Fifteen international participants and their several Japanese counterparts of the Hiroshima peacebuilding seminar took an excursion to Miyajima Island on 7 February. They visited historical, religious and cultural sites including Itsukushima Shrine and Daishoin Temple.
The Hiroshima peacebuilding associates from Japan and 12 countries reviewed the events that took place in the Kibeho camp in Rwanda for internally displaced persons in April 1995. Fifteen Japanese associates were joined by the equal number of participants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Somalia, and Vietnam.
At the seminar held at Hosei University on 31 January 2015 and participated by about 30 scholars, researchers and students, three experts. Professor Takaaki Mizuno of the Kanda University of International Studies, Assistant Professor Naoko Kumagai of the International University and Ms. Momoyo Ise, former Executive Director of the Asian Women’s Fund, presented their views on issues related to “comfort women” engaged by Japanese soldiers during the World War II. (Ishizuka)
Chaired by Mr. Yasushi Akashi, Vice President of the UN Association of Japan and participated by Former Ambassador to the UN, Mr. Kenzo Oshima along with other 18 Japanese scholars and experts met former President José Ramos-Horta, Chair of the High-Level Independent Panel and two of his panel members and discussed how to improve UN peace operations.
On 27th January, Mr. Ichiro Aisawa, former Senior Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Member, the Board of Directors of UN Association of Japan convened a meeting of Japanese parliamentarians including Mr. Norio MITSUYA, former Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan and Mr. Seiji KIHARA, former Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Liberal Democratic Party, Mr. Satsuki EDA, former Minister of Justice and President of the House of Councilors, and Mr. Motohiro ONO, former Vice-Minister of Defense of the Democratic Party Komeito. They were joined by Mr. Kiyohiko TOYAMA of Komeito who was former Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs.
On 26th January 2015, former President José Ramos-Horta, Chair of the High-Level Independent Panel and two members, Mr. Ian Martin and Ms. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu met with Japanese scholars and practitioners of peacekeeping and Special Political Missions (SPM) at the United Nations University. More than 30 persons participated in the informal consultation and exchanged their views on UN peace operations.
On 25 January 2015, former President of Timor-Leste and Nobel Prize Laureate José Ramos-Horta asked Professor Sukehiro Hasegawa to continue to serve as his personal adviser. Professor Hasegawa had acted as the Special Adviser to Mr. José Ramos-Horta when he was the President of the Republic of Timor-Leste from 2007 to 2012.
A Timorese student, Orlando da Silva Casimiro, visited Tokyo to prepare for his study in Japan. He visited the University of Tokyo, Waseda University and Hosei University. Orlando also met Professor Hasegawa and talked about his ambition to enter a graduate school in Japan. (Shotaro Fujita)
Dear former students of the Seminar Class. With the arrival of the New Year, I thank you for all your contributions in ideas and efforts to make fruitful our learning of life. I hope you are blessed with sunshine of laughter, new beam of energy and raindrops of happiness as you step into another brand New Year. May the New Year give you the strength to face the new challenges of life and courage to adjust your sail so as to take every situation to your stride. I wish you all the best and happiness. (Sukehiro Hasegawa)
Chinese, Korean and other visitors from abroad visited the historical sites in Kyoto before and after the Asian Seminar.
The 14th East Asian Seminar on the UN System was opened by Professor Keiko Oizumi of the Japan Association for UN Studies (JAUNS), Ambassador Chen Jian, President of the China Academic Net for UN Studies (CANUNS) and former Foreign Minister Han Sung Joo, Chairman of the Korea Academic Council on the UN System (KACUNS) on 13 December 2014 at Doshisha University in Kyoto.
The Rector of the UN University, David Malone, addressed the issues surrounding the United Nations and East Asia before the former practitioners and scholars from Japan, China and South Korea who gathered in Kyoto on December 12 for their annual seminar on the UN system.
On 6 December 2014, Professor Yuji Suzuki of Hosei University delivered a lecture at the Global Peacebuilding Academy on the relationship between Southeast Asia and China. The lecture presented a highly instructive, macro perspective of the political, social and economic changes taking place in the Asian region. (Emmi Okada)
At its annual meeting of the General Assembly of the Peacebuilding Research Association of Japan (PRAJ) on 6th December 2014, Professor Katsumi Ishizuka of Kyoei University was appointed as the Secretary-General of PRAJ. He had earlier been appointed as acting Secretary-General after the departure of Mr. Yasuki Uchiyama for his study in England. Professor Ishizuka teaches in the Department of International Business Management at Kyoei University, Japan. He obtained a PhD at Keele University, England, in 2000. His research interests include UN peacekeeping operations and peace-building. He wrote several books including “The History of Peace-building in East Timor” (New Delhi: Cambridge University Press India, 2010). The General Assembly of PRAJ re-elected Professor Sukehiro Hasegawa as its President, and it also approved that Professors Satoru Kurosawa and Takaaki Mizuno continue in office as members on the Board of Directors. Then, the Assembly elected Professors Daisaku Higashi, Eiji Oyamada and Masako Yonekawa to the new directors.
On 29 November 2014, an annual OB/OG reunion dinner was held at cafe carat. This year, it was organized by Ms. Minako Ishikawa and Ms. Yui Narikawa who are the seventh year students of the Hasegawa seminar. 34 former students kindly came and enjoyed this party. As usual, they introduced themselves and talked to each other about their recent activities. After that, Professor Hasegawa gave a presentation about his activities in 2014 as well as some messages to seminar students. He kindly mentioned the way how to survive such a globalized competitive society and how to get happiness. We also decided that the next reunion party will be held by the second year students of the seminar. All of us seemed to enjoy the dinner and miss the days of seminar activities with Professor Hasegawa. (Minako Ishikawa)
On 29th November 2014, a class union of the Hasegawa seminar class held its annual reunion in the café carat of Nakameguro, Tokyo. This party was organized mainly by Ms. Narikawa and Ms. Ishikawa who are the seventh year students of the Hasegawa seminar class. More than thirty graduates and Professor Hasegawa participated in the event. They talked about not only their good old days but also their present situation. After a pleasant chat, Professor Hasegawa made a speech entitled “How to overcome the global competitive society and how to be happy: Looking back on my activities in 2014”. He suggested that we know ourselves, especially termini ad quem of our self-actualization, with the phrases by Lao Tzu, Son Tzu and Confucius as well as Immanuel Kant. Finally, he gave us a lot of his favorite ties. As for the next class union, the second year students of the seminar will play a central role in planning and organizing. We are looking forward to your next participation and a happy reunion. (Shogo Yoshida)
On 20 November 2014, JICA held an international symposium which looked at Japan`s ODA from historical, political-economic and comparative perspectives. Professor Hasegawa called for conceptualizing Japanese aid in a global governance perspective.
At the Seoul PKO Conference held on 13 November 2014, Korean dancers performed with their fans in a superb manner.
The 2014 PKO International Conference was held at Sookmyung Women`s University Centennial Memorial Hall on 13 November 2014. At the conference organize by the Korea Peacekeeping Operations Center, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and Korea AcaSedemic Council on the United Nations System, Professor Sukehiro Hasegawa spoke about the implications of financial, troop and civilian contributions made by Japan to UN peacekeeping operations since Japan became the member of the United Nations in 1956.
Professor Daisaku Higashi, Associate Professor and Deputy Director of the Research Center of Sustainable Peace at the Institute of Advanced Global Studies, University of Tokyo, shared his experiences and thoughts on the importance of ensuring inclusivity in rebuilding states and also gave an overview of the activities of the Peace Building Commission. (Emmi Okada)