The year 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the Japan-France Scientific and Technological Cooperation Agreement that was first signed in 1974.
To commemorate this milestone and deepen scientific collaboration efforts between Japan and France, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) hosted the “Forum on the 50th Anniversary of the Japan – France Science and Technology Cooperation” on December 2nd at CNRS in Paris, supported by the Embassy of Japan in France, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), and the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research (MESR). The event showcased the two nations’ partnerships and shared achievements in science and technology.
This forum was part of the celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the Japan-France Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement, alongside the CNRS-JSPS-JST event held on October 9th at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) in Tokyo.

Opening addresses were given by JST President HASHIMOTO Kazuhito, CNRS Chairman and CEO Antoine PETIT, MESR Deputy Director General Corinne BOREL, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA) Deputy Director-General HAYASHI Mitsuko.

In the first half of the forum, Emeritus Professor Jean-Pierre SAUVAGE of Université de Strasbourg, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016, gave a keynote speech "Molecular machines and motors: A historical perspective," which also focused on the collaborations that involved researchers from Japan.
President PETIT, President HASHIMOTO, MESR’s European and International Affairs Director Donato GIORGI, MEXT’s Science and Technology Policy Bureau Deputy Director-General TAKAYA Hiroki, and ANR President and CEO Claire GIRY participated in the morning panel session “Present & Future Cooperation between Japan & France.” The panelists discussed the importance of enhancing cooperation between Japan and France, highlighting key directions and considerations to take into account when fostering such collaborations. Additionally, they engaged in discussions on how to contribute to advancing future research collaboration and researcher exchanges between Japan and France.

In the second part of the forum, Professor of Université de Rennes and French Japanese International Research Laboratory “DYNACOM” Deputy Director Eric COLLET, Prof. KONO Tatsuoki Professor of the University of Tokyo and the deputy project leader of one of JST’s COI-NEXT project KONO Tatsuaki, Professor of ENS Paris-Saclay NAKATANI Keitaro, HFSPO Secretary-General Pavel KABAT, EHESS Vice President Rainer Maria KIESOW, and Institut Pateur Executive Vice-President for International Affairs Odette TOMESCU-HATTO gave presentations and speeches. Reflecting on the achievements of Japan-France cooperation to date, a lively discussion took place on ways to further deepen the collaboration between the two countries.

Dr. AIZAWA Sae of CNRS-LPP, Professor KANEKO Megumi of the National Institute of Informatics/the University of Tokyo and the PI of JST-ANR’s collaborative project “Lightweight Edge Artificial Intelligence for Sensing and Wireless Communications in Connected Factories (LIGHT-SWIFT)”, Dr. Kevin LEMOINE of CNRS-ICCF, Dr. Leandro QUADRANA of University Paris-Saclay, Dr. Natacha ROUX of CNRS-CRIOBE, and Wormsensing SAS Global Business Manager TABATA Toshiyuki participated in the afternoon panel session “Experiences and future perspectives on research in Japan and France and Japan-France joint research.”
They engaged in lively discussions on a wide range of topics, including the effectiveness of joint degree programs in doctoral courses, the importance of networking and joint research grant opportunities for researchers in France and Japan, and the significance of international industry-academia collaboration.

The event brought together around one hundred participants from Japan and France’s science and technology communities, facilitating active networking throughout the day.