From 13 to 17 April 2026, our colleague Moritz Eickhoff attended the “ISIJ-VDEh-Jernkontoret Symposium” in the Japanese city of Sendai. The symposium focused on metallurgical and materials science topics within the steel sector. The main emphasis was on the exchange of ideas between representatives of the three participating countries: Japan, Sweden and Germany.
The German VDEh delegation was well represented with 14 participants from industry, research and the press, and was able to raise general metallurgical topics, with a particular focus on issues relating to the green steel transformation. Numerous contacts were established with Japanese and Swedish colleagues, so further cooperation is expected in the future.
Particular mention must be made of the Japanese hospitality we received both at the symposium and during the subsequent visits to research facilities and steelworks. The detailed tour at Nippon Steel particularly impressed the participants and left a positive impression of Japanese steel production and the differences compared to German approaches.
We would like to thank VDEh and ISIJ for the excellent organisation and preparation, and we look forward to the symposium in Sweden in 2029.