KASAI Yoshinori

写真a

Affiliation

Faculty of Law, Department of Political Science Politics and Society (Sociology) ( Mita )

Position

Associate Professor

Related Websites

Contact Address

2-15-45 Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo

External Links

Profile Summary 【 Display / hide

  • Yoshinori Kasai is an Associate Professor at Keio University, Japan, and currently a visiting researcher at the School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh. He specialises in sociology, focusing on qualitative research and community studies. His work explores how local communities construct, preserve, and reinterpret historical narratives, often through collaborative methods. Kasai has conducted extensive fieldwork in Japan, examining how social groups engage with their histories and traditions. He has also contributed to interdisciplinary projects linking sociology, community development, and historical engagement, including collaborations with museums and local organisations. He holds a Ph.D. in Media and Governance from Keio University. His publications include edited volumes on sociology, the philosophy of conviviality, and public history.

Career 【 Display / hide

  • 2009.04
    -
    2010.03

    Keio University, Graduate School of Media and Governance, Research Associate (Non-tenured) (Part-time)

  • 2009.05
    -
    2010.03

    Keio University, Graduate School of Law, GCOE Researcher (Research Assistant)

  • 2010.02

    Ibaraki University, College of Humanities, Part-time Lecturer

  • 2010.04
    -
    2011.03

    Rikkyo University, Research Unit for Social Development, AIIC, Investigator

  • 2010.04
    -
    2012.03

    Chiba University of Commerce, Faculty of Policy Informatics, Visiting Lecturer

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Academic Background 【 Display / hide

  • 2003.04
    -
    2007.03

    Keio University, Faculty of Policy Management

    University, Graduated

  • 2007.04
    -
    2009.03

    Keio University, Graduate School of Media and Governance, Media and Governance

    Graduate School, Completed, Master's course

  • 2009.04
    -
    2012.03

    Keio University, Graduate School of Media and Governance, Media and Governance

    Graduate School, Completed, Doctoral course

Academic Degrees 【 Display / hide

  • Bachelor of Arts in Policy Management, Keio University, Coursework, 2007.03

  • Master of Media and Governance (M.M.G), Keio University, Dissertation, 2009.03

    Participatory governance and publicness : Case of Quezon city in the Philippines

  • Ph.D. in Media and Governance, Keio University, Coursework, 2012.03

    Methodology Based on Story-Telling in Process of Problem-Finding and Problem-Solving

Licenses and Qualifications 【 Display / hide

  • The Certificate of Advanced Social Researcher (Japanese Association for Social Research), 2012.10

  • Bosaisi, the Certificate of Disaster Prevention Expert, 2014

  • Associate Digital Archivist, 2021.02

  • Kanji Educator, 2022

  • Kanji Education Supporter, 2022.06

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Research Areas 【 Display / hide

  • Humanities & Social Sciences / Cultural anthropology and folklore

  • Humanities & Social Sciences / Sociology

Research Keywords 【 Display / hide

  • Local Community

  • Life Hisotry

 

Books 【 Display / hide

  • Modern Legal Understanding of Landscapes

    Hiroya Ushio et al., Nippon Hyoron sha, 2025.02,  Page: 324

    Scope: Chapter 10 'Distortions in the Cadastral Maps and Distribution of Small Place Names in Ritto City, Shiga Prefecture',  Contact page: 248–283 , Accepted

  • Doing Public History: Weaving Alternative and Poliphonic Histories

    Yoshinori Kasai, Eiichi Tajima, et al., Keio University Press, 2025.01

    Contact page: 296

    Table of Contents (in English)

  • The Philosophy and Manners for Conviviality - To Continue to Live Better Together

    Yoshinori Kasai, Yasunori Kudo, et al., Horitsu Bunka Sha, 2020.03,  Page: 244

    Scope: First Editor. Introduction and closing chapters.

     View Summary

    How can we continue to live together better? After discussing the foundations of conviviality, such as economics, religion, and sustainability, this study will clarify how conviviality can be practiced in local communities and in various other settings.

