On November 27, 2010, the Global Policy Initiative (GPI) Forum was held on the Kioicho campus in room 302. With the support of the Japan Foundation, the event was cosponsored by JICPAS and the Mizuta Graduate School of International Administration (MGSIA).

Taking “Strategic Mergers in Foreign and Domestic Policy” as its topic, the first session began with a conference on “the direction of policy” with Mieko Nakabayashi of the House of Representatives and other commentators speaking on a variety of topics such as finance, foreign policy, the population problem, and the national budget. Issues involving problems with the current administration, international politics, and economics were discussed from a variety of angles, and there was a lively discussion on the direction of current and future policy. MGSIA faculty member Takahiro Suzuki also participated, concluding the session by confirming the significance of the forum while articulating the importance of positive thinking in approaching these issues.

The theme of the second session was “Determining Policy for the Greater Acceptance of Foreign Laborers: Sharing Knowledge between US and Japan,” with Resident Scholar of the United States’ East-West Center, Mika Shimizu, serving as coordinator. Professor Makiko Ueno of Kansei Gakuin University and many other experts presented on issues of immigration, employment, and US immigrant worker policy.

More than seventy students and other spectators attended the event, contributing spirited opinions to the Q&A session. Careful consideration was given to the role of Japanese policy in the global community, with serious discussion among the participants continuing even after the forum had officially concluded, thereby seeming to confirm the significance of the event.