JICA Ogata Research Institute Share Findings at the 32nd JASID Annual Conference

The 32nd Japan Society for International Development (JASID) Annual Conference was held online (hosted by Kanazawa University) over two days, from Nov. 20 to 21, 2021. Sessions covering various topics such as education, medicine, health, agriculture, post-disaster restoration, COVID-19, civil society and peace were held. Researchers from the JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development (JICA Ogata Research Institute) presented their findings. A summary of the presentations given by each research cluster is provided below.

In the Education II Session (Japanese), Kayashima and Sugimura Miki, JICA Ogata Research Institute Visiting Fellow and professor at Sophia University, gave a presentation on “Japan’s ODA Scholarship Programs for International Students: Kokuhi Scholarship and JICA Scholarship,” based on the outcomes of the JICA Ogata Research Institute research project “Japan’s Development Cooperation: A Historical Perspective.” The history of international student mobility to Japan through the ODA scheme was discussed while examining changes in Japan’s political intents and the worldwide economic and geopolitical environment surrounding international student mobility. Furthermore, the roles and characteristics of Kokuhi Scholarships (Japanese Government Scholarships) and JICA Scholarship were articulated through a statistical analysis. The commentators touched on topics including the degree of political intent attainment, the attractiveness of studying in Japan from the perspective of developing countries, and the relationship between the acceptance of international students and the globalization of universities. Active discussion followed.

In the Environment and Restoration session, Adachi Ichiro, executive senior research fellow, was the chair, while Ishiwatari Mikio, a JICA senior advisor, served as a commentator. Case study reports on international cooperation in environmental and restoration (disaster prevention) fields were made, and the importance of utilizing the capacity of recipient countries was discussed by analyzing cases of peatland management and disaster restoration support in Asian countries. Ishiwatari pointed out the importance and difficulty of making study reports based on case analyses of practices and suggested the need for further advanced research. The session was closed by Adachi, saying that the importance of cooperation with a bottom-up approach, catered to the situation of the recipient country, has been confirmed.

Shiga Hiroaki, executive senior research fellow spoke at the roundtable titled “Exploring the Interface Between Research and Practice: Research x Practice Committee Roundtable,” hosted by the Research x Practice Committee which was established by JASID to facilitate collaboration between researchers and practitioners in the development field. To raise a question, he asked, “When we say ‘collaboration between research and practice,’ we normally mean providing the right answers to highly specific needs at the frontline based on scientific methods by researchers. While it is necessary for researchers to address agendas set by practitioners, isn’t something the other way round also important? That is, isn’t it important more than ever for researchers to raise fundamental questions from highly abstract perspectives against the agendas set by practitioners and the existing concepts they rely on?”