The Diplomat
The 22nd edition of the Spain-Japan Forum will be held from October 4 to October 4 in Kyoto, according to the Spain-Japan Council Foundation. The meeting, therefore, will return to its face-to-face format after a three-year hiatus -with a digital edition in between- due to the pandemic.
Since its creation in 1997, the Spain-Japan Forum has been a platform for dialogue and reflection between representatives of civil society and the administration of both countries on issues of strategic interest for relations between Spain and Japan. It is the main public diplomacy exercise between Spain and Japan and an important annual meeting for leaders in the economic, political, academic and social spheres of the two countries.
The meeting is held annually and alternately in different cities of each of the two countries and is supported by both Ministries of Foreign Affairs. The 21st edition took place in Castelló de la Plana, from November 25 to 27, 2019. The 22nd edition was scheduled for the fall of 2020, but was postponed because of COVID-19 and, instead, a digital edition was held on December 2, 2021 from a set in Madrid, broadcast by streaming in Spanish and Japanese.
As the Council Foundation indicated last week, “the 22nd Forum will symbolize the progressive recovery of normality after the pandemic, at a time when Japan is reopening its doors to international travel.” The working sessions will take place on October 5 at Keihanna Science City, a major science and technology center strategically located between Kyoto and Osaka. The event will address issues such as the role of Spain and Japan in the current geopolitical context, the importance of ensuring the security of value chains and the economic sectors that offer the greatest opportunities for business cooperation between the two countries.
