Article
July 30, 2013
July 30, 2013
Two Waseda University graduate students were presented with Sylff fellowships during a ceremony held at a hall commemorating university founder Shigenobu Okuma on July 3, 2013. The fellowship recipients for the 2013 academic year were Ryosuke Takai, who is in the fourth year of a doctoral program at the Graduate School of Political Science, and Junji Kawashima, a third-year doctoral student at the Graduate School of Social Sciences.
“Our university, which has a history of over 130 years, seeks to further enhance its presence in the international community,” noted Naoto Onzo, the university’s executive director for research promotion and the chairman of the Sylff steering committee. “We also hope to nurture highly capable human resources demonstrating academic excellence and personal integrity who can make a positive contribution to societies around the globe. I hope that the two recipients this year will utilize their fellowships to fully advance their research and become true leaders for international society, as the name of the Young Leaders program suggests.”
Ryosuke Takai, who is undertaking a comparative analysis of the process of democratization and the spread of the rule of law in Asian and African countries, said he hoped that development models based on his research findings may contribute to the further democratization of countries in these regions.
Junji Kawashima, who is studying the institutional development and the legitimacy of change during the 1978–2012 reign of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, commented, “I will devote my energies to research and hone my leadership skills so that those who endorsed me for the fellowship will be glad they did so.”
Attending the ceremony from the Tokyo Foundation was Director for Leadership Development Mari Suzuki, who expressed the hope that the new fellows would take advantage of Sylff’s global network to advance both their academic pursuits and personal development.
July 29, 2013
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Around 20 Sylff fellows and steering committee members attended the first Sylff Fellows Gathering, a relaxed and informative midsummer evening get-together held on Wednesday, July 10, at the Tokyo Foundation.
The gathering was organized to update fellows and SSC members of recently launched Sylff support programs and to give an overview of the Tokyo Foundation, including its policy research activities, as well as to provide opportunities for visitors to ask questions, offer comments, share their own news, and, of course, to get to know one another better.
The first half of the get-together featured presentations by the Foundation and two Sylff fellows: Jonathan Shalfi, a master’s degree student at the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, UC San Diego; and Takehiro Kurosaki, who received a doctorate in anthropology from Waseda University and is now the deputy director of the Pacific Islands Center.
Special guests included Dr. Vladimir Bumbasirevic and Dr. Ivanka Popovic, the rector and vice-rector of the University of Belgrade—Serbia’s largest and oldest university—and Professor Edgar Porter, a member of the Sylff steering committee at the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Beppu, Japan.
Welcoming remarks were made by Tokyo Foundation President Masahiro Akiyama, who expressed his hope that the gathering would be the first of many more productive forums for the exchange of ideas, and by Tatsuya Tanami, Executive Director of the Nippon Foundation, the donor of the Sylff endowments.
Tanami recalled that Sylff was the brainchild of the late Ryoichi Sasakawa, who, toward the last stages of his life, realized his dream of establishing a fellowship program that would produce leaders to bring positive social change in countries around the world.
The initiative has been highly successful, Tanami noted, providing opportunities for research and social engagement for around 15,000 graduate-level students in 44 countries. He added that Sylff is one of largest of around 25 human resources development programs involving the Nippon Foundation which may total more than 30,000 people, and expressed his hope that these people could one day be integrated into a single network to facilitate communication and understanding.
Tokyo Foundation Director for Public Communications Akiko Imai then gave an overview of the Foundation’s activities, emphasizing the unique combination of policy research and the nurturing of change-makers that makes the foundation one of Japan’s leading think tanks.
“We’re financially independent of any political or commercial interests, and this allows us to set our own goals,” she noted. “Our central location makes it easy for members of the National Diet and senior government officials to join us for both small-group workshops and public forums.”
