The importance of understanding
the logic of China’s external actions

Detecting challenges in China's sports environment

In China, Japanese high school soccer and baseball tournaments are very popular, and many young people watch them through streaming sites such as YouTube. However, there is no custom of club activities in Chinese high schools, and there are no opportunities to compete with other schools or to engage in international exchanges. Due to this, when I was a high school student, I decided to plan and carry out Beijing's first high school soccer tournament based on Japanese tournaments. This experiment was a great success and, and it is a popular tournament that continues to be held with significant growth.

This experience instilled in me a dream of playing in a larger arena in Asia and a new goal of solving problems in my home country. I decided to change my plan to study in the U.S., and switched to go to Japan to study abroad and pursue higher education. I ultimately decided to study at the Faculty of Policy Management of SFC, which offers the GIGA Program that allows students to earn credits in English. At that point, I had little idea what I could actually study to get closer to my goal. Upon entering the university, I found that SFC allowed me to take classes in both English and Japanese regardless of the type of entrance examination, and that interdisciplinary studies were possible. This enabled me to actively pursue my studies while freely taking subjects in both Japanese and English since I first began as an undergraduate student. This was a great advantage in brushing up my English and learning Japanese.

An objective look at my home country China from the perspective of international relations

After I started my undergraduate studies at SFC, I first focused my studies on the sports industry. Next, as I was studying international relations and area studies, I began to objectively see the characteristics of my home country of China and became more interested in China itself. In my third year, I joined Professor Tomoki Kamo's laboratory and began to study China in earnest.

My interest in China was sparked by the politics of the Middle East, which I learned about in class. My interest stemmed from the fact that China had experienced a long period of warfare like the Middle East, but had succeeded in rebuilding its state, forming its identity, and modernizing its governance after the warfare. Why was modern governance possible in China, unlike the Middle East? Such questions were my entry point into Chinese studies. The focus of my research has shifted from the reform of the sports environment in my home country, which was my original research theme when I first entered the university, to the politics of China in general, including international relations. I feel that one of the greatest advantages of SFC was being able to freely change my research topic to suit my expanded perspective.

My research themes in the master's program ranged from China's own government organization, such as the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, to river governance taking into account multiple borders, and even the tactics used by Chinese bureaucratic agencies in the construction of the Nujiang Dams. I received concrete feedback from the professors on each topic. This deeply supportive environment allowed me to broaden my research while deepening my understanding of specific fields.

Exposure to the charismatic authority of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)

My doctoral research theme was "Navigating Change in Governance: The Evolution of State Institutions in China from the Deng Era Onwards." This research aims to understand how the Chinese government bureaucracy has survived and evolved in the post-Mao era.

For the Mao Zedong regime (1949-1976), which ended with the Cultural Revolution, the challenge was to transform the CCP from a revolutionary party to a governing party and to successfully build a state in which the party organization could vertically control the rank and file and horizontally control the frontier regions of China. After the Mao Zedong regime, the CCP has continued to search for ways to govern the nation as a governing party. In particular, since Deng Xiaoping's economic reforms in 1978, the CCP has moved toward a blend of charismatic and legal authority, including term limits for heads of state and tighter laws. However, the transition to legal authority has not taken place.

How can the CCP justify and maintain the charismatic authority that it has been defending in modern China, where integration with the international community has progressed and the economy, media, and public opinion have become more influential? How can it reform the State Council, the policy execution body, to enhance the nation's governance capacity? I intend to analyze in detail the interplay of political and social factors behind this process and clarify the relationships and processes involved.

China studies building bridges around the world

I am currently working as a TA (Teaching Assistant） for both undergraduate and graduate classes on international politics and area studies. In the future, I would like to teach at the university level and share with my students the wonderful aspects of China studies. Learning about a country with a different political system will help students reaffirm the importance of democracy.

Reading and analyzing the reality of Chinese politics and understanding social interactions and other aspects of Chinese politics help to grasp the logic of China's external actions. I believe that by conveying this knowledge worldwide, it is possible to contribute to smooth diplomatic communication.

It has been seven years since I entered SFC, but I still maintain the same passion for solving social issues that I had when I first enrolled. I have learned a lot at SFC, and my questions have become more specific. The more I learn, the more new perspectives I gain and the more challenges I face. Among them, the correlation between the CCP, the Chinese government, and Chinese society is still a major theme. I would like to continue my research on Chinese politics going forward.

Introduction of Laboratory