King’s is one of the most international universities in the world, the diversity of our student and staff body is what defines us. This excellent new initiative builds on a well-established and successful partnership which already exists between the Department of War Studies and GraSPP, and will multiply the impact and further solidify our teaching and research collaborations.”
Professor ‘Fumni Olonisakin, Vice President/Vice Principal (International), King’s College London
07 July 2021
War Studies signs new partnership agreement with University of Tokyo
The agreement establishes a new collaborative MA programme with the Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Tokyo.
The Department of War Studies at King’s College London has established a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for a collaborative Master’s programme with the Graduate School of Public Policy (GraSPP), University of Tokyo.
This new agreement builds upon the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and a PhD student exchange agreement, which was established between King’s and the University of Tokyo’s GraSPP in 2018.
The MoA was signed between Professor ‘Funmi Olonisakin, Vice President/Vice Principal International at King’s, and Professor Hiroshi Ohashi, Executive Dean at GraSPP, at a special online ceremony this week. Also in attendance were Professor Frans Berkhout, Executive Dean, Faculty of Social Science and Public Policy and Professor Keisuke Iida, Dean and Vice Dean of GraSPP, amongst others.
The academic collaboration, led by Dr Alessio Patalano and Professor Vivienne Jabri from the Department of War Studies and Professor Chiyuki Aoi from GraSPP, is the first collaborative degree-level programme King’s has established with the University of Tokyo and the first with a partner institution in Japan. This collaboration is one more step forward to achieving King’s aims, as set out in its Internationalisation Strategy, to partner with like-minded institutions in order to enrich student experience and enable students to develop key knowledge and skills to tackle global challenges.
The programme establishes a 1+1 articulation Master’s programme, where the first cohort of students will start their study at GraSPP in the Autumn of 2021 for year one, then progress to a second year at War Studies in Autumn 2022. On completion of study, the students will be awarded a King’s Masters degree as well as a University of Tokyo Masters. King’s Master's students will also have the unique option to expand their regional expertise and perspectives by embarking on a second Master’s at GraSPP if they so wish.
These international programmes which enable the exchange of students across universities, cultures and political and social systems are a very important part of how we see our role as a global university. ”
Professor Frans Berkhout, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Social Science and Public Policy, King’s College London
Adding a new collaboration with War Studies will be a great addition to our research and teaching portfolios. This double degree programme will offer an ideal opportunity to our students, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing fruitful developments and long-lasting partnerships between the Schools.”
Professor Hiroshi Ohashi, Executive Dean of the Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Tokyo
I am certain the double degree programme will build much needed bridges between Europe and Asia, the UK and Japan and between our two institutions. It will also help us share and foster much-needed knowledge and expertise to help us face the global challenges affecting our two regions of the world.”
Professor Chiyuki Aoi, Academic Lead for the 1+1 programme, the Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Tokyo
The University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Public Policy (GraSPP) aims to train students in planning, implementing, and evaluating public policy, and to prepare students for careers in public service. GraSPP is specifically designed to address issues of national, regional, and global concern, combining theory and practice to yield a holistic approach to understanding methods of evaluation, consensus building, policy formation and implementation.
The Department of War Studies at King’s is one of the only academic departments in the world focused on understanding the complex realm of conflict, security, and international politics through inter-disciplinary teaching, research, and engagement. We sit in the School of Security Studies alongside the Defence Studies Department, forming the largest international community of scholars in the world dedicated to producing world-leading research on all aspects of security and international relations. Our research develops new empirical knowledge, employs innovative theory, and addresses vital policy issues.
In this story
Assistant Principal (King’s Climate & Sustainability)
Vice President (International, Engagement & Service)
Professor of War & Strategy in East Asia
Professor of International Politics