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Published articles (those available in English)

2022

Masahiro Matsuura, "Disasters as Enablers of Negotiation for Sustainability Transition: A Case from Odaka, Fukushima" Sustainability, 14(5), p. 3101.

Abstract: Disaster risk at the community level is likely to increase as climate change worsens. In this study, the author investigated the impact of disasters on negotiation for community development, particularly as a promoter of sustainability negotiation. Studies on agenda setting in policy making and critical moments in negotiation were thoroughly reviewed. Based on the review, the author presents an extraordinary case of the Odaka community from Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. This community experienced a critical moment in the negotiation of its development after the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 and a subsequent nuclear disaster. The community also experienced a 5-year-long forced evacuation due to nuclear contamination from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power station. This case reveals a major shift in four aspects of negotiation—parties, interests, relationship, and legitimacy—and a transition to more sustainable developments. It also demonstrates the possibility that disasters can enable negotiation for more sustainable development patterns by transforming the associated settings.

2016

Masahiro Matsuura and Kenshi Baba, "Consensus Building for Long-term Sustainability in the Non-North American Context: Reflecting on a Stakeholder Process in Japan" Negotiation and Conflict Management Research, 9(3), pp. 256–268.
Abstract: Practitioners of consensus building are stepping into a relatively new arena of practice: sustainability issues in the non-North American context. This article explores challenges in such settings, which we illustrate, with a case in Japan regarding the promotion of wood biomass usage through stakeholder dialogue in a small island community. Reflection from the experience reveals two challenges that are likely to occur in similar contexts: drawing the attention of stakeholders to the long-term risks to sustainability and dealing with personal relationships in a high-power-distance culture. We find that in our case and more generally stakeholders’ problem recognition related to risk must be nurtured through learning opportunities and scenario exercises in the early stages of consensus building processes. The hierarchical nature of interpersonal communication in several Asian countries, where senior participants enjoy more power in negotiation, also requires careful design of processes, particularly when long-term issues are at stake.

2011

John Forester, Lawrence Susskind, Karen Umemoto, Masahiro Matsuura, Giancarlo Paba, Camilla Perrone and Raine Mantysalo, "Learning from Practice in the Face of Conflict and Integrating Technical Expertise with Participatory Planning," Planning Theory and Practice, 12(2), pp. 287-310.

Scott Valentine, Benjamin Sovacool and Masahiro Matsuura. "Empowered? Evaluating Japan's National Energy Strategy Under the New Administration," Energy Policy, 39(3), pp. 1865-1876.

2010

Masahiro Matsuura, Tatsujiro Suzuki and Hideaki Shiroyama, "Sustainable Energy and Environmental Policymaking in Japan," IEEE Technology and Society, 29(3), pp. 45-54.

Masahiro Matsuura, Hidenori Watanave and Kazuhisa Sugisaki, "GPS Cellular Phones for Participatory Policy-Making: An Experiment With the Umi-Aruki System" Asian Politics & Policy, 2(3), pp. 487-489.

Masahiro Matsuura, "Google Moderator, a New Tool for Public Deliberation (Blog-Web Review)," Asian Politics & Policy, 2(1), pp. 127-128.

2009

Masahiro Matsuura, "The First "Blog Mayor" Re-election in Japan (Blog-Web Review)," Asian Politics & Policy, 1(4), pp. 794-795.

Masahiro Matsuura, "The Place for Politics in the Abundance of Japanese Blog (Blog-Web Review)," Asian Politics & Policy, 1(3), pp. 543-544.

Masahiro Matsuura, "Personal Web Sites of Key Japanese Political Players: A Surprising Lack of Frequent Updating and Interaction (Blog-Web Review)," Asian Politics & Policy, 1(2), pp. 338-340.

2007

Masahiro Matsuura and Hideo Yamanaka, "Planning through Assisted Negotiation: Consensus Building for Traffic Safety," Journal of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, 7, pp. 1546-1558.

Masahiro Matsuura, Dong-young Kim and Andrew Lee, "Environmental Conflict Resolution in Asia: Perspectives," ACResolution, Summer 2007.

2006

Hal Movius, Masahiro Matsuura, Dong-young Kim and Jin Yan, "Tailoring the Mutual Gains Approach For Negotiations with Partners in Japan, China, and Korea," Negotiation Journal, 22(4). pp. 389-435.

2003

Masahiro Matsuura, "Research, Evaluation and Special Projects Introducing Consensus Building to Japan," CBI Reports, 2003 Spring.

1998

Masahiro Matsuura, "Mediation, and mediators, get an 'A'," Consensus, July 1998.