September 20, 2023
The second in a series of workshops, "On Ukraines Recovery and Future," was organized in a collaboration between Sophia University, Keio University, and Tohoku University. It was held at Tohoku University's Katahira Campus on Friday, September 8.
The workshop began with an opening address by Tohoku University President Hideo Ohno. Professor Shinichi Kuriyama, director of the International Research Institute of Disaster Science at Tohoku University then delivered his keynote speech. After the speech, Professor Toshiharu Ikaga of the Faculty of Science and Technology at Keio University gave a lecture on the harshness of Ukrainian winters and ways to improve the country's living conditions. This was followed by further lectures from people in academia, including Margaryta Goldina from the Odessa State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture, a participant in Tohoku University's short-term student exchange program. Her talk focused on how Japan’s experience in restoring artworks and buildings damaged by war can be applied in Ukraine's reconstruction efforts. Unlike the previous session which focused on the importance of support for Ukraine from an industry, government, and academic perspective, this second workshop centered on methods to support Ukraine's postwar reconstruction, with an emphasis on the people directly affected by the conflict.
As with the first workshop, the session was also livestreamed to a large online audience. The next workshop is scheduled to be held at Keio University on Monday, December 4.
Photo credits: Tohoku University