Global Affiliates Research Presentations (session 3 of 5)

The format of this presentation is each of the three speakers will have approximately 15 minutes to present their research.  This will be followed by a short period of 5-10 minutes for any questions or comments from the audience.

In this session of the Global Affiliates Research Presentations, the following will be presented:

Hiroto Akai, Ministry of Finance, Japan, "FinTech and Japanese Banks:  Implications for Fiscal Sustainability"

Although Japan has the world's largest government debt, the interest rate of the Japanese Government Bond (JGB) still remains lower than most major countries.  In the JGB market, Japanese banks play a key role as massive investors.  However, in recent years, many business environments surrounding Japanese banks have dramatically changed.  One of the biggest changes is FinTech.  Given the growth of FinTech, some researchers argue that it could disrupt traditional banking.  In his research, Akai provides an overview of the FinTech phenomenon, especially in the U.S., and tries to analyze the relationship between FinTech and incumbent banks.  Given the characteristics in Japan's financial market, Akai tries to clarify the impact of Fintech to the investment behavior of Japanese banks.

Yasuhito Ando, Kozo Keikaku Engineering, "Use of AI in Architectural Design:  Defining Comfort in Residential Design"

In the construction industry, the use of IT, AI, and robotics is advancing with many used to respond to labor shortages and reduce costs.  However, the value of using a computer is not only to improve efficiency, but to possibly create new solutions beyond the limit of human established concepts.  Computational design is expected to derive optimal solutions that humans have never imagined in complex conditions. 

In the design of buildings, there are already examples of computer-based optimization of structure, design, cost and environment.  However, there is no example of realizing comfortable planning.  This is because the comfort is vague and difficult to design.  In his research, Ando examines how to find comfort definitions from housing design data.

Takanori Tomozawa, Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry, Japan, "Innovation for Energy Policy & Companies in Japan —  Lessons Learned from Silicon Valley"

In the energy field, innovation is becoming more and more essential under the trends of decarbonization, digitaliation, decentralization, and so on.  Tomozawa's research objective is to find implications to improve the energy innovation capability of the Japanese government and companies.  To do so, Tomozawa has scrutinized the activities of other countries' energy companies, the energy innovation ecosystem especially in the Silicon Valley, and the discussion about future electricity system reform in California.  Silicon Valley is a place where high-technologies are developed before anywhere else in the world, where many emerging startups are created, and where there is a variety of opportunities to invest in innovations under the advanced legal system.  In his presentation, Tomozawa will share the lessons he has learned from Silicon Valley to achieve his objective.