Policy research at the foundation covers a broad range of areas, ranging from foreign, security, and trade policy and energy resources to health and nursing care, tax reform, and corporate social responsibility. “These are all interrelated,” Imai said. “Healthcare issues, for example, are closely linked to tax and social security, and could be significantly affected by the Trans-Pacific Partnership. So our research fellows work closely together in a cross-disciplinary way to ensure that our policy proposals are relevant from a cross-issue perspective, and we actively communicate those proposals through our network of leading policymakers, journalists, and scholars, and global think tanks.”
A summary of the Sylff program and updates on additional support available for fellows from the Tokyo Foundation were provided by Director for Leadership Development Takashi Suzuki.
Sylff is one of four major leadership developments programs in which the Tokyo Foundation is engaged. The aims of Sylff, he said, are to cultivate leaders of tomorrow who will contribute to the common good of humankind while transcending national, ethnic, and other boundaries and respecting the diversity of cultures and values; and to support the education of outstanding students pursuing graduate-level study in the social sciences and humanities.
Suzuki introduced two fellows who have gone on to become outstanding leaders in their respective communities following graduation: Dejan Šoškić, a graduate of the University of Belgrade who was appointed governor of the National Bank of Serbia in July 2010; and Loukas Spanos, a Sylff fellow at the University of Athens who has played a key role in the reconstruction of the Greek economy as the director of the Minister's Office at the Greek Ministry of Labor and Social Security.
Noting that one of the Tokyo Foundation’s main tasks regarding the Sylff program is to support the activities of fellowship recipients, Suzuki provided an outline of Sylff Research Abroad (SRA), which supports fellows’ research in a foreign country for their doctoral dissertations, and Sylff Leadership Initiatives (SLI), aimed at encouraging Sylff fellows to address important issues through social action initiatives or workshops to bring about positive change. “In addition,” Suzuki said, “we’re planning to launch global forums for Sylff fellows on an annual basis starting from fiscal 2015.”
Two fellows then made brief presentations on their recent activities. The first was Jonathan Shalfi, a master’s degree student at IR/PS at US San Diego, who is conducting research this summer at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan, on the challenges of integrating renewable energy into the electric grid.
“It’s one thing to place electric panels on rooftops and another to actually integrate solar-generated power into the grid,” Shalfi emphasized. “This is what I’m studying. There’s no question renewable energy is becoming a more important part of the energy mix, but the issue of integrating it into the grid hasn’t been studied much yet.”
He noted that Japan faces one of the toughest integration challenges, since there are 10 largely independent, investor-owned electric utilities in the country with very little transmission capacity between them. “Transmission presents great difficulties. Hokkaido has the most wind potential, for instance, but it’s isolated from the big population centers. The situation for solar is quite similar, with most of the potential being located in rural areas. Another challenge is stability, since there must be a way to meet power deficits when the sun suddenly goes away or the wind dies down.”
Looking at Japan, where the production of renewable energy has risen sharply with the introduction of the feed-in-tariff system during the administration of the Democratic Party of Japan, is very important as a test case, Shalfi added, for there are many lessons to be learned by other countries.
The second fellow to make a presentation was Takehiro Kurosaki, deputy director of the Pacific Islands Center who was a fellowship recipient in 2007 while studying cultural anthropology at Waseda University.
He recalled that the fellowship enabled him to conduct fieldwork in the Marshall Islands and neighboring countries, interviewing high-level bureaucrats, business leaders, and politicians—including the president—about the cultures and political systems of the region.
The fellowship, Kurosaki said, opened doors to his subsequent academic and professional career and to his current position at the PIC, an international organization established in October 1996 by the Japanese government and the Pacific Islands Forum—a consortium of 16 independent Pacific countries, including Australia and New Zealand—to promote the sustainable economic development of the Pacific region, encourage trade and investment from Japan, and bolster tourism.
