Research at the Kobe University UNESCO Chair on Education for Gender, Disaster Resilience, and Well-being examines how education can reduce vulnerability and build more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable societies. Our work is interdisciplinary and evidence-based, bringing together specialists in the economics of education, disaster science, comparative education, and public health. Across all our activities, we connect global frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction with the realities of schools, families, and communities on the ground.
Our research is organised around three interconnected areas:
1. Gender, Equity, and Inclusion in Education
This area addresses how educational systems can reduce inequalities of gender, socioeconomic status, and displacement, both as barriers to learning and as factors that shape how communities experience crisis. Drawing on comparative and quantitative research across Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, the Chair studies the conditions that determine access, participation, and learning outcomes for marginalised groups. This includes work led by Associate Professor Katsuki Sakaue on the inclusion of refugees and forcibly displaced children in national education systems, with sustained empirical research in Uganda and across developing countries, and work led by Professor Keiichi Ogawa on education finance, early childhood education, and equity in learning achievement across Asian and African education systems.
2. Disaster Resilience and Education
This area investigates how formal and non-formal education can strengthen the preparedness, safety, and recovery of communities facing disaster. Led by Professor Aiko Sakurai, the Chair's research examines school-based disaster risk reduction, education-sector recovery, and school safety across disaster-affected regions including Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Bhutan, and Turkey, building on long-term work following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. This work is complemented by research from Dr. Mizan Bustanul Fuady Bisri on disaster governance, humanitarian coordination, and inter-organisational networks, including regional cooperation on disaster management and education continuity in Southeast Asia.
3. Well-being, Health, and Community Resilience
This area explores how education and community systems support the health, dignity, and well-being of learners and populations, particularly among vulnerable groups and in contexts of environmental and social change. It draws on the work of Professor Minato Nakazawa in demography, epidemiology, and public health, whose long-term field research across Asia and the Pacific examines how health shocks, demographic change, and environmental stress affect community resilience. It also includes research by Assistant Professor Kexin Wang on early childhood development, home learning environments, and the well-being of vulnerable learners, connecting children's developmental contexts with questions of educational opportunity and equity.
Research Projects
Developing a Child-Centered Framework for Disaster Governance: Building Child-Friendly Shelter Systems
Principal Investigator: Aiko Sakurai · JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) · 2026–2030
Strengthening the Academic Network of Education Development in the Asia and Africa Regions
Principal Investigator: Keiichi Ogawa · JSPS Core-to-Core Program (B): Asia-Africa Science Platforms · 2026–2028
Comparative Study of Policies for Including Forcibly Displaced Children in National Education Systems in Developing Countries
Principal Investigator: Katsuki Sakaue · JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) · 2025–2029
The Development of AADMER Work Programme 2026–2030
Principal Investigator: Mizan Bustanul Fuady Bisri · Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund through ASEAN Secretariat · 2025
Comparative Study of SDGs and Education Finance/Administration
Principal Investigator: Keiichi Ogawa · JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) · 2022–2026
Comparative Study of Parental Involvement in Early Childhood Education in Developing Asia
Principal Investigator: Keiichi Ogawa · JSPS Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research (B) · 2022–2026
Home Learning Environment Inequality and Early Childhood Development Outcomes in Bangladesh
Principal Investigator: Kexin Wang · JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up · 2022–2023
Assessing the Effect of Educational Practices for the Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees in Africa: The Case of West Nile Sub-region in Uganda
Principal Investigator: Katsuki Sakaue · JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists · 2021–2025
International Comparative Study on Sustainable School Safety and its External Assistance for Disaster Risk Reduction
Principal Investigator: Aiko Sakurai · JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) · 2018–2023
Study on Developing an International Cooperation Model Promoting Sustainable Disaster Education
Principal Investigator: Aiko Sakurai · JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) · 2014–2016
Publications
Professor Keiichi Ogawa
Selected Books
Sekiya, T., Ogawa, K., Kitamura, Y., & Ashida, A. (Eds.) (2024). Towards Ensuring Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education for All: Analyzing School Enrolment Patterns. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 1–399.
Jing, Y., Han, J. S., & Ogawa, K. (Eds.) (2021). Risk Management in East Asia: Systems and Frontier Issues. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 1–254.
Benete, L., & Ogawa, K. (Eds.) (2017). Ensuring Adequate, Efficient and Equitable Finance in Schools in the Asia-Pacific Region. UNESCO Publication, pp. 1–137.
Ogawa, K., & Nishimura, M. (Eds.) (2015). Comparative Analysis on Universal Primary Education Policy and Practice in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Cases of Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Uganda. Sense Publishers, pp. 1–268.
Selected Journal Articles
Sanfo, J. B., Ogawa, K., & Truong, T. H. (2026). Family engagement in caregiving activities and child development outcomes in Vietnam: A fixed-effects analysis. Early Education and Development, 1–28.
