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2006 >> Message from the Program Leader Message from the Program Leader
Established within the context of the 21st Century Centers of Excellence (COE) Program by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the principal objective of the Gender Law and Policy Center (GELAPOC) has been to promote research on a wide variety of gender issues in order to bridge the gap between theory and practice within diverse legal, political and public policy processes. Among other contributions, the Center functions as a library, possessing over 4000 books concerning gender, law and public policy, and moreover, it serves as a networking and information hub that promotes collaboration amongst scholars, researchers and decision-makers in Asian, European, and North American academic institutions, local governments and Bar Associations. The Center's work focuses on six research themes or "clusters", including : political participation, employment, family, sexuality, human security, and education policy, each of which fit within three conceptual approaches, notably, that of "Theory", "Applied Research", and "Policy Solutions". This multidisciplinary and inter-sectional structure has created a dynamic context for research and intellectual inquiry. We have endeavoured to host over thirty seminars each year, featuring a broad array of Japanese and international speakers with expertise on gender issues. We have also hosted several national and international conferences and symposiums in Sendai (September and November 2004, July 2006), in Kobe (June 2005), in Paris (September 2005), and in Tokyo (February 2006). We are currently planning for our upcoming International Symposium to be held in Sendai in July 2007. Additionally, publishing the results of leading research on gender issues is also a vital part of the Center's activities. Since the launch of the Center, we have produced quarterly newsletters, as well as Annual Reviews in both Japanese and English, which are distributed to a number of academic and practical institutions. We are working steadily to complete a 12 volume series of books on gender, law and policy-related issues. Volumes 1 through 5 have been successfully launched, and we look forward to the completion of the remaining volumes in the coming year. The abovementionned activities have focussed on the legal and political factors impacting upon a complex range of gender issues, and has thereby enabled the Centre of Excellence Program and the Gender Law and Policy Center to make unprecedented contributions to knowledge and public policy solutions in the service of gender equality. The remarkable progress of our Center over the past 3 years has been achieved thanks to the close collaboration with local public organizations, professional lawyers associations, as well as with universities and research institutes from around the world. We will continue to work to establish GELAPOC as one of the best research centers on gender, law and policy issues. We wish to convey our sincerest gratitude to all those who have contributed to these successes for their generous support and cooperation, and moreover, we look forward to collaboration with you on related projects in the future. 
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