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Hiroshima City University to enhance peace studies

by Uzaemonnaotsuka Tokai, Staff Writer

On January 5, it was learned that Hiroshima City University (HCU), anticipating the transition of public universities to independent administrative corporations in April, will include in its medium-term plan by fiscal 2015 the relocation of the university's research unit of the Hiroshima Peace Institute (HPI), located in Naka Ward, to the university campus in Asaminami Ward. The HPI will enhance its role as an institution of higher learning in the A-bombed city of Hiroshima and pursue developing a program that will enable students to obtain a degree in "peace studies."

HCU, which has set up an evaluation committee comprised of external experts, is developing the medium-term draft plan for the six years after its transition to an independent administrative agency. Regarding the HPI, HCU will stipulate its intention to relocate the institute to the university campus, which has faculties of international studies, information sciences, and art, as well as graduate schools.

A concrete schedule, including the timing of the relocation, is not yet available and, according to the General Affairs Division of the HCU Administrative Office, "The project planning for each fiscal year, including financial matters, will now be worked out." HCU is set to finalize the medium-term draft plan in mid-February and seek the approval of Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba by July.

In regard to peace studies, the HPI and the graduate school will work together to establish a curriculum with the aim of granting degrees, both master's degrees and doctoral degrees, and improving lectures in English to create appealing classes for overseas students. According to the HPI, there are presently no universities in the Chugoku region where students can obtain a degree in peace studies.

HCU opened in 1994. The HPI was established in an office building in downtown Hiroshima in April 1998. In July 2004, the HPI moved to another building nearby and has been occupying the building's 9th and 10th floors, a total of 1,300 square meters. Along with HPI President Motofumi Asai, a total of 11 researchers, including professors, associate professors, and assistant professors, are working for the institute. After the HPI is relocated to the university's main campus, HCU will consider setting up a satellite campus to offer lecture courses targeted at adults and senior citizens in the space currently occupied by the HPI.

Keywords

Peace studies
In peace studies, the causes of conflict and war, measures to prevent their occurrence, as well as the challenges involved in peacekeeping, are examined and researched from various perspectives, including law, political science, and international relations. Research in peace studies has advanced mainly at U.S. and European universities. In Japan, a degree in peace studies can be earned at the graduate school of Keisen University in Tokyo.

(Originally published on January 6, 2010)

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