As a part of the course "Professional Training", a field trip to Ayabe took place on June 3^rd and 4^th.

At Ayabe city hall, mayor Zenya Yamazaki delivered a presentation concerning the issues Ayabe city is currently facing, such as population decline and the aging of society. He also expressed passionately that Ayabe can be very attractive for young people who are looking for a different lifestyle which is not materialistic.

In addition to that, we visited the Kyocera factory and the Gunze Memorial Park.

At the Kyocera factory, where Organic Package is made, engineers gave us a tour of the production lines.

At Gunze Memorial Park, we learned that the spirit of the founder has been passed on over years. The corporate philosophy/mottos keep this company community-based while it has become an internationally recognized company.

In order to learn about Japanese craft arts, we visited the village of Kurotani Washi Kobo (atelier of Kurotani Japanese Paper). There, we not only looked at the paper manufacturing process , but we also actually experienced making paper.

This field trip provided a valuable opportunity for all students to get a glimpse the Japanese local government administration and local companies.

Ayabe City: http://www.city.ayabe.lg.jp/

Kyocera: http://www.kyocera.co.jp/company/index.html

Gunze Memorial Park: http://www.gunze.co.jp/gunzehakubutu/memorial/

Guest Speaker: Prof. Jeff Kingston, Professor of Asian Studies, Japan Campus, Temple University.

This lecture was held in Ritsumeikan University Kinugasa Campus, on May 19, 2016, hosted by Ritsumeikan University's Graduate School of International Relations, the Ritsumeikan Global Innovation Research Organization (R-GIRO), and Institute of International Relations and Area Studies, Ritsumeikan University. Approximately 55 participants attended the lecture.

This open lecture elaborates the contemporary Japan under Prime Minister Abe, which may have both advantages and disadvantages for Japan’s politico-economy domestically and internationally. Professor Kingston figures out some aspects called: “Abe-Euphoria,”  “Abenomics,”  “Abegedon,” ”Abenigma,” and “Abenesia.”   In short, this lecture has opened up the understanding of contemporary Japan and forecasted the dynamic of Japan in the near future.

Guest Speaker: Daisuke Madokoro, Research Associate of International Relations, Graduate School of Law, Kobe University

The workshop was held in Ritsumeikan University Kinugasa Campus, on May 12, 2016, hosted by Ritsumeikan University's Graduate School of International Relations and the Ritsumeikan Global Innovation Research Organization (R-GIRO). Approximately 20 participants attended the workshop.

The seminar tries to answer the fundamental question of where the norms come from. This seminar spotlights the norm emergence process by analyzing the role of international commissions as norm entrepreneurs, with the case study of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, which proposed a normative idea of responsibility to protect (R2P) in 2001. Some notes can be highlighted as follows: first, contents of the R2P norm were not given but rather strategically created through interactions; second, the R2P norm served the function of transformation and reconciliation. Finally, in reality, strategic norm creation should yield in-depth insight into how norm entrepreneurs struggle to stimulate a normative change.

Guest Speaker: Megumi Kagawa, Former Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Social Sciences, Hiroshima University –Ph.D. Candidate, Osaka School of International Public Policy, Osaka University

The workshop was held in Ritsumeikan University Kinugasa Campus, on April 28, 2016, hosted by Ritsumeikan University's Graduate School of International Relations and the Ritsumeikan Global Innovation Research Organization (R-GIRO). Approximately 20 participants attended the workshop.

The workshop identifies the researcher outlook on doing the research in conflicted region based on the five years first-hand experiences of the field works in Mindanao, the Philippines. The workshop reviews the multimethod investigations which may be used in the way to gain the data and to figure out the ‘map of the conflict in the community.  In the end, the participants were expected to grasp the meaning and the challenges in conducting research in the conflicted zone. The most valuable information of the workshop is understanding that the process of building trust and relationship with local people require long and patient efforts to do so. Above all, the goals of doing research in the disputed areas are not only designed for a solely academic outcome but also for peace and humanity.

The Research Training was held at Ritsumeikan University Kinugasa Campus, on April 14, 2016, hosted by Ritsumeikan University's Graduate School of International Relations and the Ritsumeikan Global Innovation Research Organization (R-GIRO). Approximately 20 participants attended the training.

On Sunday, March 20, the Ritsumeikan University Undergraduate and Graduate School Fall Graduation Ceremony 2015 was held at Kinugasa Campus. There, 272 students from the College of International Relations and 23 students from the Graduate School of International Relations were awarded Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.
At the University-wide graduation ceremony, Mr. Syunya Asano and Mr. Yu Hashimoto were commended by University president. Mr. Ryuhei Sugiyama, Mr. Syunya Asano and Ms. Sato Wakabayashi gave a speech as the student representative at the departmental ceremony. Many family members and friends of graduates, faculty and staff members were there to celebrate. Graduates will soon start their new careers here in Japan and around the world.

For five days, starting on Wednesday, February 17, the Ritsumeikan University Graduate School of International Relations held a “Kyoto City Administrative Management Seminar” for non-Japanese international students (hereafter “international students”) who were civil servants, such as national public servants or regional public servants, in their home countries, largely developing countries. In this practical study program, conducted with the cooperation of Kyoto City, students learned about the organizations and administrative structures involved in city administration.

The young international students are dedicated to proposing and implementing policy in their home countries of Indonesia, Cambodia, the Kyrgyz Republic, Myanmar, Laos, and Egypt. As the future leaders of economic, diplomatic, and cultural exchange with Japan, the international students have received scholarships such as Japanese Grant Aid for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS), a personnel development scholarship project conducted as part of the grant aid offered by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). They engage in their graduate school studies while bearing the expectations of their home countries.

 The program focused on topics such as the election and city council systems which serve as the foundation of democratic government, the processes involved in formulating the Kyoto City Master Plan, a bottom-up effort in which members of the community participate, information disclosure systems, decentralization and regional financial administration, financial support systems for stimulating local industry, global warming countermeasures by local governments, and citizens’ efforts to reduce garbage volume. Talks regarding these themes were given by executives in Kyoto City governmental departments, and Q&A sessions were held.

The international student from Myanmar said, “My country is entering a major transition stage as we shift to being a democratic nation, and Kyoto’s forward-looking efforts will be very instructive in our own efforts to put our local government systems in order and achieve open, participatory government. I want to use what I’ve learned when formulating policy in Myanmar.”

The creation of opportunities for international students to systematically and practically learn about local governance as part of the graduate school’s master's degree program, achieved through collaboration between the graduate school and the local government, is a cutting-edge initiative in Japan.

Dr. Haruyuki Shimada, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

This Talk elaborated Japanese Government role in providing assistance to Afghanistan, in particular, explained the rationale behind the Japanese Government involvement in the war on terror after the 9-11. Dr. Shimada explained the reasons for the government of Japan resumed its full fledge assistance to Afghanistan after the collapse of Taliban. After tracking the history of Japanese involvement in assisting the country, Dr. Shimada also elaborated the following aspects: the kind of Japanese projects in the country, the dilemma of military and non-military assistance, and the problems between providing development aid and security assistance. At the end of the talk, the participants were invited to discuss of how Japan and its people should behave in the context of peace building in Afghanistan.

The Special Talk was held at Ritsumeikan University Kinugasa Campus, on January 7, 2016, hosted by the Ritsumeikan Global Innovation Research Organization (R-GIRO) and Ritsumeikan University's Graduate School of International Relations.

Approximately 40 participants attended the workshop.