RIHO SAKURAI

Last Updated :2025/05/03

Affiliations, Positions
., Associate Professor
Web Site
http://www.diversity.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/
E-mail
rihohiroshima-u.ac.jp
Other Contact Details
1-1-1,Kagamiyama,Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan
TEL : (+81)82-424-6249 FAX : (+81)
Self-introduction
Comparative and International Education / /Education Policy/Diversity & Inclusion

Basic Information

Major Professional Backgrounds

  • 2023/04/01, Hiroshima University, The Institute for Diversity & Inclusion, Associate Professor
  • 1995/04, 1998/03, Japanese school in Mexico, Teacher
  • 2005/09, 2007/03, U.N.E.S.C.O.
  • 2007/10, 2009/03, Kyoto University, Revitalizing Education for Dynamic Hearts and Minds, Post-Doctoral Researcher
  • 2009/04/01, 2020/09/30, Hiroshima University, Center for the Study of International Cooperation in Education, Associate Professor
  • 2020/10/01, 2023/03/31, Hiroshima University, Research Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Associate Professor

Educational Backgrounds

  • The Pennsylvania State University, Dept. of Education Policy and Theory, Comparative and International Education, U.S.A., 2000/09, 2005/08
  • Waseda University, Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Waseda University, Master in International Relations, Japan, 1998/09, 2001/03
  • Stanford University, Dept. of Education, International Comparative Education (ICE), U.S.A., 1999/09, 2000/08

Academic Degrees

  • Ph.D. (Education Theory and Policy and Comparative and International Education) , The Pennsylvania State University
  • Master, Waseda University
  • Master, Stanford University

Research Fields

  • Social sciences;Education;Sociology of education

Research Keywords

  • intercultural understanding
  • Inclusive Education
  • Research on Diversity & Inclusion
  • Comparative education

Affiliated Academic Societies

  • Comparative and International Society (CIES)
  • Japan Comparative Education Society
  • Japan Societies for Bhutan Studies
  • Japan Academic Society for Educaional Policy
  • Japan Educational Research Association

Educational Activity

Course in Charge

  1. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , Intensive, Understanding diversity and Inclusion
  2. 2025, Undergraduate Education, 3Term, Science and Culture of Daily Life in Japan
  3. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , 1Term, Critical Reading and Educational Research Practice
  4. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , Academic Year, Special Study(April 2025 Master's Students)
  5. 2025, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , Academic Year, Special Study(October 2025 Master's Students)
  6. 2025, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , Academic Year, Special Study(April 2025 Doctoral Students)
  7. 2025, Graduate Education (Doctoral Program) , Academic Year, Special Study(October 2025 Doctoral Students)

Research Activities

Academic Papers

  1. Youth Employment in Agriculture in the U.S.: Does it Encourage Student Academic Achievement?, The Pennsylvania State University, 200508
  2. Research Report: Teacher Perspectives on Inclusive learning for Children with Disabilities-Comparing Surveys Conducted in Triplicate-, Japanese Journal of Bhutan Studies, 7, 27-36, 20240331
  3. Factors Influencing Teachers' Attitudes Towards Inclusive Education in Myanmar, World Journal of Educational Research, 10(3), 24-39, 20230505
  4. Challenges Towards Implementing Inclusive Education in Myanmar, International Journal of Special Education, 37(2), 17844-17856, 20220905
  5. The potential of non-formal education through community learning centers throughout the world to encourage basic literacy, personal development, and societal inclusion, The Self, the Other and Language: Dialogue between Philosophy, Psychology and Comparative Education, 20090220
  6. Child Labour and Compulsory Education: Case Studies from Mexico and Peru, 55, 15-39, 20090331
  7. Acceptance of Inclusive education--A comparison of teacher perspectives from two cities in West Bhutan and a major city in Western Japan--, Japanese Journal of Bhutan Studies, 5, 25-42, 20220320
  8. The process of including special schools in an inclusive education system: A comparative study of two South Asian countries, Sri Lanka and Bhutan, 70, 83-89, 20211201
  9. ★, Reexamination of Inclusive Education--Its Dynamics, Challenges, and Complexities: implications from an Empirical Study from Bhutan and Japan, 2020 Annual Review of Comparative and International Education, 281-305, 20210818
  10. Education for Foreign-Born Students at Japanese schools—Inclusive or Collective?, Journal of Education and Practice, 11(18), 195-202, 20200701
  11. Challenges for implementing Inclusive Education in Bhutan, Journal of International Cooperation in Education, 19(2), 71-81, 20171001
  12. Impacts of Recent Education Reforms in Japan: Voices from Junior High Schools in Japan, Journal of International Cooperation in Education, 18(2), 55-65, 20161001
  13. Education for Foreign-Born Students at Japanese Public Schools, Journal of Education and Practice, 11(18), 195-202, 202006
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  14. Revisiting the Concept of Inclusive Education--Reflecting the Spirit of Salamanca--Cases from Primary and Secondary Schools in Bhutan and Japan, Welfare and Labour, 162(2019), 151-160, 201903
  15. Preserving National Identity and Fostering Happiness in an Era of Globalization: A Comparative Exploration of Values and Moral Education in Bhutan and Japan, Journal of International Cooperation in Education, Vol.14(No.2), 169-188, 201110
  16. Recognizing a Problem: The Impact of Global Politics on Child, International Journal of Education Policy, Research and Practice, 2(3), 267-286, 200110
  17. A cross-national study on happiness: Data from thirteen countries, JAPANESE PSYCHOLOGICAL REVIEW, 55(1), 70-89, 20120630
  18. Child labour and education, UNESCO Global Monitoring Report Background Paper, 2006
  19. Report of the Seventh Meeting of the Working Group on Education for All, UNESCO Publishing, 2006
  20. Recognizing a problem: the impact of global politics on child labor advocacy in Mexico, International Journal of Educational Policy, Research & Practice, 2001

