Strengthening the Role of Teacher Training Programsin Human Rights Education: the Case of Japan*

Kazuhiko Hayashizaki, Kazuyo Matsushita and Kazuki ItayamaOne of the fruits of the United Nations’ Decade for Human Rights
Education (1995-2004) was that Japan’s Diet passed the “Act for the
Promotion of Human Rights Education and Awareness” (2000).
Even with this law, however, human rights education has not been given
proper support from the government. Given this sporadic promotion of human rights education nationwide, we argue that promoting human rights
education in higher education, especially within teacher training courses,
is crucial for its (human rights education) wider promotion in the Japanese
school system.
Currently, it is difficult to assess how far the promotion of human rights
education has progressed in Japan’s higher education system due to lack ofbasic data. Therefore, the preliminary stages of our research required us to
conduct a quantitative survey of the prevalence and nature of human rights
education in Japan’s higher education institutions.
We restricted our inquiry to teacher training courses, taught in Japanese
universities and colleges. Specifically, we gathered data to show how many
courses support human rights education, and the quality of the human rights
education provided. We also examined how the teaching of human rights
education in higher education institutions has developed, before looking at
what best practice in teacher training courses would look like.
Human Rights Education in Japan
Japan’s Diet (parliament) enacted the “Act for the Promotion of Human
Rights Education and Awareness” in 2000 that defined the duties of both
central and local governments to support human rights education insideand outside the school system.
* This article is based on the presentation made by the authors at the 8th International
Conference on Human Rights Education, Montreal, 2 December 2017.

249

250

H U M A N R I G H T S E D U C AT I O N I N A S I A - PA C I F I CHowever, despite the passage of this law, human rights education has
not been taught as a subject in Japan’s official national school curriculum. Schools have no textbook on the official content on teaching humanrights, nor allocated time within the curriculum for human rights education. There are also few specialists in human rights education. The phrase“Human Rights” appears only a few times in the guidelines of the curriculum (Gakushu-shido-youryo).
The teaching of human rights in the Japanese school system happens
mostly because schools and teachers voluntarily undertake the task. In theseschools, human rights education is usually addressed within subjects suchas social studies, moral education, and integrated studies (studies on specific topics).
In 2008, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science andTechnology (mext) drew up guidelines for teaching human rights. The
guidelines defined human rights education, its target and an outline on
how to promote it in schools. They also stated that human rights education
should be holistically incorporated into all aspects of education in schools.
Three recent important laws that also relate to human rights education
have been enacted, namely:• Disability Discrimination Act (2013, Act No. 65); 1• Act for the Measures Against Hate Speech Towards Immigrants(2016); 2• Act for the Measures Against Burakumin Discrimination (2016).3
These laws have provisions on raising awareness on the rights of thepeople concerned – people with disabilities, foreign immigrants andBurakumin.
The law against hate speech, for example, provides the following:4(Enhancement of Education, etc.)
Article 6(1) The national government shall implement educational
activities in order to eliminate unfair discriminatory speech andbehavior against persons originating from outside Japan, andshall make the necessary efforts therefor.
(2) The local governments shall implement educational activities in order to eliminate unfair discriminatory speech andbehavior against persons originating from outside Japan in accordance with the actual situation of the region, taking into ac-

Strengthening the Role of Teacher Training Programs in Human Rights Education

251

count the sharing of appropriate roles with the national government, and shall endeavor to make the necessary efforts therefor.
(Awareness-raising Activities, etc.)
Article 7(1) The national government shall spread awareness among
the general public about the need to eliminate unfair discriminatory speech and behavior against persons originating fromoutside Japan, and implement public relations activities for the
purpose of furthering understanding thereof and other awareness-raising activities, and shall make the necessary efforts
therefor.
(2) The local governments shall spread awareness among
the local residents about the need to eliminate unfair discriminatory speech and behavior against persons originating fromoutside Japan in accordance with the actual situation of the region, taking into account the sharing of appropriate roles with
the national government, and implement public relations activities for the purpose of furthering understanding thereof andother awareness-raising activities, and shall make the necessary
efforts therefor.
However, these laws have been criticized for lacking penalties for actsof discrimination.
Anti-discrimination Education
Regional and local government policies impacted human rights education
practice, particularly in areas where minority rights have long been foughtfor by activists and grassroots movements (e.g., western Japan’s Buraku
Liberation Movement). These activists and movements promoted education
against discrimination of Japanese who were identified as Burakumin. Thisanti-discrimination education, known as “Dowa Education,” resulted from ateachers’ movement to improve the education for Burakumin. This teachers’
movement worked closely with the Buraku Liberation Movement.
Buraku means hamlet; at present these hamlets are sometimes called
Dowa districts. The people living in these districts are known as Burakumin(People of the Hamlet). The Burakumin are one of Japan’s major ethnic minorities. Thought of as outcasts during the Edo Era (1603-1868), they still
suffer discrimination and higher rates of poverty till the present.

