Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo

Inclusive society, sustainable environment and food, regions and communities

We are witnessing increasing fragmentation around the world, and children and young people are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of social disparities and conflicts. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the 2030 target remains a significant challenge. In the face of these difficulties, what kind of future should we envision? One key guiding principle is inclusiveness. In a world where inequality and division are increasingly apparent, paying careful attention to the most socially vulnerable can pave the way toward a more sustainable future.
This endowed research unit will focus on diverse living environments—including both regions and communities—to identify urgent issues and challenges. Specifically, we aim to develop well-being indicators that better capture different societal levels, from the level of local communities to the national level, while accounting for diverse gender and generational dynamics, in order to shed light on the realities of inequality. Based in Japan, the world’s most aged society, we will conduct comparative empirical research on global inclusiveness. Our work will center on four key pillars:
1. Life course and generational research
2. Multidimensional well-being research
3. Global Japan studies
4. International collaborative platforms, including research and next-generation development

Early-Career Researchers Development

As previously mentioned, the Endowed Research Unit of Glocal Inclusive Future Society (GLIF) is built upon four core pillars within an international research platform. It focuses on exploring both the differences and commonalities among nations, regions, and communities. At the same time, it places strong emphasis on nurturing graduate students and early-career researchers who work on issues such as the SDGs, well-being, inequality, and inclusion. To this end, the GLIF actively organizes both online and in-person seminars to build and expand international research networks.

Prospects for Collaborative Research and Private Sector-Academia Collaboration

The Endowed Research Unit of Glocal Inclusive Future Society (GLIF) is a private sector–academia collaboration platform that focuses on people’s lives within local communities and living environments. Operating on a global scale, GLIF integrates policy research with next-generation development, while addressing critical issues related to inequalities and inclusiveness. It actively engages with disciplines in the humanities—particularly sociology, economics, and political science—as well as interdisciplinary fields such as global health, sustainability studies, and environmental and disaster prevention studies.
As a bidirectional initiative between the private sector and academia, GLIF represents an innovative approach to fostering research that contributes to the creation of new academic fields. By integrating diverse knowledge from both sectors, it promotes convergence between the humanities and sciences, centering on the theme of inclusivity. Through this approach, GLIF aims to develop new domains of policy research and position itself as a model for future private sector–academia collaboration.