Choi, S., Min, I., & Ogawa, K. (2025). Returns to education and decent work across firm ownership types in Vietnam. International Journal of Educational Development, 119, 103442.
Kobayashi, T., & Ogawa, K. (2025). Community and parental participation in Ugandan public primary education: A mixed-method analysis. International Journal of Educational Development, 113, 103225.
Minami, R., & Ogawa, K. (2025). Mind the gap: Uncovering students' learning achievement disparities in Cambodian urban and rural secondary schools. International Journal of Educational Development, 118, 103420.
Sanfo, J. B. M., & Ogawa, K. (2025). Medium of instruction and learning achievements in Burkina Faso primary education: Analyzing disparities by student socioeconomic status and school location. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 1–21.
Uno, K., & Ogawa, K. (2025). The role of pre-primary school attendance in school readiness in Bangladesh: Exploring the interaction effects with socioeconomic status and home learning environment. International Journal of Educational Development, 118, 103412.
Sanfo, J. B. M., Soubeiga, A. K., & Ogawa, K. (2024). Language of instruction and learning achievements inequalities in francophone Sub-Saharan Africa: A residualized quantile regression analysis using PASEC data. International Journal of Educational Research, 126, 102368.
Choi, S., Li, H., & Ogawa, K. (2023). Upper secondary vocational education and decent work in Indonesia: A gender comparison. International Journal of Educational Development, 101, 102833.
Professor Aiko Sakurai
Selected Books
Shiwaku, K., Sakurai, A., & Shaw, R. (Eds.) (2016). Disaster Resilience of Education Systems: Experiences from Japan. Springer.
Selected Journal Articles
Sakurai, A., Kumagai, M., Murayama, Y., Bisri, M. B. F., & Sato, T. (2026). Operationalizing updated tsunami hazard assumptions in school evacuation planning: Insights from teacher training and implementation challenges in Japan. Journal of Disaster Research, 21(1), 138–150.
Oda, T., Sakurai, A., Sato, T., Lee, C., & Ding, C. F. (2025). Enhancing disaster risk reduction at school through the integration of Geographic Information System: Insights from Taiwan's school safety GIS platform. Journal of Disaster Research, 20(5), 746–756.
Tong, T. M. T., Sakurai, A., Shaw, R., Nguyen, N. H., Nguyen, T. H., Do, K. T., & Kieu, T. K. (2024). Assessment of comprehensive school safety in Vietnam: From policy to practice. Progress in Disaster Science, 24, 100364.
Shaw, R., Sakurai, A., & Oikawa, Y. (2021). New realization of disaster risk reduction education in the context of a global pandemic: Lessons from Japan. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 12(4), 568–580.
Sakurai, A., Sato, T., & Murayama, Y. (2020). Impact evaluation of a school-based disaster education program in a city affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami disaster. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 47, 101632.
Rahman, A., Sakurai, A., & Munadi, K. (2018). The analysis of the development of the Smong story on the 1907 and 2004 Indian Ocean tsunamis in strengthening the Simeulue island community's resilience. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 29, 13–23.
Sakurai, A., & Sato, T. (2016). Promoting education for disaster resilience and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Journal of Disaster Research, 11(3), 402–412.
Associate Professor Katsuki Sakaue
Selected Journal Articles
Sakaue, K., Wokadala, J., & Ogawa, K. (2024). Updates on private returns to education in Uganda: Evidence from universal primary education policy. Education Economics, 32(5), 632–648.
Sakaue, K. (2024). Inequalities in the universalization of basic education during the era of SDGs in Uganda: Empirical evidence on recent trends and future perspectives. Comparative Education: Bulletin of the Japan Comparative Education Society, 49, 136–155.
Sakaue, K., Wokadala, J., & Ogawa, K. (2023). Effect of parental engagement on children's home-based continued learning during COVID-19–induced school closures: Evidence from Uganda. International Journal of Educational Development, 100, 102812.
Uno, K., Ogawa, K., & Sakaue, K. (2023). Determinants of pre-primary school attendance during its expansion in Bangladesh. Comparative Education: Bulletin of the Japan Comparative Education Society, 67, 156–172.
Sakaue, K., & Wokadala, J. (2022). Effects of including refugees in local government schools on pupils' learning achievement: Evidence from West Nile, Uganda. International Journal of Educational Development, 90, 102543.
Sakaue, K. (2018). Informal fee charge and school choice under a free primary education policy: Panel data evidence from rural Uganda. International Journal of Educational Development, 62, 112–127.
Professor Minato Nakazawa
Selected Journal Articles
Yamada, M., & Nakazawa, M. (2024). Status of home-based secondhand smoke exposure among children and its association with health risks in Japan. Preventive Medicine Reports, 38, 102585.
Nakaseko, E., Kotera, S., & Nakazawa, M. (2022). Smoking and drinking behavior, knowledge, and attitudes among urban and rural public-school students in Efate Island, Vanuatu: A comparative study. Archives of Public Health, 80(1), 170.
