Kihara-Hunt succeeds Professor Katsumi Ishizuka who had completed his term as the Secretary-General at the end of March and Mr. Shintaro Higashiyama who acted ad interim until his departure for Bangladesh on an IOM assignment.
Management Committee of the Global Peacebuilding Association of Japan held to take up membership and other issues. Please check below for detail.
At its annual meeting of the General Assembly of the Peacebuilding Research Association of Japan (PRAJ) on 6th December 2014, Professor Katsumi Ishizuka of Kyoei University was appointed as the Secretary-General of PRAJ. He had earlier been appointed as acting Secretary-General after the departure of Mr. Yasuki Uchiyama for his study in England. Professor Ishizuka teaches in the Department of International Business Management at Kyoei University, Japan. He obtained a PhD at Keele University, England, in 2000. His research interests include UN peacekeeping operations and peace-building. He wrote several books including “The History of Peace-building in East Timor” (New Delhi: Cambridge University Press India, 2010). The General Assembly of PRAJ re-elected Professor Sukehiro Hasegawa as its President, and it also approved that Professors Satoru Kurosawa and Takaaki Mizuno continue in office as members on the Board of Directors. Then, the Assembly elected Professors Daisaku Higashi, Eiji Oyamada and Masako Yonekawa to the new directors.
On 1 March 2014, the General Assembly of the Peacebuilding Research Association held at Hosei University adopted its constitution and elected Mr. Yasuki Uchiyama as its new Secretary General. The General Assembly also elected five members of the Board of Directors, Mr. Katsumi Ishizuka, Mr. Satoru Kurosawa, Ms. Chika Saito, Mr. Sukehiro Hasegawa and Mr. Takaaki Mizuno. Professor Sukehiro Hasegawa was voted to continue as the President of the Association.
The inaugural session of the Heiwa Kochiku Kenkyu Kai (H3K – Peacebuilding Research Group) was held at Hosei University on April 20th. The group is led under the direction of Special Advisor to the President of Timor-Leste, Professor Sukehiro Hasegawa, and managed by students and professionals in and around the Tokyo area. Aiming to broaden their own understandings of peacebuilding and share their learning with the wider world, the group has decided to hold both study sessions led by students and seminars with prominent guest speakers. The first session held on 20 April was divided into two subjects. In the first, Professor Yasunobu Sato of Tokyo University’s Graduate School spoke on the issue of human security. Mr. Sato explained the multifaceted nature of the field, which encompasses a vast range of issues from protection from diseases to disasters. Mr. Shogo Yoshida, who serves as the group’s Secretary General, also spoke on the writings of scholars in this important field. In the second session, Mr. Hideki Hayashi of the Japan Peacekeeping Training&Research Center of the Joint Staff College, and Associate Professor Yuji Uesugi of Waseda University shared their perspectives on the protection of civilians within United Nations peacekeeping missions. Both sessions allowed for members to present questions and engage in discussion. (Jason Pratt)
The organizational meeting for the establishment of a Peacebuilding Study Group (PBSG) was held on 2nd March 2013 at Hosei University. The meeting was attended by eleven persons from Hosei University and other institutions. First, we identified the roles and functions of respective persons. The meeting asked Professor Sukehiro Hasegawa to act as Chairman and took note of Professor Yuji Suzuki`s agreement to act as an Advisor. The meeting then agreed to the following persons to perform respective roles: Mr. Shogo Yoshida, Secretary-General; Messrs. Norimasa Tochibayashi and Taichiro Fujino for planning and organization of the study meetings; Messrs. Kazuo Watanabe and Yusuke Noda for the management of general affairs; Ms. Asami Ikeda, for public relations; Ms. Masumi Asano for liaison with guest speakers; Ms. Saki Sakamoto for liaison with other universities; and Mr. Yasuki Uchiyama for contacting the Faculty of Law, the International Center and other departments within Hosei University. Second, we have conducted the hearing from each member to share their ideas and views concerning the PSG’s purposes and roles, and discussed how to make this organization as an integrated institution so that we can achieve specific outcomes and achievements. Thirdly, we also discussed the process of the forthcoming seminar which will be held on 20th April and 11th May 2013. (Asami Ikeda)