Category Archives: News

Third “Voices” Booklet Now Online and In Print

March 13, 2014

The articles uploaded on the Sylff website in 2013 have been compiled into the February 2014 edition of Voices from the Sylff Community. The booklet contains 16 articles on such topics as democratic governance, international relations, war and history, and musical expression, representing the diverse and global nature of the Sylff community. The Tokyo Foundation is pleased to have received many contributions from fellows around the world last year.

One feature of Voices 2014 is a section on SRA & SLI. More than two years have passed since Sylff Research Abroad (SRA) was re-launched in 2011 to support the activities of doctoral candidates, and it is now bearing fruit, as demonstrated by the many articles based on SRA research in this edition. There are also two pages of photos at the back of the booklet featuring the many outstanding fellows whom members of the Tokyo Foundation had the pleasure of meeting in 2013.

The booklet can also be downloaded as a PDF file here.

We Want to Hear Your “Voice”

We are always eager to receive YOUR contributions to the Sylff site. Reports of your academic or social action achievements should be submitted to the Tokyo Foundation at leadership[at]tkfd.or.jp.

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Voices from the Sylff Community
February 2014

CONTENTS

ACROSS THE COMMUNITY
A Lesson in Leadership: Organizing the Jadavpur Tenth Anniversary Celebration Aritra Chakraborti,
Nikhilesh Bhattacharya
Bulgaria and Japan: From the Cold War to the Twenty-first Century Evgeny Kandilarov
A Friendly Midsummer Get-Together in Tokyo The Tokyo Foundation
Lessons That Will Last a Lifetime Panju Kim
A Prescription for Halting Deflation The Tokyo Foundation
SRA & SLI
Is There a Link between Music and Language? How Loss of Language Affected the Compositions of Vissarion Shebalin Meta Weiss
In Search of the New Historians: Fieldwork in the “Holy Land” Khinvraj Jangid
National Policy in the Local Context Exploring the Influence of “Guest” Workers in Fernie, British Columbia Laurie Trautman
From Promise to Reality: Kisumu Leadership and Development Conference Mari Suzuki
Responses to Anti-Semitism in Pre-World War II South Africa Myra Ann Houser
Voicing Violence: Constructing Meaning from Narratives by Children in Red-Light Districts of South Kolkata Anindita Roy
Japan's Ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Salla Garsky
Qualitative Research as a Collaborative Enterprise Paulina Berrios
Armed State-Response to Internal Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka Sreya Maitra Roychoudhury
List of SRA Awardees
List of SLI Awardees
ANNIVERSARY REPORTS
Jadavpur University Celebrates “10 Glorious Years”
Many Rewards, Some Challenges in 20 Years at Athens
2013 IN PICTURES
A Community of Future Leaders: Meeting with Sylff Fellows in 2013

Belgrade Fellow Publishes Serbia’s First Kanji Textbook

February 20, 2014

The cover of Divna’s kanji textbook.

The cover of Divna’s kanji textbook.

Kanji is analyzed in ways that Serbians can easily visualize.

Kanji is analyzed in ways that Serbians can easily visualize.

Divna Trickovic, 2002 fellow at the University of Belgrade, has published the first textbook on kanji (Sino-Japanese characters) ever written in Serbian. She is now an assistant professor in Japanese language and literature at her alma mater.

The textbook, published in July 2013, was developed in collaboration with professor Ljiljana Markovic, Sylff Steering Committee chairperson and head of the Department of Oriental Studies at the University of Belgrade, and two of her graduate students.

Divna was in Tokyo recently and shared news of her new textbook with Yoko Kaburagi of the Tokyo Foundation.

Divna was in Tokyo recently and shared news of her new textbook with Yoko Kaburagi of the Tokyo Foundation.

Kanji is analyzed in ways that Serbians can easily visualize. Leaning kanji is not easy for many Serbian students, who are not familiar with its unique features, so the textbook introduces each character in innovative ways that Serbians can easily visualize and remember. It has captured the hearts of Japanese learners in Serbia and is being adopted as an official textbook for high school students choosing to learn Japanese as an elective.

A top researcher in comparative linguistics of Serbian and Japanese, Divna was invited by the Slavic Research Center of Hokkaido University in Japan to make a presentation at a workshop on Serbian linguistics. During her visit, she also discussed the role of poetry in society in an event featuring many renowned Japanese poets, including Sadakazu Fujii.

Warm congratulations to Divna on her achievements and her pioneering efforts to bridge the cultures of Serbia and Japan.

Fellow’s Paper Published in IEEE Communications Magazine

February 14, 2014

Mihoko Sakurai, second from right, with other Keio Sylff fellows and Tokyo Foundation directors

Mihoko Sakurai, second from right, with other Keio Sylff fellows and Tokyo Foundation directors

“Sustaining Life during the Early Stages of Disaster Relief with a Frugal Information System: Learning from the Great East Japan Earthquake” was co-authored by Mihoko Sakurai, a Sylff fellow at Keio University in 2013–14, and points to the need for municipal governments to build disaster-resilient communication systems.

