Human Security and Communications(HC)

Human Security has been defined as "freedom from fear, freedom from want." In this Program, in order to examine policy issues, the dynamic of "co-existence" and exchange among different cultures as well as local efforts for the promotion and protection of human security at the community and individual levels are researched.

The diversity of nation-state systems, of economic systems at different levels of development, of differing linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and of historical experiences are our common themes for research. These are pursued within each Research Project in order to go beyond previous frameworks to develop ways of finding solutions, in the following ways.

  1. We focus on a group of policy issues that relate to Human Security -- development policy, welfare policy, language policy -- as well as expression, communication, and education issues related to the normative realm of human activities and their complex interrelations. (These include uses of multimedia and digital technology.)
  2. We focus on solutions not as monopolized only by the public forms of government, but also through persons ranging from transnational groups to diverse regional groups and from the household to the individual levels, and including all creative activities of human beings.
  3. From the above perspectives, we see that new policy innovations are required for Japan, whose population continues to shrink, and also for the East Asia - Pacific countries that have large and dynamic populations yet are still burdened with development problems. These, along with expanding inter-regional unity and the interlinking of the EU, are the specific fields we look at.

Affiliated Projects

  • Development Networks in Japan, Asia and North Pacific （JANP1）
  • Sustainable Development （JANP2）
  • Contemporary Socio-Cultural Research Project
  • IT and the Learning Environment Project
  • Language Education Design  Project
  • Studies of Modern Society
  • Assessment and Evaluation Project

Graduate School of Media and Governance > Registration Numbers of Graduation Project

Faculty Members (as of April, 2013)

Note: "*" indicate the members of the graduate school committee; "◎" the Program chairperson.

Name Title
Research Interest(S)
* AOKI, Setsuko
Professor Space Law, International Law
* HIKAMI, Tadashi Professor Chinese Classical Literature, Chinese Traditional Opera
* HIRATAKA, Fumiya Professor Foreign Language Education (German and Japanese as a Second Language), Sociolinguistics
* HORI,Shigeki Professor  History of Western Thought, French Studies, French Literature
* KOISHI, Atsuko Professor FLE, Linguistique, Politique Linguistique Educative, SLA
* KUNIEDA, Takahiro Professor French Literature, French Language Education
* NOMURA, Toru Professor Malay-Indonesian language, History of Southeast Asia(esp. history of Malay world.), History of Railways
* OGUMA, Eiji Professor Historical Sociology
SHIRAI,Hiromi Associate Professor  Germanistik, Pragmatics, Discourse Analysis
SUGIHARA, Yumi
Associate Professor
 Japanese Education as a Second Languages, Conversation Analysis
*◎ THIESMEYER, Lynn Professor Asian Rural Development, Gender and Development, Social Theory
*UMEGAKI, Michio Professor Comparative Modernization, International Relations, Human Security
* WARAGAI, Ikumi Professor Germanistik, Didaktik

Sub-member

Name Title
Research Interest(S)
* HIROSE, Yoko
Associate Professor International　Politics, Comparative Politics, Political Development Studies, The Transcaucasus Area Studies
* JIMBO, Ken Associate Professor International Security, Security in Asia-Pacific, Regionalism in East Asia, Japan's Defense and Security Policy
* INOSHITA, Osamu Professor Higher Education,Social Psychology, Qualitative social research method, Cross-cultural Education
* KAMO, Tomoki Associate Professor Chinese Area Studies, Comparative Politics(comparative legislatures of authoritarian regimes), International Relations(East Asia)
* TAJIMA, Eiichi Professor The Study on China, Especially on Chinese Civil Society, Public Religions, and Chinese Christian Associations
* WATANABE, Yorizumi Professor International Political Economy, GATT/WTO Law, Trade Policy, European Integration
* YAN, Wanglin Professor GIS, Urban and Regional Environment, Sustainability Science

Participating Faculty members in other faculties or graduate schools:

Name Title
Research Interest(S)
BAMBANG, Rudyanto Lecturer -                                                                                                            
MATSUIE, Masahi
Guest Professor Creative Writing, Editorial Publicity Research

Faculty Profile

Possibilities after Graduation

Careers include international organizations, development consulting, local regional government, private think tanks, general corporations, journalism, printed/audiovisual media and education. This Program also trains researchers for fields such as developmental social studies, international economics, international organization theory, regional research theory, human security theory, foreign language education, lingual culture, communications, etc.