Isshiki, M., Naka, I., Kimura, R., Nishida, N., Furusawa, T., Natsuhara, K., Yamauchi, T., Nakazawa, M., et al. (2021). Admixture with indigenous people helps local adaptation: Admixture-enabled selection in Polynesians. BMC Ecology and Evolution, 21(1), 179.
Isshiki, M., Naka, I., Watanabe, Y., Nishida, N., Kimura, R., Furusawa, T., Natsuhara, K., Yamauchi, T., Nakazawa, M., et al. (2020). Admixture and natural selection shaped genomes of an Austronesian-speaking population in the Solomon Islands. Scientific Reports, 10, 6872.
Tanaka, H., Sasazawa, Y., Suzuki, S., Nakazawa, M., & Koyama, H. (2011). Health status and lifestyle factors as predictors of depression in middle-aged and elderly Japanese adults: A seven-year follow-up of the Komo-Ise cohort study. BMC Psychiatry, 11, 20.
Furusawa, T., Naka, I., Yamauchi, T., Natsuhara, K., Kimura, R., Nakazawa, M., et al. (2011). The serum leptin level and body mass index in Melanesian and Micronesian Solomon Islanders: Focus on genetic factors and urbanization. American Journal of Human Biology, 23, 435–444.
Dr. Mizan Bustanul Fuady Bisri
Selected Books
Mardiah, A., Olhansky, R. B., & Bisri, M. B. F. (Eds.) (2022). Post-Disaster Governance in Southeast Asia: Response, Recovery, and Resilient Societies. Springer.
Djalante, R., Bisri, M. B. F., & Shaw, R. (Eds.) (2021). Integrated Research on Disaster Risks: Contributions from the IRDR Young Scientists Programme. Springer.
Selected Journal Articles
Sakurai, A., Kumagai, M., Murayama, Y., Bisri, M. B. F., & Sato, T. (2026). Operationalizing updated tsunami hazard assumptions in school evacuation planning: Insights from teacher training and implementation challenges in Japan. Journal of Disaster Research, 21(1), 138–150.
Nasliati, Bisri, M. B. F., Sasaki, D., & Oktari, R. S. (2025). Indonesia Disaster Education Repository House (IN-DEPTH) as a knowledge management system platform for disaster education. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 123, 105502.
Fatmah, F., Purwana, R., & Bisri, M. B. F. (2024). Role of Kader Siaga Bencana in the flood management of selected Kampung Siaga Bencana. Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies, 16(1).
Miranda, A. V., Lestari, B. W., Indrarini, A., Arsy, F. F., Sagala, S., Bisri, M. B. F., et al. (2023). Adaptation of health systems to climate change-related infectious disease outbreaks in the ASEAN: Protocol for a scoping review of national and regional policies. PLOS ONE, 18(6), e0286869.
Sakurai, A., Bisri, M. B. F., Oda, T., Oktari, R. S., Murayama, Y., Nizammudin, & Affan, M. (2018). Exploring minimum essentials for sustainable school disaster preparedness: A case of elementary schools in Banda Aceh City, Indonesia. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 29, 73–83.
Assistant Professor Kexin Wang
Selected Books
Wang, K., Nakata, S., & Fasih, T. (2025). The Road Home and Abroad: Enhancing TVET for Youth and Migration in Kyrgyz Republic. World Bank Publication.
Nakata, S., Wang, K., Kalbfuss, M., & Fasih, T. (2025). The Road Home and Abroad: Enhancing TVET for Youth and Migration in Uzbekistan. World Bank Publication.
Rajasekaran, S., Jena, N., Rillo, K., Uka, A., Wang, K., & Olszak-Olszewski, A. (2025). Kosovo—Education Digital Readiness Assessment 2024. World Bank Publication.
Selected Books Chapters
Alam, M. J., Wang, K., & Parvin, M. (2024). Impact of COVID-19 on the well-being of children with disabilities: Bangladesh. In Teaching and Supporting Students with Disabilities During Times of Crisis (pp. 39–54). Routledge.
Ogawa, K., Yagi, A., & Wang, K. (2026). Social and emotional learning in early childhood education. In Social and Emotional Learning: Education for the Future (pp. 98–120). Toshindo.
Selected Journal Articles
Chea, P., Wang, K., Ogawa, K., & Ashida, A. (2025). Bridging the gap: An examination of teacher deployment in Cambodian preschools. International Journal of Childcare and Education Policy, 19(9), 1–16.
Wang, K., & Ogawa, K. (2024). Exploring the trajectory of home learning environment for preschoolers in Bangladesh. Child & Youth Care Forum, 54, 659–686.
Wang, K., & Ogawa, K. (2022). Household financing on secondary education in Cambodia: An analysis of household over-indebtedness on public schooling and supplementary tutoring. Journal of Economics and Business Administration, 225(4), 1–23.