Kumamoto University
Center for Policy Studies

Recent major changes in society, such as globalization, low birth rates, and increase in aging population, continue to bring about a drastic transformation in our nation. With a shrinking and aging population, changing industrial structures, and declining employment opportunities, local communities are now confronted with a number of intractable challenges in areas such as municipal management, local healthcare and welfare, city development, disaster preparedness, and education.

Given the current situation, the biggest challenges facing us in building and maintaining a sustainable community are to find ways to resolve policy issues by using advanced "knowledge" pursued at universities and training citizens with skills necessary to support their communities. Keeping this in mind, Kumamoto University has completed the project called "Kumamoto University LINK (Local Initiative Network Kumamoto)" designed to realize the ideals of a "good society" by utilizing its abundant intellectual, human, and physical resources in cooperation with administrative bodies, businesses, organizations, and people. Part of this project includes a program to train capable individuals through continued education and research for resolving policy issues. Furthermore, in order to bolster and heighten its contributions to the community, Kumamoto University integrated the Center for Lifelong Learning (founded in 2001) and the Center for Policy Studies (founded in 2005) and gave them a fresh start as the Center for Policy Studies in April 2007. The primary mission of this center is to make use of the beneficial aspects of an institution with advanced learning and academic research resources in order to propose studies and policies that could resolve local issues. It also aims to promote regional cooperation and a rich system of continued education that in turn will contribute to intellectual betterment of the region and development of citizens capable of supporting the community.

With the creation of a seamless structure for research in issues of community policy and human resource development since the inauguration of the new center, we can now expect a better recognition of Kumamoto University in the local community. We can also expect tremendous improvements in the center's role as a think tank, along with its functions of training professionals, further promoting regional partnership, and acting as a one-stop service center for partnership.

It is my sincere desire as the director of the center, to continue to network the human and intellectual resources both on and off campus and offer educational and research services that can live up to what is expected of us as a national university located within the community.

Working with other nations, prefectures, communities, and organizations in and out of Kumamoto, we pledge to do our utmost to fulfill this mission and request for your kind support and guidance in our endeavors.

Yasumichi Matsumoto
Director of the Center for Policy Studies