The year 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the Japan-France Scientific and Technological Cooperation Agreement that was first signed in 1974. To commemorate this milestone and deepen scientific collaboration efforts between Japan and France, the “CNRS-JSPS-JST Celebration Event for the 50th Anniversary of France-Japan Scientific Cooperation” was held on October 9th at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) in Tokyo. Hosted by the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the event showcased the two nations’ partnerships and shared achievements in science and technology.
Opening addresses were given by JST President Kazuhito Hashimoto, CNRS President Antoine Petit, JSPS President Tsuyoshi Sugino, MEXT’s Science and Technology Policy Bureau Deputy Director-General Hiromi Takaya, and French Ambassador to Japan Philippe Setton. Their remarks set the stage for a series of inspiring keynote speeches and panel discussions that showcased past accomplishments and outlined future goals for scientific collaboration between France and Japan. The morning session concluded with EU Ambassador to Japan Jean-Eric Paquet and University of Tokyo President Teruo Fujii expressing their high hopes for seeing increased scientific collaborations between Japan and France in the future.
The afternoon program focused on breakout sessions, during which leading researchers from Japan and France shared their latest insights and participated in dynamic discussions aimed at exploring new avenues for collaboration. These concurrent sessions centered on five key topics: “Materials,” “Artificial Intelligence and Embodiment,” “Biological Bases of Ecological Actions,” “From Particle Physics to Cosmology,” and “Heritage Studies.” From JST, Professor Yukiko Nakano of Seikei University, Research Area Advisor of the CREST program’s “Symbiotic Interaction” research area, chaired the “Artificial Intelligence and Embodiment” session, and Dr. Atsushi Iriki, Senior Researcher at RIKEN and Research Supervisor of the CREST program’s “MultiSensing” research area, led the “Biological Bases of Ecological Actions” session.
The event brought together over two hundred participants from Japan and France’s science and technology communities, facilitating active networking throughout the day. It concluded with closing remarks by JSPS Executive Director Tetsuya Mizumoto and French National Research Agency (ANR) President Claire Giry.
This article was first published on 25 November by JST.
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