Advisory board members of

the University of San Diego’s School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS)

visited the Tokyo Foundation on April 12 for a roundtable discussion on the biggest challenges facing Japan. IR/PS marked the twentieth anniversary of its membership in the Sylff community in May 2011.

The discussion was moderated by Ulrike Schaede, professor of Japanese business at IR/PS, and was attended by about 20 people, including the board members, who were in Japan for an IR/PS meeting and to attend a public symposium on “Japan Moving Forward.” Continue reading →

Professor Vollmer (left)

Professor Uwe Vollmer of the Institute for Theoretical Economics at the University of Leipzig visited the Tokyo Foundation on February 9, 2012. He spoke with the Foundation’s senior fellow Christopher J LaFleur, an expert on government policy and international relations, and several Leadership Development program officers.

Professor Vollmer, who is currently a member of the university’s Sylff steering committee, specializes in microeconomics and addresses research issues in the theory of financial intermediation, European monetary policy, Japanese monetary policy, and the theory of monetary institutions. One of his recent articles is “The Financial Crisis in Japan: Causes and Policy Reactions by the Bank of Japan” (co-authored with Ralf Bebenroth), European Journal of Comparative Economics. Continue reading →

A Sylff endowment was established at El Colegio de México (Colmex) in March 1992, making it the fortieth member of the Sylff community. And on February 23, 2012, a ceremony was held to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Sylff program at the university.

Opening remarks by Tokyo Foundation Director for Leadership Development Takashi Suzuki.

The ceremony began with Colmex President Javier Garciadiego describing the history of the university and conveying his gratitude for the endowment. Remarks were then made by Japanese Ambassador to Mexico Shuichiro Megata, a video message was delivered by Nippon Foundation Chairman Yohei Sasakawa, and an address was given by Tokyo Foundation Director for Leadership Development Takashi Suzuki.

Sylff Steering Committee Chairperson Dr. Jean François Prud’homme commented that the Sylff goal of nurturing leaders capable of overcoming a variety of challenges was being achieved thanks to the activities of Colmex fellows and the Colmex Sylff Association. Continue reading →

Sylff Research Abroad (SRA) provides financial support for Sylff fellows' research activities in a foreign country for their PhD dissertations. SRA was renewed in October 2011 to allow greater flexibility in the institutions where research is conducted than in the previous program.

The first applicants under the new format for the 2011–12 fiscal year were screened between mid-January and late February 2012, and 28 Sylff fellows were selected. The Tokyo Foundation is pleased to announce the award recipients (click here). Continue reading →

A two-day international seminar on “Challenges of Development in North East India: Issues and Concerns” was held at the University of Delhi on November 3 and 4, 2011.

The conference was convened by Kamei Aphun, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. Aphun received a Sylff fellowship from Jawaharlal Nehru University in 2004 and 2005.

In his description of the conference’s theme in the opening session, Aphun outlined the need to study North East India from a wider perspective using a multidisciplinary approach. The region shares borders with five different Southeast Asian and South Asian countries and is of great geostrategic importance.

While many people regard studies of North East India to be limited value, he argued that the region’s proximity to South East Asia was an advantage that can be used to promote tourism and bilateral trade and commerce.

There are also good prospects in the development of sports, horticulture, handicrafts and agro-based industries, in which the region has recently become a leader in India. The region is not only rich in flora and fauna but is also important for anthropological research.

Kamei

At the same time, he noted, it has recently been marked by such problems as growing militancy and insurgencies, ethnic conflict and violence, illegal immigration, and environment-related problems. These issues need to be contextualized within a larger framework of regional economic development and prosperity, compared with the development of the country as a whole.

The conference’s technical sessions addressed such issues “State, Ethnicity, and Development,” “Environment, Culture, and Polity,” the 1958 Armed Forces Special Powers Act that conferred special powers on armed forces in the country’s “disturbed areas,” “Identity, Conflicts, and Violence,” and “Government Policies, Economy, and Gender.”

The seminar was well attended and also featured paper presentations, an exhibition of books, documentary screenings, and special cultural programs.

A lecturer at the Comenius University in Bratislava and a researcher at the Human Rights League, Bratislava, Helena Tužinská has recently published English translations of reports based on anthropological observations of communication between immigrants and lawyers.

Tužinská received a Sylff fellowship in 1998 (as an MA student) and 2000 (as a PhD candidate) while attending Comenius University in Bratislava. “Both of the scholarships in an international academic environment gave me a solid opportunity to address the relevant issues,” Tužinská notes, “which became a base for further investigation.” Continue reading →

Floods in Thailand affected over 12.8 million people in 2011, and the World Bank estimates that damages would reach 1,440 billion baht ($45 billion).

We at the Tokyo Foundation extend our deepest condolence to the victims of the disaster and their families. Although restoration efforts are making progress, a full recovery is still far off.

At the time of the national crisis, Chiang Mai University’s Sylff fellows and steering committee members launched a donation project to support the reconstruction drive. The following is a message from Dr. Sidthinat Prabudhanitisarn, chair of the university’s Sylff steering committee and dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences.

We hope that you will generously support this initiative by the Sylff community in Thailand.

Message from Dean Sidthinat Prabudhanitisarn

Dear friends of the Tokyo Foundation,

I hope this letter finds you well and enjoying the holiday season in the company of family and friends. I would like to take this opportunity to offer my gratitude once again for your warm and generous sympathy and support in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Continue reading →

Dorjkhuu(center)

Dorjkhuu Otgontuya of Mongolia visited the Tokyo Foundation on October 31, the last day of her stay in Japan. She participated in a two-week training course implemented by the Asian Productivity Organization.

She received a Sylff scholarship in 2009 while studying at the Academy of Management. She is now enrolled in a PhD program there. Continue reading →

A symposium commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the Sylff program at Columbia University was held on November 11, 2011.

The theme of the conference was "Borders and Frontiers: Connections between Power, Ideology, and Identity in Southeast Asia." This is a region marked by perhaps the greatest diversity in the world, in terms of ethnicity, religion, and ideology.

Speakers and other participants of the Weatherhead conference.

Continue reading →