Category: FUTI News

On September 4, 2025, with the support of Friends of UTokyo, Satsukikai America hosted a gathering at the University of Tokyo’s New York office entitled “Dialogue with President Fujii About the University of Tokyo’s New Initiative, ‘College of Design’.” Over 20 participants gathered, representing a wide range of ages and specialties. In April 2025, the University of Tokyo announced that it will open a new faculty, the UTokyo College of Design, the first new faculty in approximately 70 years since the founding of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences in 1958. Preparations are currently underway for its opening in the fall of 2027. At the gathering, President Fujii spoke about the purpose and vision of the UTokyo College of Design, as well as the aspirations behind it. The Q&A session was lively. Below is a summary of the event. (For details about the College of Design, please refer to the official website: design.adm.u-tokyo.ac.jp) Highlights of President Fujii’s Remarks • Educational Philosophy: Based on interdisciplinary education, we hope to cultivate leaders with the “design” expertise and the ability to realize their visions coordinating knowledge of various disciplines. • Learning Process: Designing and implementing solutions to complex social issues requires proactive processes, such as connecting and empathizing with people and society, conceiving a new vision, creating “prototypes” to be tested in the real world, and capitalizing on diverse opinions generated through teamwork. The College of Design intends to facilitate these actions through providing these learning opportunities. • College Environment:  UTokyo aims at creating an environment in which our faculty- who represent the forefront of knowledge – and colleagues and students coming from around the world inspire each other and grow together. Participants expressed interest in a range of topics, including the expansion of undergraduate courses taught in English, collaboration with overseas universities and the New York office, recruitment of international faculty, and new perspectives on the concept of academic discipline. These questions reflected a broader concern with the internationalization of education and evolving approaches to learning. Further discussion centered on challenges such as securing funding to advance interdisciplinary research, attracting and retaining outstanding talent, supporting students’ career development, and strengthening the role of alumni networks. Overall, the exchanges highlighted the participants’ strong interest in the university’s comprehensive approach to international engagement that spans education, research, and career support. On closing, Dr. Mina Tsuji, President of Satsuki America explained that the participation fee of $15 for this event will be donated to the “University of Tokyo 150th Anniversary Commemorative Fund.” The alum association hopes to continue supporting the 150th anniversary project by using the participation fee. (Reference: Information on the University of Tokyo 150th Anniversary Commemorative Fund | University of Tokyo Foundation) Translation: by Satsuki America Note: We would like to express our sincere appreciation for the support of the President’s Office of the UTokyo as well as UTokyo NY Office.

