Program Overview

Introduction to the Graduate School of International Cultural Studies

The Graduate School of International Cultural Studies at Tohoku University is a prestigious institution that offers a comprehensive education in international cultural studies. The school's curriculum is designed to provide students with a deep understanding of the complex relationships between cultures, economies, and societies in the globalized world.

Division of International Political Economy Studies

The Division of International Political Economy Studies is a key component of the Graduate School of International Cultural Studies. This division focuses on the study of international political economy, with a particular emphasis on the relationships between politics, economics, and society in the globalized world.

Overview of the Division

The Division of International Political Economy Studies is committed to providing students with a comprehensive education in international political economy. The division's faculty members are renowned experts in their fields, and they offer a wide range of courses that cover topics such as international relations, global governance, and economic development.

Research Areas

The division's research areas include:

• International political economy
• Global governance
• Economic development
• Environmental studies
• Resource management

Specialized Courses

The division offers a range of specialized courses, including:

• European and Asian international relations
• International society theory
• Global governance theory
• Resource recycling and environmental systems
• Project risk management
• Regional planning and development
• International political economy
• International economic policy
• Law and international issues

Faculty Members

The division's faculty members include:

• Liu Jeongsoo, Professor
  • Research themes: comprehensive waste management, resource recycling, and sustainable development
• Ikeda Ryo, Professor
  • Research themes: international political history, European and Asian cold war history, and comparative research on colonial and decolonization policies
• Katsumata Hiroshi, Associate Professor
  • Research themes: international relations in East Asia, norm diffusion in international society, and international relations theory
• Okubo Kazuaki, Associate Professor
  • Research themes: civil engineering planning, decision-making under uncertainty, and circular economy and machine learning
• Matsumoto Asuka, Lecturer
  • Research themes: global governance theory, American politics and diplomacy, and international public opinion
• Manago Gaku, Assistant Professor
  • Research themes: international cooperation in environmental engineering, water and sanitation environments in developing countries, and sustainable recycling technology development
• Liu Xiaoyue, Assistant Professor
  • Research themes: environmental policy, sustainable resource recycling, and recycling cooperation behavior

Master's Theses

The division's master's theses cover a wide range of topics, including:

• International political economy
• Global governance
• Economic development
• Environmental studies
• Resource management

Examples of Master's Theses

• A study on the UK's Middle East policy during the Fourth Middle East War
• An analysis of the potential of biomass energy for constructing new energy supply systems
• A study on the challenges and policy proposals for plastic container packaging recycling systems
• A case study on social experiments in supermarkets for constructing effective plastic recycling methods
• An environmental impact assessment of e-commerce businesses, focusing on JD.com in China
• A forecast of lithium battery volume and recyclability, focusing on ternary lithium batteries and lithium iron phosphate batteries in vehicles
• A study on Britain and the Konfrontasi, focusing on the China factor in UK policymaking
• A study on the characteristics and challenges of Chinese recycling businesses in Japan, focusing on plastic recycling
• An integrated approach to solid waste management in Indonesia, focusing on plastic waste treatment at the municipal level

Doctoral Theses

The division's doctoral theses cover a wide range of topics, including:

• International political economy
• Global governance
• Economic development
• Environmental studies
• Resource management

Examples of Doctoral Theses

• A study on technonationalism and the semiconductor industry in Northeast Asia, focusing on Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan
• A study on new sustainability education for human resource development in regional revitalization, focusing on comparative analysis of SDGs education between Japan and South Korea
• A proposal for a new recycling system to improve resource recovery efficiency for general waste, focusing on the relationship between waste administration and recycling companies' resource waste collection systems.