In late 2012, when international relations had deteriorated in NE Asia, 295 Japanese students at ten universities were surveyed. In response to various questions about the region, opinions varied in five arenas: travel, foreign language, history, current affairs and popular culture. Over 100 raised questions themselves, wanting to learn more about Korea, Japan or the relationship. We make two suggestions, as additions to existing education programs, to deepen Korean-Japanese mutual understanding.

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This article highlights how social innovation emerged, integrated, and expanded in local community settings. The paper presents findings summarized from a qualitative study of three local initiatives as case studies of social innovation. A “Social Innovation Framework" is subsequently proposed to represent the relationship between the social innovation process and social innovation dynamics. The framework shows that each step in the process leads to changes in the characteristics of the social innovation accordingly in that it makes social innovation more practical and increases the level of the community member's participation.

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This paper examines the 1980s vitalization movement among the Okinawan community in Hawaii. Through long-term participant observation, I have found some young third generation people of Okinawan ancestry who established the Okinawan Festival and the Hawaii Okinawa Center. I refer to them as ethnic agents, a certain type of transformative agent. They have diffused a new idea of Uchina-culturalism among the Okinawan community of Hawaii.

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This paper introduces the GEC (Global Environmental Change)-Japan/Asia platform as one of the attempts to enhance linkages and promote collaboration on transdisciplinarity approaches to global environmental and social change in Asia.This paper also attempts to contribute to discussions about new research directions and frameworks to promote science-society interface for sustainability research in Asia.

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This paper sheds light on the process of intercultural literacy acquisition of newcomer children (NCC) in a youth program organized for them by an NPO which is working to create a multicultural society. Based on the observations done with an NPO in Kobe,the learning process in the initial stage of intercultural literacy development was closely examined. Intercultural literacy includes the ability of NCC to recognize and express their own opinions and perspectives as ethnic minorities in their host society. By having dialogue with other participants in the youth program, the newcomer children gain approval of their own ethnicity, knowledge about the situation of foreign people in Japan, etc. Uponparticipating in the program, the newcomer children advanced from beingparticipants and settlers, to expressionistsas they subsequently acquired intercultural literacy.

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This paper considers the larger context in which social innovation can emerge. Based on the notion of shared value, it suggests that change agents should think beyond boundaries and organizational forms. To resolve common challenges, society's future leaders across sectors can foster innovativeness by removing behavioral barriers caused by fixed labels and perceptions.

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This research note provides an overview of the Korean immersion education which has been conducted for more than half a century in Korean ethnic schools in Japan. First, Korean residents and their language use are briefly described and then an outline and features of Korean education as their heritage language are introduced. Finally some issues and perspectives regarding the matter are discussed.

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