Jiro Kawakita

Jiro Kawakita (川喜田 二郎) was an ethnographer, a pioneer in participation of remote Nepalese villagers in researching their problems, resulting in practical benefits of portable water supplies and rapid rope-way transport across mountain gorges. He was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1984.

He is reported as the author of KJ method for organizing notes, also termed affinity walls in UX Research. He viewed the method as an alternative to Western quantitative methods in ethnography.

Kawakita established the non-profit organisation Institute for Himalayan Conservation Japan.