Three extraordinary pianists selected for the Sylff Chamber Music Seminar, hosted by Austria’s Universität für Music und darstellende Kunst Wien in 2008, came together again for one of the world’s most prestigious music events – the 2009 Van Cliburn Piano Competition. The three were amongst the elite group of 29 competitors invited to Texas for the live rounds, amongst the thousands who auditioned in six cities in China, Europe and the USA. They were Naomi Kudo (USA & Japan) from the Juilliard School; Natacha Kudritskaya (Ukraine) from the Paris Conservatoire; and Vassilis Varvaresos (Greece), from the Juilliard School. Continue reading →

The Tokyo Foundation calls for applications for a program called "Building A Better Asia: Future Leaders’ Dialogue" (BABA retreats). BABA was initiated in 2006 by The Nippon Foundation and its affiliates (NFG) including the Tokyo Foundation. The objective of the program is to nurture future leaders for Asia. It brings together young Asians (or those who are based in Asia) from all over Asia to either China or India for an 8-day retreat where they get an opportunity to interact with one another and with resource persons from diverse backgrounds and fields of expertise, develop and share skills of leadership, and contemplate and discuss critical issues concerning Asia and the world. Please, read more about the retreat through the following link; http://www.buildingabetterasia.com/
Continue reading →

The Tokyo Foundation supported 3 research projects and 1 social action project under the Joint Initiatives Program, which address contemporary issues of social relevance from trans-disciplinary perspectives and are conducted by graduated Sylff fellows around the world. We are happy to present their final reports.

Human Rights-Based Approach to Disability and Health in Development Cooperation: Perspectives from the South.

By Hisayo Katsui and Richard Wamai (University of Helsinki's Sylff fellows)

This is a research project examining the operationalisation of development cooperation in health and disability through the perspectives and context of the Southern stakeholders. The team members conducted some case studies in East Africa and applied the human rights-based approach as the best analytical tool for the case studies with a special focus on the principle of self-determination of aid recipients.

Click here for the final report (pdf)

World Heritage, Regional Integration and Local Livelihoods: Tourism, Development, and Sustainability in Mainland Southeast Asia.

By Coleen Fox and Nicholas Kohler (University of Oregon's Sylff fellows)

This project examines the influence of World Heritage sites vis-à-vis regional development, local landscapes, and transnational connections, particularly through the development of tourism, with case studies conducted in Cambodia, Thailand, and Lao PDR.

Click here for the final report (pdf)

An Investigation and Research of Traditional Houses in Gansu, China.

Xiaojun Tang and Yingchun Wei (Lanzhou University’s Sylff fellows)

This project is a comprehensive study on architecture and history of six types traditional houses in Gansu province, built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and the Republic of China (1911-1949). They examined the current conditions of the houses and proposed methods of constructive conservation of the traditional houses.

Click here for the final report (pdf)

Youth Entrepreneurial and Life Skills Workshop in Mongolia and India.

By Prathima Rodrigues (Columbia University's Sylff fellow) and Badamjav Batsukh (Academy of Management, Mongolia's Sylff fellow)

The aim of this project was to develop an innovative entrepreneurial workshop curriculum which targets students, between the ages of 7 and 14, to obtain practical life skills and traits associated with entrepreneurship. These curriculum was taught as pilot projects in Mongolia and India which can be applied to other countries and different age groups. By teaching the young children, the team intended to increase their potential to succeed in ventures including, but not limited to, small and medium scale enterprises and equip them with a diverse set of competencies that they can use in any professional or personal setting.

Click here for the final report (pdf)

International conferences, call for papers, publications, intensive short course, and more… Continue reading →

The Japan Science Society, a sister organization of the Tokyo Foundation, invites Chinese Sylff fellows to participate in the Sasakawa Essay Competition 2009. The competition is co-sponsored by Zhongguo Qingnianbao newspaper and Renmin Zhongguo magazine to promote better understanding of Japan among Chinese people.
The essay must be on Japan, and written within 2,000 characters. The prize winners will receive attractive awards such as an invitation trip to Japan and cash prizes. The winning essays will be published in a Chinese newspaper.
The submission deadline is October 31, 2009. Find more details at the following websites!
in Chinese
in Japanese

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has appointed Stephen W. Bosworth, dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, as the United States special envoy on North Korea. The official announcement was made in February 2009. He will replace Christopher Hill, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Dean Bosworth will continue to serve as dean while taking on this new role.

