Panel discussion by H.E. Ms. Marieta ARABADJIEVA, Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to Japan, and H.E. Ms. Tanja JÄÄSKELÄINEN, Ambassador of the Republic of Finland to Japan

December 21, 2023

On Saturday, October 21, 2023, the Republic of Bulgaria Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Marieta ARABADJIEVA and the Republic of Finland Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Tanja JÄÄSKELÄINEN were invited to the Minami-Osawa Campus for a panel discussion on "DX and Startups, the Key to Innovation" as a special event of TMU's Global Lecture Series.

Professor Naoyuki Kubota, Faculty of System Design of TMU, participated in the event, which was moderated by TV personality Harry Sugiyama and attended by 62 people, mostly students.

In his opening lecture, Professor Kubota focused on the promotion of DX and startups, explaining the elements necessary for innovation and the challenges Japan faces. Both ambassadors also introduced the history of innovation and advanced initiatives in their respective countries.

During the panel discussion, both ambassadors stressed the importance of professional education to contribute to the development of ICT professionals. They also explained the need for the private and public sectors to work together to build trust between the state and the public for innovations using startups. They also highlighted the importance of leveraging technological innovation to benefit from cyber resilience against cyber risks.

In the panel discussion, it was suggested that to become human resources that promote innovation, young people and the elderly should work together to create the best mix of youth and the elderly, complementing each other's deficiencies by combining the new ideas of the youth with the social capital of the elderly.

During the Q&A session, the importance of STEM (STEAM) education was reaffirmed and the challenges that Japan has from the perspective of other countries were shared, referring to the educational policies for students at Tokyo Metropolitan Universities and the challenges they face, as well as the differences between Europe and Japan in the advancement of women in science and engineering.

At the end of the event, the performers told the participants, "True innovation comes from not being afraid of failure and mistakes, learning from them, and trying to overcome the barriers of your comfort zone. I hope you will adapt to failure and embrace change as you pursue your studies." The message was sent to the audience.

Event Summary

Date：Saturday, October 21, 2023

Venue：Tokyo Metropolitan University, Minami-Osawa Campus, Auditorium Small Hall

Performer：

H.E. Ms. Marieta ARABAJIEVA
[Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic to Bulgaria to Japan]

H.E. Ms. Tanja JÄÄSKELÄINEN
[Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic to Finland to Japan]

Professor Kubota Naoyuki
[Tokyo Metropolitan University, Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering]

Mr. Harry Sugiyama
[TV personality (Moderator)]

Program

1. Lectures (introduction of DX/Startup initiatives in each country, etc.)
2. Panel Discussion
   〇DX and startups as the key to innovation
   〇How to become a human resource to support innovation in the global society
3. Q&A