Happy Lunar New Year, Gong Xi Fa Cai!

I am so delighted to report that we kicked off our SJ50 celebrations with numerous exciting events, which you may have seen colourful photos through Facebook or this E-Magazine. We had Minister Moriyama of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) in Japan for our ‘WAZA – Enjoy Taste of Japan’ seminar and reception during the first weekend of January. At the reception, our distinguished guests were treated to servings of top grade Wagyu...(Click here to read more)

As a kickoff event to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Singapore-Japan Diplomatic Relations (SJ50) this year, Japan Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery (MAFF) hosted WAZA – Enjoy Taste of Japan Seminar and Reception at Japan Creative Centre (JCC) on Saturday, 9 January 2016. Featuring special cuisines prepared using fresh and air-flown Japanese agricultural, forestry and marine products such as Wagyu Japanese beef and strawberries, some 100 distinguished guests attended the reception and had the opportunity to experience OMOTENASHI – the spirit of Japanese hospitality and service first hand...(Click here to read more)

If you are in Singapore dreaming about going to Japan or living in Japan in need of a tropical paradise, don’t hold back, the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) just signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC).The year 2016 celebrates the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Singapore (SJ50). The MOC signed on Monday, 18th January 2016 by Mr Lionel Yeo, Chief Executive of STB and Mr Ryoichi Matsuyama, President of JNTO, is a first for the two organisations and will create greater tourism traffic for both countries...(Click here to read more)

On 20 January 2016, Director of JCC (Japan Creative Centre) Ms Misako Ito presented a lecture entitled “For your Japan Trip: To Better Understand Japanese Culture” at Singapore Management University (SMU). This lecture was given to SMU students who are participating their upcoming Japan study trip.

Ms Ito explained about Japan from various viewpoints such as modernity, high technology and tradition. She further elaborated about the Japan’s corporate culture and Corporate Social Responsibility...(Click here to read more)

On 22 January 2016, the CEO and founder of Astroscale Mr Nobu Okada presented a science and technology lecture at Japan Creative Centre (JCC) on how business is taking the innovation in space to the next level. As part of the SJ50 (50th Anniversary of Singapore-Japan Diplomatic Relations) and our first space related event this year, the lecture which focused about the problem of space debris the industry is facing and the solutions they have, had a whelming response attracting many Japanese and space lovers to come forward...(Click here to read more)

JCC Cinema 42: Swing Girls was a blast at Tampines West Community Club! Before the movie screening, local Ani Brass band fired up the house with multiple songs, which got everyone moving! The screening saw over 70 residents having a tapping good time at the CC, including Minister Masagos Zulkifli and Deputy Chief of Mission Minister Tsutsumi. Be sure to check back here for our future screening schedules! (Click here to read more)

On 28 January 2016, JCC (Japan Creative Centre) conducted a sports lecture by three distinctive speakers - Mr Zainudin Nordin, President of the Football Association of Singapore, Mr Daisuke Korenaga, CEO of Albirex Singapore and Mr Koh Mui Tee, General Manager of Albirex Singapore. Entitled Japanese football in the world of Singaporean football, the speakers spoke about the collaboration, partnership and differences between Japanese and Singaporean Football, and had a discussion panel with the audience. His Excellency Ambassador Haruhisa Takeuchi graced the lecture and had a talk with the speakers as well... (Click here to read more)

The opening ceremony of JSPS-NUS Joint Symposium "New Horizons in Normal and Cancer Stem Cell Research" was held in Centre for Translational Medicine, NUS on 14th January 2016. This symposium is the 50th Anniversary of Singapore-Japan Diplomatic Relations (SJ50) Project Ambassador Haruhisa Takeuchi made the speech in this opening ceremony...(Click here to read more)

On 14th January 2016, opening ceremony with reception of the Hokkaido Government Representative Office was registered in Singapore,with invited guests from both Singaporean and Japanese guests from government, firms, investing companies and etc. Moreover, we will launch a seminar introducing Hokkaido’s business and investment chances and benefits, especially focusing why it has been an attractive area in the world...(Click here to read more)

The World Children’s Haiku Contest is part of JAL Group’s social action programme to promote international exchanges through the appreciation of Japanese culture overseas. Through our support of the contest in Singapore, JAL Foundation, Japan Airlines and Resorts World Sentosa aim to contribute to the event’s mission to promote haiku among children in Singapore...(Click here to view more)

On the 14 January 2016, a group of students and teachers of Thammassat University (Thailand) from an exchange program with National University of Singapore (NUS) visited Japan Creative Centre, JCC's First Secretary Mr Matsunaga briefed them on the activities done by Japan Creative Centre. Currently they are in Singapore.