“Japan has very close historical ties to these countries,” Kurosaki noted. “The president of Micronesia, Emanuel Mori, is the great-grandson of a Japanese samurai from Kochi Prefecture who married the daughter of a traditional chieftain. The Moris are a large clan numbering around 4,000 people in Micronesia, and they have a big impact on the country’s economy and politics.”
Diplomatically, the Pacific islands are important supporters of Japan in international forums like the United Nations, and Japan depends on the region economically for around 80% of its imports of tuna and bonito and as a sea lane for the transport of mineral and energy resources. Japan will also be a major market for the liquefied natural gas produced in Papua New Guinea beginning early next year.
“Japan is one of the top donors of development assistance to the region,” said Kurosaki. “The support has been used to build these young countries’ socioeconomic infrastructure and address challenges posed by global warming and natural disasters, such as typhoons, tsunamis, and drought.”
PIC also organizes exhibitions and stage shows in Tokyo to enhance the visibility of the Pacific countries in cooperation with the Japanese government and the Pacific Islands Forum. “The Pacific countries regard Japan as a friendly and important partner, while Japan attaches great value to them in the global community. I think we need to expand our ties, not just among governments but also in the private and nongovernment sectors.”
Following the presentations, participating Sylff fellows and administrators had an opportunity to talk with Tokyo Foundation program officers and research fellows as well as with one another at the reception, sharing ideas and deepening friendships over food and drinks.
July 24, 2013
The Tokyo Foundation is pleased to announce six new recipients of the Sylff Research Abroad (SRA) award in the first selection round for fiscal 2013 (click here). All successful applicants cleared a rigorous screening process with meticulously planned proposals to incorporate their research findings into their PhD dissertations. Of the six recipients, three will travel to the field to learn from primary sources how people have adapted to changing environments.
SRA provides a wonderful opportunity for current or past Sylff fellowship recipients to conduct academic research in a foreign country to enhance the quality of their doctoral dissertation. Sixty-two applicants have been awarded grants of up to US$5,000 since the program’s relaunch in 2011.
Short articles submitted by the recipients based on their SRA research can be read here. In addition, selected articles have been posted on the “Voices from the Sylff Community” page and will subsequently be published in a print booklet.
The deadline for the second selection round for fiscal 2013 is January 12, 2014. We look forward to receiving your applications!
July 22, 2013
Sylff fellow Julia Zulus of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna made her first visit to Japan as a participant in the June 11, 2013, Rainbow 21 International Suntory Hall Debut Concert featuring outstanding junior musicians. The Rainbow 21 series of concerts is an annual event organized by Suntory Hall for students attending Japan’s top music schools.
With a view to promoting cultural exchange, a leading overseas conservatory is also invited each year. Participating this year was the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna—a member of the global Sylff community; Zulus, an oboist, performed Beethoven’s “Quintet in E-flat major” (arranged by Mordechai Rechtman for a wind quintet) and contemporary composer Gyorgy Ligeti’s “Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet” with fellow students in the Webern Wind Quintet.
Leading the group of students from Vienna was Professor Johannes Meissl, a member of the university’s Sylff steering committee. He also served as a mentor for and as a violinist in the Sylff Chamber Music Seminar, sponsored by the Tokyo Foundation in Vienna in April 2013.
“The performance caliber of the students from Vienna was extremely high,” noted one of the organizers at Suntory Hall. “Some already perform with the Vienna Philharmonic and other world-leading orchestras, and I think many of their Japanese counterparts were highly impressed.”
Following the Suntory Hall concert, musicians from Vienna also held a joint concert with students at the Kunitachi College of Music—another Rainbow 21 concert participant—to deepen their exchange.
