Transdisciplinary Humanosphere Research

To nurture the next generation of trans and interdisciplinary researchers, we will recruit excellent young researchers from Japan and around the world, with particular emphasis on Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe and the United States, and promote the “brain circulation” of younger researchers by encouraging their participation in transdisciplinary humanosphere research, advancement of their own research agenda, and the planning and organizing of international workshops.

“Transdisciplinary research” is research that seeks resolutions to the various issues that have arisen from complex factors seen in 21st century international society and aims to realize a sustainable society based on coexistence through a wide-ranging mobilization of diverse knowledge and technologies from industry, government, academia and civil society, surpassing academic fields and disciplines.

A wide array of disciplines is covered by “transdisciplinary research.” We will support research in environmental issues, natural resource governance, rural development, economic development and income distribution, democratization, political change, population ageing, health, welfare, urbanization, depopulation, infectious diseases, disasters, and others.

We supported the following six studies in the 2017 academic year.

1. “Building Effective Electoral Strategies in An Urban Constituency of Myanmar”
   （NAKANISHI, Yoshihiro　Electoral strategies group）
2. “Mapping for Understanding Political Economic Landscape”
   （OKAMOTO, Masaaki　Mapping group）
3. “Preliminary investigation into Soil degradation and socio-economic impacts on marginal upland communities in Leyte, Philippines”
   （LOPEZ, Mario Ivan　Soil Degradition group）
4. “A Transdisciplinary Approach by the Association of Asian Village Studies:From the Field Study in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, in 2017”
   （YANAGISAWA, Masayuki　People in Sea Area group）
5. “Why areTerritorialDisputes Persistent?; A Thai-Cambodian Case”
   （CHACHAVALPONGPUN, Pavin　Territorial disputes group）
6. “A qualitative study on eating habits of meats and a quantitative study on enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) in retail beef in Lebanon; a comparison with the results obtained in Indonesia and Thailand”
   （NISHIBUCHI, Mitsuaki　Food safety group）

We supported the following nine studies in the 2016 academic year.

1. “Research into the Foundations of Health in Japan, Southeast Asia and Surrounding Countries”
   （SAKAMOTO, Ryota　Medical group）
2. Studies on Enteric Infections and Moquito-mediated Infections Aiming at “Beyond the Boundaries of Southeast Asia and Disciplinary”
   （NISHIBUCHI, Mitsuaki　Food safety group）
3. Toward the Regeneration of Tropical Peatland Societies: Transformability of Environmentally Vulnerable Societies and Establishment of an International Research Network
   （MIZUNO, Kosuke　Peat swamp group）
4. “Political and Societal Changes in Southeast Asia by the Utilization of ICT”
   （OKAMOTO, Masaaki ICT group）
5. “Global Disaster Prevention Research Suitable for Southeast Asian Regions”
   （YAMAMOTO, Hiroyuki・NISHI, Yoshimi　Disaster prevention group）
6. Seeking Possibilities in Environmental Reclamation of the Post Tin Mining Site in Indonesia
   （ITOH, Masayuki　Environmental remediation group）
7. 「Development of Humanosphere Potentiality Index Database」
   （LOPEZ, Mario Ivan　VDP/HUMANOSPHERE POTENTIALITY INDEX）
8. 「Land Investments and Community-based Environmental Governance in Laos and Myanmar 」
   （Kenney-Lazar Miles Richard　Environmental governance group）
9. Varidation of Environmental Impact on human-induced disturbance of wetland ecosystems
   （SHIODERA, Satomi）