Moe Kaku
Ito Foundation U.S.A.-FUTI Scholarship recipient
Jan.9.2026
My name is Moe Kaku, and I am currently a second-year master’s student in Public Policy at the University of Tokyo. During the recent academic quarter, I had the valuable opportunity to participate in a quarter-long exchange program at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
I would like to begin by expressing my sincere gratitude to the Ito Foundation U.S.A.–FUTI Scholarship for its generous support, which made my exchange at UCLA possible. This experience has been both academically and personally transformative, and I am deeply appreciative of the Ito Foundation and FUTI’s commitment to supporting students’ international learning opportunities.
From an academic perspective, my experience at UCLA significantly broadened my intellectual horizons in ways that differed from my initial expectations. During the quarter, I enrolled in three courses. Although exchange students often have limited enrollment priority, I was fortunate to take part in courses that offered rigorous content and diverse perspectives.
The first course, Global Business Law and Policy, examined the legal and public policy challenges arising from the global economy. Through weekly readings and in-depth discussions, I learned how economic and political issues are framed and addressed differently across countries, depending on institutional structures and historical contexts. This course strengthened my understanding of comparative policy analysis and deepened my awareness of the complexity of global governance.
In addition, I enrolled in the Seminar on Death, Dying, Grief, and Loss, which I took upon the recommendation of a friend in the Master of Social Work program. I also audited Advanced Social Welfare Practice: Cognitive-Behavioral Theories and Methods. These courses provided perspectives that were markedly different from my previous academic training, which had primarily focused on economic analysis using micro-level data. Through these classes, I engaged closely with the lived experiences of individuals facing profound hardship and vulnerability. They encouraged me to reconsider social issues from the standpoint of disadvantaged populations and to critically reflect on how social systems support—or fail to support—those in need.
Beyond academics, my personal experiences at UCLA were equally meaningful. One of the most valuable aspects of my exchange was the everyday conversations I shared with UCLA students from diverse academic and cultural backgrounds. Through these interactions, I learned more about American society, including the role of social workers, community-based support systems, and other social institutions. I was struck by how many of these mechanisms remain underdeveloped in Japan. Moreover, discussing political and economic issues with my peers allowed me to better understand how such issues are perceived in the United States, often in ways that differ significantly from perspectives common in Japan. These experiences expanded my worldview and strengthened my aspiration to serve as a bridge between societies.
In conclusion, this quarter at UCLA has been a profoundly enriching experience, both academically and personally. None of this would have been possible without the generous support of the Ito Foundation U.S.A.–FUTI Scholarship. I am sincerely thankful for this invaluable opportunity to learn, reflect, and grow, and I hope to apply the insights gained from this experience to my future academic and professional endeavors.