Biography
Dr Yukiko Sawano is currently serving as a tenured Professor in the Department of Education at the University of the Sacred Heart, Japan. Her professional background includes significant roles as a government official and specialist of overseas research for the Japanese Ministry of Education (MEXT), as well as Senior Researcher at the Department of Lifelong Learning Policy Research of the National Institute for Educational Policy Research (NIER). Professor Sawano is a recognised expert in lifelong learning and comparative education, with a specific research focus on the Nordic model of lifelong learning and educational reform in post-Soviet countries.
Professor Sawano served as President of the Japan Association of Lifelong Education from 2016 to 2018, and as a member of the Lifelong Learning Subgroup of the Central Council of Educational Reform from 2019 to 2025. Currently, she serves as the Co-coordinator for Research Network 6: Learning Cities/Regions within the ASEM Lifelong Learning Hub.
Her recent publication includes Eastern Promise: New Wave Learning Cities in Japan in Edit. Seamus, OT, et.al. “Global Perspectives on Learning Cities”, Springer, 2025 (Co-author, In English), Lifelong Learning for GX and Sustainable Development in Europe, in “Bulletin of the Japan Association of Lifelong Education” No.46, 2025 (In Japanese), etc.
Panel Presentation (2026) | Longevity, Happiness, and the Art of Community: Lessons from Japan and Beyond
