The Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Japan, H. E. Dr. Volker STANZEL arrived at Kobe University on January 26, 2010 to pay a courtesy visit on President FUKUDA Hideki and Vice President Dr. NAKAMURA Chiharu. H. E. Dr. Volker STANZEL was accompanied by his wife and the Deputy Consul-General in Osaka-Kobe,Mr. Stefan BIEDERMANN. Prof. MASUDA Yoshikazu of the Graduate School of Intercultural Studies (who is also the Vice Chairman of the NPO Japanisch-Deutsche Gesellschaft Kobe); Prof. KUBO Hiromasa and Prof. YOSHII Masahiko of the Graduate School of Economics (who are also the President and the Vice President of the EU Institute Japan, Kansai) were also on hand to greet the party.

The meeting began with an introduction of Kobe University and its relationship with partner universities and institutes in Germany from President FUKUDA. He also expressed a strong determination to further activate exchanges with Germany and Europe in various areas. In response, H. E. Dr. Volker STANZEL expressed his gratitude for all the efforts Kobe University was making toward strengthening ties with Germany and the EU. The discussion then touched on various topics including the Ambassador's relations with Japan.

After the visit, the party moved to The Kobe Club to attend a seminar organized by the NPO Japanisch-Deutsche Gesellschaft Kobe and EUIJ-Kansai. Moderated by Prof. MASUDA Yoshikazu, the Ambassador gave a special lecture entitled, "Deutschland und die EU: Was bringt der Vertrag von Lissabon?" The Ambassador used very easy to understand terms to describe how the EU entered into a new phase of integration after the Lisbon Treaty became effective. An audience, made up of approximately 200 people, was stimulated by the depth of his lecture and charmed by his narrative skills.