The workshop intends to approach contemporary Japan through the lens of 'governance', taking cognizance of past academic debates on this highly contested concept. After reviewing governance-related discussions in some selected fields in Japan and abroad, we hope to identify the problems and issues involved in the conceptualization and to locate state and society of contemporary Japan in this new perspective. This is our second institute-wide international symposium following the first one held in 2006, and is also the first international activity of our joint research project newly launched on the same topic.

9 : 30

Opening and Introduction

Akira Suehiro (Director, ISS)　　Kenji Hirashima (ISS)

10 : 00-11 : 30

Session: Welfare Governance
"The Future of Japanese Welfare State"

Margarita Estevez-Abe (Syracuse University, USA)

"Towards a New Food Governance?
: Food Policy Reform in Contemporary Japan"

Hiroko Takeda (University of Sheffield, UK)

DiscussantIwao Sato (ISS)

ModeratorMari Osawa (ISS)

11 : 40-12 : 50

Lunch

13 : 00-14 : 00

Session: Corporate Governance
"Corporate Ownership and Governance"

Wataru Tanaka (ISS)

DiscussantYupana Wiwattanakantang (National University of Singapore)

ModeratorMasaki Nakabayashi (ISS)

14 : 00-14 : 15

Coffee Break

14 : 15-16 : 15

Session: Governance in Asian, European, and Global Context
"Migrations and European Traditions of Governance"

Roland Czada (University of Osnabruck, Germany)

"Governance in Thailand"

Kasian Tejapira (Thammasat University, Thailand)

"The Interaction of WTO Governance and Legal Culture"

Colin Picker (University of New South Wales, Australia)

DiscussantJunji Nakagawa (ISS)

ModeratorKaoru Iokibe (ISS)

16 : 30-17 : 30

Podium Discussion:
Governance Approaches and Contemporary Japan

PanelistM. Osawa, M. Estevez-Abe, K. Tejapira, R. Czada

ModeratorK. Hirashima, Naofumi Nakamura (ISS)

Closing Remarks