Recent articles uploaded on the Sylff website have been compiled into a booklet entitled “Voices from the Sylff Community.” The 10 articles contained therein represent some of the many “voices” in the very extensive Sylff community, encompassing 69 universities in 44 countries around the world.

In addition to the print edition, the booklet is also available as a PDF file, which can be downloaded from the link below. It’s a handy introduction to what a handful of some 13,000 current and graduated Sylff fellows are doing and thinking, as well as the contributions they are making to make a difference in society and build a better future. Continue reading →

We are happy to announce the re-launch of SRA, one of the Sylff fellows support programs offered by the Tokyo Foundation. SRA now has greater flexibility and is open to both current and former Sylff fellowship recipients who are currently enrolled in a PhD program at any institution of higher learning.

The applicant may also propose any institution of higher learning in a foreign country as the host. Successful applicants will be awarded up to a maximum of US$7,000 to cover research expenses.

Those who are currently pursuing a master’s degree are not eligible. They will have an opportunity to apply for SRA, however, when they advance to PhD study.

For details, see the Call for Applications (https://www.sylff.org/fellows/sra/)

We look forward to receiving your application

Judith (left) and Kurtis

Kurtis Nakamura and Judith Li of the University of California, San Diego, were in Japan for an internship. They had just finished their first year of a master’s program at the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies. Kurtis was interning at the United Nations University in Yokohama, while Judith worked for Deutsche Bank AG in central Tokyo. They spoke with members of the Tokyo Foundation’s Leadership Development team on Japanese business manners and the roles and benefits of an internship for their careers.

Lars Gaupset of the University of Oslo in Norway was in Japan to attend a conference and memorial ceremonies for the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings. Having just received an MA in peace and conflict studies from the university, Lars was heading a delegation from “No to Nuclear Weapons (NTA),” a Norwegian nongovernmental organization founded in 1981 that works for the disarmament and nonproliferation of nuclear weapons. He was joined on the trip by two NTA members: Grethe Nielsen, a longstanding member in her seventies, and Bitte Vadtvedt, a journalist and documentary filmmaker.

From left, two NTA members, Lars and Akio Kawato

At the Tokyo Foundation, they met with Senior Fellow Akio Kawato, former Japanese ambassador to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, who provided a historical overview of Japanese policy on nuclear weapons and nuclear energy. They were also given updates on the Fukushima nuclear accident and exchanged opinions on Japan’s future energy policy and the feasibility of renewable energy.

The Tokyo Foundation welcomes visits by Sylff fellows or faculty members at Sylff institutions anytime to exchange views with the Foundation’s research fellows and program officers. Interested fellows and faculty members should contact Mari Suzuki of the Foundation at leadership[at]tkfd.or.jp (replace [at] with @).

Noah (left) and Katsuhito Iwai

During this summer, Sylff fellows from various countries visited the Tokyo Foundation to meet with the Foundation’s research fellows and program officers.

Noah Smith, a PhD candidate in economics from the University of Michigan in the United States, came to Japan to undertake research on the mechanism of the bubble economy. He spoke with Katsuhito Iwai, Tokyo Foundation Senior Fellow and Professor Emeritus of the Tokyo University, to learn the renowned economist’s views of the bubble economy and nature of capitalism. Noah also had a chance to meet Sota Kato, a Tokyo Foundation Senior Fellow who was formerly a lecturer at the University of Michigan’s Department of Political Science.

Yusuke Tanaka, a PhD candidate in Japanese language education at Waseda University in Japan, visited the Foundation with Roman Pasca, a former lecturer in the Japanese language at the University of Bucharest in Romania. Roman was chairman of the Romanian association of Japanese language teachers between 2008 and 2011 and is now studying for a PhD in Japanese language education at Waseda. There are very few Japanese-language specialists in Romania, so he is aiming to become a pioneer in the field. He has been a beneficiary of a Tokyo-Foundation-administered Japanese Language Program (NF-JLEP) at the University of Bucharest.

