[Seminar] Study Group on UN Peace Operations (18th February 2012)
On February 18, 2012, a study group on UN peace operations held its session and heard three speakers: Mr. Hideki Hayashi, Ms. Nadia Wang and Mr. Hiroshi Matsumoto. First, Mr. Hideki Hayashi, captain of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, explained the growing importance of “Protection of Civilians (POC)” in PKO. Through his presentation, I think Japan should participate in POC and do overseas deployment of troops more. However, I understand there are some domestic problems such as constitutional interpretation. Second, Ms. Nadia Wang presented “Climate Change, Global Justice, and Democracy”. She said there were different opinions about the notion of responsibility for global warming or greenhouse gases between developing country and developed one. Professor Hasegawa explained the key phrase which was “common but differentiated responsibility”. Each country has each claim but I felt we should have consciousness for global citizens. Finally, Mr. Hiroshi Matsumoto, worked at Japan Action for Relief Center and Japan Center for Conflict Prevention spoke about Japan’s role in addressing humanitarian and other global issues. He said Japan should become a country which is respected by other countries in the future. To achieve that, Japan should extend helping to the world although Japan is also suffering from the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster of 3.11. (Yasuki Uchiyama and Yui Narikawa)