Former Japanese Ambassador to the United Nations Motohide Yoshikawa identified three challenges for Japan at the UN: peacekeeping operations, Security Council reform and North Korean nuclear development.

　The 22nd Seminar of the Global Peacebuilding Association (GPA) will be held at JICA Headquarters on November 12, 2016. Interested GPA members are invited to register with GPA Secretary-General Professor Katsumi Ishizuka: ishizuka@kyoei.ac.jp by November 1st. Please click here for the full program.

　According to Hiroaki Shiga of JICA Research Institute, the inclusive and pluralistic democracy of India provides the role model for other developing countries and the India’s constitution has been studied by Singapore, Malaysia, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Nepal, Bhutan and other developing countries (Reported byTakashi Kamishiro). Please click here for a full story.

　Ambassador Hanada finds Timor-Leste in a critical stage of transition to sustainable development, while Crown Agent staff Ms. Saito advocates the result based financing (RBF).

　On 9th October 2015, the Global Peacebuilding Academy will co-organize a seminar on international terrorism with the Graduate Program on Human Security, the University of Tokyo (HSP). In this seminar, Associate Professor Yasuhiro Ueki of Sophia University will lecture entitled “Challenges of UN Strategy on International Terrorism”; afterward both Professor Saburo Takizawa of Toyo Eiwa University and Professor Hasegawa will comment his presentation respectively. For specific information, please see here on the HSP website.

　Mr. Shigeki Takizaki, Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan made an informative presentation on territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Both island and maritime claims are made by several states including the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Their disputes concern in particular both the Spratly and the Paracel islands. The interests of different nations include securing fishing areas around the archipelagos; the potential exploitation of crude oil and natural gas under the waters of various parts of the South China Sea.

　On 11th July 2015, Mr. Shigeki Takizaki will speak about the challenges for peacebuilding in the South China Sea. After his speech, Ms. Ai Kihara-Hunt will make a presentation on the individual criminal accountability of the UN Police. The provisional program of this seminar can be found here. If you are interested in participating in this seminar, please send your message to Professor Katsumi Ishizuka (石塚 勝美), Secretary-General of the Global Peacebuilding Forum of Japan (ishizuka@kyoei.ac.jp).

　Ambassador Oshima in his one-hour presentation to the participants of a peacebuilding seminar held at Hosei University on May 30, 2015 appraised some important achievements made in the ‘Outcome Document’ of September 2005, on the occasion of the summit meeting commemorating the UN 50th anniversary. They included the establishment of Peace-building Commission (PBC), the Human Rights Council (UNHRC), and the formal launching of new concepts such as ‘Responsibility to Protect’ and ‘Human Security’. (Click here for the rest.)

　On 30th May 2015, Ambassador Kenzo Oshima will speak about the changes taking place in the international regime during the period of 70 years since the end of World War II. Prior to his speech, Professor Masako Yonekawa will make a brief presentation on the nature of complex emergencies in Rwanda and Congo. The provisional program of this seminar can be downloaded here. If you are interested in participating in this seminar, please send your message to Professor Katsumi Ishizuka (石塚 勝美), Secretary-General of the Peacebuilding Research Association of Japan (ishizuka@kyoei.ac.jp).

　Moderated by Professors Kurosawa and Yonekawa, Emmi Okada and Raymond Yamamoto made presentations on “Religion and Peacebuilding” and “Proactive Pacifism” on 14th March 2015 in the seminar of the Peacebuilding Research Association of Japan (PRAJ) held at Hosei University Graduate School Building. Valuable comments were made by Professors Higashi, Sakurai, and so forth. This seminar was organized by Professor Katsumi Ishizuka, Secretary-General of the PRAJ.