The 2025 Summer Open Courses hosted by JETRO Asian Economic Research Institute represent a crucial educational program providing specialized knowledge about political, economic, and social conditions in Asia, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America to the general public. Comprising 9 comprehensive courses conducted from August 26 to September 30, this initiative exemplifies Japan"s commitment to promoting international understanding and academic research social contribution.
This year"s program addresses complex contemporary global challenges from multiple perspectives, with particular attention to the unique theme "Intersection of Deaf Communities, States, and Education: Sign Language as Linguistic Capital in Asia, Africa, and Latin America." This demonstrates a pioneering approach to examining international development from linguistic diversity and social inclusion perspectives. "Bangladesh at the Crossroads" analyzes the impact of South Asian political transitions on regional economics, providing crucial insights for Japanese corporate investment strategies.
Middle Eastern affairs are comprehensively examined through two courses: "Understanding Middle East Conflicts—Regional Strategies of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, and Iran" and "Kurdish Forces and International Relations in the Middle East—Focusing on Turkey and Syria." These analyses provide essential foundational knowledge for Japan"s energy policies and economic relationship building with Middle Eastern nations from both energy security and geopolitical risk perspectives.
ASEAN economics are detailed across two specialized courses: "ASEAN Economy 1—Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar" and "ASEAN Economy 2—Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam," analyzing each country"s economic development patterns and investment environment changes to provide practical knowledge directly applicable to Japanese corporate Southeast Asian strategic planning.
Taiwan affairs receive detailed two-part analysis of the Lai administration"s challenges: "Taiwan Lai Administration Challenges (Part 1)—Responding to Economic Turbulence and Increasingly Difficult Pursuit of Ideals" and "Taiwan Lai Administration Challenges (Part 2)—Difficult Navigation Amid Internal and External Challenges," examining Taiwan Strait conditions and East Asian economic impacts while presenting future prospects for Japan-Taiwan economic relations including semiconductor industries.
"South Korea Lee Jae-myung New Administration"s Diplomatic and Trade Strategies and Economic/Social Policies" analyzes the impact of Korean political transition on Northeast Asian economic integration and Japan-Korea relations, exploring new possibilities for bilateral economic cooperation. Online delivery enables nationwide participation, with free access for association members and affordable 4,000-yen fees for general participants, creating valuable opportunities to access cutting-edge regional research.