March 2011 Vol. 4 No. 11 Human Security The Pursuit of Peace and Happiness CONTENTS COVER STORY 4 Human Security The Pursuit of Peace and Happiness The concept of human security entails enabling people in all countries to live with “freedom from fear,” “freedom from want” and "freedom to live in dignity." We introduce some of the ways MASATOSHI SAKAMOTO MASATOSHI in which Japan is working to build human security in the Front cover: Training participants at JICA Obihiro International Center learn how to international arena. make their own screws. 6 Giving Substance to 12 When the Tractor Human Security Breaks Down… Japan International Co- At JICA Obihiro International Center in Hokkaido, operation Agency (JICA) agricultural leaders from developing countries P r e s i d e n t S a d a k o come to learn some of the engineering skills Ogata explains her needed to sustain farming in their countries. commitment to devel- 14 Love for Haiti oping the concept of human security. Artists from Japan’s music and art worlds have come together to form the Love for Haiti YUICHI ITABASHI movement. 8 Returning Peace to Ituri 16 Old Shoes Bring a Smile to Africa Jean-François Dubuisson of the UNDP Field Office in Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo, re- Shoes that Japanese ports on activities to return peace to the war-torn children have out- region by the Trust Fund for Human Security. grown are making their 10 Disaster Relief for Haiti way to impoverished regions of Africa via Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti of the SMILE AFRICA January 2010, what role has the Japan Self- project. Defense Forces played in disaster relief and recov- ery activities? MASARU SUZUKI Highlighting Japan MARCH 2011 Highlighting Japan MARCH 2011 2 3 EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY THE CABINET OFFICE, GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN The views expressed in this magazine by the interviewees or contributors do not necessarily represent the views of the Cabinet Office or the government. No article or any part thereof may be reproduced without the express permission of the Cabinet Office. Copyright inquiries should be made through a form available at www.gov-online.go.jp/eng/mailform/inquiry.html 18 Building Trust in 30 MONODZUKURI Human Security Yukio Takasu, a UN special advisor on human Cutlery for All security, shares his thoughts on diplomatic ef- Tableware produced by small enterprise Aoyoshi forts to promote the human security concept, in Co. in Tsubame, Niigata Prefecture is making eat- particular by Japan. ing easier for dexterously challenged elderly and disabled people. 20 TOPICS 32 NEW TOURISM The 14th Japan Media Arts Festival Creative Breaks This year’s Japan Media Arts Festival received 2,645 submissions from forty-nine coutries and re- A trip to any of gions, the highest number ever. We review the ex- Japan’s craft- hibition and interview two of the prizewinners. making hot- b e d s i s n o t complete until 26 TOPICS MASATOSHI SAKAMOTO MASATOSHI you’ve tried The 4th International MANGA Award your hand at the craft yourself. We visit workshops in the pottery-making town of Mashiko in Tochigi The International MANGA Award received 189 en- Prefecture and a cut glass-making quarter of tries from thirty-nine coutries and regions this year. Sumida Ward in Tokyo. We take a look at some of the winning works. INFORMATION 28 SCIENCE Prime Minister Naoto Kan shares his thoughts on issues of the day on “Prime Minister KAN’s BLOG”: DREB Genes to Boost Harvests http://kansblog.kantei.go.jp/ A genetic modification technology developed by Professor Kazuko Yamaguchi-Shinozaki some twelve years ago is now close to practical applica- tion, offering real hopes for improved food produc- Subscribe to our e-mail notification service for news of the latest updates: tion in areas of difficult and worsening environ- http://www.mmz.kantei.go.jp/foreign/blog/ mental conditions. Highlighting Japan MARCH 2011 Highlighting Japan MARCH 2011 2 3 COVER STORY WORLD ECONOMIC FORUMWORLD ECONOMIC UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks at a session on the theme of human security at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, January 28. Human Security The Pursuit of Peace and FORUMWORLD ECONOMIC Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) President Sadako Ogata speaks as host of the session on Happiness human security at Davos. Highlighting Japan MARCH 2011 Highlighting Japan MARCH 2011 4 5 The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting (Davos Participants in the session made such comments Conference) was held in the Swiss municipality of as: “Human security is an important guiding concept TDavos from January 26 through January 30. More for dealing with all of the problems in the interna- than 2,500 politicians, businesspeople, nongovern- tional community,” and “Businesses and the private mental organization representatives and other dele- sector need to be actively involved with the further gates from over 100 countries and regions attended promotion of this concept.” the