252

H U M A N R I G H T S E D U C AT I O N I N A S I A - PA C I F I C

Number of Dowa districts (Buraku) by prefecture.

“Dowa Education” is considered to have made a positive impact on the
promotion of human rights education.5 Dowa Education is the result of ateachers’ movement to improve the education for Burakumin.
Government Support
The Japanese government has repeatedly cut funding for national universities since 2005. In 2014, meanwhile, 45.8 percent of private universities also
failed to recruit their targeted number of students (mext 2015). This situation is linked to the government’s financial reforms and Japan’s decreasing
population.
The government has not required higher education institutions to teachhuman rights in teacher training courses. Human rights education classes
are optional and voluntarily offered by the teacher-training institutions.
Also, with limited funding, higher education institutions reduced thenumber of teaching staff and their classes. Human rights education easily
became a target for removal whenever restructuring in the university was on

Strengthening the Role of Teacher Training Programs in Human Rights Education

253

the table. For example, the Fukuoka University of Education cut classes with“human rights education” in their name, from four to two classes.
Survey on Human Rights Education
The mext did a survey of primary, secondary and special education needs(sen) schools in 2013 to find out how widely human rights education was
promoted among schools. Questionnaires were sent to, and collected by, alllocal boards of education in Japan’s forty-seven prefectures and 1,785 cities
and towns. In addition, 1,872 publicly-funded primary, lower secondary, upper secondary and sen schools were chosen by random sampling.
The following are the key results of the survey:• 89 percent of local boards of education had formulated promotional guidelines or plans for human rights education, and 87 percent
had monitored the progress of human rights education in their respective areas;• 84 percent of schools had introduced human rights educationteacher trainings and 75 percent had formulated their own annual
plans for human rights education;• Schools complained of “few materials” and “little time” for humanrights education;• On contents of human rights education – majority of the respondents mentioned “tolerance of diversity,” “positive self-esteem,”“empathy,” and “communication skills” as contents. See Graph 1 forother information.
Graph 1. Which human rights education competencies and skills are taught in your school?

254

H U M A N R I G H T S E D U C AT I O N I N A S I A - PA C I F I C

Mext did a survey in 2012 on human rights education in universities’
curricular reform. The survey inquired if universities offered subjects on
specific human rights issues. Out of the seven hundred sixty-six Japanese
universities that received the survey questionnaires,• Five hundred thirty-five universities (71.9 percent) offered classes
with human rights or human rights education component,• Two hundred nineteen universities (29.4 percent) have at least oneof these human rights/human rights education classes offered as acompulsory subject. See Graph 2 for more information on survey
results.
Graph 2. Percentage of universities offering classes on specific human rights issues (pre-filled
options)

From the MEXT research we find that many schools insisted on teaching human rights but they put more importance on behavior and attitude
such as being tolerant, being confident, or being kind to others, and put littleemphasis on skills and knowledge. Also, we find that universities focus moston women’s rights. However, ethnic minorities’ issues such as Buraku, Ainu
and immigrants are taught in relatively fewer classes.

Strengthening the Role of Teacher Training Programs in Human Rights Education

255

Research Purpose and Design
Considering the policy on human rights education in the Japanese school
system as well as the current situation, the support of teacher training programs in this field necessitates an inquiry.
The research project on teacher training programs, started in 2015, isfounded on the view that promoting human rights education in higher education institutions, especially within teacher training courses, is crucial forits (human rights education) wider promotion in schools.
Currently, there is a lack of basic data on institutions that have formallyincorporated human rights education teaching into their curriculums.
The preliminary stages of the research required the conduct of a quantitative survey of the prevalence and nature of human rights education in
Japan’s higher education institutions.
The research was limited to teacher training courses taught in universities and colleges. Specifically, the research gathered data to show the number of courses that provide access to human rights education and the qualityof human rights education provided.
It also inquired on how the best practice in human rights education inteacher training courses would look like, in order to formulate suggestions
how it should be developed in other higher education institutions.
Research Methodology
The project employed both quantitative and qualitative research methods.
The quantitative research started in 2015 and involved the following:• Examination of mext data, specifically looking at human rights/
human rights education in teacher training courses;• Preliminary study involving distribution of questionnaires on classes concerning human rights and minority issues in the two hundred sixty-seven teacher training courses in Japan; and• Examination of syllabuses (where publicly available) to know thecontent being offered in cases of failure of institutions to reply tothe questionnaire.
Qualitative research was done during the 2016-2017 period by interviewing professors concerned with human rights education in their respec-

