04/10/2016

On 30 and 31 September, the first JSPS International Exchange Workshop took place in São Paulo, with the presence of Brazilian and Japanese professors to participate in sessions of medical sciences, natural sciences, social sciences and international relations. These sessions were organised at the Faculty of Medicine, Museum of Zoology and Faculty of Law, of the University of São Paulo, with an audience consisting mainly of students, researchers and academics.

The first session of the Workshop, Medical Sciences, occurred at the Faculty of Medicine of USP and Professor Suely Nagahashi-Marie was the moderator for the contribution from the Brain Bank for Aging Research (BBAR) Drs. Shigeo Murayama and Junko Fujigasaki. During their lectures, they spoke about the BBAR and its role as a network aimed to conduct research on early diagnosis and discovery of new treatment strategies for neurodegenerative diseases, and also its role in the creation of a vast database about these diseases. They also talked about studies being developed on the transcultural impact of Japanese researchers who lived in Brazil and in Japan.

The second session was Natural Sciences, at the Museum of Zoology, moderated by Professor Luís Fábio Silveira with guest speakers Professors Hideki Endo, from the University of Tokyo, and Mercival Francisco, from Federal University of São Carlos. Professor Silveira started the session speaking about the diversity of galliformes fowl in Brazil and the exhuberance of each biome. Following on the subject of galliformes, Professor Endo, in his lecture, talked about the importance of domestic fowl for the history of mankind, and also about the advances in the studies of functional morphology of these animals utilizing available technology. Professor Francisco, in turn, spoke of the importance of genetics for the study and conservation of the neotropical cracidae, the most endagered species in the neotropical region.

The Social Sciences session was moderated by the JSPS Science Advisor in São Paulo, Professor Masato Ninomiya, and the guest speakers were Professors Hiroaki Maruyama, from Rikkyo University and Akeo Kitamura, from Japan Women’s University. Professor Maruyama, in his lecture entitled Japanese Immigration in the Amazon: Analysis Focused on the Foreign Relations, spoke about some aspects of the Japanese immigration to the North region of the country, which has many unique aspects in comparison with the immigration to the Southeast region. Professor Kitamura, in turn, spoke about the Italian immigration to Brazil, its historic, geographic and social aspects, distinguishing them in two major immigration groups, those who went to the South region of the country and engaged in family agriculture and secondary activities, and those who remained at the Southeast region working in coffee farms.

The International Relations session was moderated by Professor Paulo Borba Casella, head of the department of International Law of the Faculty of Law of USP, with the participation of Professor Pedro Dallari, dean of the Institute of International Relations of USP and as the guest speaker, Professor Yuji Suzuki, from the Department of Global Politics of Hosei University, in Tokyo. In his lecture Japan’s Relation with Asia: Social Changes and Their Impact, Professor Suzuki offered an updated perspective of Japan’s International Relations and the country’s domestic demographic situation. During the debate after the lecture, the demographic situation of Brazil, comparatively to Japan was discussed, along with the role of social, cultural and economic diversity for a country’s development.

The I JSPS International Scientific Exchange Workshop was a success, reaching its goal of creating a space for scientific cooperation between Brazil and Japan and widening the perspective of academic cooperation between these two countries. The event was highly regarded by guest speakers and those who joined the event as listeners, and we look forward to the opportunity to host the next JSPS scientific exchange event.

Program