conference and its sessions on matters such as IT, In a special address the day after the session on energy, the environment and employment. January 29, Prime Minister Naoto Kan spoke of the Sadako Ogata, president of the Japan International “new bonds” needed to achieve a “society with the Cooperation Agency (JICA), and Mark Malloch Brown, least unhappiness.” former deputy secretary-general of the United “Japan has been emphasizing the concept of Nations, hosted a session on human security on ‘Human Security,’ which is also being discussed here January 28. It was attended by about thirty leading in Davos,” Prime Minister Kan said. “It is exactly what delegates, including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- the notion of ‘creating new bonds’ is all about. Be- moon, World Health Organization Director-General cause its objective is to reach out to respective indi- Margaret Chan, and Peter Sutherland, chairman of viduals and to enable them to live their lives with Goldman Sachs International. Direct transnational dignity through their protection and empowerment. threats to individuals such as conflicts, terrorism, in- Based on this concept, and with a view to contribut- fectious diseases and environmental destruction ing to the achievement of the Millennium Develop- continue to intensify. By complementing existing ment Goals (MDGs), we are focusing on enhancing security frameworks targeting nations with activities health and education.” focusing on each individual, the concept of human This month’s cover story looks at Japan’s interna- security aims to provide people with “freedom from tional cooperation through the creation of “new fear,” “freedom from want” and “freedom to live in bonds” including those related to human security. dignity.” Japan plays a leading role in disseminating Prime Minister Naoto Kan speaks at the World and implementimg the concept of human security in Economic Forum Annual Meeting alongside leaders the international community. including JICA President Sadako Ogata and, to her left, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Highlighting Japan MARCH 2011 Highlighting Japan MARCH 2011 4 5 COVER STORY Giving Substance to Human Security In recent years, human security has emerged as a major issue in the international community. Sadako Ogata, president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), has devoted her energies to developing the concept. T The Japan Journal’s Osamu Sawaji asked Ogata for her thoughts on human security and on related activities in which Japan is involved. Japan International Cooperation Agency President Sadako Ogata YUICHI ITABASHI Why has human security come to the perhaps what is required more is the human- fore in the international community centric perspective. in recent years? How did the Commission on Human Sadako Ogata: In the 1990s when I served as Security, of which you used to be co- United Nations High Commissioner for chair, came to be established? Refugees, the Cold War ended, and regional conflict broke out in various regions followed In 2001, Kofi Annan, the then secretary-general by the disintegration of federal nations such as of the United Nations, paid a visit to then the former Soviet Union and the former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori. Wishing to ac- Yugoslavia, and large numbers of refugees fled complish “freedom from fear” which was free- across national borders to other countries. The dom from military conflict, and “freedom from state, which should protect people inside its want” which was freedom from blights such as own boundaries, was not able to do so due to poverty and infectious disease, he sought the conflicts. Furthermore, in the countries into cooperation of Japan, which had a track record which the refugees fled, there was no obliga- of nonmilitary international cooperation. Prime tion to protect those who were not country- Minister Mori, who had been thinking about men. Refugees were no longer protected by adopting human security as a specific policy anyone. In light of these situations, the view goal, agreed to this request. Thus, the Com- gradually spread that the traditional state- mission on Human Security was established as centric approach alone is insufficient when it a result of their proposal. comes to the safety of human beings, and that The Commission on Human Security pub- Highlighting Japan MARCH 2011 Highlighting Japan MARCH 2011 6 7 lished its final report as a commission in 2003. velopment for specific individual goals, such as This report suggests two broad strategies of building schools for children’s education, or achieving human security. One is that states building hospitals to help sick people, but by must assume responsibility for protecting incorporating the perspective of human securi- people, that they must conduct policies that ty, this changed to providing multi-faceted sup- take into consideration the survival, dignity, port from the viewpoint of “what should be and livelihood of people, and that they must done to enhance the livelihood of this person strengthen those policies.