  • Local Communities from a Case Study on a Folklore in Ritto CIty, Japan

    Yoshinori Kasai, Sunrise Publishing, 2019.03,  Page: 204

     View Summary

    The event called "Sagicho," in which long bamboos are assembled and stood up to burn New Year's decorations, is still practiced in many parts of Japan. In Ritto City, Shiga Prefecture, a survey of the life histories of individuals and a questionnaire survey of all 123 community associations were conducted, and the meaning and role of sagicho are discussed from the perspective of sociology, making use of knowledge from folklore.

  • Basic Sociology

    Yasunori Kudo, Saya Oyama, Yoshinori Kasai, Sekaishisosha Co., Ltd., 2017.02,  Page: 226

    Scope: Chpter 4. Who Makes Local Community?,  Contact page: 55-68

     View Summary

    We have divided sociology into 14 major areas and compiled an easy-to-understand textbook for beginning students.

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Papers 【 Display / hide

  • Sagicho and Iseko in a Hamlet along the Old Road in Ritto City

    Yoshinori Kasai

    Shi'en: The Journal of Historical Studies (The Historical Society of Rikkyo University)  85 ( 2 ) 101 - 114 2025.03

    Single Work

  • Discovering the Meaning of Social Groups and Events through Collaborative Research with Local Communities: Case Studies of Folklores as Repertoires of Symbiosis

    Yoshinori Kasai

    The KeMCo Review (Keio Museum Commons (KeMCo))   ( 2 ) 10 - 28 2024.03

    Research paper (scientific journal), Single Work, Lead author, Corresponding author, Accepted,  ISSN  2758-7452

     View Summary

    Through the introduction of two practical examples, this paper demonstrates how public humanities and public history can give new meaning to folk customs and people’s lives. First, a case involving the burning of New Year’s decorations (Sagicho), aside from being a ritual to return a deity to the sky, which is an authorized story among the local community, shows how such an event can strengthen social bonds. Second, pilgrimage groups who visit a famous shrine (Iseko) function to not only enhance religious beliefs, but also act as a basis for communal life. All of these functions were discovered through collaborative research with residents and nonprofit organizations. Public humanities enable us to work with people to uncover the functions of social groups and the events of which they are unaware. In particular, this paper demonstrates that the analysis of folk customs fundamental to community life, which can be considered a repertoire of symbiosis, can provide questions on universal themes.

  • Visualization and Analysis of Small Place Names in Japan Using Data from Official Surveys and Cadastral Maps from the Meiji Era: A Case Study of Koaza Names in Ritto City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan

    Yoshinori Kasai

    Art Research (Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University)  24 ( 1 ) 3 - 18 2023.07

    Research paper (bulletin of university, research institution), Single Work, Lead author, Corresponding author, Accepted,  ISSN  2436-5408

     View Summary

    This paper examines whether small place names can be the subject of “political” analyses. For this purpose, a small land title database and geographic information system data were created and analyzed using the results of official surveys and cadastral maps from the Meiji era. Consequently, regional characteristics related to naming were clarified through a comparison with preceding studies. In addition, the principle of “one hamlet per village” and the differences between hamlet and non-hamlet areas in the naming conventions were clarified. The findings of this paper suggest that small place names can also be the subject of “political” analyses if appropriate data are prepared.

  • The Process of Creating a Database of Small Place Names in the Ritto City Area: With an Analysis Focusing on Divided Place Names and Names Indicating Hamlets

    Yoshinori Kasai

    Bulletin of Ritto History Museum (Ritto History Museum)   ( 29 ) 1 - 9 2023.03

    Research paper (bulletin of university, research institution), Single Work, Lead author, Corresponding author

  • A Villager Group as Fundamental Association: Case Study of Isekoh Account Books from Megawa, Ritto City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan

    Yoshinori Kasai

    Journal of Lifology (Japan Society of Lifology)   ( 41 ) 15 - 29 2022.12

    Research paper (scientific journal), Single Work, Lead author, Corresponding author, Accepted