Publications such as books

  1. Inclusive education in the era of SDGs: Challenges of Global South, Chapter 6: Trajectory of Teacher acceptance of Inclusive Education, Akashi publishing company, 2024, 01, Scholarly Book, Joint work, 日本語, Riho Sakurai; Jun Kawaguchi et al., 340, 149-169
  2. Readings Comparative Education--meanings of Compparison, Essay Child Labour and Compulsory Education--Cases from Mexico and Peru--, Toushindo, 2023, 03, Scholarly Book, Joint work, Riho Sakurai & Hiromi Kudo; Edited by Hitoshi Sugimoto & Hirotaka Nanbu, 346, 164-165
  3. Schools around the world, Chapter 29 Schools in Bhutan, Gakujishupan, 2023, 03, Scholarly Book, Joint work, 日本語, Riho Sakurai Akira Ninomiya editor, 256, 226-233
  4. 2023/03/31, Schools around the World, School around the world from 31 countries, Riho Sakurai Chapter 9 Schools in Mexico, Gakuji Shuppan Kabushiki Gaisha, 2023, 03, Scholarly Book, Joint work, Riho SakuraiEditor Akira Nonomiya, 256, 76-79
  5. 2022/01/01, Kyoshitu No Mado, What is "diversity and Inclusion?" Required efforts to reorient Japanese school culture, 東京書籍, 2022, 01, Others, Single work, 31
    Repository URL
  6. Report of the Seventh Meeting of the Working Group on Education for All, UNESCO, 2006, 2006, Others, Joint editor, English, Allen Caldwell; Clinton Robinson; Riho Sakurai
  7. 2022/12/19, A Sociology of Special and Inclusive Education, Chapter 6 Professional and political interests, A Sociology of Special and Inclusive Education, 2022, 12, Scholarly Book, Joint Translation, 日本語, Hiroko Furuta/ Shun Ito at al., 177-210, Chapter 6 Professional and Political interests

