About PCS

For almost 150 years now, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS) has played a preeminent role within Japan in the areas of foreign language education and international studies. Originally mandated as a government translation bureau during Japan's period of isolation and subsequent opening to the outside world in the second half of the 19th century, TUFS evolved first into a general school of foreign languages, and then into a prestigious National University focused on undergraduate education through a unique curriculum focused on International and Area Studies.

In the last 15 years, the university has expanded its research and educational activities and broadened its international role and linkages, while retaining its small size and commitment to personalized education. This has been achieved through the creation of the Graduate School of Area and Culture Studies (renamed to Graduate School of Global Studies from 2008), the inclusion of the inter-university Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA) and the Japanese Language Center for International Students (JLC) within the university's organization, as well as the launching of various programs for international students and cooperation with educational and research institutions abroad.

Today, TUFS continues to serve as a leading center in Japan and globally for the study of world languages, cultures and societies, as well as area and international studies. Approximately 1,100 Japanese and international undergraduate and postgraduate students enter degree programs at TUFS each year, in addition to which the university also hosts a good number of international exchange, visiting, and other non-degree program students. In total, international students consistently number more than 600 or almost 15% of the student population, and represent over 50 different nationalities.

TUFS students choose from degree programs and course offerings covering a wide variety of languages, cultures, regions, as well as more discipline-based subjects in the humanities and social sciences, and applied and practical training in areas like translation and interpretation, language education, and international cooperation. Please explore the university's main website [TUFS Home] to learn more about these programs and the university in general.

Peace and Conflict Studies (PCS) was launched in 2004 as an interdisciplinary research and study program within the Graduate School of Area and Culture Studies (currently Graduate School of Global Studies) at TUFS. Conducted completely in English, the program was initiated to attract and train Japanese and international students with a strong interest in learning to critically examine and formulate effective responses to issues of peace and conflict. PCS builds off the above-mentioned strengths of the university in the social sciences and area and international studies, and contributes to the further internationalization of TUFS that is so important in today's increasingly interconnected and globalized world.

PCS also complements and cooperates with more established programs in the Graduate School in foreign languages, theoretical and applied linguistics, culture studies, international politics and economics, and international cooperation, by providing graduate level research opportunities and practical training on topics such as peace and conflict, violence, development, and other areas within international affairs. Additionally, the program is charged with coordinating and further expanding related research activities within the university and with outside academic and non-academic organizations in Japan and abroad.

Through PCS, the Graduate School currently offers a Concentration in Peace and Conflict Studies within it's Master of Arts (MA) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree programs. As the first graduate-level English-language and internationally-focused degree programs at TUFS, and one of the first peace and conflict studies programs in Japan, we hope to lead the way for other similar initiatives at TUFS and other Japanese universities.