Roman (left) and Yusuke

Yusuke lived in Dalian, China, between the ages of six and eight, as his father—a high school Japanese language instructor—was dispatched there from 1989 to 1991 as part of a bilateral exchange program. He has been involved in developing Japanese language textbooks for Chinese and Korean students and taught Japanese at Fudan University in Shanghai from 2009 to 2011. Yusuke and Roman spoke with Yoko Kaburagi and Mari Suzuki—program officers for both the Sylff and NF-JLEP programs—about the future of Japanese language education in Asia and Europe and what can be done to promote it worldwide.

On July 6, 2011, an award ceremony was held at Waseda University for two new Sylff fellows selected for the 2011 academic year. The ceremony took place in a reception room with a portrait of Shigenobu Okuma, one of the founding fathers of modern Japan who also founded the university.

Waseda, located in central Tokyo, is one of three Sylff institutions in Japan. It was founded in 1882, and some 54,000 undergraduate and graduate students attend the institution today. Among them are over 3,000 foreign students, making Waseda one of the most international universities in Japan.

"The fellowships are being offered to promote outstanding research," noted Tomoki Waragai, chairman of Waseda's Sylff steering committee. "Both of you are expected to become leaders in your respective fields, and I hope that you will undertake research activities with renewed determination."

"The purpose of this fellowship is to support those who are expected to become future leaders," added Tokyo Foundation Executive Director Haruo Shibazaki. "Becoming a leader today requires a strong sense of responsibility and a commitment to overcoming difficult challenges. As was the case in recent popular uprisings in several Arab countries, young people using social media will no doubt play an increasingly central role in shaping our political destinies. In February 2001, Waseda became the sixty-second institution to join the Sylff community, and it has produced 26 fellows to date. I hope the two latest fellows will also become leaders capable of bringing positive changes to society."

The two new Waseda fellows are: 　

Chi'e Akashi, doctoral candidate, Graduate School of Letters, Arts and Sciences 　Research topic: Archaeobotanical study of farming societies in the Trans-Caucasus 　

Makoto Seta, doctoral candidate, Graduate School of Law 　Research topic: Prosecution and punishment of pirates in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore

Sylff institutions can submit stories of their respective award ceremonies for publication on the Sylff.org website. Contact Program Officer Mari Suzuki at the Tokyo Foundation at M-Suzuki[at]tkfd.or.jp (replace [at] with @).

In June 2011 Massey University in New Zealand and the Australian School of Business of the University of New South Wales in Australia commemorated the 20th anniversary of the Sylff program at their respective institutions. The celebration brought together the four Sylff stakeholders in these countries: The Nippon Foundation, Tokyo Foundation, Sylff steering committees, and Sylff fellows. Nippon Foundation Chairman Yohei Sasakawa, the Tokyo Foundation’s Director for Leadership Development Takashi Suzuki, and representatives of the Sylff institutions offered messages to commemorate the 20-year milestone. Continue reading →

Christina Davis, associate professor of politics and international affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, and a member of Princeton's Sylff steering committee, visited the Tokyo Foundation on July 5, 2011.

Davis is a specialist in trade policy and is investigating the historical process by which countries become members of international trade organizations. Her current focus is Japan's accession to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade in 1955 and China's joining the World Trade Organization in 2001. On her visit to the Tokyo Foundation, she exchanged views on trade policy with several Tokyo Foundation research fellows. Continue reading →

On June 27 and 28, 2011, Professor Takeo Hoshi of the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at the University of California, San Diego, visited the Tokyo Foundation. Professor Hoshi is the chairman of UCSD's Sylff steering committee.

He met with Tokyo Foundation Senior Fellow Shigeki Morinobu—an expert on tax and financial policies and local finance—and Senior Fellow Yutaka Hara, who is a specialist on the Japanese economy and financial policy. They exchanged views on Japan's economic outlook following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, approaches to reconstruction, American views of how Japan has dealt with the disaster. Continue reading →