TOPICS
2025
UNU × Ritsumeikan University Cooperation Agreement Commemorative Symposium Held!
To commemorate the signing of a cooperation agreement between Ritsumeikan University and the United Nations University (UNU), the College of International Relations hosted a symposium on January 20, 2025 (Monday), under the theme of "Human Security and the SDGs."
Professor Tadamichi Yamamoto, a former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, who played a key role in realizing this agreement, served as the moderator of the event. Additionally, Professor Nishimura, Dean of the College of International Relations, delivered an opening address.
From Ritsumeikan University, Associate Professors Kazushige Kobayashi and Viktoriya Kim from the College of International Relations took the stage, and delivered lectures from the perspectives of their own research fields on the topic of "human security and the SDGs".
Associate Professor Kazushige Kobayashi delivered a lecture on "War and Peace in a Changing World," addressing the evolving nature of international conflicts and how strategies for promoting peace should adapt, incorporating perspectives from the SDGs.
Associate Professor Viktoriya Kim delivered a lecture on "Gender Equity: Socio-Cultural Impediments to Women’s Leadership," focusing on gender equality and women's leadership, and discussing the impact of social and cultural factors on women's leadership roles.
The symposium attracted many students, providing a valuable opportunity to learn from the speakers' diverse perspectives on achieving a sustainable society.
In March, a formal signing ceremony for the cooperation agreement between Ritsumeikan University and the United Nations University will take place. Moving forward, both institutions will deepen their collaboration and jointly advance education and research activities toward a sustainable future.
The International Studies Association would like to announce the upcoming talk by Professor Hiroaki Richard Watanabe - titled “Japan’s Economic Stagnation” - scheduled at 16:20-17:50 on Wednesday, January 22
In this talk, Professor Watanabe will examine the causes of Japan’s economic stagnation since the collapse of the bubble economy in the early 1990s. He will investigate the characteristics of monetary policy - especially that of Abenomics, fiscal policy, and structural reform aimed at enhancing economic efficiency, including digitalization, as well as the role of labor unions in wage determination. This talk will clarify how Abenomics’ monetary policy and the interest group politics of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) contributed to the weakening of the Japanese economy and how the LDP’s structural reforms have been inadequate in some areas and insufficient in others. Professor Watanabe will also examine how Japanese labor unions have contributed to wage stagnation in the last three decades, compared to the unions’ roles in this respect in other countries.