BBL Seminars

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RIETI's periodic Brown Bag Lunch (BBL) seminars welcome an array of guest experts to share their research and views. The sessions encourage lively discussion that contributes to dynamic policy-related debate.
Select transcripts and handouts are available below.
Videos of the seminars are published on RIETI’s official YouTube channel, “rietichannel,” after each event.

Past BBL Seminars Reports and Summaries

  • April 23, 2026

    RIETI-NEDO Joint BBL Seminar Series: Emerging Industry Frontiers and Pioneering Innovation

    Hokkaido, the Kingdom of Food, Blazes a New Trail: Can scientific evidence be used to evaluate the functional benefits of food and applied to health promotion?

    • Speaker: NISHIHIRA Jun (Chairman of Hokkaido Information University. Professor of the Dept. of Medical Management & Informatics, Director of the Center of Health Information Science Center, Hokkaido Information University, Hokkaido, Japan.)
    • Commentator: TANABE Takefumi (Director General, New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) Technology and Innovation Strategy Center (TSC))
    • Moderator: SUZUKI Kaoru (Senior Researcher, New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) Technology and Innovation Strategy Center (TSC))

    Japanese

  • April 16, 2026

    Focusing on Liberal Arts as a Business Strategy: Reinterpreting Japanese Traditional Culture through a Strategic Management Lens Case Study: Japanese sake “Shichiken” – Tradition and innovation: Changing to remain unchanged

    • Speaker: KITAHARA Tsushima (President & CEO, Yamanashi Meijo Co., Ltd.)
    • Commentator & Moderator: SATO Katsuhiro (Consulting Fellow, RIETI / Professor, Graduate School of Business and Finance, Waseda University / Adjunct Professor, Graduate School of Management, Kyoto University)

    Japanese

  • April 10, 2026

    Refundable Tax Credits and the Taxation of Social Insurance Premiums

    • Speaker: SATO Motohiro (Professor, Graduate School of Economics, School of International and Public Policy, Hitotsubashi University)
    • Commentator: KOBAYASHI Yohei (Consulting Fellow, RIETI)
    • Moderator: SEKIGUCHI Yoichi (Director of Research and Senior Fellow, RIETI)

    Japanese

  • April 2, 2026

    AI Supply Chains: Geopolitical implications

    • Speaker: Chris MILLER (Professor of International History, Fletcher School, Tufts University / Author)
    • Commentator & Moderator: NAMBU Tomoshige (Director, IT Industry Division, Commerce and Information Policy Bureau, METI)

  • March 27, 2026

    France’s Evolving Indo-Pacific Strategy: Priorities, challenges and adaptation

  • March 26, 2026

    Cloud Accounting and a Survey of 50,000 Users Reveals the Reality of Generative AI Adoption

    • Speaker: KONISHI Yoko (Senior Fellow (Specially Appointed), RIETI / Professor, Institute of Systems and Information Engineering, University of Tsukuba / Senior Fellow, Money Forward Institute of Economic Research)
    • Commentator: KUSUNOSE Shota (IT Innovation Division, Commerce and Information Policy Bureau, METI)
    • Moderator: SEKIGUCHI Yoichi (Senior Fellow and Director of Research, RIETI)

    Japanese

  • March 19, 2026

    Challenges in the Medical Field: Female physician career choice and the wage gap

    • Speaker: USUI Emiko (Professor, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University)
    • Commentator: YAMAGUCHI Kazuo (Visiting Fellow, RIETI / Ralph Lewis Professor of Sociology, University of Chicago)
    • Moderator: SAKAI Yoshimasa (Director of PR Strategy, RIETI)

    Japanese

  • March 17, 2026

    Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai Series

    A Society Where Discarded Electricity and CO2 Become Fuel: A new form of social infrastructure, the "Regional CO2 Loop," which recycles unused renewable energy, CO2, waste, and hydrogen

    • Speaker: MITSUYAMA Masahiro (CEO, Sustainable Energy inc.)
    • Speaker: President MIDORIKAWA (CEO, PROTON SYSTEM CO., LTD.)
    • Commentator: KASHIWAGI Takao (Emeritus professor, Institute of Science Tokyo)
    • Moderator: SAKAI Yoshimasa (Director of PR Strategy, RIETI)

    Japanese

  • March 13, 2026

    Economic Security Implementation Know-How from a Corporate Perspective: Department-specific responses

    • Speaker: TAGAMI Eiki (Visiting Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Geoeconomics (IOG))
    • Commentator: INOUE Seiichiro (Vice Chairman, RIETI)
    • Moderator: SAKAI Yoshimasa (Director of PR Strategy, RIETI)

    Japanese

  • March 11, 2026

    RIETI-NEDO Joint BBL Seminar Series: Emerging Industry Frontiers and Pioneering Innovation

    Digital KANSEI as a New Foundation for Value Creation - Case studies in digital haptics & experience R&D -

    • Speaker: KURITA Yuichi (Professor, Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University)
    • Speaker: TANABE Takefumi (Director General, Technology and Innovation Strategy Center (TSC), New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO))
    • Moderator: YOKOI Kazuhito (Director General of Digital Unit, Technology and Innovation Strategy Center (TSC), New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO))

    Japanese