On the afternoon of July 27, at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City, the master's thesis defense for graduate student Pham Thi Hong Nhung took place with the topic "The Japanese Government's policy towards the Ainu people (from the Meiji era to 2019)", under the scientific supervision of Dr. Nguyen Thanh Tuan.
The thesis evaluation committee included: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phan Thi Hong Xuan – Chair of the Committee; Dr. Nguyen Thi Hoai Chau – Reviewer 1; Dr. Trinh Tien Thuan – Reviewer 2; Dr. Tran Cao Boi Ngoc – Secretary of the Committee; and Dr. Phu Van Han – Member.
The thesis is structured into 03 main chapters:
Chapter 1: Theoretical and practical basis
Chapter 2: The Japanese Government's policy towards the Ainu people
Chapter 3: The struggle process of the Ainu people and Japan's process of recognizing the Ainu people
The thesis focuses on studying the formation, implementation, and transformation process of the Japanese Government's policy towards the Ainu people from the Meiji era to 2019. Based on analyzing historical, social, and political contexts, the research clarifies the change in the approach of the Japanese State towards the Ainu community, from a policy of assimilation to gradually recognizing the rights of indigenous people, while affirming the significance of the 2019 Act in the process of changing the perception and policy of the Japanese Government towards the Ainu people.
Based on a historical and policy research approach, the thesis systematizes theoretical and practical issues related to the Ainu community, provides a relatively comprehensive analysis of major policies of the Japanese Government through each historical period, and clarifies the role of the Ainu community's struggle in promoting changes in policy and law.
From the research results, the thesis contributes to supplementing research materials on ethnic policy, rights of indigenous communities, and the process of nation-state building in Japan; it also provides reference materials for studies on Japanese studies, anthropology, ethnic policy, and comparative studies on indigenous communities in Asia.
During the research process, the student combined methods of document research, historical, logical, analysis-synthesis, and comparative methods; and utilized a system of materials in Japanese, English, and Vietnamese. Combining multiple sources of materials and research methods has contributed to enhancing the objectivity, reliability, and scientific value of the thesis.
At the defense, the Committee evaluated the thesis as having scientific and practical significance, choosing a relatively new research direction in the field of Asian Studies in Vietnam. The student demonstrated the ability to synthesize materials, effectively exploit foreign sources, and present research results in accordance with the structure of a scientific work. Besides the achieved results, the Committee also provided feedback for the student to continue supplementing the theoretical basis of policy analysis, strengthen the assessment of the practical impact of the 2019 Act on the Ainu community, broaden the comparative perspective with the policies of some countries with indigenous communities, and review and standardize terminology, citations, and presentation format of the thesis.
After the presentation and answering questions from the Committee, student Pham Thi Hong Nhung successfully defended her master's thesis. The committee unanimously approved the thesis and requested the student to fully incorporate the feedback to complete the thesis according to regulations before submitting for archiving.
Some images at the Committee:
