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Special Lecture at Kyushu University in cooperation with JICA Graduate School of Development Studies
Date: Friday, June 2, 2023
Location: Kyushu University
Lecturer: Shinichi Kitaoka, JICA Special Advisor
Main participants: Undergraduate and graduate students, including international students,
More than 200 faculty members, including Professor Kojima of the Graduate School of Legislative Studies
Background and Objectives
Kyushu University offers degree programs in English at 17 graduate schools in a wide range of fields from natural sciences such as science and engineering to social sciences and humanities such as law and economics, and accepts approximately 2,400 international students from all over the world. Kyushu University has been implementing the “Program for Understanding Japan” in collaboration with JICA’s Graduate School of Development Studies to help students from developing countries studying in Kyushu University’s various graduate schools systematically understand the history of Japan’s development and further deepen their understanding of different cultures. This special lecture was held as a part of this program.
Contents
On Friday, June 2, 2023, Special Advisor Shinichi Kitaoka delivered the “Program for Understanding Japan Special Lecture” mainly to international students, graduate students and Japanese students studying in international courses at Kyushu University.
The lecture, titled “Meiji Restoration: Start of Full-Scale Modernization,” explained the various reforms implemented by Japanese leaders during the Meiji Restoration, including the introduction of foreign knowledge and technology, and reforms in the promotion of human resources, The presentation introduced the history of Japan’s rapid modernization, including the introduction of foreign knowledge and technology, and reforms in the promotion of human resources.
The participating students, who were pursuing degrees in various fields such as law, engineering, and natural sciences, asked questions about the differences between the modernization and democratization processes in Japan and their own countries, and discussed the way forward for countries facing challenges in democratization.
JICA plans to continue to cooperate with students from developing countries studying in Japan through such lectures so that they can gain an understanding of Japan’s modernization beyond their own fields of specialization and contribute to the development of their home countries.
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