Home > Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange > Main Activities > International Symposium “Children for the Future, Future of the Children --Child Policies and the Role of Civil Society in a Time of the Economic Crisis”
Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange
International Symposium “Children for the Future, Future of the Children --Child Policies and the Role of Civil Society in a Time of the Economic Crisis”
Wednesday, November 25, 2009 13:00-18:00
Venue: JFIC Hall “SAKURA” at the Japan Foundation, Tokyo
*Registration deadline is extended. Please send your registration.
(PDF/ 511KB)Children are the future of any society. Family and children policies have been discussed with increasing intensity over the last years in Japan and Germany as a consequence of demographic change. Since the beginning of the economic crisis in 2008, child policies have been receiving renewed interest, against the backdrop of a fluctuating job market, the spread of job insecurity and decreasing incomes. As a result, the new governments both in Japan and Germany have put a strong focus on child policies and promised to raise child benefits for families. Politicians and actors in civil society are together exploring new ways of securing the future of children in times of economic crisis.
In this conference, we aim to analyze the changes in family and children policies under the conditions of economic distress. Particularly, we would like to address the following questions: How does the economic turmoil affect the living conditions of children in Japan and Germany? How do policy-makers in Japan and Germany as well as in other industrialized countries address the problems of children? How have Japan and Germany addressed the needs of families and children in their recent economic stimulus packages? How future-oriented are the steps that have been taken to overcome the economic recession and how much consideration have children’s needs received within these policies?
| Date&Time | Wednesday, November 25, 2009 13:00-18:00 | |
| Venue | JFIC Hall “SAKURA” at the Japan Foundation Head Office, 4-4-1 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo  |
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| Organized by | The Japan Foundation, The Friedrich Ebert Stiftung | |
| Language | German and Japanese with simultaneous interpretation |
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| Admission Fee | Free * Seats are limited to 100 seats. |
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| Registration | *Registration deadline is extended. Please send your registration.
Please register by sending your name, affiliation, and telephone number via e-mail ( |
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Program
13:00-13:15
Sven Saaler, Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation/Sophia University
Tsuyoshi Takahashi, Japan Foundation
Volker Stanzel, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Japan
13:15-15:30
Moderator: Miyoko Motozawa, Tsukuba University
Martina Peucker (Ministry for Family, Elder People, Women and Youth; Germany): Recent Developments in German Family and Children Policies
Tomoaki Asakawa (Director Birthrate Affairs Planning Office, General Affairs Division, Equal Employment, Children and Families, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW)): Recent Developments in Family and Children Policies in Japan
Sawako Shirahase (The University of Tokyo): Poverty among Families with Children in International Comparison
Discussion
Masako Maeda (Yokohama Association for International Communications and Exchanges): Which is More Important for Children: Monetary or Societal Support? Policy Priorities under Limited Resources
Antje Richter-Kornweitz (Landesvereinigung für Gesundheit und Akademie für Sozialmedizin Niedersachsen): Child Poverty in Germany and the Consequences for Health, Education and Participation: Policy Recommendations for a Better Future of all Children
Discussion
15:30-15:45
Coffee Break
Session 2: Changing Roles of Parental Involvement and Civil Society
15:45-17:00
Moderator: Satô Michiaki (Asahi Shinbun)
Tetsuya Ando (NGO Fathering Japan): Smiling Fathers will Change the World: When Fathers Become True Citizens
Heinz Hilgers (Federal League for Child Protection, Germany): Children Poverty and Children Policies in Germany: The Role of Civil Society
Axel Klein (German Institute for Japanese Studies, DIJ Tokyo): Family Policies and Low Fertility Rate in Germany and Japan. A Comparative Perspective
Discussion
Session 3: Panel Discussion: What should be done for our future?
17:00-17:45
Moderator: Satô Michiaki (Asahi Shinbun)
Participants: Shirahase, Ando, Maeda, Hilgers, Peucker, Richter
17:45
Closing Remarks
18:00-18:30
Cocktail Reception (Everybody is welcome)