kind of “social investment,” in which multi-talented people and stakeholders from different backgrounds actively come together, will play a key role for society in the decades to come.

The UK government has displayed a strong commitment to tackling this problem and the British Embassy held two other events in parallel to this Legacy Event, including a dementia workshop led by young people on the second day and a meeting of Japanese and British pharmaceutical companies and ventures on the third day, both of which I attended.

I am incredibly impressed by the will of the British government, as well as their imagination, strategy and implementation in dealing with dementia.

Two visits to JFK in September

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I have not posted very often in September and October. It is not that there was nothing to report, but I had many engagements that took up my time, such as lectures and conferences both in Japan and abroad.

On September 15th, I flew to JFK. From there, I headed to Philadelphia where I had a dinner. The next day I sat on a panel at a conference. After staying one more night, I left early in the morning to catch a flight back from JFK.

In the two days after this trip, I attended a couple of very important conferences in Tokyo and was able to finish them successfully. After spending the weekend at home, I headed to JFK once more on Monday, the 22nd.

This time, I went to NYC. I attended an educational session for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and a conference by the New York Academy of Sciences. This was held last year in San Francisco where I attended the conference as part of the Prime Minister of Malaysia’s advisory group. As this session was held during the United Nations General Assembly, the security in Manhattan was very tight and it was hard to get around.

On the evening of the 22nd, SONY CSL held its special annual event at MoMA for the first time. As I had some time, I attended the dinner. This big jump to MoMA must have required lots of practice from the participants. It is a wonderful idea.

The next evening, on the 23rd, I had dinner with Japanese doctors (1) who are conducting clinical residency training, which has become almost customary for my visits to NYC. There were also two medical students from Jichi Medical University who were there for two weeks of clinical clerkship. I enjoyed the dinner very much.

It is nice to be in New York in the autumn.

The International Red Cross Meeting on Nuclear and Radiological Emergency Preparedness

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スライド1

On October 27th, the Third Reference Group Meeting on Nuclear and Radiological Emergency Preparedness (Japanese) was held in Fukushima City.

It was the third meeting in this series but the first to be held in Japan. I was invited to give the keynote speech.

The main points of my speech were to explain the purpose and process of the National Diet of Japan Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission (NAIIC), within the context of the rapidly changing world. I also showed the video of the Simplest Explanation of NAIIC and introduced ‘SafeCast’, a new system for documenting and sharing radiation readings, which is suitable for the global era. Lastly, I touched upon the significance of the role of the Red Cross, a brand name organization with an international network that is independent from governments and politics.

After my speech, a group of seven high school students gave a presentation on their activities, which they started after watching the Simplest Explanation of NAIIC video and thinking about what they could do as individuals. They gave an amazing presentation in English, despite the fact that none of them had lived abroad for a long period of time. They must have put in tremendous efforts and preparation into the presentation. I felt that the whole audience was very moved by their presentation.

After the conference, I expressed my wishes to the Red Cross to develop greater cross-border networks with such youth through the activities of the International Red Cross.

My ‘Epilogue’ of Mr Uda’s Book ‘Obligation to Dissent: Why Organization Fails’ – 8

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I share with you the last section of my ‘Epilogue’ of the new book ‘Obligation to Dissent: Why Organizations Fails’ by Mr. Sakon Uda, who served Project Manager of NAIIC.

Epilogue, ‘Obligation to Dissent’: What We Citizens Should Do Now
Kiyoshi Kurokawa, Chair of the National Diet of Japan Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission (NAIIC)

8. Final Message

After the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, many young people have taken the initiative to start more socially engaging work and projects, in particular through NPOs. They have chosen to actively participate in social work even after leaving university, without being tied down to the traditional employment structure. Overcoming many obstacles, they continue their work, driven by their strong motivation to make society a better place.

Some of the young members of NAIIC have also become involved in such activities. Tsuyoshi Shiina decided to build on his experience in NAIIC and ran in the general election, successfully becoming a member of the National Diet and is working hard despite facing many challenges. Yurina Aikawa is a young journalist who was only in her second year at the major national newspaper, the Yomiuri Shimbun, when left in order to join NAIIC. After the NAIIC report was submitted, she went on to further investigations into the situation of the disaster victims and published her findings in a book entitled, The Vulnerable Evacuees [Hinan-jyakusha, in Japanese] (Toyo Keizai Inc).

