Our Mission

Concepts like Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding only recently began to enter popular discourse in Japan. The field of Peace and Conflict Studies that has emerged in the last half-century in many parts of the world is even less known here. Given Japan's distinctive 'peace constitution', one may expect that such notions would have already become deeply rooted amongst members of the Japanese public. However, there is widespread unsureness both domestically and internationally concerning the meanings of peace, if and how these can be achieved, and their relationship with the use of violence or military force by various types of actors.

Certain dominant powers, for example, insist on the legitimacy and even necessity of the liberal use of force for securing and maintaining 'peace' or what might more accurately be called 'order'. All of us must therefore face the question of whether we will simply adhere to this line of thinking, or alternatively, if we will instead consider such actions only after much more serious and creative attempts than we are used to are made to discover and confront the deep roots and complex dynamics of contemporary conflicts. In addition to finding more engaged and insightful ways to study, research, and understand specific violent conflicts and conflict more generally, I believe that this latter option compels us to also work towards a kind of politics and perspectives that privilege empathizing with victims of violence and oppression rather than focusing solely on our own perceived security threats or needs. Moreover, such knowledge and principles have to be translated into specific policy prescriptions and operational guidelines, as well as new types of organizations, programs, and projects that can address violent conflict and build and sustain peace.

Ideally, one day we will be able to detect and prevent widespread conflict, violence, and suffering, before it happens. At the least, we should be able to respond to such occurrences promptly, effectively, and justly. This requires the ability to analyze and understand each situation, as well as to lobby major actors and garner the requisite political will and economic and social resources for taking action. My hope is that through the PCS program and in conjunction with other organizations and similar programs around the world, we can help establish a strong network of professionals and even a worldwide movement for peace that can begin to make these ideal scenarios a reality. While our program is still relatively young, I deeply appreciate the efforts and enthusiasm of our past and present faculty, staff, and students, and I have very high hopes for the future.

Professor Kenji Isezaki, Director of PCS

Selected Former Positions

- Acting Director / Head of Tokyo Office, The Japan Center for Conflict Prevention

- Professor, Graduate Schoool of Social Design Studies, Rikkyo University, Japan

- Special Envoy of Japanese Government for Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) in Afghanistan

- Chief of DDR Section & Senior Advisor to the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General, United Nations Assistance Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL)

- District Transitional Administrator (Governor), United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET)

- Program Officer, Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Japan

- Manager, International Aid Coordination, Plan International Japan

- Country Director, Plan International Ethiopia, Kenya, and Sierra Leone

Our long-term mission at PCS is multidimensional, involving research, training, organizational development, and international cooperation.

First, we aim to contribute to the development of new ways of researching and understanding the dynamics of violent conflict, at the level of general theory but also at the level of specific conflicts or patterns of violence studied in their own unique contexts and with their unique historical trajectories. Building on the strengths of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies in languages, and area and international studies, and the diversity and experience of our faculty and especially our students, the PCS program stresses in-depth as well as comparative understanding of conflict-affected and conflict-prone regions.

Second, this understanding has to be applied and put into action to both address ongoing conflicts and to prevent future violence. PCS faculty and student research is therefore also focused on developing specific policy and operational responses. Moreover, a main concern of our graduate degree programs and especially our MA program is to train practitioners and activists who can work in various capacities and settings to put such ideas into action. Faculty are therefore tasked with assisting students to develop an applied perpspective and practical skills.

Third, we hope to develop and expand our position and impact within TUFS, both in terms of teaching and research, and to promote academic and research cooperation with other departments and programs within the university as well as with other universities in Japan and abroad. In addition, PCS will increasingly look to work with practitioners and operationally-focused organizations in mutually beneficial ways.

Lastly, as the university's first program conducted primarily in English, and one of the few such university-level social science programs in Japan, PCS is taking a leading role in the internationalization of the university and the forging of new international links and partners around issues of peace and conflict. Beyond the university, a key long-term goal of PCS is to contribute to international cooperation for peace by continuing to attract a diverse group of international students, by leveraging our alumni network, and through working with and promoting international governmental and non-governmental organizations.