4th Joint Symposium of Osaka University, Kyoto University, and Kobe University -- "Water and Life in the 21st Century"

Osaka University hosted the fourth joint symposium " Water and Life in the 21st Century " on Friday , January 21 , 2011. All seats in the venue for the symposium, Saji Keijo Hall in Osaka University's Nakanoshima Center, were filled.

Opening the symposium with his greeting, President Washida spoke about " Water and life cannot be separated -- particularly in the Kansai region, water is an integral part of our life ."

His greeting was followed by the keynote speech by Professor Emeritus of Kyoto University KAWANABE Hiroya , former Director of Shiga Prefectural Lake Biwa Museum. Professor Emeritus Kawanabe spoke on the topic of " When we think about water and our way of life, we must think about it from the point of one thousand years , ten thousand years ."

Following his keynote speech was an information session chaired by Professor IKE Michihiko of the Graduate School of Engineering. Six panelists spoke about society's relationships with water. Lastly, Associate Professor KOURA Hisako spoke about urban landscape planning that would take into account the symbiosis of water and city.

In the closing general discussion, attendees reaffirmed the vital importance of water, both internationally and locally, and how it must be considered from a long-term point of view.

Greeting from President Washida	Lecture by Professor Emeritus Kawanabe