Doctoral Program
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Publication
Naoki Matsubara, a Ph.D. candidate, contributed a chapter to the book entitled The Semantics of Development in Asia: Exploring ‘Untranslatable’ Ideas Through Japan (Springer) published on May 31, 2024, co-edited by Professors Jin Sato and Soyeun Kim.
His chapter, “Genba-Shugi: Understanding Through a Hands-On Approach,” discusses the concept of genba-shugi by focusing on two contexts in which the term has been used: as an aspect of Japanese-style business management, and in technical cooperation and organizational reform at JICA.
About the book
This open-access book explores Japanese involvement in Asian development through selected development ideas and lexemes that are widely regarded in Japan as ‘untranslatable’ into other languages. Each chapter traces the genealogy of locally nuanced development ideas and lexemes in Japan and the process by which they have spread across Asia and beyond through Japan’s development cooperation. The Semantics of Development in Asia critically examines the diverse (Western and non-Western) roots of Japanese development ideas and lexemes and their shifting semantics, shaped by the ever-changing national/international political economies and dominant development thinking of different eras. The volume contributes to a more pluriversal approach to knowledge production in development studies through its in-depth examination of vernacular Japanese ideas. This book is useful to researchers, students and teachers in the fields of Asian studies, development studies and international relations. It is also of value to policymakers and practitioners whose professional interests include development cooperation by, and with, Asian countries.
About the chapter
This chapter discusses the concept of genba-shugi by focusing on two contexts in which the term has been used: as an aspect of Japanese-style business management, and in technical cooperation and organizational reform at JICA. This focus on people close to the genba (on the ground, in the field, or at the locality) emphasizes the superiority of their know-how and initiative above those of imaginary rivals: Western-style organizations and domestic bureaucratic government bodies. Each of these contexts share a focus on feelings and experiences, against abstract “models” from developed countries or strategic plans of central government, respectively. They are also leveraged to further specific agendas by arguing against their supposed antitheses—Western engineers and business management in the better-known cases; and Japan’s centralized bureaucracy in the case of JICA.