     View Summary

    This paper investigates the local community as a unit in which people form cooperative relationships in their daily lives. In this case study, five isekohs located in Megawa, Ritto City, Shiga Prefecture, are investigated. The paper uses 122 years of account books for these isekohs, from 1893 to 2015 as data. Generally, isekohs are groups of people of faith who self-organize on a voluntary basis. In the subject area, the isekohs were integrated with the community, managing property held in common and organizing other functional groups. Over time, its community character gradually shifted to that of a neighborhood organization. The three-tier structure of an isekoh, characterizing it as a community, a fundamental association, and a specific-purpose association in the case of this report is seen to have shifted from the subregional level within the village to the village level. However, in some areas, the three-tier structure itself is overlaid with multiple layers, and such differences in structure represent regional characteristics. To identify these differences, a comparative study of materials from continuously adjacent micro community units that incorporates them in a mutually complementary manner, which is adopted in this study, is useful.

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Papers, etc., Registered in KOARA 【 Display / hide

Reviews, Commentaries, etc. 【 Display / hide

  • Book Review: Shimoda, Kentaro, Minamata-no Kioku-o Tsumugu

    Yoshinori Kasai

    Mita Journal of Sociology (Mita Sociological Society )   ( 23 ) 104 - 107 2018.07

    Book review, literature introduction, etc., Single Work,  ISSN  13491458

  • Report: Survey on Commerce, Industry, and Tourism in Koka City and Ritto City through Regional Academic Collaboration

    Yoshinori Kasai

    Bulletin of the Faculty of Sociology, Ryukoku University (Faculty of Sociology, Ryukoku University)   ( 53 ) 68 - 74 2018

    Rapid communication, short report, research note, etc. (bulletin of university, research institution), Single Work,  ISSN  0919-116X

  • Cooperation on Rehabilitation in Ritto, Shiga

    Yoshinori Kasai

    Journal of correctional issues (Committee of Ryukoku Corrections and Rehabilitation Center)   ( 36 ) 97 - 105 2016

    Rapid communication, short report, research note, etc. (bulletin of university, research institution), Single Work,  ISSN  0387-3471

  • Collaborating with Communities : Theory and Practice of Participatory Action Research (CBPR)

    Yoshinori Kasai

    Bulletin of the Faculty of Sociology, Ryukoku University (Faculty of Sociology, Ryukoku University)   ( 48 ) 65 - 73 2016

    Book review, literature introduction, etc., Single Work,  ISSN  0919-116X

  • Practice and Present of Writing & Research Consultant

    Kunikazu Amagasa, Kensuke Naoe, Yoshinori Kasai

    Medianet (Media Center Headquarters, Keio University)   ( 19 ) 44 - 47 2012

    Rapid communication, short report, research note, etc. (bulletin of university, research institution), Joint Work,  ISSN  0919-8474

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Presentations 【 Display / hide

  • Recognition and Interpretation of Community Formation History: A Case Study of a Japanese New Town

    Yoshinori Kasai

    [International presentation]  5th ISA World Forum of Sociology (Rabat) , 

    2025.07

    Oral presentation (general), International Sociological Association

     View Summary

    From the 1960s, “new town” development flourished in Japan, reaching its peak in the early 1970s. In these newly developed areas, it was necessary not only to construct buildings but also to create connections and form communities among people. At the time, Japanese sociology placed a strong focus on community formation; however, today, half a century later, new towns are gaining attention as regions facing challenges such as aging populations and vacant homes.
    This report analyzes the process of community formation from a historical perspective, focusing on a specific new town in Japan. First, analysis of a half-century of monthly newsletters reveals that community formation can be divided into three phases: generation, disruption, and maturity. Second, analysis of oral histories from 20 elderly residents shows how these individuals, who experienced the disruption phase, perceive their community activities as failures. This perception leads to an interpretation of a certain “disconnect,” suggesting that their experiences in workplaces and families are unrelated to their activities within the community.
    The newsletters and oral histories underwent text mining with co-occurrence analysis and self-organizing mapping, which revealed the different trends each year. This approach of using computational techniques to identify key themes and cases for deeper analysis, followed by qualitative analysis, draws on the methods described in S. Weller et al.’s book Big Qual.
    The report also touches on the differing interpretations of "community" by sociologists and local residents in each phase. Through examining the historical development and reinterpretation of this new town over fifty years, the report reflects on the challenges of community formation in the present day. Particularly, it is crucial to understand how the younger generation, who are now the primary leaders of current community activities, interpret the history of the new town they live in.