In another Vienna-related news, percussionist and assistant professor David Panzl, who performed as part of the Michinoku Wind Orchestra at Suntory Hall in August 2012, returned to Japan in March 2013 and revisited Tohoku High School to lead a workshop for student musicians. The Michinoku project was a week of workshops and concerts aimed at bringing hope and courage to areas devastated by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
His offer to lead a workshop in Tohoku during a trip to Japan this year was conveyed to Noboru Endo, vice-president of the Miyagi Association of Wind Ensembles, who proposed holding a “reconstruction assistance project” under the auspices of the Miyagi Prefecture Instrument Bank. The project attracted 20 percussion students from Tohoku High School and four other nearby secondary schools. An additional 30 observers attended the workshop, including nonpercussion members of the Tohoku High School wind orchestra and officials of the high school and the wind ensemble association.
“I think it’s important to provide support to tsunami-affected areas on an ongoing basis,” Panzl said, “rather than just making a one-time donation. I may not be able to offer much, but I hope to keep doing what I can to be of assistance to the people of the area.”
He also asked after Michinoku Wind Orchestra members who were unable to participate in this year’s workshop, saying “I hope to visit the area again, and I look forward to seeing how everyone’s playing has improved by then!”
Panzl was a graduate student and a part-time lecturer at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna during the Michinoku project, but he has since become an assistant professor in recognition of his outstanding teaching record.
July 19, 2013
July 16, 2013
July 16, 2013
July 12, 2013
The University of Athens celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Sylff program in Greece on May 20, 2013. The University became the forty-seventh member of the Sylff community in May 1993. Since then, the program has supported nearly 260 graduate students in the humanities and social sciences. The anniversary ceremony was held at the university’s Great Hall of Ceremonies.
The celebration opened with addresses by representatives of all parties involved in the Sylff program at Athens. They included Professor Theodosios Pelegrinis, rector of the university; Professor Theodore Liakakos, vice rector and chairman of the Sylff steering committee; Mr. Ioannis Panagiotopoulos, a Sylff alumni and secretary general of Mass Media of the Greek government; Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, chairman of the Nippon Foundation—donor of the Sylff endowment—and Mr. Takashi Suzuki, director for leadership development of the Tokyo Foundation.
The university expressed its appreciation for the Sylff program and vowed to continue nurturing future leaders through the program over the next 20 years, just as it has in the preceding two decades. Mr. Sasakawa remarked on the qualities a leader should have, reflecting on his personal encounters with leprosy patients and his lifelong dedication since then to supporting them. Noting that we unconsciously tend to notice only those things what we choose to see and hear, he said that leaders must make a persistent effort to see and address hidden problems for global peace and well-being. His speech provided valuable insights for all in attendance.
Another thought-provoking speech was made by Professor Emeritus Demetrios B. Papoulias. Entitled “Leadership in Times of Crisis,” the keynote speech outlined the leadership required to overcome the financial crisis, highlighting the importance of acting responsibly and remaining in touch with social realities.
Four fellows shared their experiences and views regarding the Sylff program: Dr. Manolis Patiniotis, professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Athens; Mr. Loukas Spanos, a scientific advisor for the Greek Parliament, a representative of the Greek Sylff Fellows Association, and a member of the Sylff steering committee; Mr. Christopher Lees, a doctoral student in linguistics; and Ms. Alexandra Bousiou, a doctoral student in political sciences and public administration.
They commented that the Sylff program not only provided financial support for their academic study but also raised their awareness of the value of diversity, raised their motivation, and connected them to a global network of fellows in diverse disciplines and countries. By supporting students in the humanities, they noted, the program also supported the value of the humanities in contemporary society, which often places a higher value on practical subjects. It was evident from the fellow’s speeches that the aims of the Sylff program were being realized through their actions.
The Sylff program at Athens has not always been smooth over the past two decades. Recently, it was adversely affected by the Lehman crisis and the national debt crisis. However, despite these difficulties, a newly constituted Sylff steering committee has now managed to put the program back on track through new financial management measures and renewed procedures for program implementation. As a result, the program continues to support outstanding graduate students today. The 20th anniversary ceremony fully demonstrated that the program has a firm base on which to prosper and to develop future leaders for many years to come.
July 2, 2013