Author: Gerhard van Niekerk This article draws on research presented at a Research Forum on Japanese Industry and Development in Africa, organised by Stellenbosch University Japan Centre and made possible by support by the Toshiba International Foundation. The virtual forum, held on the 26th and 29th of January 2024, focused on the role of Japanese…
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Author: Inge Odendaal Stellenbosch University Japan Centre kickstarted 2024 with its first research forum titled “Japanese Industry and Development in Africa.” In January, the SUJC, with the support of a grant from the Toshiba International Foundation (TIFO), hosted this forum which focused on addressing the understudied topic of the influence of Japanese businesses on African…
Author: Inge Odendaal Artificial intelligence (AI) reach is widespread, affecting many sectors across public and private spheres, both positively and negatively. Through the Hiroshima AI Process, G7 members have recognized the real-life implications of both AI and generative AI’s immense potential.[1] It can drive innovation, upskill workers, stimulate entrepreneurship, and improve healthcare outcomes and system…
Earth from Space – Japan in AutumnImage captured from the European Space Agency’s Copernicus-Sentinel 3 mission in November 2023(Source: Wikimedia Commons) Author: Gerhard van Niekerk The geopolitics of space This article follows on an earlier discussion of the key milestones in Japan’s development of its space programme[i] and considers the wider geopolitical context within which…
Author: Daniel Bugan Stellenbosch University Japan Centre (SUJC), in association with the Embassy of Japan in South Africa, recently presented a seminar entitled “Mathematics education, innovation and practice in varied contexts: Insights from Japan and South Africa”. The seminar, which took place on 6 March 2024, featured mathematics teaching practitioners and educators from primary, secondary…
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Interview: Prof. Yoichi MINE
Author: Daniel Bugan Prof. Yoichi Mine describes his visit to Stellenbosch University (SU) to deliver the second Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Chair lecture as an emotional homecoming. It’s a place, he says, which not only ensured early academic success but also awakens fond memories of a more innocent and carefree time in his family’s…
Author: Daniel Bugan Prof Yoichi Mine, Executive Director of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development, on 29 February 2024 delivered the second JICA Chair lecture at Stellenbosch University (SU). His lecture, entitled “Journeys for Human Security: Dynamics of Migration in Africa”, was hosted by SU’s Japan Centre…
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Interview: Dr. Shinichi KITAOKA
Author: Sue Segar Japan has achieved modernisation and industrialisation from the 19th to the 20th century and the challenges it faced were similar to those currently faced by developing countries. For this reason, Japan –the world’s first country to modernise from a non-Western background – has much to offer in terms of its experience and lessons to…
Tanegashima Space Center in Japan’s Kagoshima Prefecture Author: Gerhard van Niekerk Broadly, the Japenese space programme began in the 1950s, initiated by Hideo Itokawa, or ‘Dr Rocket’, at the University of Tokyo. Initially characterised by numerous rocket launch failures (as was common among all newcomers to this industry), Japan achieved the construction of over 15-metre…
Author: Jacques Quass de Vos Anime, sushi, city pop, and Pokémon: what do these Japanese things have in common? The answer is rather clear, right? Add the likes of Mitsui, Hitachi, Sony, and Toyota to the list. Now include JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) and JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization). How about the 2020 Olympics?…