Tackling the World's Toughest Challenges with the Power of Interdisciplinary Studies

My interest in international cooperation was sparked by the Japonica notebooks I used in elementary school. The descriptions of life in developing countries on the back cover left a lasting impression on me. Later, a novel I read in high school made me aware of themes like conflict resolution and human rights issues. However, international cooperation takes many forms, and at the time, I couldn't narrow down my future career path. That's partly why I was drawn to the interdisciplinary environment at SFC, which could accommodate me even if my interests changed. I also admired international civil servants, so the curriculum, which allowed me to take four foreign language classes a week, was also appealing. The wide range of exchange program options was another reason I chose SFC.

During my first and second years of university, I often heard people around me say, "I don't know what I want to do." Influenced by classmates who could clearly state what they wanted to do, I sometimes felt pressured to find my own path quickly. But one of my original motivations for choosing SFC was, "I don't know what I want to do yet, so I'll go to a university where I can do anything." It's difficult to narrow down a lifelong research theme when you're only 18. That's why I feel that one of the great things about SFC is that it allows you to embrace the feeling of "not knowing what you want to do yet" in a positive way and take on challenges without rushing.

To study international politics and conflict resolution, I joined the Yoko Hirose Seminar in the fall semester of my first year. When considering justice in post-conflict societies, I became interested in the potential of "post-conflict education" as a way to achieve peace while strengthening human rights awareness.

I began to explore the idea of studying abroad in a conflict-affected country, and my desire to embark on a year-long adventure as an undergraduate grew stronger. So, using a scholarship from the public-private partnership "Tobitate! (Leap for Tomorrow) Study Abroad Initiative," I studied abroad at the Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade in the Republic of Serbia starting in my third year. While learning Serbian, I interned at an organization called the Association of History Teachers of Serbia. Before and after that, I also conducted fieldwork and internships in the neighboring country of Bosnia and Herzegovina for a total of five months. At the War Childhood Museum, I was involved in creating archives, and I also served as an interpreter and coordinator when a Japanese student group visited Bosnia.

After returning to SFC, I revisited Bosnia during the spring break of my third year. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I was unable to return to Japan and took my classes for the 2020 spring semester online from Bosnia. Thanks to SFC's swift decision to move all classes online, I was able to continue my studies from abroad without taking a leave of absence. This experience made me realize the strength of SFC, which excels in digital communication. I was also able to access materials owned by the Media Center, so I could continue my research in Europe even during the pandemic.

Based on my research in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, I compiled my research on the theme of "The Role of Education in Transitional Justice Mechanisms in Post-Conflict Societies."

I sometimes hear the interdisciplinary environment at SFC described as "a mile wide and an inch deep." However, no matter how profound the expertise of a professor you meet at another university or faculty, you can't simply copy it into your own thesis. The originality required for research cannot be built without drawing on insights from various academic fields. At SFC, I studied a wide range of subjects related to developing countries, but I also drew great inspiration from classes in art and philosophy. The appeal of SFC is that you can take a wide variety of classes that interest you, even if they seem unrelated to your research. Connecting the dots in unexpected ways and clarifying your goals is a gift of this interdisciplinary environment. Having many drawers, all of which you can open freely, is what makes SFC unique. You can find clues to advance your own original research by creating your own combinations.

At the university in Belgrade, when asked about my research topic, I answered "peacebuilding in Bosnia," and a professor remarked that it was "a Sisyphean task." Sisyphus, from Greek mythology, is a metaphor for futile labor—a man condemned to push a boulder up a mountain, only to have it roll back down to the bottom every time. A sense of resignation, that peace in Bosnia would always falter just when it was within reach, was palpable among local intellectuals. But I believe that if even Sisyphus had had companions, he might have been able to achieve his goal. Even if a society scarred by conflict cannot be rebuilt through political science alone, it might succeed by combining forces with economics, education, and other fields. The ability to learn from various fields is precisely what allows us to bring an unprecedented impact to society. This potential is the appeal of SFC.

After graduation, I plan to deepen my research by enrolling in the master's program in "Human Rights and Multi-level Governance" at the University of Padua in Italy. In the future, I hope to contribute to peacebuilding in post-conflict societies from a policy perspective.

Sarajevo. Bullet holes from the war remain on buildings throughout the city.

Sarajevo. A sign at a cafe in the city. A message to the EU calling for more robust conflict resolution efforts, asking, "Wasn't 1992-1995 (the years of the Bosnian War) enough?"

Belgrade. A building destroyed during the NATO bombing of Serbia in the Kosovo War. The quote "Ко сме, тај може, ко не зна за сртрах, тај иде напред." ("Who dares, can. Who knows no fear, goes forward."), words from a Yugoslav army general active during the Balkan Wars, is cited as a slogan for today's right-leaning Serbia.