The following Japan-Russia exchange activities were conducted in 2020 at the Graduate School of Education, Faculty of Education, Hokkaido University.
1. ESD Campus Asia Pacific Program
Period: September 14–September 16, 2020 (3 days) and February 17, 2021 (4 days in total)
Participants: A total of 18 students, including 6 students from Sakhalin State University
Activity Details: Launched in 2011, and with the addition of Sakhalin State University in 2016, this program corresponds to an interactive short-term (ten-day) study abroad support program by six universities in five countries. This year, due to the COVID-19 crisis, only the summer and winter programs (four days in total) were conducted, and 16 people from Sakhalin State University participated online, six in the summer and ten in the winter. In particular, during the winter, through real-time online education, Associate Professor Irina Balitskaya of Sakhalin State University provided expert knowledge and words of guidance.
2. Northern Sustainable Development Forum (Yakutsk)
Period: September 30, 2020
Participants: 25 graduate students from North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk and Hokkaido University
Activity Details: On September 30, 2020, Professor Gayman, Professor Ikeda, and graduate students from the School of Education participated in an online panel organized as part of the Cold Lands Seminar, which has been ongoing since 2008, and reported on the social issues of the Ainu people and the developments of the department’s ESD Campus Asia-Pacific Program. In addition, three faculty members from North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk gave presentations and interacted with researchers, including graduate students from North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk, to enrich their knowledge. Participants included Mr. Kawanobe, Vice President of Hokkaido University’s Institute for International Collaboration, and Associate Professor Paichadze and Assistant Professor Buntilov of the Research Faculty of Media and Communication. On the previous day, the 29th, a panel led by Professor Gayman was held as part of the same Cold Lands Seminar on the use of media by indigenous people and issues of representation and self-representation, with a total of 9 presentations, including four presentations by graduate students from Hokkaido University, and 16 graduate students, faculty, and practitioners participated. The discussion on the use of media by indigenous people was particularly lively.
3. International Seminar of Japan-Russian Collaboration on Articulations of Indigenous Culture
Period: February 18, 2021
Participants: 49 graduate students from North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk and Hokkaido University
Activity Details: Participation in the Northern Sustainable Development Forum in 2019 led to a third online international seminar hosted by Professor Gayman and Associate Professor L. Sidarova of North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk. Presentations by two graduate students from the Graduate School of Education, Hokkaido University and one graduate student from North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk confirmed common issues and research interests between the two laboratories and a promise was made to continue international collaborative education. Thanks in part to advance notice from the HaRP office, the seminar was attended by a total of 49 people (62 pre-registered), including university faculty and their students in St. Petersburg.
4. International Collaborative Education and Regional Human Resource Development at Three Japanese and Russian Universities
Period: February 25, 2021 (1 day total)
Participants: 36 participants total, including students and faculty members from Sakhalin State University, Ural State Pedagogical University, and Hokkaido University
Activity Details: This year, an online seminar titled “The Body in Post-Corona Society: A New Era of a Society of Interdependence” was held as a continuation of the online workshop for the FY2019 joint project of three universities in Japan and Russia, connecting Sapporo, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, and Yekaterinburg. The seminar was attended by a total of 36 people, including students and faculty members from Hokkaido University, Sakhalin State University, and Ural State Pedagogical University. Some of the participants were Russians from other universities (e.g. Chiba University). The following are examples of proposals for student exchange and human resource development presented by members from Hokkaido University.
- “Issues common to Japan and Russia in early childhood physical education, with a focus on lifelong education” (a proposal by a graduate student at Hokkaido University)
- “Issues common to Japan and Russia in sports and regional development in the Okhotsk region” (a proposal by a graduate student at Hokkaido University)
- “Succession of traditional physical arts and the COVID-19 problem” (a proposal by an undergraduate student at Hokkaido University)
Additionally, reports were made and discussions were held on issues common to Japan and Russia related to remote learning and online education during the COVID-19 crisis, and a promise was made to continue these discussions in the future.
