[I-House Press] Ridashippu to kokusaisei (Leadership and Internationalism)

Ridashippu to kokusaisei
[Leadership and Internationalism]
Edited by Nitobe Kokusai Juku, International House of Japan

Japanese edition (partially in English) / 2009
304 pages / paper
ISBN 978-4-903452-15-9
1,676 yen / Special price*: 1,172 yen (inclusive of tax)
*Special price is applicable for IHJ members.

sold out

Why has Japan’s presence in the international community declined in recent years? That is not only because the Japanese economy has been less and less influential, but because there are fewer and fewer Japanese “internationalists” who can play a leadership role.

The Nitobe Juku (now renamed the Nitobe Kokusai Juku) was launched in 2008 to foster a new generation of leaders committed to enhancing the public interest from a broad perspective and able to function in an international environment.

This collection of lectures, given at the 2008 Nitobe Juku by ten eminent professionals from academia, journalism, and international organizations, constitutes a “bible” for aspiring young internationalists as well as anyone concerned with Japan’s future role as a member of international society.

Lecturers of the Nitobe Juku include:
Akashi Yasushi (Principal of Nitobe Juku; former UN Undersecretary General)
“The Need for More Japanese Able to Work in an International Environment”
Aoki Tamotsu (Commissioner for Cultural Affairs)
“The Basic Character of Postwar Japanese Culture and Its Development”
Funabashi Yoichi (Editor in Chief, Asahi Shimbun)
“How to Nitobe—Learning from Meiji Softpower”
Oshima Kenzo (Vice President, Japan International Cooperation Agency)
“Diplomacy and International Cooperation as a Profession”
Tsurumi Shunsuke (Philosopher)
“Tsurumi Shunsuke Speaks on Modern Japanese History
Surely few Japanese have striven as hard as Nitobe Inazo to become a person who could freely move in international society. The Institute of Pacific Relations (IPR) was one place for him to work for the bridging of Japan and the world, but that hope was shattered by World War II. Then Matsumoto Shigeharu and John D. Rockefeller III, who both were at IPR in prewar times, met again in devastated Tokyo after the war and built the I-House, which now has produced the Nitobe Juku providing practical opportunities for young internationalists. I cannot but hope that it will bring forth new leaders for the coming ages.

—Iokibe Makoto, President, National Defense Academy of Japan