The high-level seminar “Digital Synergies: Bulgaria–Japan Dialogue on Digital Twins, AI, Data Spaces & Urban Futures”, organized by the GATE Institute and the Center for Computational Sciences (CCS) at the University of Tsukuba, under the auspices of the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Tokyo, was held on 29–30 August 2025.
The event is part of the activities planned within the framework of the Strategic Cooperation Agreement signed between GATE and CSS in May 2024.
The official opening was made by Prof. Yasuteru Shigeta, Director of CCS, Prof. Silvia Ilieva, Director of GATE Institute, and H.E. Marieta Arabadzhieva, Ambassador of Bulgaria to Japan. They emphasized the importance of scientific and diplomatic partnership for building sustainable digital societies.
The program began with a presentation of the University of Tsukuba and the Center for Computer Science by Prof. Shigeta, followed by a lecture by Prof. Desislava Petrova-Antonova, who presented the vision and scientific activities of GATE. Mila Nenova, Executive Director of the Bulgarian Investment Agency, outlined the growing innovation potential of Bulgaria, and Ambassador Arabadzhieva presented the country as a leading innovation center in Europe. On the Japanese side, Ms. Yuka Sogawa from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism introduced the participants to the PLATEAU project – the national initiative for a city digital twin. Mr. Akira Kawachi from the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) spoke about the agency’s role in supporting start-ups and international cooperation, and Ms. Yana Docheva from the National Association of Municipalities presented the digital transformation of Bulgarian municipalities. Prof. Kenji Suzuki, Dean of the Institute of Systems and Information Engineering at the University of Tsukuba, outlined the challenges and vision for creating a “Super Science City” in Tsukuba.
In the second part of the seminar, international partners presented their developments and visions. Prof. Mila Koeva from the University of Twente gave a presentation on urban digital twins and sustainable development, Mr. Koya Mori from NTT DATA presented the company’s strategy in the field of artificial intelligence, and Mr. Iskren Krastev, CEO of Scalator, spoke about building trust in data through shared ecosystems. This was followed by live demonstrations of applications in the field of digital twins, AI and data spaces, presented by Evgeny Shirinyan (GATE) and Prof. Yoshinari Kameda (CCS).
The closing panel discussion brought together Prof. Shigeta, Prof. Petrova-Antonova, Mr. Kavachi and Ambassador Arabadzhieva, who discussed how academia, government and business can together shape the digital future of cities. In their closing remarks, Prof. Shigeta, Prof. Ilieva and Ambassador Arabadzhieva outlined the main conclusions of the discussions and the next steps in bilateral cooperation. The forum concluded with structured networking sessions and bilateral dialogue, which provided an opportunity to deepen institutional ties. The event established GATE and CCS as key drivers of cooperation in the field of digital twins, artificial intelligence and data spaces – key technologies for building sustainable and smart cities of the future.