  • Social Functions of Japanese Koshogatsu Folklore

    Yoshinori Kasai

    [International presentation]  8th International Academic Congress (Tam Kang University) , 

    2024.11

    Oral presentation (general), East Asian Consortium of Japanese Studies

  • Trends in Public History in Japan

    Yoshinori Kasai

    [International presentation]  (Taipei City University) , 

    2024.11

    Symposium, workshop panel (nominated), Taiwan Association of Public History

  • Human Connections in Traditional Hamlet and a New Town in Japan: Life Histories, Folklore, and Public History

    Yoshinori Kasai

    [International presentation]  (National Changchi University) , 

    2024.10

    Public lecture, seminar, tutorial, course, or other speech, Program in Japan Studies, National Chengchi University

  • Half a Century in a 'New' Town: Biographies of Residents and Neighborhood Associations

    Yoshinori Kasai

    [International presentation]  Biographical research quo vadis? New and recurring challenges in the study of life (hi)stories and social change (Budapest) , 

    2024.09

    Oral presentation (general), International Sociological Association Research Committee 38 (Biography & Sociology)

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Research Projects of Competitive Funds, etc. 【 Display / hide

  • Practical Research on Establishing a Comprehensive Academic Platform for Ise Pilgrimage Studies and Providing an Archive

    2025.04
    -
    2028.03

    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research(KAKEN), Sayumi Hamachiyo,Masataka Ichida,Yoshinori Kasai,Kota Suzuki,Hironobu Taniguchi, 基盤研究(C), Research grant, Coinvestigator(s)

     View Summary

    近世以降の伊勢参宮を支えた「伊勢講」について、現地調査や歴史資料の解読といった宗教社会学の手法だけでなく、計量的分析などの手法も取り入れて総合的に検討をすすめる。現状では、伊勢講に関する宗教学・社会学・歴史学・民俗学・観光学などの分野ににおける成果を総合的に参照できるようなプラットフォームが構築されているとは言いがたく、各地の伊勢講の比較検討は容易ではない。また、伊勢講は変容・衰退し、フィールドワークによる実態調査は難しく、資料も散逸し、伊勢講に関するものだと気付かれないままになっている場合も多い。本研究は「隠れた伊勢講」を見いだし、他の参詣講との比較研究を可能にするものである。

  • Establishment of a theoretical and methodological basis for the construction of a cycle of realization of the living environment centered on the dwelling experience

    2023.04
    -
    2027.03

    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research(KAKEN), Kiwamu Yanagisawa,Akane Mizushima,Takashi Ikejiri,Rie Nomura,Asako Yamamoto,Yoshinori Kasai, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), Research grant, Coinvestigator(s)

     View Summary

    本研究は、住環境/住生活の相互応答の蓄積である〈住経験〉を、居住者の〈住居観〉形成の主要因と位置づけ、〈住経験→住居観→住環境/住生活→住経験〉という循環が個々の固有性に調和した住まいの実現に寄与するという仮説のもと、各要素間の関係の解明および接続を強化する仕組みの確立を目的とする。独自に考案した〈住経験インタビュー〉により把握される住経験を軸に、住まいの評価/計画/学び/蓄積のための理論・手法の開発に取り組む。一人ひとり固有の住居観をきめ細やかに把握し住環境の更新過程に適切に反映することで、個に応じたWell-beingの、ひいては多様で持続可能な地域社会の実現に、住まいの側面から貢献する。

  • A Sociological Study on the Community Contribution Activities of the Elderly: Through the Analysis of Local and Life Histories

    2023.04
    -
    2025.03

    Japan Society for the Promotions of Science, Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI), Yoshinori Kasai, Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas (A), Research grant, Principal investigator

     View Summary

    Even in a shrinking and aging society, local communities have a certain degree of resilience. Here, the elderly are considered to contribute to that resiliency as active players in local communities. In order to analyze the linkage between the community characteristics of the local community and the elderly's activities of contributing to the local community, this study will take a qualitative mixed research approach, focusing on the investigation of local history and life history. The three main target areas are "traditional communities along old highways," "new towns built in the 1970s," and "former mining/present dairy and fishing villages.

