Our program is composed of various modes of training: lectures, individual supervision, practicum, and field trips. We believe that a mix of approaches to learning and development helps enhance our program by enabling students to learn by themselves, with instructors and from each other.
- Lectures: Most courses are given in the form of lectures. Our lecture classes (modules) run with an average of five students – small enough to encourage questions and discussions.
- Individual Supervision: This is an essential training mode for thesis preparation, with required Thesis 1 (A) and (B) courses, as well as optional meetings held outside regular classroom hours by appointment.
- Practicum: The customs practicum features lectures, workshops, and seminars, and involves visits to regional customs, policy implementation/enforcement, examination, and other management issues. The practicum also involves the presentation of a paper and an additional opportunity to attend workshops led by the Japanese Customs teaching staff. AGU houses the WTO Research Center (WRS) for international trade and WTO issues, which was established in 2003 and is located on Aoyama Campus. WRS studies the benefits of trade as it relates to safety, environment, and cost/price issues in the context of the world economy. This center is open to scholars pursuing WTO, FTA/EPA, or other related issues to enhance their research work.
- Field Trips: During the field trips, scholars visit private firms, public offices, and cultural sites to acquire practical knowledge and a feeling for the Japanese economy and society. In the program, we try to present scholars with the contrasting realities of the Japanese economy.
The following courses are offered during 2022-2023. Please bear the notes in mind as follows;
1. A minimum of 30 credits is required to graduate.
2. Master's Thesis I (A) & I (B) are compulsory to write the thesis under a supervisor whom students are required to choose from the full-time faculty members (Jiro Usugami / Sean M Hackett / Chie Yorozu / Yoshiki Nakamura) upon respective research themes.
3. Japanese language courses (non-credit) are offered both in Spring and Autumn semesters.
| Course Title | Credit | Semester | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategic Management | |||
| Competitive Strategy Ⅰ | 2 | Spring | Hiroshi Yasuda |
| Competitive Strategy Ⅱ | 2 | Autumn | Hiroshi Yasuda |
| Management Ⅰ | 2 | Spring | Jiro Usugami |
| Management Ⅱ | 2 | Autumn | Jiro Usugami |
| Organizational Management Ⅰ | 2 | Spring | Chie Yorozu |
| Organizational Management Ⅱ | 2 | Autumn | Chie Yorozu |
| Multinational Financial Management Ⅰ | 2 | Autumn | Akinori Tomohara |
| Innovation Management I | 2 | Spring | Sean M Hackett |
| Innovation Management II | 2 | Autumn | Sean M Hackett |
| Intellectual Property Rights | |||
| Intellectual Property Rights Ⅰ | 2 | Spring | Tatsuya Saito/Tomoyuki Kanai/Yuichiro Shinma |
| Intellectual Property Rights Ⅱ | 2 | Autumn | Tatsuya Saito/Tomoyuki Kanai/Yuichiro Shinma |
| IPR Enforcement at the Border | 2 | Spring | Koji Sato |
| Copyright Law | 2 | Spring | Hiroko Yamamoto/Atsushi Okada |
| Customs Administration | |||
| Practicum in Customs Administration | 2 | Spring | Takashi Matsumoto |
| Customs Law | 2 | Spring | Hiroshi Imagawa |
| Customs Tariff Law | 2 | Spring | Hiroshi Imagawa |
| Customs Reforms & Modernization | 2 | Autumn | Akihiko Fukuzono/Soichiro Sakami |
| Research Methodology | |||
| Master's Thesis Ⅰ (A) *Required | 2 | Spring | Usugami/Hackett/Yorozu/Nakamura |
| Master's Thesis Ⅰ (B) *Required | 2 | Autumn | Usugami/Hackett/Yorozu/Nakamura |
| Statistical Analysis | 2 | Spring | Michiko Miyamoto |
| Academic Writing | 2 | Spring | Hitomi Ametani |
| Japanese language | No credit | Spring & Autumn | Mamiko Yamaguchi |
2022-2023 Academic Year
Spring
- Date
- Event/Deadline
- April 1
- Entrance Ceremony Academic Orientation/Master Thesis Orientation
- Medical Check-up
- April 5
- Spring Semester Begins
- April 15
- Course Registration of the First Semester ends
- August 1
- Spring Semester Ends
- August 2 - September 15
- Summer Break
Autumn
- Date
- Event/Deadline
- September 16
- Autumn Semester Begins
- September 29
- Course Registration of the Second Semester ends
- October 1
- Interim Presentation
- October 28 - October 30
- Aoyama Campus Festival
- December 24 - January 5
- Winter Break
- January 6
- Autumn Semester Resumes
- January 18 - 20
- Submission of Master's Thesis
- January 31
- Autumn Semester Ends
- February 1
- Spring Break Begins
- End of February
- Final Presentation and Defense
- March 25
- Graduation Ceremony
For your reference, the following is a list of thesis titles during the academic year 2021-2022.
- Challenges of protecting trademark infringement at border enforcement and recommendations for improvement: A case of Bangladesh Customs
- Is there a relationship between Organizational Autonomy and Organizational Effectiveness? A Cross-national Study of Customs Administrations
- Is there a relationship between Self-Efficacy and Work Engagement in Public Sector Organization Employees? A study of Customs Officers
- The Impact of Organizational Culture on Innovation: A Case Study of Customs Administration in India
- Privatization as a Locomotive for Economic Development in Azerbaijan: A Focus on the Utility Services and Logistics Sector
- Succession Planning in the Jamaica Customs Agency: The Impact on Organisational Performance and the Mediating Role of Employee Commitment
- Is there a relationship between Managerial “Googleyness” and Employee Motivation? A Test of Google’s Project Oxygen
- What is the role of motivational factors on employees’ performance? Monetary factors and employees’ commitment in the case of Botswana Unified Revenue Service
- An Analysis of factors affecting poor clearance time for imports in Malawi
- The impact of job rotation :Focus on employee emotion and performance related to the specific work environment of Mongolian Customs)