A forum titled “Policy Forum on Leadership and Management Development in Asian Countries” was held at GRIPS on Thursday and Friday, November 21-22, 2013. The forum was jointly organized by GRIPS and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) with the cooperation of Hitotsubashi University as part of the Asian Leadership and Management Research Project. Leaders of associated organizations and scholars from Japan and the ASEAN countries of Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam were invited to the forum.

Before research was begun in the respective countries, a kickoff workshop was held in June of 2013 to discuss the framework, contents, and methodology of the research plan in order to reach a common understanding of the project’s goals and methods. In the November policy forum, participants shared their mutual understanding of the project’s purpose while addressing issues about organizational management in their own countries.

Please refer to the detailed program here (English only) .

Dr. Takashi Shiraishi, President, GRIPS, delivered the welcome address at the outset of the forum on the 21^st of November, 2013. Thereafter, Dr. Kazuo Ichijo, Professor, Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy, Hitotsubashi University, gave a keynote address on the theoretical background of leadership and management, and the representatives of Japan and the participating ASEAN countries (Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam) delivered presentations about their respective countries.

Following remarks by Dr. Ikujiro Nonaka, Professor Emeritus, Hitotsubashi University, the representatives and scholars from the ASEAN countries engaged in a lively discussion on the themes of “Maximizing capacity of public organizations” and “Fostering leadership for changes”.

The afternoon of the second day featured an event titled “40 Years – The ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation Commemorative Forum on Innovating Policies to Open the Future of Asia – A Paradigm Shift on Administrative Reforms” at Sokairo Hall at GRIPS. Open to the public, this forum attracted in excess of 200 visitors. Following an address by Mr. Akihiko Tanaka, President, JICA, and Mr. Kozo Yoshida, Commissioner, National Personnel Authority (NPA), Dr. Ikujiro Nonaka gave a key lecture on “Wise Leadership for Knowledge Societies”.

After the keynote presentation by Dr. Nonaka, vigorous discussions ensued on “Fostering Wise Leadership to Inspire Organizations and Communities” (Session 1) and “Accelerating Policy Innovations” (Session 2). Building on the cases presented by the respective countries, participants discussed ways to develop innovative policy solutions against the background of complex issues.