This is the Japanese section of the Monterey Model course on human security and as such, will meet in plenary four times with the other language (English, Spanish, and French) sections. Each plenary will include presentations by each language section as well as discussions based on those presentations. The objective of this course is to develop the student’s ability to discuss human security generally, to explore the human security policy of Japan as a concrete example, and to present his/her views on the topic.

Since “human security” was first introduced as a new concept in the UNDP’s Human Development Report (1994), it has attracted much attention in the academic circles and policymakers around the world. This concept has been adopted into the policies of some countries, particularly Japan and Canada. Fundamentally, “human security” is composed of the two elements of “human development” and “human dignity (human rights).” In contrast to the traditional concept of “national security,” which focuses on the protection of the state from military threats, “human security” focuses on the security of individual citizens and includes not only security from war and other forms of physical violence but also security from political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental threats. This course, with a particular focus on Japan’s human security policy, will examine how it is defined, how it is implemented, and what its significance and problems are.