Department of Geography

Biography

Naoko was working mainly as a practitioner for the past 15 years on refugees and forced migration issues, as a staff member of UNHCR, IOM and the Government of Japan.

Her current PhD research theme is refugee resettlement to Japan, analysing reasons why non-immigration countries such as Japan accept refugees through resettlement, using political / IR theories.  

Her other interests include: asylum and immigration law, human rights of migrants, mixed-migration, trafficking and smuggling, nationality, IDPs, rescue-at-sea, and other migration related issues.

Qualifications

- Master of Studies in Forced Migration, Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford (as a John Swire Scholar)

- LLM in International Human Rights Law, University of London

- Currently, PhD candidate in the School of Law, Politics, and Sociology, University of Sussex (as a Nippon Foundation International Fellow)

Activities

- Currently, a member of the Doctoral Affiliates Network of the Refugee Law Initiative of the School of Advanced Studies, the University of London.

-  Currently, an Executive Member of Japan Association for Migration Policy Studies.

- Previously, serving as an Expert for the Detention Facilities Monitoring Committee of the Government of Japan, as a special appointee by the Minister of Justice.

- Currently on a special leave without pay from IOM (Programme Manager).