In order to make the enormous amount of research produced in the NAIIC report easier to understand to the public, some university students came together to establish “The Simplest Explanation of NAIIC” project. The project produced short animation videos of each chapter of the report, each approximately three minutes long. The videos are also available in English and the group is currently working to communicate the findings of the report to the global audience. The work of these young people has been organized and supported by Satoshi Ishibashi, who was the right arm of the Chief Administrator of NAIIC, Sakon Uda. Recently, there has also been interest among high school students in the project, who felt there was something they too could do by getting involved.

It is very encouraging to see the young generation, upon whose shoulders the future of Japan rests, taking such initiative in starting such activities. I hope that you will join me in supporting these young people and their impressive work.

References:
1. http://naiic.net/en/

→　My ‘Epilogue’ of Mr Uda’s Book ‘Obligation to Dissent: Why Organization Fails’ – 1
→　My ‘Epilogue’ of Mr Uda’s Book ‘Obligation to Dissent: Why Organization Fails’ – 2
→　My ‘Epilogue’ of Mr Uda’s Book ‘Obligation to Dissent: Why Organization Fails’ – 3
→　My ‘Epilogue’ of Mr Uda’s Book ‘Obligation to Dissent: Why Organization Fails’ – 4
→　My ‘Epilogue’ of Mr Uda’s Book ‘Obligation to Dissent: Why Organization Fails’ – 5
→　My ‘Epilogue’ of Mr Uda’s Book ‘Obligation to Dissent: Why Organization Fails’ – 6 (1)
→　My ‘Epilogue’ of Mr Uda’s Book ‘Obligation to Dissent: Why Organization Fails’ – 6 (2)
→　My ‘Epilogue’ of Mr Uda’s Book ‘Obligation to Dissent: Why Organization Fails’ – 7
→　My ‘Epilogue’ of Mr Uda’s Book ‘Obligation to Dissent: Why Organization Fails’ – 8

Schedule – October 2014

Posted on by kiyoshi kurokawa

The Role of the nation State in Addressing Global Challenges: Japan-UK Perspectives
Date & Time: October 2(Thu)-3(Fri) *October 3, 13:00-14:30 Session 5 “FUKUSHIMA”
Venue: International Conference Hall / Multipurpose Hall,The First
Members’ Office Building of the House of Representatives, 1st Floor
Event Contact: Joshua Webb
TEL: +44 (0)207 7314 3678　e-mail: JWebb@chathamhouse.org

*Participation is by invitation only

Teach For Japan: Celebrating 4 Years

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It has been already four years since the sweltering summer when Yusuke Matsuda was rushing around to get the Teach for Japan project off the ground. We had a small gathering to commemorate this occasion.

I have been a big fan and supporter of Mr Matsuda ever since I found him on Twitter and have always been championing his cause (newspaper article in Japanese).

The venue was not very big nor fancy, and was packed with people, people and more people, all of whom seemed to exude passion. Needless to say, I had been invited, and even made a congratulatory speech. My message, in short, was to explain that it is not the knowledge that is crammed inside your head that is important in life, but instead the intuitive understanding that is born only out of hands-on real experience. I also remarked that maturing as a human being meant that one needed the decisiveness that is required for decision-making.

And Matsuda’s life embodies these principles. After all, what is life but a development of the experiences we had in our childhood, as our curiosity-fueled hunger for information led to serendipitous revelations and firm commitments? It is useless to only think or ponder on this thought. I believe that everything essentially boils down to a mix of real-life experience, serendipitous meetings and bold decisions.

There was also some talk from the Fellow teachers, who related their own experiences at Teach For Japan program, of making the deliberate choice to act, and I can only applaud them. It brought tears to my eyes, as I was overcome with waves of emotion. Professor Seichiro Yonekura, who was sitting beside me, a great champion of innovation and was also a fervent supporter, was also struggling to contain his tears. After all, we human beings cannot stop these spontaneous tears of an outpouring of emotion.

I really wanted people all over Japan to hear them speak. We had three Fellows speaking, one of whom talked about his activities over the past year-and-half. As they talked, their passion was conveyed to us in their words, in the reality that lie behind their stories, and just as they inspired their students who are unfortunate in being made to live in less-privileged conditions, we too were inspired all evening long.

To these wonderful young people, I can only offer my thanks, and share their vision of a brighter future for Japan.

I also thank the school teachers who accepted and have been supporting these Fellows as they work to bring about a change.

Thank you, Mr. Matsuda, and I thank your friends.

And my dear readers, I ask you for your continued support of Teach For Japan!

My ‘Epilogue’ of Mr Uda’s Book ‘Obligation to Dissent: Why Organization Fails’ – 7

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I share with you the 7th section of my ‘Epilogue’ of the new book ‘Obligation to Dissent: Why Organizations Fails’ by Mr. Sakon Uda, who served Project Manager of NAIIC.

