On March 22, 2022, the opening ceremony for JICA Chair program was held at the University of Belgrade, Serbia. During the ceremony, a special lecture entitled "Japan After WW2 and Japan-China Relations in the Modern Era" was held by Prof. Takahara Akio, Executive Director of JICA Ogata Research Institute. More than 100 participants, mainly the students of the Faculty of Philology at the University, attended the lecture. At the Q&A session, questions regarding such as gap of generational perceptions of Chinese people toward Japan were asked and there was lively discussion. The faculty members also expressed that they expect students to learn lots from the experience of Japan through JICA Chair. JICA will support more for Japanese Studies in Serbia through the program.
On January 11, 2022, first JICA Chair Special online Lecture in Turkey was held at Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara. Collaborating with Graduate School of Social Science Asian Studies of METU, Takahara Akio, Executive Director, JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development gave the special lecture entitled “Japan After WW2 and Japan-China Relations in the Modern Era”. Over 70 people, including students who are major in Asia or Japan studies from Bogazici Univeristy, Koc University, and Ankara University and personnel from DEIK (Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey), participated in the lecture and there were lively discussion. After those lectures, JICA will support more for a center for Japanese Studies in Turkey.
On April 28, 2021, Short Intensive Lectures of JICA chair was held at Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. Prof. Pavlo Kutuyev, Chair of Sociology Department, KPI, moderated the lecture and Chapter 4 "Economic Growth and Japanese Management" of the DVD "Seven Chapters to Know Japanese Modernization" was used as a teaching material. Experts and personnel from Japanese companies had a panel discussion and there was a lively discussion with students. As the second cooperation following the Japan Center, which locates at KPI and was supported by JICA through technical cooperation from 2006 to 2011, KPI and JICA prepare for the continuous and full-scale implementation of the JICA chair.
JICA, in cooperation with neighboring countries of Western Balkans such as Bulgaria, is engaged to support socioeconomic development in the Western Balkans under the “Western Balkans Cooperation Initiative.”
In October 2020, as a memorable first activity of JICA chair, “JICA Development Studies Program,” Sofia University and JICA started an intensive course for learning Japan’s development experience at the department of Japanese Studies of Sofia University in Bulgaria, in cooperation with the Embassy of Japan in Bulgaria. This intensive course consists of nine lectures. Seven lectures were delivered by the lecturers of Sofia University by using video materials entitled "Seven Chapters on Japanese Modernization", which were jointly produced by JICA and the Open University of Japan last year, and two special online lectures were delivered by Japanese professors. The course was successfully implemented with a lively exchange of ideas, and left students good impression as they said it is significantly meaningful since they could learn Japan’s development experiences from various perspective views.
October 20, 2020
