On February 14, 2022, Akio Takahara, Director of JICA’s Sadako Ogata Institute for Peace and Development Studies (JICA Ogata Institute), participated in HAPIC2022, an online event organized by the Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation (JANIC), a networking organization for Japanese NGOs for international cooperation.
HAPIC is a conference that considers solutions to global social issues, and the 2022 event was the third. Director Takahara participated in the opening session, “Redesign: Japanese Diplomacy and International Cooperation in the U.S.-China Era: Japan’s Role in Protecting Democracy in Peril and Creating a Sustainable Society,” moderated by JANIC Executive Director Hideki Wakabayashi. He participated in the opening session, “Redesign – Japanese Diplomacy and International Cooperation in the Era of U.S. and China: What is Japan’s Role in Protecting Democracy and Creating a Sustainable Society in Crisis?
First, each speaker made a presentation, and Councilor Kono pointed out the need for Japan to play an “all-Japan” role in the current international society, which can be described as a new Cold War era of confrontation between the U.S. and China, not by military power but by demonstrating its comprehensive strength through cooperation among the government, industry, NGOs, etc. and also by utilizing the attractiveness of Japanese culture and other elements. The need for Japan to play an “all-Japan” role was also pointed out.
Akio Takahara, Director of JICA’s Ogata Institute, emphasized the importance of realizing “human security.
The Director of the Institute, Mr. Takahara, then emphasized that Japan has made “human security” a pillar of its foreign policy, and that in these times of heightened international anxiety due to the US-China conflict, the pandemic of the new coronavirus, and the increase in natural disasters caused by climate change, the realization of human security, “protecting human life, protecting human livelihood, and protecting human dignity,” is now more important than ever before. He stressed that the realization of human security, which “protects human life, livelihood, and dignity,” has become more important than ever. He added, “In an increasing number of countries with unstable political situations, civil society is expected to play an active role in situations where support at the national level is limited due to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of nations. In such cases, cooperation between NGOs and researchers may be able to provide more appropriate assistance,” he said. He also spoke of the need to continue to maintain diplomatic relations with China, and to persistently adopt the two stances of “getting angry where we should be angry,” in addition to continuing dialogue.
Mr. Saruta pointed out that international cooperation is an activity that aims at peace and security for all humankind and environmental preservation, which are two different dimensions of security, including national defense and deterrence, but that the boundary between the two has become blurred in recent years. Rather than unifying international cooperation and security, it is necessary to value the perspective of the long-term benefits that international cooperation has for the Japanese people,” he said. He also stressed that, although emphasis on human rights and human rights diplomacy have been called for as part of measures against China, we should realize genuine respect for human rights, rather than an opportunistic focus on human rights.
Commenting from the viewpoint of civil society, President Motoki said, “NGO activities, in addition to solving social issues, have the aspect of promoting internal development from a long-term perspective, such as human resource development. The good thing about civil society is that it works steadily from a local perspective to build a society where people can care for each other. The creation of civil society networks that transcend the logic of nations and capital is important for enhancing global resilience,” he said.
Discussions that followed covered a variety of topics, including Japan’s unique approach to diplomacy and international cooperation, the need to create strategies to bring about good governance, national support for fostering NGOs and NPOs, and the exchange of human resources between the public and private sectors. Among them, Institute Director Takahara commented, “The concept of human security is so broad that it is difficult to grasp its contours, but the basic idea is ’empowerment’ to enhance people’s ability and initiative to counter various threats. In order to expand the concept of human security, it is necessary to examine how, for example, JICA’s projects can improve the capacity and initiative of people in developing countries. In doing so, it is important to focus on the ‘intrinsic power’ of the local people themselves,” he commented. Each speaker concluded the session by confirming that the key to the development of Japan’s diplomacy and international cooperation lies in the exchange and mobility of human resources in the public and private sectors, and the importance of coordination and cooperation among various sectors.
© Source JICA