Invited Lecture, Oral Presentation, Poster Presentation

  1. Current situations of immigrant workers, Riho Sakurai, International Workshop on inclusion, exclusion, migration and social minorities, 2024/03/18, Without Invitation, English, Hiroshima University
  2. Diversity & Inclusion and Eastern Medicine, Riho Sakurai, 2024/10/31, Without Invitation, Japanese
  3. Where can children with disabilities learn in the Western Bhutan: comparing before and after the Covid19, Riho Sakurai, Japan Comparative Education Society, 2024/06/29, Without Invitation, Japanese, Japan Comparative Education Society, Nagoya
  4. Recent Education Policy Changes in Japan: Inclusive Education, Riho Sakurai, Talk at Universidad de Autonoma Metropolitana Unidad Xochimilco, 2018/03/25, Without Invitation, English, Universidad de Autonoma Metropolitana Unidad Xochimilco
  5. Inclusive education and student wellbeing in west Bhutan: Changangkha Middle Secondary School, Riho Sakurai, Knowledge sharing talk on inclusive education and student wellbeing in West Bhutan, 2024/05/17, Without Invitation, English
  6. Is Japan pushing a counter-inclusive policy? Movement, complexities, and voices on the ground, Riho Sakurai, THE 68TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE COMPARATIVE AND INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION SOCIETY, 2024/03/07, Without Invitation, English, COMPARATIVE AND INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION SOCIETY, Florida (Hybrid)
  7. Development of Educational Welfare Theory and Children's well-being in Japan, Mariko Omori & Riho Sakurai, Mariko Omori, International Conference on Sustainability, Global Diversity, Inclusion & Culture: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 2024/01/18, Without Invitation, English, University of Calcutta, West Bengal, India, India
  8. Does education make a difference in people's attitudes towards sexual minorities? Results from a large-scale survey in Japan, Riho Sakuari, Comparative and International Education Society, 2023/02/15, Without Invitation, English, Comparative and International Education Society, Washington D.C. & Online
  9. Seminar on the report of gender and sexuality in Hiroshima prefecture From an aspect of education, Riho Sakurai Toshiyuki Shirakawa Kazuya Kawaguchi Yasuko Morinaga, Riho Sakurai Toshiyuki Shirakawa Kazuya Kawaguchi Yasuko Morinaga Kiriko Sakata; Machiko Oike, Seminar on the report of gender and sexuality in Hiroshima prefecture, 2022/07/30, Without Invitation, Japanese, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima Shudo University, Essor Hiroshima, Essor Hiroshima, Hiroshima and Online
  10. Realities of diversity and inclusion: a focus from education, Riho Sakurai, Japan Comparative Education Society, 2022/06/25, Without Invitation, Japanese, Japan Comparative Education Society, Online
  11. A study on the acceptance of inclusive education --A case from Bhutan and Japan--, Riho Sakurai, Japan Societies for Bhutan Studies, 2021/07/03, Without Invitation, Japanese, Japan Society for Bhutan Studies, Online
  12. Inclusive Education in Bhutan, Riho Sakurai, Practice of Inclusive Education in Bhutan, 2021/03/04, Without Invitation, English, Research Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Hiroshima University' D&I, Online
  13. Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Hiroshima University--Who we are and how we were born--, Machiko Oike, Gerald LeTendre, Penn State Brown Bag Talk, 2021/02/19, With Invitation, English, Penn State Unversity, Online
  14. Inclusive education in Bhutan and Japan--voices on the ground--, Riho Sakrai, Brownbag seminar for the Department of Educational Policy & Leadership, School of Education, University at Albany- SUNY, 2020/11/19, With Invitation, English, Department of Educational Policy & Leadership School of Education, University at Albany- SUNY, Online
  15. Inclusive Education Situation in Bhutan, Karma Norbu & Riho Sakurai, Karma Norbu, JCES/UNESCO International Online Seminar on Inclusive Education in Asia Pacific region Webinar, 2020/08/05, With Invitation, English, UNESCO Bangkok; JCES, Online
  16. Introduction and Develpment of Inclusive Education in Bhutan: Teacher Perceptions toward Inclusive Education, Riho SAKURAI, 2020/06/04, Without Invitation, Japanese
  17. Re-examination of Best Practices of Inclusive Education in Inclusive Education for Children with Disabilities: Bhutan Revisited, Riho Sakurai, Comparative and International Education Conference, 2020/03/23, Without Invitation, English, CIES organizing commitee, Virtual conference organized by Arizona State Unviersity
  18. Mexican school and self-esteem of children, Toshio AOKI Naofumi HIRAMI Eric Cosme Carlos Onelas, Interculatura Understanding Seminar: Mexico, 2019/12/06, Without Invitation, English, Hiroshima University Diversity& Inclusion Reserch Project Hiroshima University Center for the Study of International Coopration in Education (CICE) Hiroshima Univerisity Diversity Research Center, Hiroshima Unviersity
    Related URL
  19. Exploration of multiclulture through Japanese as a Special Instruction course: An example from public schools, Riho Sakurai, 2019/10/24, With Invitation, Japanese
  20. Inclusive Education in Japan: An example from a local city (teachers perspectives), Riho Sakurai, The 57th Conference of the Japanese Association of Special Education, 2019/09/23, Without Invitation, Japanese, Japanese Association of Special Education, Hiroshima University
  21. Knowledge sharing seminar on inclusive education; Dynamics ofInclusive Education: Japanese Teachers' Perspectives, Riho Sakurai, Knowledge Sharing Seminar at Chiang Mai University, 2019/09/19, Without Invitation, English, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai University
  22. Special Lecture on Inclusive Education Dynamics of Inclusive Educaton ; Japanese Teachers' Perspectives with Comparisons to Bhutan, Riho Sakurai, Special Seminr at Ministry of Education, Bhutan, 2019/08/27, With Invitation, English, Ministry of Education, Bhutan, Thimphu, Bhutan
  23. Dynamics of Inclusive Education;Japanese teachers' Perspectives, Riho Sakurai, accepted for the presentation at the World Education Research Association Focal Meeting in Tokyo 10th Anniversary, 2019/08/05, Without Invitation, English, Tokyo University & Gakushuin University, Tokyo, JAPAN.
  24. Education for Foreign-Born Students at Japanese Schools — Inclusive or Collective? A case study, Riho Sakurai, CIES 2019 Conference, 2019/04/15, Without Invitation, English, San Francisco, USA.
  25. Japanese Education Reform and Its Effects on the Ground; Voices from Japanese Junior High Schools, Riho Sakurai, 197th CICE Open Seminar, 2018/11/21, With Invitation, English, Bangdung, INDONESIA
  26. Teaching and Learning SDG4.7; Pedagogies and Approaches: Through Teachers' Perspectives on Children with Disabilities in Japan, Riho Sakurai, Japan Comparative Education Society, 2018/06/22, Without Invitation, English, Japan Comparative Education Society
  27. Inclusive Education—Realization of Salamanca? Cases from Bhutan and Japan, CIES 2018 Conference, 2018/03/26, Without Invitation, English, Mexico City, Mexico
  28. Yutori Kyoikuk and the Revised FLE: Effects on Lower Secondary Schools in Japan, Riho Sakurai, CIES 2016 Conference, 2016/03/10, Without Invitation, English, Vancouver, Canada
  29. School bullying, self-esteem and social capital: a case from lower secondary schools in a Japanese provincial city, Riho Sakurai, 59th Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society, 2015/03, Without Invitation, English, Washington D.C. , USA
  30. Inclusive Education in Bhutan, Education Policy Research on Equity and Inclusion in Asia-Pacific –Focusing on Children with Disabilities-, 2013/09, Without Invitation, English, UNESCO Bangkok & Waseda University, UNESCO, Bangkok, Thailand
  31. Education for Children with Disabilities in Bhutan: Special Need Education or Inclusive Education?., Riho Sakurai, 57th Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society., 2013/03, Without Invitation, English, Louisiana, USA.
  32. Working Childrens' effects on their family,friends,school,and self-esteem; A case of 8th graders in Keniya, 56th Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society, 2012/04, Without Invitation, English, Sun Juan, Puerto Rico
  33. Feminist Research and boys' schooling; ender equality and construction of African Masculinities; An example study of AA Dialogue network, IIEP, UNESCO, PARIS (2011) Gender Equality in Education: Looking beyond Parity, 2011/10, With Invitation, English, Paris,IIEP, UNESCO
  34. Cross-Cultural Life Satisfaction Survey among Tertiary Students, 47th Annual Meeting of the Japan Comparative Education Society, 2011/06, Without Invitation, English
  35. Africa-Asia university dialogue for educational development: collaborative research on educational development among twenty-eight universities in Africa and Asia. Africa-Asia university dialogue for educational development: overall current results and future challenge., Riho Sakurai, CIES, 2011/05, Without Invitation, English, Montereal, Caada, Montreal, Canada
  36. What influences student self-esteem? Work, school bulling, friends, or family?: cases from urban Kenya, revisited, 58th Annual conference of the Comparative and International Education Society, 2014, Without Invitation, English, Toronto, Canada

