Doctoral Program

Program Description

Globalization and major changes in the global environment are presenting modern society with increasingly diverse and complex challenges. Dealing with these challenges demands an advanced skillset—the ability to identify quickly and accurately the key issues from amidst complex phenomena, to apply sophisticated research skills to establish the relevant questions, and to synthesize expert knowledge from various fields to create a set of options for solutions. A choice must then be made from amongst the option set while building social consensus around that choice through communication, and the chosen option implemented expeditiously with an international perspective. Given this new level of complexity and diversity, it is hardly surprising that a growing ratio of international institution and government policy practitioners are doctorate-holders.

Responding to these social demands, our doctoral program trains students in the advanced research skills necessary to develop original questions from their research, construct and assess potential solutions that synthesize expert knowledge from various disciplines, and move these solutions quickly into practice with an international perspective, communicating with diverse stakeholders. Our graduates are policy professionals superbly equipped to handle specialist tasks and take the lead in core areas of society—whether they are leading policy development on diverse and complex social issues critical to state operation, representing the government in difficult international negotiations, leading international discussion at international organizations and research institutions, leading major multinational corporate projects that stimulate industry, or effecting social transformation as social entrepreneurs.

The program focuses on international finance and development and international security as areas where these social demands are particularly strong and where there is a need for close international partnership.

Research Areas

The doctoral program's main areas of focus are International Finance and Development, and International Security. As the nature of finance, development and security is such that even domestic policy implementation demands consideration about the impact of the international environment and of international partnership, the program deals with a broad spectrum of international public policy that includes domestic public policy in the context of the international environment and international partnerships.

Looking first at International Finance and Development, the globalization of economic activities and the swift transformation of social and political systems amidst rapid scientific and technological advance are increasing the need to address issues from a broad international perspective even when developing and operating financial and fiscal policy and trade and development policy. Taking an international and interdisciplinary perspective and drawing on the economic development experience particularly of Japan and other Asian countries, the program addresses public policy research grounded in the disciplines of Law and Politics and Economics in relation to the design and operation of financial and fiscal policy and trade and development policy, as well as the systemic frameworks underpinning these.

In relation to International Security, globalization and other changes in the international situation along with the growing complexity and sophistication of social systems and science and technology are bringing increasing diversity to the threats and risks that must be dealt with. Even in terms of traditional military security, the stable, fixed relations between countries that pertained during the Cold War have now become much more fluid, as can be observed in the involvement of non-state players, the frequency of civil wars and other conflicts, and new types of war. On the non-traditional security front too, we now need to address supply risks in relation to energy, food, water, mineral resources, and economic supply chains, environmental changes such as natural disasters and global warming, and safety and security risks associated with the use of science and technology. The juncture between security and development is also becoming increasingly important as recent cases of migration and political demography show. Again taking an international and interdisciplinary perspective, this component of the doctoral program addresses public policy research grounded in the disciplines of Law and Politics and Economics in relation to the security issues presented by increasingly diverse threats and risks, as well as the design and operation of risk management methods.

In addition, recognizing the key role played by science and technology in both these areas, the program also emphasizes interdisciplinary research that includes collaboration with the science and technology fields from a Law and Politics and Economics foundation.

Educational Program

Our educational program is designed to develop top-class professionals with not only advanced specialist research skills in their particular fields (either Economics or Law and Politics) but also interdisciplinary skills and practical skills with international application.

First, students undertake research in applied subjects within the two key areas of International Security and International Finance and Development. These subjects are primarily based on Economics and Law and Politics, comprising “International Finance and Development from an economics perspective”, “International Finance and Development from a politics perspective”, “International Finance and Development from a law perspective”, “International Security from a politics perspective”, “International Security from a law perspective” and “International Security from an economics perspective”.

To ensure an interdisciplinary perspective, the program also offers two subjects serving as a point of contact with the science and technology: “International Finance and Development from an interdisciplinary perspective” and “International Security from an interdisciplinary perspective”.

The next component is “Practical Research on International Public Policy”, designed to equip students with practical skills and taught by professors who are also career practitioners. This is an elective subject, and students will be advised by their supervisors whether or not they need to take the course based on their (practical) experience prior to entering the program.

