JICA signed minutes of understanding with the Open University of Japan in 2019. Since then, the two organizations have been working to produce the content that serves as learning material on the modern history and experience of Japan. As part of such efforts, they produced a Japanese modernization lecture series program and began to broadcast it on the BS 231 channel of the Open University of Japan (also known as "BS Campus ex").
This program covers Japan’s modernization experiences from the closing years of the Edo period (1603-1867) to the Meiji period (1868-1912 and thereafter as well as the nation’s political history and experience after World War II. JICA president Dr. Shinichi Kitaoka and other prominent experts serve as lecturers, introducing all these Japanese experiences with ample historical material.
Going forward, JICA and the Open University of Japan will jointly produce subsequent series not only for foreigners to learn about Japan but also for Japanese citizens aspiring to play a part in the international community to better express Japan’s experiences and expertise in English.
| Lecture Titles | Lecturers |
|---|---|
| Prologue * YouTube: JICA Channel Prologue to "Seven Chapters on Japanese Modernization" |
|
| Chapter 1. Meiji Revolution: Start of Full-Scale Modernization (PDF/264KB) | Dr. Kitaoka Shinichi, President, JICA |
| Chapter 2. Rise and Fall of the Party Politics in Japan | Prof. Iokibe Kaoru, the University of Tokyo |
| Chapter 3. Japan after World War II (PDF/316KB) | Prof. Tanaka Akihiko, President, GRIPS |
| Chapter 4. Economic Growth and Japanese Management (PDF/265KB) | Prof. Itami Hiroyuki, President, International University of Japan |
| Chapter 5. Educational Development in Modernization in Japan (PDF/259KB) | Dr. Kayashima Nobuko, Senior Vice President, JICA |
| Chapter 6. From ‘Asia and Japan’ to ‘Japan in Asia’ (PDF/261KB) | Dr. Shiraishi Takashi, President, Prefectural University of Kumamoto |
| Chapter 7. A Japanese Approach to International Cooperation (PDF/263KB) | Prof. Kato Hiroshi, International University of Japan |
| Chapter 8. Intellectual and Social Aspects of Modernization in Japan (PDF/427KB) | Prof. Matsuda Koichiro, Rikkyo University |
| Chapter 9. Modern Japan and the Wars Part1 (PDF/506KB) , Part2 (PDF/327KB) | Dr. Kitaoka Shinichi, President, JICA |
| Chapter 10. Japan and Modern International Law (PDF/249KB) | Prof. Kanehara Atsuko, Sophia University |
| Chapter 11. Modernization of Japan’s Administrative System | Prof. Makihara Izuru, the University of Tokyo |
| Chapter 12 Development of Industries and Industrial Policy | Prof. Okazaki Tetsuji, The University of Tokyo |
| Chapter 13 Modernization in Japan-The Fiscal and Monetary Field（PDF/568KB） | President Watanabe Hiroshi, Institute for International Monetary Affairs |
| Chapter 14 The Road to a Nation of Science and Technology（PDF/452KB） | Dr. Hasegawa Mariko, President, The Graduate University of Advanced Studies |
| Chapter 15 Public Health and Health Systems in Japan a Historical Review（PDF/268KB） | Emeritus Prof. Aoyama Atsuko, Nagoya University |
* Prologue QR code
Prologue to "Seven Chapters on Japanese Modernization" (YouTube, External Link)