External Funds

Acceptance Results of Competitive Funds

  1. Town and Gown Common Project, Multicultural understanding project- to enrich apps-To facilitate understanding of local citizens in Higashihiroshima and Techinical Interns and international students--, 2025/04/01, 2026/03/31
  2. Houga Research Fund, 2012, 2013

Social Activities

History as Committee Members

  1. Diversity Promotion Facilitator, 2024/01, Technical expert training cooperative society (TECS)
  2. Facilitator, 2019/02, Unselfish
  3. Advisor for the Japan Inclusive Education Research Organization, 2014/04, 2020/03, Japan Inclusive Education Research Organization

Organizing Academic Conferences, etc.

  1. Diversity Center Open Seminar Rethinking Foreign Technical Intern System, 2023/03, 2023/03
  2. Exploring the role of special schools in providing inclusive education in Bhutan and Sri Lanka, 2022/03, 2022/03
  3. Practice of Inclusive Education in Bhutan, Research Center for Diversity and Inclusion, 2020/03, 2020/03
  4. Multicultura Understanding Webinar--cross-cultural interpersnal skill buiding--, Research Center for Diversity and Inclusion, 2020/09, 2020/09
  5. Japan Education Forum, moderator, 2012/02, 2018/02
  6. International seminar on inclusive education in Bhutan, Japan, and Germany, 2014/10, 2014/10
  7. International Understanding Seminar: Mexico, 2019/12, 2019/12

Other Social Contributions

  1. WPI-SKCM2 Satellite Event The people behind the science Diversity Forum: thriving across cultures, Tips for living in a different culture, WPI SKCM, 2025/03/06, 2025/03/06, Panelist, Seminar or workshop
  2. Brown Bag Chag, 2017/10/27, 2017/10/27