  • Methodological Exploration to Ensure a System for Comprehensive Community Surveys

    2023.04
    -
    2024.03

    Keio University, Program for the Advancement of Next Generation Research Projects, Yoshinori Kasai, Type C, Research grant, Principal investigator

     View Summary

    (1) Introduction
     Even in an age of increasing mobility and population influx into urban areas, the attribute of region cannot be ignored as a unit for all social problems. Social problems such as inequality, epidemics, and conflicts are all analyzed in terms of some kind of local community, such as a country, region, municipality, or settlement.
     In order to describe a specific regional society or to clarify regional characteristics, a holistic approach is taken, and the result is a monograph that describes the region in detail. In order to treat the local community comprehensively, it is necessary to complement each other in terms of quality/quantity and time/space.
    (2) Mutual complementation of quality/quantity (mixed research method)
     There was a time when the relationship between qualitative and quantitative research, or between qualitative and quantitative social research, was viewed in an antagonistic structure, including essential discussions such as whether it is scientific or not. Today, however, the two are rather complementary, and in particular, social research methods require the strategic combination (triangulation) of multiple methods that span both. Such research that combines qualitative and quantitative research is called mixed methods research.
     The simplest type of complementary relationship is one in which qualitative social surveys generate hypotheses about the characteristics of the local community and quantitative social surveys test these hypotheses, based on a clear division of roles.
    (3) Temporal/spatial complementarity
     Time and space are fundamental elements that define a local community. As long as we use the term "region," it is obvious that it is a spatial area of some kind. On the other hand, it is not obvious what kind of spatial area should be treated as a local community. That is, a particular location in space belongs to multiple communities in a multilayered manner. In some institutional spaces, such as municipalities, a limited discussion may be sufficient, but when dealing with communities such as living areas and cognitive spaces, an empirical/subjective approach to space becomes essential.
     It is only with the passage of time that some spatial area deepens its meaning as a community. In other words, the accumulation of social elements through the accumulation of people's activities gives rise to regional characteristics. In this regard, it is essential to conduct as much historical analysis of the society as possible, regardless of the length of time.
    (4) Social research method matrix of quality/quantity and time/space
     Based on the above, a comprehensive survey combining methods in the four quadrants of [quality x time], [quality x space], [quantity x time], and [quantity x space] is effective in social surveys of local communities.
     There are countless individual methods of social research, such as the life history method (life history method) and historical document reading using old documents for [quality x time], and spatial statistics using a geographic information system (GIS) for [quantity x space].
    (5) Purpose of this research
     Although existing local social surveys are also in the nature of comprehensive surveys, the analysis of social survey history based on the above-mentioned organization is not sufficiently advanced. Given this situation, the objective of this study can be summarized as "to identify a methodology for establishing a comprehensive system of community social surveys.

  • A Qualitative Study of the Life Experiences of the Elderly to Contribute to Resilience in a Shrinking and Aging Society

    2021.09
    -
    2023.03

    Japan Society for the Promotions of Science, Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI), Yoshinori Kasai, Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas (A), Research grant, Principal investigator

     View Summary

    Future Japanese society must be based on the assumption of a shrinking and aging society. Even in a shrinking and aging society, local communities in rural areas have a certain degree of resilience. Here, it is not enough to analyze the elderly in rural areas as an object to be supported, but rather it is important to consider them as the main players of a symbiotic society. Elderly people, who are now in their early 70s, have experienced social transformations in their lifestyles during their lifetimes, and their relationships with local communities and lifestyles have also changed significantly. In this study, we will conduct life history interviews mainly with the same generation, and at the same time, we will conduct a qualitative mixed research method by analyzing local documents such as folklore, local events, and community newsletters in order to clarify the society in which they have lived.

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Awards 【 Display / hide

  • Best Paper Award

    Yoshinori Kasai, 2018, Association for Policy Infomatics, A Study on Position and Function of Local Community Organization

    Type of Award: Award from Japanese society, conference, symposium, etc.