256

H U M A N R I G H T S E D U C AT I O N I N A S I A - PA C I F I C

tive higher education institutions. The professors were chosen based on
their general reputation on human rights education work. Professors fromseven universities were interviewed. The programs of two visited universities are presented as case studies below.
Research Results: Content analysis of syllabuses
The analysis of syllabuses revealed the following findings:• One hundred seven out of two hundred sixty-seven (40 percent)teacher training courses offer subjects with titles containing thewords “human rights（人権）” or “right（権利）”.
• Offerings differed by region (see Graph 3 below).
Graph 3. Number of institutions offering subjects with titles containing the words “human rights”
or “right” by regions (n=267)

4-year university course
2-year college course

Strengthening the Role of Teacher Training Programs in Human Rights Education

257

The influence of the Buraku Liberation Movement is seen in the subjects offered in teacher training courses.
Graph 4. Number of institutions offering subjects with content on Dowa issues (Buraku discrimination) by region (n=267)

4-year university course
2-year college course

An analysis of one hundred four syllabuses of higher education providers (universities and colleges) revealed six categories of human rights/human rights education content, namely:• Concepts of human rights;• Human rights laws, conventions, documents, and knowledge andskill for protecting human rights;• Respect for diversity and resolve to support anti-discrimination
initiatives;• Dowa Issues (Buraku discrimination);• Realizing and teaching human rights in school; and• Child rights.

258

H U M A N R I G H T S E D U C AT I O N I N A S I A - PA C I F I C

The syllabus analysis revealed that most of the universities and colleges
reviewed offered courses on “Concepts of human rights” and “Respect fordiversity and resolve to support anti-discrimination initiatives.” For universities, the “Dowa Issues (Buraku discrimination)” content was also offered
more often.
Graph 5 provides information on the number of universities and colleges that offer the different categories of human rights/human rights education content.
Graph 5. Percentage of higher education providers offering human rights content, by content area(n=104)4-year university course
2-year college course
Note: A - Concepts of human rights; B - Human rights laws, conventions, documents, and knowledge and skill for protecting human rights; C - Respectfor diversity and resolve to support anti-discrimination initiatives; D - Dowa Issues (Buraku discrimination); E - Realizing and teaching human rights in school;
and F - Child rights

Other Findings and Conclusions
The research project also found that
• Human rights subjects were compulsory in 26 percent of universities (four-year courses) and 41 percent of junior colleges (two-year
courses).
• 60 percent of teaching staff in charge of subjects concerning human rights worked full-time in universities; while colleges have 65
percent of such staff worked full time.

Strengthening the Role of Teacher Training Programs in Human Rights Education

259

Considering the research findings, the following conclusions are drawn:• Human rights education offerings in teacher training institutions
were not significantly different from those offered by general
universities;• There are regional differences in higher education human rights
education offerings;• Approximately 40 percent of human rights teaching staff are employed on a part-time basis, which limits the ability of higher education institutions to take a holistic and organized approach to
implementing human rights education program.
Research Results Part II
The research project included a search for best practices in human rights education in colleges and universities. Two universities were selected for having good practice: The Osaka City University and the Kyoto Seika University.
Case Study One: Osaka City University (OCU)The Osaka City University (ocu) is located in Osaka city, the biggest
city in west Japan with a long history as a commercial and industrial city,
has the largest Buraku area (Dowa district) and a strong Buraku liberation
movement.

