JICE hosted "JDS Special Seminar" at the JICE Headquarters on November 15^th, 2023 for international students who live in Kanto area. The purpose of this seminar was for JDS Fellows to present their research and to receive evaluations from the lecturer in order to improve their future research and presentations, as well as to strengthen ties among JDS Fellows by exchanging opinions across universities, countries, and academic fields.

The seminar was led by Professor Nagy R. Stephen, Department of Politics and International Studies, International Christian University (ICU), and consisted of presentations by JDS Fellows, followed by a Q&A session and comments from the lecturer. After all the presentations were over, a reception was held for JDS Fellows to freely exchange opinions and build network with each other.

26 JDS Fellows from 8 universities participated, and a total of 7 of whom, 2 second-year doctoral students and 5 second-year master's students, gave their presentations.

The presenters received a lot of useful advice from the lecturer on how to formulate a high-quality hypothesis, clearly defining the terms to be used, notes on sample selection, how to give titles. For the first-year master's students, it was a valuable opportunity to understand how to start a research project and the process, thanks to the presentation by senior students.

In addition, the relaxed atmosphere during the opinion exchange time encouraged conversation among the participants and allowed them to expand their network among JDS Fellows.

The seminar was well received by the participants, with comments such as "I learned a lot" and "It was very informative", and there were also lots of desires for the seminar to be held constantly.

JICE will continue to provide various activities and support so that every international student can have fruitful experiences.

KANAZAWA Shiko　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Management Division　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　International Student Programs Department Ⅰ