  • Best Presentation Award

    Yoshinori Kasai, 2016, Association for Policy Infomatics, An Approach by Life History Method to Study on Local Community Organization

    Type of Award: Award from Japanese society, conference, symposium, etc.

 

Courses Taught 【 Display / hide

  • SEMINAR (DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE) 4

    2025

  • SEMINAR (DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE) 3

    2025

  • SEMINAR (DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE) 2

    2025

  • SEMINAR (DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE) 1

    2025

  • SEMINAR (DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE) 3

    2024

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Courses Previously Taught 【 Display / hide

  • Introduction to Corrections and Rehabilitation

    Corrections and Rehabilitation Course, Ryukoku University

    2018.10
    -
    2019.03

    Autumn Semester, Undergraduate (specialized), Lecture, Lecturer outside of Keio

  • Japanese Culture and Society

    Japanese Culture & Language Program, Ryukoku University

    2018.10
    -
    2019.03

    Autumn Semester, Undergraduate (specialized), Lecture, Outside own faculty (within Keio)

  • Coexistence Practice

    Faculty of Sociology, Ryukoku University

    2017.04
    -
    2019.03

    Full academic year, Undergraduate (specialized), Laboratory work/practical work/exercise, Within own faculty

  • Theory of Community

    Faculty of Sociology, Ryukoku University

    2015.10
    -
    2018.03

    Autumn Semester, Undergraduate (specialized), Lecture, Within own faculty

  • Fieldwork

    Faculty of Sociology, Ryukoku University

    2015.10
    -
    2016.03

    Autumn Semester, Undergraduate (specialized), Laboratory work/practical work/exercise, Within own faculty

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Social Activities 【 Display / hide

  • 基調講演「域学連携から伝統を未来へ」

    栗東歴史民俗博物館, 龍谷エクステンションセンター, 国際博物館の日記念事業『栗東市の左義長からみる地域社会』刊行記念シンポジウム (栗東歴史民俗博物館)

    2019.05
  • 講演「栗東市BBS会の活動と展望~人生を紡ぐ子どもたち~」

    浄土真宗本願寺派更生保護事業協会, 保護司研修会 (浄土真宗本願寺派 伝道本部3階大会議室)

    2019.03
  • ワークショップ講師「語りから未来を紡ぐ(児相・家児相共同研修)」

    龍谷大学福祉フォーラム第20回専門セミナー, 龍谷大学瀬田学舎, 

    2019.02
  • 講演「語りから未来を紡ぐ ~龍谷大学7 年間の研究と実践を振り返って~」

    笠井ゼミ同窓会, 教員退職記念講演 (龍谷大学瀬田学舎REC小ホール)

    2019.02
  • 講演「栗東市元気創造まちづくり事業サポート講座」

    栗東市, 栗東市元気創造まちづくり事業サポート講座 (栗東市役所)

    2019.01

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Media Coverage 【 Display / hide

  • 「SNSを地域活動に活用しよう!」分科会コーディネータ

    「2014地域福祉活動フォーラムinしが」実行委員会, 地域福祉活動フォーラムinしが (滋賀県社会福祉協議会) , 2014.11

Academic Activities 【 Display / hide

  • 「ミニまちづくり講座」講師

    栗東市安養寺東区自治会、安養寺北区自治会,  (安養寺東区自治会館、安養寺北区自治会館) , 

    2018.03

  • 「地域支え合いしくみづくりモデル事業報告会」コーディネータ

    竜王町,  (竜王町公民館ホール) , 

    2018.02

Memberships in Academic Societies 【 Display / hide

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Committee Experiences 【 Display / hide

  • 2018.04
    -
    Present

    Chairperson, Grants Review Committee, COOP Shiga

  • 2018.04
    -
    2020.03

    Committee Member, Project Review Committee, Nakagyo-district, Kyoto City

  • 2018.04
    -
    2019.03

    Chairperson, Town Planning Council for Active Senior, Ritto City

  • 2018.04
    -
    2019.03

    Chairperson, Executive Committee for The Third Term of Ritto Senior University

  • 2018
    -
    Present

    Board Member, Japan Society of Lifology

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