Student research as a member of UIPJ 2023

B2 Miyu Suzuki

On 19th January, 2nd-grade students of UIPJ conducted a presentation of student research in front of Mr. Hidehiko FURUMOTO, who is an expert in the humanitarian aid field, and students who took Professor Fujii's international law class. In this essay, I would like to write down what I felt and experienced through student research at UIPJ.

Firstly, I briefly explained UIPJ and introduced my colleague. UIPJ, Utsunomiya International Peace and Justice, is the name of the club that we aim to study deeply regarding international law or related human rights topics and some practical activities by using the knowledge we learn. As an example of works, we take a workshop on the Rights of the Child and issue the importance of human rights. Members consisted of 1st and 2nd-grade students, and this research was engaged in 2nd-grade students, Miyu SUZUKI, Haruka YOKOI, Nonoka SATOU, and Kaito TATCHIBANA.

Around September of this summer, we began to search for research topics and talked about what we were interested in. Even though there were some differences among our opinions, we discovered a common keyword: peace activities and started reading documents to determine more detailed contents of our research. After sharing each piece of information, we decided to focus on humanitarian aid from the perspective of peace. Then, we found a curious relationship between peacekeeping and humanitarian aid space, what is called a civil-military relationship, and kept gathering information for the mid-term presentation in mid-December that showed progress in getting senior students' opinions. Our research question was, "In what frameworks and methods can UN peacekeeping operations contribute to humanitarian assistance?" However, it was indicated that improper and vague topics to conduct student research and senior students gave us various perspectives. In addition, Prof. Fujii gave us objective advice to improve the quality of the research. He also told us that we needed to narrow the range of topics, such as limiting countries as cases, what kinds of peace activities we would research, etc. As a result, we changed our research question to "Consideration of the relationship between UN peacekeeping operations and emergency humanitarian assistance operations ~ Why does the ICRC not cooperate with peacekeeping operations? In comparison with UNHCR ~" We also did a final presentation several days before an actual presentation. Finally, we could make a presentation about student research on 19th January and receive some questions and advice from Mr. Hidehiko FURUMOTO.

After the presentation of student research, I also had an opportunity to have a conversation with him and ask him some questions about his career path. It was impressive that he has passion and enjoyment even though he had some difficulties in his duties. Since working at an international institution or field of international corporation attracted me, it was a precious chance to get information. Once again, I respect people who do their jobs in humanitarian assistance and feel I would be active around the world like them.

Lastly, we went to a restaurant at Utsunomiya where we could eat gyoza and talked roughly with him. He was so friendly and rooted for us to keep having an interest in international topics, including the humanitarian aid field.

Through the experience of student research, I could learn important things. First, managing and communicating with members is significant to success. In this research, having the same motivation and reorganization of knowledge was challenging. However, producing environments to proceed with all member's agreements made sense. This lesson is also applicable when we work in the future. Second, one research topic that I am fascinated with is a complex but valuable heritage of knowledge, and how to proceed with the research is crucial rather than results. The research confused me because I was unsure how to advance the flow of research. But thanks to guidance from Prof. Fujii and advice from senior students and members of the Lab, I gradually learned how to do my research. Although it was my last work at UIPJ, what I learned, including this research from UIPJ, was valuable in my life.

This student research gave me self-confidence and motivation to keep researching this topic and what I pursue relating to international law and human rights. From now on, I want to challenge myself more actively and try to learn many things.

Ultimately, I again appreciate the guidance of Prof. Fujii and the people who support our student research!

Research Student Life in Utsunomiya University

WANG YUXUAN (Research Student)

At the end of September last year, I came to Japan and embarked on a brand new life of studying abroad. I started my studies at Utsunomiya University as an auditor in the school of International Studies. I was confused about the unfamiliarity with Japanese and the inability to adapt to foreign life. However, with the help of my supervisor and mates of F's seminar, I gradually adapted to this new environment.

When I first came to Japan, my Japanese proficiency should have improved, and I hardly understood anything just by hearing it once. In order to improve my Japanese proficiency as soon as possible, the supervisor arranged for my seminar's mate to take turns eating lunch with me to practice daily communication. The session improved my Japanese speaking and listening skills and taught me more about Japanese culture through communication with friends.

In addition to daily communication, I also participated in lectures and learning with F's seminar mates. They helped me understand the teaching content in class and shared learning methods and experiences with me. In this process, I learned more Japanese knowledge as well as gained a deeper understanding of the Japanese education system and professional courses.

In terms of Japanese language courses, I followed the Japanese language courses offered by the university, including reading and dialogue classes. At the same time, I also attended some lectures and activities to understand Japanese culture and society further. These experiences, along with broadening my horizons, helped me better integrate into Japanese society.

As the entrance exam approached, experienced senior students provided me with much help and guidance, especially during preparation. They tirelessly answered my questions and helped me improve my preparation efficiency.

In the end, in December, I successfully passed the graduate entrance exam and embarked on a new journey in Japan. During this period of a research student, I made progress in language and academia, and I have also made many good friends and gained valuable experience in studying abroad. In the future, I will continue to work hard to learn new knowledge.

Participation in the International Humanitarian Law Role Play Competition

B3 Miyu NISHIMURA

I participated in the International Humanitarian Law Role Play Competition organized by the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) at the University of Tokyo on December 9. In this essay, I will explain the ICRC and the International Humanitarian Law Role Play Competition and how I prepared for the competition. The ICRC is an international humanitarian organization that provides humanitarian assistance to people affected by armed conflicts. Participants compete on their knowledge of international humanitarian law (IHL) according to a fictional armed conflict situation provided before the competition.

In order to participate in the competition, I started studying IHL in July 2023 with other members of the Fujii seminar. The IHL is applicable in armed conflicts and the law protects people who do not directly participate in hostilities in armed conflicts. In the last competition, we were provided a situation in which two nations contested over an island to obtain benefits of undersea resources on the high seas. Therefore, we studied international humanitarian law and the law of the sea, the knowledge of territorial sovereignty, and so on. In addition, The role each university would play was not announced until the day of the competition, so We practiced using anticipated questions we created based on the provided situation. We also acquired knowledge about the prosecution of heads of state, environmental damage related to oil spilling into the sea, and the extradition of prisoners of war. Seniors who had participated in the competition advised us on what questions the examiners would ask and what to look for when answering them. For example, the mission visits POWs and refugee camps as ICRC staff. This mission consists mainly of 3 points. The first point is to explain about the ICRC. The second point is to confirm whether people are treated humanely in the facilities. The third point is to suggest what kind of assistance the ICRC can provide. In particular, a deep understanding of the ICRC's seven principles, such as Independence, Impartiality, and Neutrality, was crucial. We practiced three times a week. Since the competition was conducted in English, I had to improve my English to discuss with my colleagues whose English was better than mine.

On the day of the competition, I was relieved that the issues were partly similar to what I had studied. I was so nervous that I could not speak English as well as I practiced, and I realized I lacked knowledge about the legal basis necessary for negotiations. Although I could not win the prize, I am grateful to Professor Fujii for his guidance and to other members of the Fujii Seminar. I would like to continue studies related to international humanitarian law and rechallenge the competition next year to win the competition!!