In 2025, to commemorate the centennial of the quantum revolution, the PhysicalSociety of Japan and the German Physical Society signed a joint declaration in Münster reaffirming the progress and responsibilities of science. Groundbreakingdiscoveries such as quantum mechanics have become the foundation of modernsociety, and their applications are expected to continue expanding in the future. Atthe same time, however, science has also been harnessed for destructive purposesin the past — most notably in the development of nuclear weapons.
In 1955, amid the mounting risk of global nuclear war, the Russell–Einstein Manifestowarned of the existential threat posed by nuclear conflict and underscored theethical responsibilities of physicists. Addressing the consequences of nuclearweapons, as well as global challenges such as climate change, requires scientificexpertise and robust international cooperation. Through science diplomacy andsustained dialogue, humanity must strive to harness knowledge for peace and humanwelfare.This new declaration calls upon the next generation of physicists, in particular, toengage actively with issues that bear directly on the survival of humankind. It alsoserves as an appeal to physics communities around the world to collaborate andparticipate in these collective efforts.

signing ceremony

On November 14, 2025, a signing ceremony of the Joint Declaration "Declaration for the Future" was held at Münster City Hall, Germany, by Klaus Richter, President of the German Physical Society, and Seiji Miyashita, President of The Physical Society of Japan.

- Welcome remarks - Tilman Fuchs, Mayor of the City ofMünster

- Declaration Address - Seiji Miyashita, President, The Physical Society of Japan

Declaration for the Future

joint declaration

Signatories: Klaus Richter (75th President of the German Physical Society), Seiji Miyashita (81st President of The Physical Society of Japan )

Panel debate

The signing ceremony was followed by a panel discussion on "The role and Responsiblity of Scientists in Times of Disruptive Global Challenges.

Keynote Speech

- Michiji Konuma, Professor Emeritus, Keio University / Former President, The Physical Society of Japan
Title: “Role of us scientists who receive the Declaration for the Future”

- Cornelia Denz, President of the National Metrology Institut　

- Michael Quante, Vice-Rector of the University Münster

Other Panelists

- Koji Hashimoto Professor, Kyoto University, Department of Physics,

- Malte Göttsche , Peace Research Institute Frankfurt and TU Darmstadt

Moderator: Prof. Götz Neuneck

November 13, 2025 Press Conference Opening Remarks

November 13, 2025 "Declaration for the Future" Pre-Signing Press Conference.

Greetings from attendees are now available.

attendance

-Moderator: Vice-Rector of the University Münster

- Seiji Miyashita President, The Physical Society of Japan　　

- Klaus Richter, President of the German Physical Society

- Mihoko Nojiri Vice President, The Physical Society of Japan

-Malte Göttsche , Professor of Natural Science Peace Research in Frankfurt and Darmstadt.
Member of the six-member working group that drafted the declaration.

About the Declaration Drafting Committee

At the meeting of the German and Japanese physical societies in August 2024, a working group (drafting committee) was established to prepare a "Declaration for the Future" jointly signed by the two societies on the occasion of the "International Year of Quantum Science and Technology" to be held in Münster in November 2025.
The drafting committee consisted of six members: Götz Neuneck, Karin Zach, and Malte Götzsche from Germany, and Koji Hashimoto (Kyoto University), Hajime Inaba (Meiji University), and Shoji Hashimoto (High Energy Accelerator Research Organization) from Japan. The committee met four times between October 2024 and January 2025 to review and finalize the draft declaration. In the discussions in the drafting committee, sufficient care was taken to ensure that the message was future-oriented for the younger generation, emphasizing the constructive and peaceful role that physics can play for human society, without being biased toward a political position. The international situation in Germany and Japan, as well as the differences in cultural and physical perspectives, led to very deep discussions, but in the end a consensus was formed and a declaration was completed, which is a sign of friendship between the German and Japanese physical societies.

The draft declaration was reported and explained at the 105th Annual General Meeting of The Physical Society of Japan on March 31, 2025 and confirmed by the Board of Directors. The German Physical Society approved it on June 14, 2025.