News November 2002

[ Research Trends ]

[ Completed Research Projects ]

"Proposition on the Comprehensive Vision (Grand Design) for Development of Northeast Asia"

Given the tremendous diversity of the countries in the region, Northeast Asia is characterized by its high potential for mutual complementarity. Appropriate exploitation of this complementarity has the potential to enable the region to develop into a major economic bloc.

There is an increasing demand for the formulation of a comprehensive vision (a grand design) for the development of Northeast Asia, to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development in the region. This research project examined the optimal forms of cooperation and development to be adopted by the region, and formulated proposals on this basis.

In order to implement a development plan capable of making significant contributions to the region, it will be essential to comprehensively examine a number of perspectives, including politics, economy, energy, environment and urban development. The following four issues were taken up in this research project as crucial factors for the promotion of regional development.

(1) In constructing a multinational infrastructure, which represents an international public good, it will be most effective to plan a system spanning the entire region rather than simply adopting plans formulated by individual nations.

(2) Development should not be pursued from a sector-by-sector perspective, but should rather be planned in as integrated a manner as possible.

(3) Sustainable economic development should be actively promoted and appropriate sites for its realization should be identified.

(4) Soft infrastructure should be established in parallel with the construction of hard infrastructure.

This research project clarified the approach required in order to formulate a grand design and sketched in the outline of such a design.

The following will be necessary to develop this sketch into a grand design,

This will add important areas of necessary detail to the grand design, bringing it to a higher level of completion. The results of this project will be published next year, and will be discussed in open meetings.

[ Research Spotlight ]

A Study of Bioethics Law

The "Tentative Bioethics Law" proposed by NIRA's Study Group on Bioethics Law (chaired by Dr. Takeshi Kawai, a Professor of Teikyo University and NIRA Visiting Research Fellow) was discussed as one of the topics of the symposium held by the Japan Association of Private Law on October 13 and 14 at Hitotsubashi University. NIRA's proposal was discussed on October 14 in the session entitled "Developments in the Life Sciences and Private Law - The Tentative Bioethics Law." Because the symposium was held by the Japan Association of Private Law, the major focus was placed on such issues as the best direction for assisted reproductive medicine and problems in the parent-child relation in private law from the perspective of human cloning. However, the participation of specialists from other fields in the symposium as commentators lead to various other topics being discussed, including the revision of civil law.

NIRA intends to further examine the "Tentative Bioethics Law" in light of the discussions held at this meeting of the Japan Association of Private Law, and publish a report summarizing the results of this examination.

[ Introduction of a New Visiting Researcher ]

Mr. Buttrey came to Japan to receive training under the auspices of the Daiwa Scholarships, which is a major program of the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation.

The Daiwa Scholarships are a scholarship program that is designed to develop human resources who will become a friendly bridge between Japan and England, by establishing a group knowledgeable about Japan among the next-generation of leaders in Great Britain. The scholarships include approximately one year of intensive Japanese language study and subsequent training for about seven months at the workplace appropriate to each scholar's field of specialization.

Mr. Buttrey worked for the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office before coming to Japan. He says that he chose NIRA as his training place because he had an interest in NIRA's research results in the fields of preventive diplomacy and human security. He will actively participate in study groups at NIRA, including "The New Nation Rebuilding Process in Afghanistan: Reconstruction and Development Assistance" and advance his research utilizing his experiences.

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