Stockholm university

“Sustainability is connected to all parts of life”

Koji Miwa always dreamed of helping people and contributing to a better world. One of the keys to getting there was the Master’s programme in Globalization, Environment and Social Change at Stockholm University. But his journey hasn’t been without struggle.

Koji Miwa
Koji Miwa

Koji grew up in Japan, where he also studied his bachelor’s programme. He realised that learning English could help him work globally, which made him choose English as his major. During his bachelor’s programme he went as an exchange student to Monterey Bay in California to study global and environmental studies. During his time there, he was inspired by many of his teachers. He wanted to understand more of the world and realised he wanted to experience Europe as well.

– I read an interview with a person who did a master’s in Sweden. Then I realised I had that option. Coincidentally there was a Swedish American at university who gave me some info about Sweden. That made me decide to apply. I needed my parents help to pay the tuition fee, which made me hesitate a bit. But I was determined, couldn’t change my mind.

It was actually not the first time Koji had his mind set on Sweden. He had dreamt of visiting the country since he was 10 years old.

– I saw a TV programme that showed Stockholm and I was very impressed by the beauty of the city. I thought then I must go there. Sweden was always on my mind.

 

Studying was worthwhile but student life was tough

Koji got accepted for the Master’s programme in Globalization, Environment and Social Change, an interdisciplinary programme hosted by the Department of Human Geography and run in cooperation with the Department of Economic History and the Department of Physical Geography.

– Studying in Sweden is more theoretical, in Japan we do more practical things. But the programme was both inspirational and interesting. We learned about the root causes of the current environmental and social issues on both a global and a local scale. It’s important to connect with history in those issues. 

Unfortunately, Koji experienced several setbacks during his time in Stockholm. It was hard finding a place to live, even though he had started searching long before he came to Stockholm. He stayed in several substandard places until he finally found a small house south of Stockholm – with a 2,5 hour commute from the university.

– I had a high motivation to study, but this made it difficult in the beginning. Private life was hard. It took me a long time to find a place to live. I was also the only student in my programme who was required to pay tuition fees. All of this made me exhausted and it was hard to focus on my studies.

Then the Swedish winter came. In Japan they have at least 10 hours of daylight also in the winter, so Koji wasn’t really prepared.

– The darkness was so depressing. It made it difficult for me to stay sharp. I realised I needed to refresh from all the difficulties I’d experienced. Also, I wanted to take the chance to experience a new continent and culture to broaden my view, and so I chose to study one semester of the master’s programme in Argentina.

 

The master’s programme developed important generic skills

After graduating, Koji found a job at an NGO in Japan, where he stayed for five years. The NGO was focusing on environmental cooperation in Southeast Asian countries. Koji was mainly engaged in projects about sustainable agriculture and forest conservation in the Philippines and Cambodia. He held workshops for local communities and government officers to provide knowledge, skills and equipment, and also conducted tree planting activities and social and economic surveys. At the same time he was involved in research projects at Tokyo University of Agriculture as a researcher to investigate the impact of earthquakes on agricultural fields and infrastructure in Nepal and Japan. The Master’s programme was key to landing such a job.

– The NGO only accepted people with a master’s degree, and the master’s programme had given me more international experience. During my master’s I gained analytical, theoretical and writing skills, which helped me to write texts for local communities, project proposals and reports at my work. Without the master’s programme I wouldn’t be able to do that.

 

Investigated an oil disaster on Mauritius

Today Koji is a researcher at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) in Japan. He works in the Natural Resources and Ecosystems Services Area, focusing on biodiversity and related issues. He mainly works for the Japanese Ministry of Environment, but also in different research projects. Lately the projects have been about blue carbon issues. Last year he went to Mauritius as a Japanese ship ran aground there, causing a massive oil contamination.

– I was chosen to investigate the impact of the oil spill on the livelihoods of the local communities and coastal ecosystem services. I spent two months working in Mauritius and even ended up in a documentary on national Japanese TV about the oil disaster. With such a meaningful job, I felt that all my hard work was finally paying off. It gave me more confidence.

Koji talking to locals in a street on Mauritius
Working together with locals on Mauritius
 

Wants to help people realise what matters

Looking to the future, Koji wants to deepen his expertise even more and contribute to environmental conservation on a global scale.

– Our environmental issues are reaching critical points. We see extinction of many species and exploitation of various ecosystems. In Sweden you don’t have a lot of natural disasters, but in Japan the volume and frequency are increasing every year. We are trying to minimise the casualties but we also need to understand that there is a limit to prevent it from happening. 

When it comes to sustainability, everything is related, Koji says.

– Sustainability is connected to all kinds of jobs and parts of life. Still, many people focus on their fame and money and it seems hard to change their minds. But I hope we can make the change – somehow we have to find a way. I want to contribute to this world and make people realise what matters the most, not for individuals but for us and our planet.

 

Dreams of returning to Sweden

Koji finds that Sweden and Japan are quite similar in many ways.

– Japan also has a lot of forest, almost like Sweden. The nature is abundantly beautiful and we respect it. In Sweden, people are willing to care for the environment. You have Greta and an environment that welcomes and supports such a brave and strong person to speak up. And I think “the law of jante” is similar to the way the Japanese people think. According to Japanese culture, we should respect people and nature. So somehow we have some similarities.

He still dreams of Sweden and would love to work there one day.

– I must come back to Stockholm, I do feel at home there. It’s so beautiful, I always went to Gamla stan to enjoy the view. When I left Sweden, it didn’t really feel like I was leaving. I’ve always wished to go back.

Read more about the Master’s programme in Globalization, Environment and Social Change at Stockholm University

 

Contact

Alumni Relations: alumni@su.se

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