Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies (GSICS), Kobe University
From August 2025 to June 2026, I participated in a double-degree program at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs (SIRPA), Fudan University in Shanghai, China, as part of the CAMPUS Asia Plus Program.
CAMPUS Asia (Collective Action for Mobility Program of University Students in Asia) was launched as a trilateral education initiative involving universities in Japan, China, and South Korea. In Japan, the program is supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Since the 2011 academic year, Kobe University has participated in the program through a consortium jointly established with Fudan University in China and Korea University in South Korea. Through double-degree programs, student exchanges, short-term training programs, and other initiatives, the participating universities have fostered specialists in risk management. In 2021, Chulalongkorn University in Thailand and the National University of Laos joined the consortium, expanding the initiative into the CAMPUS Asia Plus Program, which promotes high-quality reciprocal exchange among the participating universities.
Within this framework, I enrolled in the International Public Policy Program (IPP) at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs (SIRPA), Fudan University, and obtained a master’s degree in public administration. During the program, I took courses related to policy evaluation, including public policy and quantitative research methods. Studying in an academically stimulating environment alongside researchers with diverse areas of expertise enabled me to deepen my theoretical knowledge and enhance my applied research skills. In addition, through discussions with professors and students from diverse academic and cultural backgrounds, I learned to examine public policy challenges from a range of international perspectives.
One of the most challenging yet highly rewarding experiences in this program was completing my master’s thesis alongside intensive coursework within a single year. At Fudan University, a master’s thesis is evaluated through four stages: the Proposal Defense, Pre-Defense, Blind Review, and Final Defense. At each stage, I revised my research based on detailed comments from faculty members. In my research, I used quantitative methods to analyze the effects of EMITec, a distance education program implemented in the Brazilian state of Bahia, on educational outcomes among high school students, including academic achievement test scores and grade promotion rates. Preparing for each stage of the thesis evaluation while completing my coursework required careful time management and perseverance. By successfully completing all four stages within one year, I strengthened my ability to conduct research independently and to clearly communicate its academic and societal significance.
What I gained from this study-abroad experience extended beyond academic achievements. Living in Shanghai and interacting with people from China and various other countries deepened my understanding of different cultures, values, and ways of thinking. Viewing Japan from outside the country also gave me an opportunity to reconsider my own values and assumptions, which I had previously taken for granted. In particular, exchanging views on our research, educational experiences, and cultural backgrounds with students and researchers from universities across Asia prompted me to reconsider the meaning of international understanding. Through these experiences, I realized that genuine international understanding cannot be acquired simply through living abroad; rather, it deepens through continuous engagement with people whose perspectives differ from my own.
Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Professor Keiichi Ogawa for his continued guidance and support throughout my study-abroad experience and research activities, I am also deeply grateful to Professor Li Yin, my academic supervisor at Fudan University, for his extensive guidance in writing my master’s thesis. I would also like to express my deep appreciation to Yufei and Dan of Fudan University’s International Office for supporting my life as an international student in Shanghai, and to Dr. Danilo Dalmon for providing valuable advice on my master’s thesis as well as an opportunity to undertake a research internship.
Furthermore, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Assistant Professor Maisawa and Project Assistant Professor Yagi and Ms. Osaka of Kobe University’s CAMPUS Asia Office for making this valuable opportunity possible and supporting me throughout the program. I am also deeply grateful to the senior doctoral students who provided me with dedicated support during my studies at Fudan University.
Authored by Hinata Tanaka (Master’s Student)
