Osaka University Symposium held

On Sunday, December 20, Osaka University Symposium was held at the Osaka International Convention Center. Even though it was a Sunday at the end of the year, participants in a very nearly filled 350-seat venue shared the future vision of Osaka's Nakanoshima.
In this symposium entitled “The Network of a Developing Society: Towards the Co-Creation of Creative Island Nakanoshima,” participants talked about the past and future of Nakanoshima, the birthplace of Osaka University, from various perspectives such as education, culture, art, mass media, transportation, and information sharing.
In the Part 1 of the symposium, MORIMURA Yasumasa, an artist who is active on a global scale, delivered a speech entitled "Logistic Urban Culture." He talked about towns with alleys where he grew up, the role of towns, and the possibilities of towns to be developed from his perspective as a citizen. He also explained the relationships among "cities," "towns," and "communities," saying that city planning was city logistics.

In the first half of Part 2, KATO Yoshifumi (President, Keihan Railway), GOTO Hisao (Managing Director, The Asahi Shimbun Company, Osaka Headquarters), YAMANASHI Toshio (Director, National Museum of Art, Osaka (NMAO)), WAKISAKA Satoshi (Managing Director, Asahi Broadcasting Corporation), and NISHIO Shojiro (President, Osaka University) presented topics about activities at Nakanoshima, the history of Nakanaoshima, Nakanoshima’s future outlook, and the style of cooperation between the university and Nakanoshima.

In the second half of Part 2, in response to the topics presented in the first half, leaders from various fields had discussions regarding “Possibilities of networks among organizations for increasing the potential of Nakanoshima” and “The significance and expectations of having a university in Nakanoshima."
Mr. Morimura asked about how art should be involved in the development of Nakanoshima. This was followed by questions from those in attendance, with some raising the topic of "What differentiates Nakanoshima from other cities," making for a very informative symposium which satisfied participants' curiosity.