260

H U M A N R I G H T S E D U C AT I O N I N A S I A - PA C I F I C

Ocu traces its origin to the Osaka Commercial Training Institute thatwas founded in 1880. In 1928, it became the first city-founded university inJapan. Two Noble Prize winners have worked at ocu: Professor Yoichiro
Nambu (Physics, 2008)6 and Professor Shinya Yamanaka (Medicine, 2012).7
Ocu has eight undergraduate faculties and ten graduate schools with morethan 8,000 students and 2,000 staff. Its teacher training courses are optional
add-ons in many faculties.
Good Practices in OCU
Ocu has good human rights/human rights education practice for the following reasons:• Many human rights classes are available to all students–– Sixteen classes concerning human rights can be accessed by all
students, plus an extra two compulsory classes for students in theteacher training course.
• Whole university approach to human rights–– It has the Research Center for Human Rights (RCHR) thatplays a central role in organizing many research projects, academic and educational events, and in the education of students
and training of staff;8–– It has a Human Rights Committee (with members from all
faculties) that is responsible for discussing and managing humanrights issues within the university;–– In 2001, it adopted the Osaka City University Declaration of
Human Rights 2001 which is publically accessible online.9–– Support to minority students–– The university provides easily accessible support to victims ofhuman rights violations and students with disabilities.
The human rights classes in ocu (some of which are compulsory forstudents in the teacher training course) are listed in Table 1.

Strengthening the Role of Teacher Training Programs in Human Rights Education

261

Table 1. Human rights classes
Contemporary Buraku
IssuesMedia and Human
RightsFrontier of Buraku
Liberation

History of Buraku
Discrimination

Minorities in the WorldDisability and
Human Rights I

Disability and Human
Rights II

Peace and Human Rights

Peacekeeping Studies

Gender andSociety I

Gender and Society II

Ethnic Studies I

Ethnic Studies II

Corporations andHuman Rights

Global Citizenshipand Human Rights

Seminar on Human Rights
and Diversity

These classes are taught by full-time tenured, full-time non-tenured
and part-time teachers.
78 percent of all students in ocu completed at least one of the classes
above (2008 ocu survey).
Students in the teacher training course must also complete the following courses:10• Human Rights Education and Career Education I• Human Rights Education and Career Education II.
These courses are meant to raise the minorities’ (mainly Burakumin,
Korean residents and the persons with disabilities, but other foreign residents are covered as well) educational achievements and ensure their careerin the future after leaving school.
The Research Center for Human Rights (rchr) has the following staff:
one full-time tenured teacher, three full-time non-tenured teachers, fifteen
teaching staff holding a post in other ocu faculty, six non-paid research assistants and three non-teaching staff.
Rchr organizes research projects and study tours for staff. It started ahuman rights education exchange program with Taipei Soochow University
in 2016.
It organizes the “Salon de Human Rights” eight to nine times a year andthe “Film de Human Rights” three times a year for staff, students and thegeneral public.
“Salon de Human Rights” is a public lecture featuring a special guest,
and has been held at least one hundred thirty times (as of February 2017).
Rchr publishes an annual bulletin called Human Rights Issue Study
since 2001. It replaced the Dowa Issue Study publication that was publishedduring 1977-2001 period.

262

H U M A N R I G H T S E D U C AT I O N I N A S I A - PA C I F I C

Ocu’s Human Rights Committee organizes:• Orientation on Human Rights and Discrimination for all freshman
students;• Lectures and symposiums, during the annual Human Rights week;• Publishes the newsletter The Frontier of Human Rights and distributes copies to all freshman students and new staff;• Publishes the book Human Rights Handbook (five volumes so far)and distributes them to event attendees. The five volumes consistof the following themes: 1. Buraku Issue; 2. Gender; 3. Migrants; 4.
Environment and Human Rights; and 5. Persons with Disabilities.
The Committee started its human rights education activities in the
1960s, when student movements protested against racist and discriminative
incidents in the campus. The ocu officials attempted to address these concerns but the incidents continued in the 1970s, prompting ocu leadership totake further action including human rights education and other measures.
Case Study Two: Kyoto Seika University (Seika)

The Kyoto Seika University (Seika) is located in Kyoto city, the old capital city in west Japan. The city is host to many universities, and many politically liberal and highly educated people reside there.

Strengthening the Role of Teacher Training Programs in Human Rights Education

263

Seika is a small private university and composed of five undergraduate faculties and four graduate schools. It has more than three thousand
students and one hundred fifty-six teaching staff in the Humanities, Art,
Design, Manga and Popular Culture Faculties.
It was founded in 1968 with the strong leadership and ideals of the first
President, Okamoto Seichi, who imagined and created a progressive, liberal,and humanistic alternative to other universities existing at that time.
Some people unofficially called Seika a university of the “new left”, particularly during the time of the student movement in the 1960s to 1970s.
Support for Minorities and Equality
Seika adopted the Declaration for the Promotion of Diversity in 2015 to promote support for minority students and to reduce discrimination against
minorities such as lgbtq students.11
It also has several initiatives to support minority students and staff suchas the following:• Employment benefits applying to same-sex couples (childcare
leave, condolence payment, etc.);• Plan for more universal toilets;• Allowing the change of names and sexes in university registrations;• Non-inclusion of sex in university-issued certificates;• Introduction of Halal food in the lunch café;• Support for related research projects with funds from the university President, such as “Career Support for Students with
Developmental Disorders.”
Research Results
The research project found several common features of good human rights
education program in Japanese universities:• Many of these universities developed human rights education programs during the 1960-1970 period in response to social movements prevailing at that time;• They offer multiple opportunities for learning about human rights not only in classes and university events, but also via other methods