This paper, based on field research into the ICT systems of local governments, notes that power outages and the resultant loss of communication and processing capability severely constrained recovery efforts in many municipalities, hampering attempts by supporting organizations to collect and share information.

A “frugal information system” built around cell phones, placing minimal stress on already burdened systems, is suggested as a solution to handle the early stages of disaster relief.

Sakurai is now assistant professor at the Keio University Graduate School of Media and Governance and has been selected to receive a special Research Fellowship for Young Scientists from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science starting in April 2014.

In June 2012, Sakurai published “Municipal Government ICT in 3.11 Crisis: Lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Crisis” in Berkman Center Research Publication No. 2012-14. This was a structured field survey of ICT divisions in 13 municipalities devastated by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which revealed a lack of ICT business continuity plans, the importance a comprehensive data backup policy, and the importance of securing power and network supply.

In addition to these articles in English, she has also co-authored a book in Japanese pointing to the importance of enhancing ICT networks among municipalities. The third anniversary of the 9.0-magnitude Tohoku quake is soon approaching. We hope that Sakurai’s research will help mitigate damage and facilitate rescue and recovery efforts following future natural disasters, in whatever country they may occur.

Fellow Appointed Resident Conductor of Vienna Boys’ Choir

February 3, 2014

Jimmy Chiang with the Vienna Boys' Choir

Jimmy Chiang with the Vienna Boys' Choir

Conductor/pianist Jimmy Chiang has been appointed resident conductor of the famed Vienna Boys’ Choir. Chiang received a Sylff fellowship in 2005 while attending the University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna, where he studied orchestral conducting, chorus conducting, and piano.

His conducting breakthrough came with his winning the first prize at the renowned Lovro von Matacic International Competition for Young Conductors in 2007. He has since performed on the most distinguished stages all over the world. Chiang has also participated in charity concerts involving Sylff fellows at the University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna.

Our sincerest congratulations to Jimmy Chiang on his new appointment!

To learn more, see: www.jimmychiang.com

Sylff News 2013

December 18, 2013

SYLFF SUPPORT PROGRAMS

The Tokyo Foundation announced the re-launch of “Sylff Leadership Initiatives (SLI)” and “Sylff Fellows Forum for Global Dialogue” (starting in 2015). Four fellows were selected as SLI recipients, and the report of the first recipient's seminar can be read here. In addition, 22 Sylff Research Abroad awardees were named in 2013. All awardees and the reports (by fiscal year) can be read here. We look forward to receiving your applications in 2014!

SYLFF WORLDWIDE

The University of Athens celebrated the 20th anniversary and Jadavpur University celebrated “10 Glorious Years” of their respective Sylff programs in 2013.

Many Sylff fellows sent news of their activities: Jory Vinikour was nominated for a Grammy Award; a Sylff Chamber Music Seminar Concert was held in Vienna; Julia Zulus participated in Rainbow 21 International Suntory Hall Debut Concert in Tokyo; Jordan Matsudaira was appointed senior economist in the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) for US President Barack Obama; Bryan Matthew Thompson delivered a presentation at the Third International Conference on Government Performance Management and Leadership at Waseda University in Tokyo; Itamar Zorman made his recital debut in Tokyo; and the Ateneo de Manila University has made a call for donations and a relief campaign is being promoted by Sherilyn Siy Tan for victims of Typhoon Haiyan. The Tokyo Foundation offers its deepest condolences to the people in the Philippines over the devastating loss of life and property from this super typhoon.

SYLFF@TOKYO

We were delighted to welcome many members of the Sylff community to our office in Tokyo this year. On July 10, the Tokyo Foundation hosted the first-ever gathering of Sylff fellows and SSC members at our office; 20 Sylff fellows and SSC members attended the gathering. Articles detailing the visits can be accessed by clicking on the names/links below. We hope to welcome many more visitors in 2014, so please be sure to contact us when you have plans to visit Tokyo!

Ilona Dubra (Sylff fellow, University of Latvia), Warren Ang (Sylff fellow, INSEAD), David Panzl (assistant professor, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna), Liu Yajun (Sylff fellow, Nanjing University), Masaaki Higashijima,(Sylff fellow, Waseda University), Yuki Kakiuchi (conductor), Takehiro Kurosaki (deputy director, Pacific Islands Centre).

In December 2014, the Tokyo Foundation will host the Sylff Administrators Meeting in Tokyo. Details will be announced shortly.

