Number 1 December 2021

Post-COVID-19 Japan: A Political Economy Treatise on Shocks and Therapy Abul Barkat Professor and former Chair, Department of Economics; Professor and Founding Chair, Department of Japanese Studies, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. E-mail: barkatabul71@gmail.com Abstract Pandemic is a rare than usual event, and therefore, the shocking impacts of pandemic fall under the category of “uncertainty’’ than “risks”; “uncertainty” is improbabilistic and, therefore, not amenable to predictability. This paper aims at understanding the political economy essence of the shocks experienced by Japan during the post-COVID-19 pandemic and devise plausible therapy to address those shocks. The paper follows a logical order: it [...]

Post-Covid-19 Japan and Social Shocks Abdullah-Al-Mamun, PhD* Shamsunnahar** *Assistant Professor & Chairman, Department of Japanese Studies, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Email: mamun.djs@du.ac.bd **Research Associate, Centre for Governance Studies (CGS), Bangladesh. shamsunnaharshompa@gmail.com Abstract There has been a severe erosion of social life in Japan owing to COVID-19. However, the existing literature does not provide enough evidence regarding various social shocks arising out of the Covid-19 and its impact on the society and life of the people. Thereby, applying the document analysis strategy, this research assesses the impacts of the pandemic on Japanese society, examining very recent data and attempting to [...]

Japan’s Shifting Foreign Policy to South Asia: Issues and Challenges Md. Saifullah Akon* Debasish Nandy** Alik Naha*** * Corresponding author. Lecturer, Department of Japanese Studies, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. E-mail: saifullah.djs@du.ac.bd ** Associate Professor and Head, Department of Political Science, Kazi Nazrul University, Asansol, West Bengal, India. E-mail: debasishnandy.kc@gmail.com *** Faculty Member, Department of Political Science, Vidyasagar College(Day), Kolkata, India. E-mail: aliknaha@gmail.com Abstract Due to the geographical distance and cultural diversity, South Asia was considered a ‘distant neighbour’ to Japan’s foreign policy and retained diminutive relations during the early post-WWII period. To amplify its ‘bubble economy in the cold [...]

'Meritocracy' to 'Parentocracy': (De)constructing the Theoretical Dilemma in Basic Education of Japan and Bangladesh Md. Jahangir Alam, PhD https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6312-5685 Assistant Professor, Department of Japanese Studies, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh. E-mail: mjalam.jsc@du.ac.bd Abstract Globally, access to basic education is a universal fundamental human right. Conversely, governments of underdeveloped and developing countries experience several challenges in ensuring equity in basic education. Along with the government initiatives, equity in basic education also depends on parental socio-economic status. Japan has achieved significant success in students' learning outcomes regardless of parental SES and might serve as a role model for Bangladesh to ensure [...]