Issues of the International Year of the Family : Changes in the Private Sphere and Its Interfaces and Their Public Importance

Abstract

I consider it a great honor to be invited to your conference and to have the chance to speak to you. We Germans always look to Japan with great interest and admiration for the culture, the discipline, the organization and the many capacities for intellectual and productive work. In the International Federation for Home Economics we have great respect for our Japanese colleagues and their participation in IFHE events as well as their role in the Asian Regional Association for Home Economics. During my time in IFHE I had the privilege to work with Professor Chiyono Matsushima in the Executive Committee and in her function as Vice President for the Asian Region for whom I have the highest esteem and who has inspired us greatly over the years.