During your university years, you will be able to challenge, deepen, and broaden your interests. Please follow the “exciting things” in your heart as your compass. Please participate in study abroad and overseas programs while you are in school. And make friends all over Japan and all over the world. Let’s learn English. Foreign languages, including English, bring me a place and freedom not found in Japan (language). And, as there is a saying, “The personal is political.”, I realize that what I am worried about now may actually be related to social and global issues. I would like you to notice it through learning. I believe that this learning will give you freedom and power, and make you think about how to improve society. Let’s deepen our learning together and connect it to action.

I studied development studies at a graduate school in the UK, and after graduating, I worked in the field of development assistance. What sparked her interest in development and development assistance was an NGO overseas program she participated in in the Philippines during her undergraduate days. While I have enjoyed food, clothing, shelter, and education as a matter of course, I have met children who cannot go to elementary school, and ethnic minority people who have their own rich cultures but are discriminated against. I was shocked by the disparities and inequalities that arise just because people were born in different places. On the other hand, in front of the Filipino people who value human connection, I wondered whether people would be happy in Japan, which is said to be economically rich. How is it possible to live a better life (well-being), and what kind of contribution can I make to that end? These feelings that arose during that time form the foundation of my current research and education.

Research Interests: 1. Child Poverty 2. Development Assistance 3. NGO/NPO Support 4. Children’s Cafeteria 5. Social Capital 6. Philippines

I am interested in child poverty and support by private organizations, and I am conducting research while conducting fieldwork mainly targeting NGOs in the Philippines and children’s cafeterias in Japan. Before becoming a faculty member, I was involved in international cooperation and development assistance at international organizations such as FAO and UNICEF. Poverty is no longer just a problem for developing countries, but for developed countries, including Japan. In our classes, we will incorporate field experiences and testimonials, and we hope that you will develop an interest in common issues between Japan and the world, as well as international work and study abroad, and broaden your horizons.

As a mother of two children, I have experience with a society where child-raising households and working mothers are severely punished for raising children, a society where anyone can fall into poverty, gender (masculinity and femininity). Through education and research, I would like to tackle the social structure that creates poverty and the gender issues that underlie it, and work with everyone to create a better world where it is easy to raise children and make life easier for everyone.

Through an international comparison of private non-profit organizations working on child poverty issues in Japan, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom, we are working to explore support models for children and parents.

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