On the occasion of the 160th anniversary of Japanese-German diplomatic relation, we or our friends and partners, on the initiative of SEKIKAWA Fujiko (Head of Language Services at JDZB), present in this column people from both countries who have filled or are still filling the partnership relations between our two countries with life. In a joint publication by the Japanese-German Society Tōkyō and the JDZB, "Bridge Builders - Pioneers of Japanese-German Cultural Exchange" (2005, IUDICIUM Verlag), many people who have actively shaped German-Japanese relations have already been honored. This is where this column picks up. In addition to famous personalities, also those who are less in the media-spotlight will be introduced. Stay curious!

Sven TRASCHEWSKI, our colleague from the Project Management team, had the honor of representing Germany at the Japan Alumni Conference (JAC) on March 24. In the virtual room, he also met a completely unexpected surprise guest.

In the first article of the new blog section "bridge walkers" JDZB staff member and section initiator SEKIKAWA Fujiko recalls how she first met her famous aunt Deko.

At the JDZB we can enjoy the seasons at work.

The world is changing rapidly. This affects German-Japanese relations in general as well as the JDZB. In order to meet new opportunities and challenges appropriately, we are breaking new ground and invite everyone to join us.

In our first blog post the freshly published website and the new blog ECHO+ are introduced.