 

Wishing You Peace and Joy in the New Year!

shugoshashin (on the back row from left to right) Tomoko, Takashi Suzuki(Director), Akiko

(on the middle row) Eriko, Tetsuya

(on the front row) Yumi, Yoko, Keita, Mari Suzuki(Director)

Sylff@Tokyo: Waseda Fellow Publishes Political History of the Marshall Islands

December 17, 2013

Takehiro Kurosaki, deputy director of the Pacific Islands Centre (PIC) in Tokyo, Japan, has published a book (in Japanese) on the political history of the Marshall Islands. The book, issued in October 2013, is based on his doctoral dissertation at Waseda University and research conducted during the three years that Kurosaki worked at the Japanese Embassy in the Republic of the Marshall Islands after receiving his PhD.

The Marshall Island’s path to independence overlaps, in many ways, Japan’s postwar experience. Kurosaki thus devotes many pages to the country’s relations with the United States, which continues to maintain bases there, and to the ongoing legal battle for compensation for damages from US nuclear tests conducted at Bikini Atoll and Eniwetok Atoll.

Kurosaki (center)

Kurosaki (center)

“My hope in writing this book,” Kurosaki writes in the preface, “was not just to document the modern political history of an island country in the South Pacific but, through such an examination, to also offer new insights into how Japan can address its many contemporary challenges.”

The book goes beyond historical analysis to offer hints on how Japan can tackle the issues it confronts today, thus exemplifying the Sylff ideal of nurturing leaders to resolve real-life problems. The Tokyo Foundation warmly wishes Kurosaki further success in his budding career.

Sylff Research Abroad: Application deadline is fast approaching!

November 22, 2013

Dear Sylff fellows,

I would like to call your attention to the fact that the next application deadline for Sylff Research Abroad (SRA) awards is SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2014.

SRA awards support academic research related to fellows' doctoral dissertation, conducted as a non-degree student in a foreign country. From 2013, this program has been widened, so that the proposed research can be conducted at any organization in a foreign country.　The Tokyo Foundation provides a maximum of US$5,000 for each successful applicant.

You will find details of the program on the Sylff website.
→ https://www.sylff.org/support_programs/sra.
The list of past SRA awardees and their reports are also available on the following page.
→ https://www.sylff.org/support_programs/sra/awardees-reports

If you are a doctoral candidate, I encourage you to make the most of this opportunity to enrich your research activities.

If you have any questions, please email the SRA coordinator at leadership@tkfd.or.jp with the subject line “SRA.” We look forward to receiving your applications!

Delivering Food to Philippine Typhoon Victims

November 18, 2013

In addition to the donation drive spearheaded by the Ateneo de Manila University for the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan (called Yolanda in the Philippines), a relief campaign is being promoted by Sherilyn Siy Tan, a Sylff fellow who completed her master’s at Ateneo in 2007.

She has recently been granted a Sylff Leadership Initiatives (SLI) award to organize a community conference to discuss the possibility of promoting food donation to improve food security for those in need in the Philippines. The devastating typhoon struck while she was preparing her SLI project. Second Harvests Japan & Asia, with whom she is organizing the conference, are responding to the needs of the survivors by distributing food and water.

The Tokyo Foundation supports Sherilyn’s efforts to promote the relief campaign undertaken by Second Harvests Japan & Asia. You, too, can pitch in by making donation online.

Further details are posted at http://www.foodbank.asia/our-program/typhoon-in-the-philippines.

Plea for Donations for Victims of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in Philippines

November 12, 2013

The Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines is calling for donations for victims of Typhoon Haiyan (called Yolanda in the Philippines). Devastation caused by one of the most powerful storms to ever hit land has been daunting. The Tokyo Foundation supports Ateneo’s initiatives to help the survivors. More information is available on their website: http://www.admu.edu.ph/news/call-donations-victims-typhoon-yolanda.

Juilliard Fellow Itamar Zorman Headlines Recital in Tokyo

November 7, 2013

Virtuoso violinist Itamar Zorman, a Sylff fellowship recipient in 2011–12 while attending the Juilliard School in New York, made his recital debut in Tokyo at Suntory Hall in Tokyo on October 28, 2013. He was accompanied by pianist Kwan Yi.

Zorman, third from left, and the Tokyo Foundation staffs

Zorman, third from left, with members of the Tokyo Foundation.

The concert ranged from electrifying performances of sonatas by Prokofiev and Hindesmith to lyrical renditions of short Tchaikovsky pieces and Brahms’s Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 3. The award-winning violinist enchanted the audience with his rich and masterful singing sound, performing in perfect harmony with pianist Kwan Yi.

Toward the end of the concert, Itamar greeted the audience in Japanese and also conveyed his gratitude to the Tokyo Foundation for the fellowship.

Itamar Zorman, who has earned lavish praise from internationally renowned pianist Mitsuko Uchida, won the world-famous International Tchaikovsky Competition in Russia in 2011 and was recently awarded the 2013 Avery Fisher Career Grant.