JENESYS 2015 (Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths) is a people-to-people exchange programme between Japan and the Asia-Pacific region.On 13 January 2016, Japanese undergraduates and graduate students visited JCC under the JENESYS 2015 Programme. HE Ambassador Haruhisa Takeuchi gave his welcome remarks... (Click here to read more)

Learning about Rural Revitalization in Japan

Japan is currently facing serious issues of rapid population decline and aging population, and the Japanese government has identified the revitalization of rural areas in Japan as a key factor in overcoming these challenges. To promote intellectual exchange on the theme of "Revitalization of Rural Areas and Creation of New Values", the Japan Foundation organized the Invitation Program for Young Intellectuals in Southeast Asia, inviting me and 10 other young researchers and professionals from Southeast Asia to attend seminars and a field trip (to Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa Prefecture) in Japan from December 9th to 18th, 2015. The Program, though short in duration, has left a deep and lasting impression on me and other participants. In this article, I would like to share my key takeaways from the seminars and field trip...(Click to read more)

Setsubun and Bean-Throwing

Japan has four distinct seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The term setsubun originally referred to the days marking the change from one season to the next, so that there were four of them, but today only the day before risshun (the beginning of spring in the traditional Japanese calendar) is called by that name. Setsubun comes on either February 3 or 4, depending on the year...(Click to read more)

Before and after the Earth swing-by, the laser altimeter (LIDAR) on Hayabusa2 attempted to receive laser light from the satellite laser ranging (SLR) ground stations. After the swing-by, the Mt. Stromlo station at SERC (Space Environment Research Centre Australia) in the suburbs of Canberra, Australia, transmitted laser light towards Hayabusa2. The spacecraft successfully received the beam using the onboard LIDAR that can send and recieve laser signals to accurately establish the range of objects from the spacecraft. At the time of the transmission from Mt. Stomlo, Hayabusa2 was 6,700,000 km from Earth. This success established the one-way 'up link' of the optical connection. (Click to read more)

The 22nd session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-22) was successfully held from December 1 to 4, 2015 in Bali, Indonesia, jointly organized by the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education of Indonesia（RISTEK-DIKTI）, the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space of Indonesia （LAPAN）, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

APRSAF, established in 1993, has been growing to become one of the largest international forums today in the Asia-Pacific region. It is annually organized by MEXT, JAXA and organizations of host countries. APRSAF-22 was organized under the main theme entitled “Sharing Solutions through Synergy in Space” with the aim of further promoting regional cooperation. The participants -- around 480 representatives and experts from 28 countries and regions and from 10 international organizations -- actively contributed to discussions on various topics under the main theme. (Click to read more)

Contributing to measures to tackle global warming by understanding forest areas - The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) developed a whole-globe forest map of 25-meter resolution, “Global Forest/Non-forest map”, using the DAICHI-2 (ALOS-2) launched on May 24, 2014, and released it from today free of charge. (Please refer to the website below.) For achieving a long-term objective(*) of controlling global warming that was set by the COP21 held in Paris last year, it is imperative to globally understand and maintain forests which are an important source of absorbing CO2. To tackle such a global-scale issue, JAXA, in cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will establish a “Forest Monitoring System” in the next Japan fiscal year starting this coming April. Data from the Global Forest/Non-forest map will also be used for the above system as its basic information. (Click to read more)

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Cells are dynamic living systems that arise from a large number of molecules interacting with one another. The RIKEN Quantitative Biology Center seeks to understand how these molecular interactions lead to functional cells. Combining techniques that can measure molecular dynamics, model cellular environments, and simulate molecular and genetic networks, the center aims to understand the robustness, adaptability, and autonomy of a cell that leads to these dynamics, with the ultimate goal of achieving “whole cell modeling”. These efforts are expected to predict and control a cell’s behavior, which will have large implications in wide fields like regenerative medicine and nanotechnology. (Click here to read more)

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