Special Lecture by H.E. Mr Haitze Siemers, Chargé d'Affaires of the Delegation of the European Union to Japan on “EU-Japan Relations".

On Tuesday, 5 July 2022, the Kyushu University EU Centre (Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence-Kyushu) welcomed H.E. Mr Haitze Siemers, Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the European Union to Japan. The seminar was co-organized by the Asia-Japan Module, the Cultural Variation Cluster of Kyushu University Institute for Asian and Oceanian Studies (Q-AOS) and was entitled "EU-Japan Relations". This was the first visit from the Delegation of the European Union to Japan to Kyushu University in almost three years, since the lecture given by Minister Francesco Fini in 2018 before the start of the coronavirus pandemic. 

It was open not only to students and researchers but also to the general public. About 80 people gathered in the East Zone on the Ito Campus to welcome the Chargé d'Affaires with EU goods kindly distributed by the Delegation of the European Union to Japan. An audience of approximately 140 people, including 60 participants online, of both students and the general public, listened to the lectures.

The lectures covered a wide range of topics, including the relationship between the EU and Japan under the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) in turbulent times; "Changing Global Issues," including support for Ukraine; "The EU as a Global Actor," which addressed the European Green Deal and environmental and energy issues; and "The EU and Japan," which cooperate in various fields such as politics, trade, human rights, science and technology, human exchange, and education, etc.

After the lecture, a Q&A session was held. Twenty enthusiastic students gathered for the event and H.E. Mr Haitze Siemers, eager to interact with the younger generation responsible for the future, had a very meaningful and valuable opportunity to have a direct dialogue in English.