Project Leader	Takahashi Tomoko (Kyoto University, Center for Southeast Asian Studies)
Research Project	Glocal Functionalism: Narratives from the Great East Japan Earthquake
Countries of Study	Japan

Outline of Research

This study explores the perception of the general public toward modern functionalism of international organizations by examining the interaction between the United Nations (UN) and citizens regarding the World Conference on Disaster Reduction after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Earlier studies have used survey analysis to clarify whether international organizations are legitimate entities that reflect the voices of the citizens, but it had always been assumed that such organizations are systems that “control the environment or technology/ provide beneficial functions for human beings”. This study examines whether citizens share such functionalist ideas through UN documents and interviews with citizens and concerned parties.

Purpose of Research, Its Significance and Expected Results, etc

The main purpose of this research is to demystify citizens’ perceptions of the modern functionalism of international organizations. This result has two significant points. First, the legitimacy of international organizations in the eyes of citizens has become a focal point. While “international” institutions (which position states as intermediaries) for citizens are said to be elitist in that they cannot have their own voices heard, the roles of institutions are increasingly larger these days. Therefore, this research seeks to go beyond survey analyses that address perceptions of international organizations on an abstract level to examine cases where citizens participate in organizations using a bottom-up approach and have their voices heard. Second, this research seeks to question the assumptions that international organizations “control the environment or technology/ provide profitable functions for human beings” and are “modern” institutions. This is done by taking up the Great East Japan Earthquake, where the term “unexpected (for humanity)” was frequently articulated. The results will be presented in multiple journal articles in both Japanese and English. While the field of history has examined how imperialism was supported by the League of Nations and the United Nations in its formative years and made non-Western citizens skeptical about international institutions, this research seeks to question whether institutionalism can be taken for granted in the contemporary sense. This is accomplished by examining a case in Japan, which is geographically located in Asia. As it is high time to discuss a Post-“Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030,” this research also implies some guidelines for situations where Japan would provide aid at the global level to developing countries whose disaster resiliency is said to be weak.