Epilogue, ‘Obligation to Dissent’: What We Citizens Should Do Now
Kiyoshi Kurokawa, Chair of the National Diet of Japan Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission (NAIIC)

7. Voting in elections is the right of each and every citizen

Regardless of one’s organizational membership or affiliation, one thing that each and every citizen must do is vote in elections. To vote is the right of every individual in a democracy and public administrative agencies conduct research on voter turnout (1). Consequently, if voter turnout is low, politicians will have little interest in the public and the government will not take voters seriously. Much of the public has little interest in electing members of both the national and regional parliaments, which constitute the branch of government that represents citizens. One issue that arises when voter turnout is low is that interest groups and lobbyists will have relatively more influence and the candidates they support are more likely to be elected. For this reason, ordinary citizens’ voices are less likely to be heard. Many people state that none of the candidates standing for election are representative of what they want. However, we must bear in mind that it takes time to make a democratic system work and that the democratic process only begins with citizens voting in elections. A working democratic system is not something that is given to a people but must be built by their own hands. It may be an overstatement but people who do not use their right to vote do not have a say in how society should work. Currently, low voter turnout among young people is a particularly pressing issue. The Japanese democratic system will function only if the younger generation participates in elections. It will take time but it is crucial to making the system work. The future of the younger generations is especially at stake. Through this process, we can expect candidates who are satisfactory to younger generations to gradually come about.

References:
1. http://www.soumu.go.jp/senkyo/senkyo_s/news/sonota/nendaibetu/index.html(Data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, in Japanese)

→　My ‘Epilogue’ of Mr Uda’s Book ‘Obligation to Dissent: Why Organization Fails’ – 1
→　My ‘Epilogue’ of Mr Uda’s Book ‘Obligation to Dissent: Why Organization Fails’ – 2
→　My ‘Epilogue’ of Mr Uda’s Book ‘Obligation to Dissent: Why Organization Fails’ – 3
→　My ‘Epilogue’ of Mr Uda’s Book ‘Obligation to Dissent: Why Organization Fails’ – 4
→　My ‘Epilogue’ of Mr Uda’s Book ‘Obligation to Dissent: Why Organization Fails’ – 5
→　My ‘Epilogue’ of Mr Uda’s Book ‘Obligation to Dissent: Why Organization Fails’ – 6 (1)
→　My ‘Epilogue’ of Mr Uda’s Book ‘Obligation to Dissent: Why Organization Fails’ – 6 (2)
→　My ‘Epilogue’ of Mr Uda’s Book ‘Obligation to Dissent: Why Organization Fails’ – 7
→　My ‘Epilogue’ of Mr Uda’s Book ‘Obligation to Dissent: Why Organization Fails’ – 8

Lectures with High School Students and Reception at PEAK

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Since entering October, I have had two opportunities to speak to high school students. The message of my talks was the same as always, “the world is changing and it is your choice.”

The first was a lecture to high school students aiming to enter the University of Tokyo, organized by an elite cram school. Around one hundred students attended, under the unfortunate circumstances of a typhoon approaching. Most were students in their first and second years of high school. After a lecture of about ninety minutes, the students got into groups and discussed their goals for the next ten years and what they would need to be doing in two years time in order to achieve these long-term goals. They summarized and presented their discussions and then evaluated other groups’ presentations.

The next session was at the Komaba campus of the University of Tokyo, where the “Special Friday Seminar for High School Students” is held twice a month. It was the three hundredth seminar and I was invited to be the speaker at this milestone event. Around eighty students participated as well as many of their families and people from the general public. My speech at last year’s entrance ceremony at the University of Tokyo was distributed to the audience.

Lately, I have been showing a brief scene from the movie, ‘The Matrix’, at such lectures. My message there is to question authority, to question norms.

Many of the students who participated stated that this seminar was different from all of the past seminars at the University of Tokyo. Many commented that their thoughts towards society changed and that although the same Matrix clip was shown at the beginning and the end of my speech, one student wrote he perceived different message. This gave me the impression that these young people were somehow deprived of something.

It is very fun to interact with young people, for in the future they will be the Japanese who will live and pursue their carer in this rapidly changing world.

After the lecture, a group of foreign undergraduate students to Tokyo University’s PEAK program came together and there was a small reception. The foreign professors also came and we had a good time together. This was made possible thanks to Prof Ryoichi Matsuda, who is in charge of PEAK.

PEAK has many challenges ahead of it but I sincerely hope that it will be able to respond to the needs of the fereign students and continue to develop and grow and impact true internationalization of the education of the University of Tokyo.