Center for Global Initiatives Open Lecture held

On Thursday, February 21, an open lecture by UCLA Sociology Professor John Lie entitled “Stationary Society, Japan” was held in the Co-Creative Innovation Building on the Suita Campus. This lecture was hosted by the Osaka University Center for Global Initiatives and co-hosted by the Social Solution Initiative (SSI) and the Osaka University Graduate School of Human Sciences Center for Collaborative Future Creation. Vice President KURIMOTO Eisei opened the lecture with a greeting, while Professor ISHIKAWA Mayumi of the Center for Global Initiatives served as MC for the lecture.

In his speech, Prof. Lie referred to negative public opinions about Japan’s “lost 20 years” following the bursting of the country's economic bubble (from 1991~2010), saying that it was unproductive to always evaluate the period of time by comparing it with the country's post-war rapid economic growth.

He also spoke about the social and cultural challenges of Japan, Japan’s choices in the future, or options not based on continuous economic growth, and other interesting topics.

In the Q&A session, a number of attendees had questions for Prof. Lie, making for an active exchange of opinions on how to look at a modern Japan that has seen rapid aging of its population amid low birth rates, as well as prospects for its future.