Dean Bosworth has been a close contributor and a friend to the Sylff community. He actively participated in the Sylff regional forum in 2007 when the Fletcher School served as host. The Fletcher School is also the first ever institution to receive a Sylff endowment in 1987.

Non-Sylff related events, calls for contributions, publications of interest, and more...

Listed in the pdf document below are some announcements for 2009, selected and compiled by members of the Sylff Fellows Council as a service to the SYLFF community.

These announcements may be of interest to Sylff fellows anywhere in the world and across disciplines, particularly as a gateway to resources for professional, academic and leadership development.

For further information on any particular announcement, please contact the respective organizers directly.Please note, however, that the Scholarship Division of the Tokyo Foundation and the SFC are not responsible for any problems or inconveniences that may arise from contacting the organizers or participating in these events.

New lists of announcements will be issued from time to time, so keep on checking this website for exciting notices!

If you are a Sylff fellow and would like to share non-Sylff related announcements, please send the information according to the following guidelines to Severine Minot, 2009 liaison officer of the SFC, via e-mail at severineminot[a]hotmail.com (*[a] must be replaced by @).

We are on the lookout for:

- Events (international conferences, seminars, workshops, seasonal and regular training programs, etc.)

- Calls for contributions (for articles, presentations, research participation, award nominations, etc.)

- Publications of interest (new periodicals and special journal issues, book launches, etc.)

- Prizes, scholarships, fellowships and internships opportunities.

- Professional opportunities (contract offers, calls for tenders, special position offers)

Global Announcements April-2009

We have the greatest pleasure to inform you that the book, The SYLFF 2007 Regional Forum Selected Papers on Human Rights and Creative Leadership, has finally been published! This is the first book ever produced through global collaboration of the Sylff community.

This book introduces the perspectives of young scholars on human rights, one of the most challenging issues facing humanity. Although we have recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we still see many violations of human rights today. Based on individual experiences and fieldwork, seven young scholars present their original and positive perspectives in an effort to propose solutions to these issues. The book is an outcome of presentations and discussions conducted at the Sylff Regional Forums in 2007, organized by the Tokyo Foundation for Sylff fellows in three regions of the world.

We hope these papers will provoke and facilitate the development of in-depth and action-oriented dialogue in many corners of the world.

Copies can be obtained upon request to scholarship[at]tkfd.or.jp. Please send us the names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of those who wish to obtain the book.　

Comments to each of the authors are also welcome!

Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of The Nippon Foundation, was awarded an honorary professorship by Yunnan University, a Sylff institution in China, on March 11, 2009.

Mr. Sasakawa (left) and University President Dr. He (right)

Yunnan University became a member of the Sylff program in June 1994. Since then, the university has awarded Sylff fellowships to more than 1,600 bright students. The city of Kunming, home to Yunnan University, is rich in cultural heritage and blessed with nature. The Sylff fellows study and conduct research in this wonderful environment.

Mr. Sasakawa travels heavily around the world on many causes, and never misses a chance to visit Sylff institutions and see the Sylff fellows. To exchange ideas with young, gifted fellows is one of his greatest enjoyments, Mr. Sasakawa says. Though he has visited most of the Sylff institutions, he has never had a chance to visit Yunnan University. The long-awaited initial visit by Mr. Sasakawa proved to be very fruitful.

At Yunnan University, Chairman Sasakawa met with University President Dr. He Tianchun and Vice President Dr. Xiao Xian, who expressed their gratitude to Mr. Sasakawa for the foundation’s long-time support toward their students. The chairman also enjoyed talking to the Sylff fellows and the Sylff Steering Committee members. During the meeting, he listened intently to their reports on progress made in their research, and he was very pleased to witness Sylff bearing fruit in the university.

Mr. Sasakawa (back row, center), and Sylff fellows (front row)