Kyoto University, Osaka University, and Kobe University Joint Symposium held

On Wednesday, October 13, the Kyoto University, Osaka University, and Kobe University Joint Symposium (sponsored by Nikkei Inc. and the Japan Center for Economic Research) was held in Chuo-ku, Osaka as part of the annual "Kansai Economist Meetings."

Under the theme of “Kansai-led Creation of the Future – Nurturing a Mindset to Advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” presidents from the 3 universities and representatives from industrial circles had an active discussion on the role of industry and academia of the Kansai area.

First, ARAI Hiroshi (Managing Executive Officer, Nikkei Inc. Osaka) spoke about the significance of this symposium, expressing his hope that the Kansai area will make great contributions towards achieving SDGs.

Next, UEDA Teruhisa (President and CEO, Shimadzu Corporation) gave a keynote speech, speaking about the history of Shimadzu, its efforts to achieve SDGs, its collaborative projects with the 3 universities, and the significance of corporations’ efforts to achieve SDGs.

Then, university presidents MINATO Nagahiro (Kyoto University), NISHIO Shojiro (Osaka University), and FUJISAWA Masato (Kobe University) spoke about endeavors by their universities to achieve SDGs. After that, OTSU Ai (CEO, Compass Inc.) gave an introduciton to Compass and offered her impressions of these universities’ endeavors.

During the panel discussion, on what they can do for better health, President Nishio explained about the significance and the role of the Center for Infectious Disease Education and Research (CiDER), which was established for OU to address infectious disease threats on a university-wide basis, including humanities, natural science and social science courses. He also expressed his intent to protect the lives of people and contribute to the realization of a society in which people can stay active longer due to a healthier life expectancy.

On the development and utilization of diverse human resources, in response to President Ueda’s keynote speech, President Nishio stated that diversity, including gender diversity, was crucial in order to respond to various needs of clients in various fields as half of the world's population is women.

At the end of the discussion, when asked about the opening of EXPO 2025 four years away, he expressed his hope that universities and corporations in the Kansai area would work together more than ever towards their common goal of EXPO 2025.

Just like last year, this year’s symposium was broadcast online to prevent the spread of COVID-19, with some 500 participants from universities and corporations.