264

•
•
•
•
•

H U M A N R I G H T S E D U C AT I O N I N A S I A - PA C I F I C

such as during ceremonial occasions (for example, giving guidanceon human rights during the enrollment ceremony);
There is strong leadership by university presidents and executives
that allow the human rights education programs to flourish;
They employ the whole university approach, sometimes via a
Human Rights Committee;
They develop guidelines and adopt declarations on protecting andpromoting human rights;
They have dedicated organizations/centers for promoting humanrights education, with specialist staff in human rights;
They have many general teaching staff with strong understandingof human rights education.

Some Conclusions and Suggestions
The research project provided data on the state of human rights educationin Japanese universities. The analysis of the gathered data supports an initial set of conclusions and suggestions regarding further research on humanrights education in Japanese universities:• There is limited research on human rights education in higher education institutions in Japan. This project constitutes the initial analysis of human rights education in these institutions in the country;• Due to lack of access to older data, there can be no certainty on
the human rights classes that existed and how they changed overtime. However, current data show 40 percent of Japanese teacher
training courses include human rights issues, which we think is inadequate. Further, legal knowledge and skills are rarely taught inteacher training courses;• Human rights education in Japanese schools places more emphasison attitudes, not on knowledge and skills;• The inadequate number of university courses with human rights
content means that learning about human rights education is dependent on on-the-job training, rather than in the formal education setting.
In recent years, right-wing voices have become increasingly powerful
within Japan’s political establishment. As in much of the Western world,
human rights education in Japan is under threat, as we see racist, xenopho-

Strengthening the Role of Teacher Training Programs in Human Rights Education

265

bic, exclusionist and pro-eugenics arguments go largely unchallenged in themainstream media. In the current environment, it is not easy to encouragecentral and local governments or civil society to engage proactively with thepromotion of human rights education. As a consequence, so far there has
been little attempt made to monitor the prevalence of human rights education in higher education institutions or to evaluate its practice.
Our research takes a step towards resolving this, making clear what
has been achieved in Japan during the second phase of the UN’s World
Programme for Human Rights Education and outlining what more needs tobe done in the next phases in order to strengthen the role of teacher training courses in promoting human rights education to the wider society. Casestudies of existing good practices can be used to guide institutions wishing
to promote and expand their human rights education programs. The resultsof this research project will be disseminated as reference material for universities and colleges interested in improving their human rights education
programs.
References
MEXT.
2008.
“人権教育の指導方法等の在り方について [第三次とりまとめ],” available at www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/shingi/chousa/shotou/024/report/08041404.htm [last accessed on 24 November 2017].
_______ 2012. “大学における教育内容等の改革状況について 平成24年度”.
Questionnaires are available but the survey results on human rights education
were not publicized. It was collected by the researcher from MEXT.
________ 2013. “人権教育の推進に関する取組状況の調査結果について,” available
atwww.mext.go.jp/b_menu/shingi/chousa/shotou/024/report/1341058.htm[last accessed on 24 November 2017].
________ 2015. “高等教育局私学部参事官説明資料 私立学校の経営状況について” available at www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/shinkou/07021403/1356018.
htm [last accessed on 23 November 2017].
OCU. 2017a. “About OCU” available at http://www.osaka-cu.ac.jp/en/about [last accessed on 24 November 2017].
________ 2017b. “Osaka City University Declaration of Human Rights 2001” available at www.osaka-cu.ac.jp/en/about/declaration2001 [last accessed on 24
November 2017].
Seika University. 2017a. “About Kyoto Seika University” available at www.kyoto-seika.ac.jp/eng/about/ [last accessed on 25 November 2017].

