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On October 7, Keio University and the University of Cologne co-hosted a symposium organized by the German Center for Research and Innovation in Tokyo (DWIH Tokyo). The official title for the event was "DWIH Tokyo Symposium: Innovations for an Aging Society," and was held in the North Annex of Keio University's Mita Campus.

This symposium brought together participants from diverse backgrounds in academia, government, and industry in both Germany and Japan. Among them were Professor Joybrato Mukherjee, president of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and rector of the University of Cologne, as well as Keio University's President Kohei Itoh and Vice-President Motohiro Tsuchiya.

In his opening remarks, President Itoh welcomed everyone and lauded the opportunity for experts from Germany and Japan to come together as they are at the forefront of addressing the challenges of aging societies. He went on to highlight Keio's ongoing multifaceted research into aging, particularly focused on centenarians by citing examples of work being carried out at the Center for Supercentenarian Medical Research at Keio University's School of Medicine, which is highly regarded both in Japan and internationally as an interdisciplinary research hub, as well as a workshop on longevity and healthy life expectancy held in December 2024 through RENKEI, an association of partner universities in Japan and the UK.

Throughout the panel discussions and poster session at the symposium, attendees were able to transcend disciplinary boundaries and discuss international collaborative strategies and revolutionary solutions, policies, and research on how to address health concerns for aging populations. Multiple experts from Keio University participated in the event as panelists including Professor Yasumichi Arai (director of the Center for Supercentenarian Medical Research), Professor Yuko Oguma (vice director of the Sports Medicine Research Center), and Project Associate Professor Takashi Sasaki (affiliated with the Center for Supercentenarian Medical Research).

In addition, a meeting was held during the symposium between Professor Joybrato Mukherjee, rector of the University of Cologne, and President Kohei Itoh and Vice-President Motohiro Tsuchiya of Keio University. The University of Cologne is one of Keio University's key partners in its student exchange program and also a participating institution in the Program for Forming Japan's Peak Research Universities (J-PEAKS), a national initiative Keio was selected to join in 2023. This symposium offered a pathway for enhancing collaboration between the two universities moving forward.

Photo: Takeshi Kishi