Graduate Program on Human Security, the University of Tokyo

What is "Human Security"?

Interdisciplinary Organization Characteristics of the Program Courses

[Japanese][English]

The Graduate Program on Human Security

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A new graduate program offering both Master's and Doctoral courses in Human Security Studies was launched in April 2004 at the University of Tokyo, Komaba Campus.

This groundbreaking program benefits from the time-tested reputation in research and education of the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences even as it offers a radically new approach to its field of study.


As a new concept focused on the development of a more humane global society for the 21st century, Human Security Studies derives not only from the fields of international relations and the social sciences but also incorporates the diverse perspectives afforded by the natural sciences, area studies, and the humanities. To that end, the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences has created a unique graduate program that, with the cooperation of five disciplines, bridges the humanities and the sciences. Its curriculum is designed to cultivate individuals who will make innovative contributions to our global society.

The Graduate Program on Human Security inherits the high standards and performance of the disciplines within the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Moreover, in order to encourage a wide-range of talented individuals to join the program, including those who have been unable to study at the graduate level under existing constraints, this program has been devised to be more flexible in its entrance and completion requirements.

The Graduate Program on Human Security welcomes the active participation of highly qualified individuals seeking careers in the field of Human Security, as well as those who already have expertise and experience in related areas.

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What is Human Security

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Although Human Security is a relatively new concept that first gained prominence in 1994 under the auspices of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), it has increasingly garnered broad international acceptance and is supported by Japan's government.

Human Security stems from the development theory put forward by Dr. Amartya Sen, the Indian-born Nobel Laureate in Economics and Cambridge University professor. His research led to the UNDP's promotion of Human Security as a new approach to human development problems. First of all, threats to sustainable development - including population explosion, economic inequities, population movements (such as refugees), environmental deterioration, drugs, and international terrorism - were identified. Consequently, seven target areas for Human Security were proposed to counter these threats: economic security, food security, health security, environmental security, personal security, regional security, and political security.

The Japanese government has adopted an active stance on Human Security issues, not only establishing the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security but also participating in the management of the UN Commission on Human Security since its inception in 2001. The Commission is co-chaired by Dr. Amartya Sen and Dr. Ogata Sadako, who had served as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees until 2000. In 2003, the Commission released its final report, Human Security Now.

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human security

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Interdisciplinary Organization

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  • The Graduate Program on Human Security, with its unique interdisciplinary structure, tackles the new problems of the modern world head-on. Five departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences constitute the base for its research and education on the Komaba Campus.

  • Students of this program belong to one of these five departments and thereby secure a foothold from which to grapple with new issues in Human Security. The chart below should help you in choosing the department that best accords with your research interests and goals.

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Five Departments

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Language and Information Sciences Language forms the essential foundation of communication and mutual understanding and yet it is also one of the most basic of human activities. The ecology of languages in action is studied historically, socially, and culturally from multiple perspectives, including linguistics, literature, semiotics, and information sciences.
Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies Faculty specializing in cultural anthropology, forms of cultural representation, and comparative literature and culture will work in collaborative fashion to offer effective approaches to global cultural developments, transcending national and socio-cultural borders.
Area Studies Research focuses on the synergism among "areas" of study at various levels of their formation, structuring, and operation by organically linking interdisciplinary methods across both the sciences and the humanities, including philosophy, literature, history, cultural anthropology, political science, and economics.
Advanced Social and International Studies In forging ties across two disciplines - International Relations and Advanced Social Sciences - our aim is to create an integrated program able to address challenging modern social phenomena. International Relations studies global society from the three perspectives of international politics, international law, and international economics, while Advanced Social Sciences applies the fundamentals of law, politics, economics, and society.
Multi-Disciplinary Sciences Aiming to build an integrated science able to meet the needs of the 21st century, we bring together three fields: life sciences, to understand science at all levels, from the molecular to the human; basic sciences, to gain an integrated grasp of nature in both specialized and general scientific terms; and general systems studies, to thoroughly examine natural and social systems from cross-disciplinary perspectives.

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Characteristics of the Program

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  • In the Graduate Program on Human Security, the Master's and Doctoral courses involve close coordination among five existing departments in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Language and Information Sciences, Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies, Area Studies, Advanced Social and International Studies, and Multi-Disciplinary Sciences).

  • Those who complete the program are awarded either an M.A. or Ph.D. degree in Human Security Studies.

  • The entrance examination for the Graduate Program on Human Security is conducted independently of that for the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

  • Unlike the five existing academic departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, as well as the School of Law and the Graduate School of Public Policy, both of which aim to train experts to work in organizations, the Graduate Program on Human Security is intended to produce highly qualified individuals who will make significant contributions in diverse areas of international affairs and global society.

  • Courses for the Graduate Program on Human Security emphasize the effectiveness of instruction in small classes. Consequently, up to 16 students for Master's courses and up to 4 students for Doctoral courses will be accepted for admission each year.

  • Admission may be possible for students who intend to continue their employment while in the Program.

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Courses

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Course Offerings for the Graduate Program on Human Security

Basic Subjects Introduction to Human Security I, II
Advanced Subjects Conflict, Peace and Coexistence I, II
Peace Processes and International Cooperation I, II
Cultural Ecology I, II
Self-Supporting System and Social Cooperation I, II
Life and Human Dignity I, II
Development and Poverty I, II
Subsistence and Skill of Living I, II
Sustainability Strategy I, II
Seminar on Human Security I-VIII
Practical Subjects Practical Training on Human Security I-IV
Special Subjects Special Research on Human Security I-IV

N.B.|Most classes will be conducted in Japanese.

If you need further information, please contact the office of the Graduate Program on Human Security:

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