She has served as the president of the Japan Society for International Development since November 2023. Being a professor of education and development, she has conducted various research on educational policy-making and implementation in the Global South, particularly in Africa. One of her consistent research focuses is the formation and the social and personal values of skills and knowledge among youths. Since the mid-2010s, she has been leading the Skills and Knowledge for Youths (SKY) research project, which has assessed the skills of industrial workers using the evaluation tools developed uniquely by the project. She has also analyzed the discourse around global agendas, such as SDGs and MDGs, and how national governments and stakeholders in education and skills development adopt them. Her recent books include "Industrial Skills Development in Emerging Countries: Knowledge and Skills in the Era of SDGs (edited with Izimu Ohno, Nippon Hyoron Sha, 2021), "Knowledge, School, and Social Structure in Africa" (edited with Akira Takada and Shose Kessi, Langaa publishing, 2021) and "Post-Education-for-All and Sustainable Development Paradigm: Structural Changes with Diversifying Actors and Norms" (Emerald, 2016).