The French Institute of Research on Japan à la Maison franco-japonaise, the German Institute for Japanese studies and the Nippon Institute for Research Advancement are delighted to invite you to their joint international symposium.


The Future of Liberalism
Japan, France and Germany in Global Context

June 7th, 8th, 9th, 2022


The evolution of human societies can be seen to be supported by the rise of dominant narratives - religions or political ideologies, which in turn reflect the technological regimes of the times. Technology changes not only our means of production; it influences how we interact with our environment, how we perceive ourselves and our place in the world and what we consider as "good" or "bad". The present revolutions in information technology and bioscience seem to contradict the basic assumptions of liberalism. Platform monopolies, fake news and surveillance capitalism equally undermine liberal institutions.
The present pandemic has also dramatically questioned the liberal foundations of public policies and governance in democratic regimes. The restrictive policy measures adopted in the fight against Covid-19 have produced "illiberal" outcomes similar to the stances taken by populist political parties. High-level constraints impact individual liberties, responsibility, social cohesion and/or social control, but also free trade, competitiveness and market regulation. How far are citizens prepared to accept trade-offs between civil liberties and public guarantees regarding health, environment, and safety? How are these constraints dealt with in so-called "liberal" or neoliberal" democratic countries?
The above issue is of central and essential concern for Japan and Europe and their relationships with neighbors and major partners. Taking into consideration growing pressure from a more competitive environment, Japan and Europe need to redefine their understanding of core values with regard to economic, social and individual rights to redirect their relationships not only at an intellectual and discursive level, e.g. science and "soft-power", but also in practical terms such as national and international policies.
Rather than falling into the trap of cultural and civilizational determinism, this symposium aims to stress sociopolitical, philosophical and economic logics at work in the process of changes in production and exchange caused by the transformation of technological regimes and the ongoing global crisis. In doing so, we also intend to shed renewed light on the reception and the evolution of the liberal ideology in Asia and Europe, especially in Japan, France and Germany.

Day One: Tuesday, June 7th, 2022
16h30- 19h45 (JST) 9h30- 12h45 (CET)


Moderators: Gilles Campagnolo(FIRJ-MFJ), Adrienne Sala (FIRJ-MFJ)

16:30-16:45　Opening remarks
Philippe Setton (Ambassador of the French Republic to Japan)
Clemens von Goetze (Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Japan)

16:45-16:50　 Introduction by Bernard Thomann, Director of the French Institute of Research on Japan, MFJ

16:50-17:00 　Presentation of the symposium by its initiators Gilles Campagnolo and Adrienne Sala (FIRJ-MFJ)

17:00-17:45　Keynote speech: A Brief History of Equality, Thomas Piketty (EHESS)

17:45-18:30　Round table, Thomas Piketty (EHESS), Lisa Herzog (University of Groningen), and Shigeki Uno (University of Tokyo)

18:30-19:40　General discussion

19:40-19:45　Concluding remarks by Franz Waldenberger, Director of the German Institute for Japanese Studies

For more information: https://www.mfj.gr.jp/agenda/2022/06/07/new_liberalism_day1/

Click here to register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cE0sIvsEShOytikLHM8sdQ


Day Two: Wednesday, June 8th, 2022
15h - 20h30 (JST) 8h - 13h30 (CET)

Discussant: Bernard Sinclair-Desgagné (Skema Business School, GREDEG)
Moderators: Gilles Campagnolo (FIRJ-MFJ), Adrienne Sala (FIRJ-MFJ)

15:00-16:30 Liberalism and Uncertainty Facing Future Developments
Miriam Teschl (EHESS), Richard Sturn (University of Graz), Naoki Yoshihara (University of Massachusetts Amherst)

16:30-16:45 Break


16:45-18:15 Liberalism and Neo-liberalism as Basic Sustainable Values
Serge Audier (University Paris-Sorbonne), Tsutomu Hashimoto (Hokkaido University), Yufei Zhou (Teikyo University)

18:15-18:30 Break

18:30-19:45 Liberalism and Capitalism in Historical and Philosophical Perspective
Valérie Charolles (Institut Mines-Télécom Business School, EHESS/CNRS), Nikita Dhawan (TU Dresden), Shinji Nohara (The University of Tokyo)

19:45-20:30 Discussion

For more information: https://www.mfj.gr.jp/agenda/2022/06/08/new_liberalism_day2/index.php

Click here to register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_p156Qv14S-GOTXpcAU_Tuw

Day Three: Thirsday, June 9th, 2022
16h - 20h (JST) / /**/9h - 13h (CET)

Moderators: Sébastien Lechevalier (IFRJ-MFJ), Franz Waldenberger (German Institute for Japanese Studies)

16:00-17:30　Technology and Capitalism
Franz Waldenberger (German Institute for Japanese Studies), Cedric Durand (Univ. deGenève), Saori Shibata (Sheffield University)

17:30-17:45　Break

17:45-19:15 　Technology, Digitalization and Ethics of Responsibility
Yuko Harayama (Tohoku University), Joanna Bryson (Hertie School), Mario Ionut Marosan (Univ. Laval)

19:15-20:00 Discussion and concluding remarks

For more information: https://www.mfj.gr.jp/agenda/2022/06/09/new_liberalism_day3/index.php12:15-13:00

Click here to register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QOBxFVjDScKudrPz1CyWW