266

H U M A N R I G H T S E D U C AT I O N I N A S I A - PA C I F I C

Endnotes
1 For a presentation on the contents of the law see Chapter 1 - Basic Policy for
Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities, www8.cao.go.jp/shougai/english/annualreport/2015/pdf/s1-1.pdf.
2 See full text of the anti-hate speech law at Ministry of Justice, www.moj.go.jp/
content/001199550.pdf.
3 See HURIGHTS OSAKA, “Law Against Buraku Discrimination,” FOCUS
Asia-Pacific, Volume 87, March 2017, www.hurights.or.jp/archives/focus/section3/2017/03/law-against-buraku-discrimination.html.
4 Text from Ministry of Justice, www.moj.go.jp/content/001199550.pdf
5 For information on the Dowa education history and initiatives, read thefollowing:•Mori Minoru and Yasumasa Hirasawa, “DOWA Education and Human
Rights,” Human Rights Education in Asian Schools, Volume I, 1998, www.
hurights.or.jp/archives/human_rights_education_in_asian_schools/section2/1998/03/dowa-education-and-human-rights.html.
•
Ichiro Akashi, “Zendokyo and Other Groups: Teachers’ Commitment to
Dowa Education,” Human Rights Education in Asian Schools, Volume II,
1999,www.hurights.or.jp/archives/human_rights_education_in_asian_schools/section2/1999/03/zendokyo-and-other-groups-teachers-commitment-to-dowa-education.html.
•
Shin-ichi Hayashi, “The History and Activities of Osaka Prefectural HighSchool Dowa (Human Rights) Education Research Association,” Human
Rights Education in Asian Schools , Volume II, 1999, www.hurights.or.jp/
archives/human_rights_education_in_asian_schools/section2/1999/03/
the-history-and-activities-of-osaka-prefectural-high-school-dowa-human-rights-education-research-ass.html.
•
Yoshiro Nabeshima, Mariko Akuzawa, Shinichi Hayashi, And Koonae Park,“Japan: Human Rights Education in Schools, Human Rights Education in
Asian Schools, Volume III, 2000, www.hurights.or.jp/archives/human_rights_education_in_asian_schools/section2/2000/03/japan-humanrights-education-in-schools.html.
•
Makiko Shimpo, “Fifty Years of Human Rights Education in Osaka,” Human
Rights Education in Asian Schools, Volume VII, 2004, www.hurights.or.jp/
archives/human_rights_education_in_asian_schools/section2/2004/03/
fifty-years-of-human-rights-education-in-osaka.html.
6 The Nobel Prize in Physics 2008, Noble Prize, www.nobelprize.org/
nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2008/.
7 The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2012, NoblePrize.org, www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2012/.
8 See the profile of the Research Center for Human Rights (RCHR) at http://
hurights.pbworks.com/w/page/11947509/Japan-Centers#ResearchCenterforHuman
RightsRCHR.
9 This document is available at www.osaka-cu.ac.jp/en/about/declaration2001
and also at HURIGHTS OSAKA website: www.hurights.or.jp/archives/other_docu-Strengthening the Role of Teacher Training Programs in Human Rights Education

267

ments/section1/2001/12/osaka-city-university-declaration-of-human-rights-2001.
html.
10 They generally refer to Gakuryoku-hosho and Shinro-hosho in Japanese.
11 See the text of the declaration in Japanese in www.kyoto-seika.ac.jp/info/
info/univ/2016/04/29/36854/.

268

H U M A N R I G H T S E D U C AT I O N I N A S I A - PA C I F I C

Annex APart II Research Results: Case Study Two
Introduction of some Seika teaching staff
President,
Prof. TAKEMIYA Keiko

Manga artist. Her work is known to include one of the earliest sexual
expressions of gay boys. Published the university’s declaration of diversity in2015 to support all minority students.

Prof. Oussouby SACKO

The first Black African university president in Japan by 2018. Specializes inarchitecture and community development.

Prof. NAKASHIMA Masazumi

Specialized in multiculturalism. Teaches classes such as “Human Rights”,“Human Rights Education” and “Modern Racism and Discrimination.”

Prof. SUMITOMO Tsuyoshi

Specialized in education and law. Oversees the teacher training course,
teaches many classes including child rights. Supports children and victims ofpoverty and violence.

Prof. Rebecca JENNISON

Specialized in literary criticism. Teaches gender issues.

Prof. YAMADA Sohei

Specialized in urban sociology. Gay activist. Teaches LGBTQ issues.

Prof. HOSOKAWA Komei

Anthropologist. Studies Aboriginal Australians. Involved in the anti-nuclear
movement.

Prof. SHIRAI Satoshi

Specialized in political philosophy. Studies post-war Japan, and Lenin.