2nd International Workshop on Asian Perspectives on Good Governance Takes Place in Niigata, Japan

The 2nd International Workshop on Asian Perspectives on Good Governance was held in Niigata, Japan, from May 15 to 16, 2026. Co-hosted by the Nanyang Centre for Public Administration (NCPA) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and the Research Institute of the International University of Japan (IUJ), the workshop brought together leading scholars and practitioners from across Asia and beyond to reexamine the concept of good governance through a “Global Asia” lens.

Representatives from both NTU and IUJ attended the opening ceremony and delivered remarks. Professor Hiroshi Kato, Vice President of IUJ, commended the successful organization of the workshop and expressed hope that it would further strengthen academic and research collaborations between IUJ and NTU.

Professor Liu Hong presents a souvenir to Vice President Hiroshi Kato

In his keynote address, Professor Liu Hong, Associate Vice President of NTU and Director (Research & Training) of NCPA, highlighted the conference’s central theme of exploring locally grounded approaches to good governance beyond conventional Western models in the context of a globalizing Asia. He emphasized Asia’s role as an important source of governance knowledge and innovation, and called for stronger cross-regional and cross-disciplinary dialogue to advance a new academic framework that is both theoretically grounded and attentive to regional diversity.

Dr Arkebe Oqubay, former Senior Minister and Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, challenged the institutional determinism commonly associated with Western good governance paradigms and introduced the concept of “developmental governance” as an alternative framework. Drawing on the experiences of Asian economies including Japan, South Korea, China, and Vietnam, he highlighted how these states have pursued structural transformation through adaptive learning, capacity building, and performance-based accountability, rather than through the direct adoption of Western models.

Dr Arkebe Oqubay delivers his keynote speech

Over the two-day conference, multiple panel sessions were held on a wide range of topics, including South-South cooperation and regional economic development, digital transformation and AI governance, good governance in higher education, urbanisation and ecological developments, and civil service and administrative reforms. Nearly 40 participating scholars came from Singapore, China, Japan, Turkey, Canada, the United States, Malaysia, the Philippines, Qatar, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, and Thailand. Although their research interests varied, all participants examined governance from an Asian perspective—moving beyond Western paradigms, redefining rigid frameworks, and exploring how Asian countries, drawing on their own historical and political contexts, can pursue developmental governance that balances structural transformation with social resilience. Key approaches discussed included institutional improvement, adaptive learning, and performance-based accountability.

Professor Wang Jue presents a souvenir to Professor Zhang Zhang Yingying, Director of the Research Institute

The closing remarks were delivered by Dr Celia Lee, Senior Research Fellow at NCPA. She noted that the research outcomes of the workshop would be compiled into a volume and published by a leading international academic press around 2027.

The symposium not only provided a high-level international platform for dialogue on Asian governance, but also contributed distinctive Asian perspectives and practical insights to the broader global governance discourse. Following the workshop, some participants joined a city tour of the Niigata region organised by the hosts, which further facilitated informal exchanges and networking within the academic community.

NCPA Delegation Visits Nagasaki University

Immediately following the workshop in Niigata, the NCPA delegation led by Professor Wang Jue and Professor Liu Hong visited Nagasaki University for an official engagement. The visit followed a delegation trip by Nagasaki University to NCPA in March and was aimed at further advancing the bilateral cooperation agreement and finalising implementation details.

 

The NCPA delegation met with Professor Jiang Yujing, Vice President of Nagasaki University; Professor Nogami Takenori, Dean of the School of Global Humanities and Social Sciences; Professor Kazunori Hayanagi; Professor Wang Wei, Dean of the Graduate School; and Professor Yuji Morikawa, Dean of the Institute for Global Risk Research. The two sides held in-depth discussions on student exchange programmes, including credit transfer arrangements, curriculum design, and programme duration, laying the groundwork for the early implementation of these initiatives.