Dr. Shinichi Kitaoka presents the inaugural JICA Chair lecture at Stellenbosch, 11 October 2023
Author: Anél Lewis
Adding another milestone to its longstanding collaboration with Japan, Stellenbosch University (SU), through its Japan Centre, has hosted the first Chair lecture of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to be held in South Africa.
Dr. Shinichi Kitaoka, a former JICA president and now special advisor to the Agency, delivered the inaugural seminar on Japan’s modernisation and global development cooperation at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study on 11 October 2023. Dr. Kitaoka is also a former Japan ambassador to the United Nations. He is the initiator of the JICA seminar programme. JICA, as explained by Prof Scarlett Cornelissen, Director of SU’s Japan Centre, is one of the world’s largest providers of bilateral development assistance.
Dr. Kitaoka’s lecture, titled “The Making of Modern Japan,” focused particularly on the Meiji era from 1868 to 1912 that ushered in a period of economic, social, and political reforms. The catalyst for Japan’s modernisation was the political revolution or Meiji Restoration in 1868 that ended Shogunate reign under feudalism and restored imperial rule. According to Dr. Kitaoka, this was a rapid but markedly more peaceful change than seen during the French and Russian Revolutions.
Dr. Kitaoka highlighted some of the “dividends” Japan enjoyed during this transition. These included commercial growth, high levels of literacy and the preservation of its unique culture. He said that while Japan had made many mistakes, its successful transition to democracy provided many lessons for developing countries. Kitaoka added that the fact that South Africa is more advanced than many of the other developing countries with JICA chairs, made this collaboration distinctive .
Prof Hester Klopper, SU’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Strategy, Global and Corporate Affairs, said SU was honoured to host the inaugural JICA Chair lecture just a year after SU launched its Japan Centre as a hub of academic, research and cultural exchange between the two countries. She also noted that SU will next year host the sixth South Africa-Japan University Forum in Stellenbosch, as part of its ongoing collaboration with Japan.
An international seminar programme, the JICA chair series contributes to the realisation of SU’s vision and strategy to be Africa’s leading research-intensive university, noted Klopper. “As a university, we are responsible not only for the academic training of our students, but also for preparing our students to make a difference and contribute to a sustainable future. So, initiatives like this contribute to building those bridges and creating a social justice space across the globe for the future.”
Klopper added that SU has a long history of cultural exchange with Japan. Records from the SU Archive document visits dating back to 1935 when the Consul of Japan was invited to present films about Japan to the university community. In 2018, SU collaborated with the Embassy of Japan to host a seminar in joint celebration of SU’s Centenary and the centenary of diplomatic relations between Japan and South Africa.
‘We (SU) are sincere about collaboration and building on the immense work started years ago.”