Ten Years of Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM)

On the occasion of ASEM’s tenth anniversary, the Foreign Ministries of Finland and Japan sponsored a research project, “ASEM’s Role in Enhancing Asia-Europe Cooperation: Ten Years of Achievements and Future Challenges,” to evaluate the ASEM process and explore future possibilities.

Research Project on the Invigoration of International Cooperation NGOs

Commissioned by the Tokyo Foundation, JCIE conducted a research project to explore policies for revitalizing Japanese NGOs involved in international cooperation activities. The project examined the necessary steps for Japanese NGOs in this field to become a strong presence in Japanese society with the aim of producing concrete recommendations concerning policy measures toward that end.

Exploring Kyushu’s International Strategy

In 2007, JCIE began research on “International Relations at the Local Level in Japan: Exploring Kyushu’s International Strategy.” The study focused on the relationship between Kyushu and its Asian neighbors in light of the proposed amalgamation of Japan’s prefectures through the introduction of a new “regional system.”

An Enhanced Agenda for US-Japan Partnership

JCIE and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership undertook a study to explore how bilateral cooperation can be deepened in order to face common challenges, strengthen regional and global stability and prosperity, and, ultimately, make the US-Japan alliance more robust and versatile in light of wide-ranging developments that had begun to reshape Asia at the start of the 20th century.

A Gender Agenda: Asia-Europe Dialogue

A Gender Agenda was conceived to facilitate a dialogue on broad gender issues between two major regions of the world, Asia and Europe. The project aimed to foster discussion on the issue of gender mainstreaming and to act as one forum for international exchange on gender issues at the civil society level.

An Intellectual Dialogue on Building Asia’s Tomorrow

In a May 1998 speech, the late Keizo Obuchi expressed his concern for the human toll that economic crisis was taking in East Asia, calling for the mobilization of intellectual resources to respond to these consequences. His initiative resulted in the creation of An Intellectual Dialogue on Building Asia’s Tomorrow, launched by JCIE in collaboration with the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS).

ASEAN-Japan Dialogue

In 1977, JCIE initiated the ASEAN-Japan Dialogue to address salient issues in the ASEAN-Japan bilateral relationship. The project was organized in six phases over the period of fifteen years, and the subjects under study included the roles of trade and investment in the development of ASEAN countries, ASEAN-Japan mutual perceptions, and the concept of a Pacific community.

APPC Survey: Governance, Organizational Effectiveness and the Nonprofit Sector

The Asia Pacific Philanthropy Consortium (APPC) was launched in 1994 as an informal network of like-minded institutions that support the growth and development of Asian grantmaking philanthropies. JCIE served as the focal point within Japan for coordinating APPC activities in Japan. It has since been acquired by Give2Asia.

ASEAN-Japan Strategic Partnership and Regional Community Building

This project aimed to study the role and contributions of ASEAN-Japan Partnership in promoting regional community building in Southeast Asia and East Asia, as well as in contributing to global governance. It explored the framework of Japan-ASEAN partnership in ASEAN, Japan’s role in promoting the integration of ASEAN and Japan, and ways in which Japan-ASEAN cooperation can contribute to the creation of an East Asian community.

ASEAN-Japan Cooperation in East Asia Community Building

2003 marked several important anniversaries for the ASEAN-Japan relationship and was designated as the “ASEAN-Japan Exchange Year.” In order to explore ways to strengthen the ASEAN-Japan partnership as a step toward building an East Asian regional community, JCIE held two workshops in 2003 on the theme of “ASEAN-Japan Cooperation in East Asia Community Building”.