Our educational program focuses on training students in the development of original research questions regarding the diverse and complex current society grounded in an international and interdisciplinary perspective, and in designing and implementing real-world research projects based on those questions. To that end, the course is jointly run by Economics and Law and Politics lecturers, and comprises two compulsory subjects: in the first year, a “Research Design Seminar” attended by students with a whole range of areas of expertise, and a Project Seminar in the second year. In the “Research Design Seminar”, students learn to recognize the different perspectives of different fields, learn to communication with experts in different fields and learn about research methods and research ethics. Each student also selects a research theme framed in such a way that they can explain it even to an experts in a different field. In the “Project Seminar”, students design and implement research projects related to real-world policy issues and present their results to diverse experts and stakeholders, receiving input and feedback from actual practitioners.

A key part of the program is doctoral thesis supervision premised on the student developing their research question and then engaging in a research project that includes a real-world component. Thesis preparation for the various majors is undertaken within the compulsory subject “International Public Policy Research”, with supervision under the charge of a main supervisor along with collaborating supervisors. Discussion among diverse students and faculty members, including practitioners, are also encouraged. In the final examination, policy implications of doctoral thesis and implementation challenge of those policies will be also discussed.

Both the “Research Design Seminar” and “Project Seminar”are conducted in English and all the requirements for students can be completed only in English.

Course Requirements

In order to complete the doctoral program at the Graduate School of Public Policy (GraSPP), you must be enrolled for 3 years and earn 20 course credits or more. In addition, you must complete the doctorate thesis supervised by one of the GraSPP professors.

Required courses (10 credits)

Course TitleCredits
International Public Policy Research 6
Research Design Seminar 2
Project Seminar 2

Elective courses (minimum of 10 credits)

International Finance and Development (Economics)

Economic Crisis 2
Poverty, Inequality and Development 2
International Financial Policy 2
Development Economics: Microeconomic Approach 2
Development Economics: Macroeconomic Approach 2
Advanced Development Economics 2
Monetary Policy 2
International Trade Policy 2
Central Banking 2
Advanced Money and Banking 2
Advanced Industrial Organization 2
Natural Resource and Environmental Economics 2

International Finance and Development (Politics)

Domestic Foundations of International Political Economy 2
Governance and Development 2
開発研究※ 2

International Finance and Development (Law)

国際経済法※ 2

International Finance and Development (interdisciplinary)

International Projects 2
International Intellectual Property Management 2
経済物理学※ 2

International Security (Politics)

Security Studies 2
New Dimensions of Security in the Risk Age 2
Insurgency and Counterinsurgency 2
Transformation of Warfare and Technology 2
International Conflict Study 2
Science, Technology and Public Policy 2
The Politics and Diplomacy of Contemporary China 2
International Politics in East Asia 2
Conflict Prevention and Post-Conflict Politics 2
国際政治経済の諸問題※ 2
アメリカ政治外交史※ 2

International Security (Law)

国際組織と法※ 2
国際人権法※ 2
国際環境・エネルギー法※ 2

International Security (Economics)

Risk and Regulatory Policy 2
災害・リスクと経済※ 2

International Security (interdisciplinary)

Resilience Engineering 2
Energy Systems 2
Global Health Policy 2

International Practical Research

Social Design and Global Leadership 2
Public-Private Partnerships 2

※Courses offered in Japanese

Faculty Members

Main supervisors

SHIROYAMA, Hideaki

International public administration, Science,Technology and Public Policy

FUJIWARA, Kiichi

International Politics, International conflict, Politics in East Asia

TANABE, Kuniaki

Public administration, Policy analysis, Policy assessment

FUWA, Nobuhiko

Economic statistics, Economic policy, Public economy, Finance

TAKASAKI, Yoshito

Development economics, Resource economics, Applied microeconometrics

IIZUKA, Toshiaki

Industrial organization, Medical economics

AOI, Chiyuki

International relations, International security

MORI, Tadashi

International law

OHASHI, Hiroshi

Industrial organization, Competition policy

HENG, Yee Kuan

International relations, International security

UEDA, Kenichi

International finance, Development economics, Macroeconomics, Finance

BEMS, Rudolfs

International trade, International finance, Macroeconomics

Collaborating supervisors

KUBO, Fumiaki

Political and diplomatic history in America

OGUSHI, Kazuo

Contemporary politics in Latin America, Comparative politics

TAKAHARA, Akio

Contemporary politics in China, International relations in East Asia

IIDA, Keisuke

International political economy

SAWADA, Yasuyuki

Development economics, International economics

TANIGUCHI, Masaki

Contemporary politics in Japan

MAEDA, Kentaro

Public administration

HIWATARI, Nobuhiro

International political economy

SATO, Jin

Development research