On June 19th 2012, Mr. Kazushige Taniguchi, Special Representative from Japan for The World Bank visited Hosei University and delivered a lecture on The World Bank in The Multi-Polar Economy. First, he insisted on the Developing Countries’ Rising Role and background of developing countries. Although developing countries are playing a key role in the global growth, those countries still have some issues. For example, high percentage of population without access to electricity, excessive numbers of deaths of female population and children under the age of five and high emission of CO2. Second, he made statements on Japanese economy and population. Total Population of Japan has been continuously decreasing since 2005, the year which the peak of the Japanese population was at and GDP of Japan is not growing after the collapse of Japan’s economic bubble. Finally, Mr. Taniguch explained general description of The World Bank. He said that The World Bank is the largest international development financial institution in the world and provides long-term development assistance to developing countries by cooperating with The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in comparing countries. He also explained about “World Bank/International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings” that is to be held in Japan this year. (Minako Ishikawa)

　On 12th June 2012, Professor Hasegawa delivered a lecture on liberalism and international political economy. Adam Smith claimed that wealth of nation increases if economic activities are left to the invisible hand. David Ricardo said that the theory of comparative advantage explains the benefit of free trade. They insisted that a government should leave men and their activities alone and not to regulate them. Liberalism has three variations. It is market, institutional and republican liberalism. Interdependence makes nation states to seek stability and peace while international organizations set norms and rules to enable states to cooperate. Secondly, Professor Hasegawa explained the Neo-liberalism. The market should function without government intervention. Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan are the ones who carried this out. By various systems such as GATT or WTO, the doctrine advocating global free market gained strength. Then John Williamson made the Washington consensus which called for restructuring, deregulation, tax reform, tariff abolition, free capital movement, etc. Thirdly, Professor Hasegawa explained the implications of financial crises that took place during the last two decades The Asian Financial Crisis started in Thailand and spread to Indonesia, South Korea and other parts of Asia and Russia in late 1990s. This was a sudden loss of confidence in national currencies of these countries. The world financial crisis that continues up to today began by the extension of excess subprime loans in 2007. Finally, he explained the nature and extent of the current European sovereign debt crisis. Many European countries are suffering from enormous debts from huge public expenditure and capital shortage in banks. The amount of public expenditures has been kept relatively low in comparison with other advanced countries. The number of public servants in Japan is less than almost all other industrialized countries of Europe and North America. Japanese banks which had most serious problem in the 1990s now have low loan deposit ratios and stronger a capital liquidity position than European banks. But, the level of Japan`s government and public sector debt is excessively high at about twice the amount of Japan’s gross domestic product. The public debt has to be curtailed lest it would eventually impact the national solvency. (Daiki Kawabe)

　On June 5th 2012, Ms. Keiko Yanai who is the Senior Coordinator, Non-Proliferation, Science and Nuclear Energy Division, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs lecture on the non-proliferation politics. First, she talked about means of arms reduction and nonproliferation, and explained that they are needed for three reasons; the military security, humanitarianism and the economical development. Also, she referred to the present condition of nuclear states in the world, the general outline of NPT and rules of IAEA and Japanese policies on arms reduction and nonproliferation. Next, she talked about termination attempt on the use of CCM as a case-study for international struggle for arms reduction and nonproliferation. Then, she referred to the UN’s process on reduction and nonproliferation and noted that the diplomacy is to adjust the profits and national interests states have to promote. Finally, she argued that the cooperation with a civil society is required for nations to encourage the reduction and non proliferation. (Sayaka Yatabe)

　On May 29th, 2012, Mr. Akio Miyajima, Deputy Director-General, Foreign Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visited our University and gave a lecture in the Diplomacy class on Japanese UN diplomacy on human rights. First, he outlined basic concept of human rights and shared the class with recent news reports and focused on the history of human rights, important advancements and setbacks including genocides, after the WWII. Second, he explained on UN’s effort on human rights, its achievements as well as limits. He cited important UN agreements including UN Charter and World Declaration on human rights. He also talked about the new concept of “Responsibility to Protect.(R2P)”When human rights of civilians are not by their government, who should protect them? What is the responsibility of international community? Finally, he explained on Japanese diplomacy on human right and emphasized that Japan basically relies on “dialogue and cooperation”approach and has employed “human security” as important implementing perspective. He talked about efforts on UN human rights resolution. He distributed copy of Statement by Mr.Yamane, Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs at Human Rights Council High-level segment in Geneva which highlighted Japanese efforts on human rights both at international level and at home. (Risa Kato)

　On May, 22, 2012, Mr. Akashi, former Undersecretary-General of the United Nations, visited Hosei University and gave a lecture on the United Nations in relation to its current challenges and interventions. Though the UN is carrying out on an intervention in Syria, – through ex-Secretary-General Kofi Anann’s mediation and its truce-monitoring mission, anti-government groups are claiming that current intervention by the UN is insufficient and calling for further UN involvement in Syria. But it is impossible to answer such a call. There are two reasons why the UN is unable to do so. First, the system of the Security Council. The existence of veto, held by five permanent members, is a cause of difficulty in decision making. This prerogative for the five is important in keeping powerful nations engaged in the UN. Second the interest of each member state that has a strong influence on the UN and its decision making. The UN is in some dilemma, having learned from failures in intervention in the past. A new notion was proclaimed in the Outcome Document adopted in 2005 as “the responsibility to protect”. At present, the UN is in a major transition from absolute state sovereignty to the implementation of trans-national human rights. The system of the Security Council and the divergent state interests prevent the UN from living up to the high expectation of the UN charter. On the other hand, member states can reach agreement when find a mutual interest to do so. So the key for greater efficiency of the UN is for the member states explore and reach more compromises in their struggle for interest harmonization, in order to better manage the UN. (Yuka Narikawa)