Professor Takatoshi Ito, former director of the Friends of UTokyo, passed away on September 20, 2025 (U.S. time) at the age of 74. Professor Ito served as a professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and was a globally renowned scholar in the fields of macroeconomics and international finance. He served on the FUTI Board as the Director of Academic Affairs, dedicating himself to nurturing the next generation through initiatives such as establishing the FUTI Travel Award to support young researchers, and presenting lectures. As a role model who played an active part in the international community, he had a profound influence on many young people. We mourn his passing and offer our sincere condolences. Professor Ito was born in Hokkaido in 1950. After graduating from Junior and Senior High School at Komaba, University of Tsukuba, he entered Hitotsubashi University. He earned his bachelor’s degree (1972) and master’s degree (1975) at Hitotsubashi University before obtaining his Ph.D. from Harvard University (1979). He subsequently held leadership roles at the University of Minnesota, Hitotsubashi University, the University of Tokyo (Center for Advanced Science and Technology, Graduate School of Economics, Graduate School of Public Policy), and the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo and Hitotsubashi University since 2014). He assumed the position of Professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs in January 2015. His contributions to administration and policy were also extensive. In Japan, he served as Director-General of the International Bureau at the Ministry of Finance (Senior Vice Minister for International Affairs) and as a member of the Council for Economic and Fiscal Policy under the Prime Minister. Internationally, he served as Senior Advisor at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and played an integral role at organizations such as the World Economic Forum. His numerous books and papers that exceed 250 publications, demonstrate exceptionally distinguished scholarly achievements. He was awarded the Japanese Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon in 2011 and the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Rosette in 2024. For those of us left behind, we are acutely aware of the immense void left by his absence. We intend to cherish and carry forward the sentiments he held for Friends of UTokyo and for the next generation, and to further their development.  Below this note, we are sharing comments from colleagues who had received guidance and deep inspiration from Professor Ito. Iwao Ojima, FUTI President Professor Ito joined Friends of UTokyo as an advisory committee member in 2018 during the tenure of former President Yamada and was appointed as the Director of Academic Affairs the following year in 2019. As a world-renowned scholar in economics, he served as a bridge between the University of Tokyo and Columbia University, and between the Japanese and US economies. He always provided invaluable insights at FUTI Board meetings regarding how to cultivate the next generation of leaders. In recent years, he devoted significant effort to establishing the “FUTI Travel Award” supporting young scholars in academia. This spring, he was active at the University of Tokyo’s premier institution, Tokyo College, supporting President Fujii’s ambitious “College of Design” vision. I was truly shocked to receive the news of his passing. He was a warm-hearted gentleman whose sharp insight and eloquence inspired others. His absence leaves a profound void. We offer our deepest condolences and prayers for his eternal rest. Junji Takegami, FUTI COO Professor Takatoshi Ito brought his signature wit, intellectual agility, and boundless curiosity to everything he touched, including his work with Friends of UTokyo. He was instrumental in creating the FUTI Travel Award, a visionary program that continues to empower early-career scholars to build global academic networks. His light-footed brilliance and deep commitment to international exchange shaped the award, and we hope to grow it into a lasting legacy of opportunity and connection. I am deeply saddened by his passing, and profoundly grateful to have shared in this meaningful work with him. Masaaki Yamada, FUTI Advisory Committee Chair Professor Takatoshi Ito made countless and profound contributions to the field of economics in both Japan and the United States. His passing, at a time when even greater achievements were anticipated, is a tremendous loss to the academic community. For FUTI as well, Professor Ito was an irreplaceable figure. When I invited him to join the FUTI Board of Directors a few years ago, he graciously accepted, despite his demanding professional commitments. As a board member, he provided invaluable guidance and broad perspectives that strengthened our organization. In particular, within FUTI’s core scholarship program, Professor Ito worked closely with Director Koide to establish a new framework supporting travel grants for promising young researchers attending international conferences. Thanks to his integrity, wisdom, and dedication, this initiative was successfully launched and managed with great care. He also delivered numerous engaging and insightful lectures that deepened our understanding of Japan’s place within the global economy, leaving us with lasting intellectual inspiration. We are deeply saddened by his untimely passing and extend our heartfelt condolences. His warmth, intellect, and leadership will long be remembered with the deepest respect and gratitude. Masako Osako, FUTI Director of Public Relations Professor Ito was one of the most popular speakers in FUTI’s lecture series, hosted by its Public Relations team. He consistently addressed timely topics, such as “The Political Situation and Economic Policy Challenges After the General Election” (2017) and “Challenges for the Japanese Economy: Low Birthrate and Aging Population, Fiscal Sustainability, and Geopolitical Risks” (2025), presenting them in a clear and engaging manner, easily accessible even to those outside his field of expertise. His talks were always exceptionally well-received. Each year, students from the University of Tokyo visit New York as part of the “Experience Activities Program.” During these visits, about ten students had the opportunity to visit Professor Ito’s department at Columbia University and listen to him speak about his career and experiences. When students asked questions such as, “What are the differences between universities…
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Friends of UTokyo congratulates Yuki Haba, Ph.D., a 2015 FUTI scholarship recipient, on being awarded the Eighth New York Hideo Noguchi Memorial Scholarship for his contributions to evolutionary behavioral research. In his acceptance speech, he expressed, “I believe that my current research into the genetic, neural, and evolutionary foundations of social behavior in species like the naked mole-rat will ultimately lead to insights into the evolution of human behavior and emotion.” FUTI is proud to see its alumni recognized for their continued impact. For more on the Scholarship and Dr. Haba’s achievements, visit the NY Biz article (in Japanese): https://nybiz.nyc/ny-news/hnms-98-hideo-noguchi-20250521/

Friends of UTokyo is pleased to announce that Minami Goto, a distinguished alumna of the FUTI Scholarship Program, was recently featured in an interview conducted by the University of Tokyo. In this thoughtful profile, Ms. Goto discusses her academic journey from the University of Tokyo to Columbia University’s MFA program, and reflects on the formative role FUTI played in supporting her artistic and professional development. Her story exemplifies the global impact of FUTI’s mission to foster cross-cultural exchange and academic excellence. Read the interview here (Japanese): https://utf.u-tokyo.ac.jp/voice/interview/post27

Friends of UTokyo and the FUTI Alumni Association are thrilled to announce the new FUTI Alumni Slack group: A casual space for current and past recipients of the Friends of UTokyo, Inc. (FUTI) Scholarship to reconnect, collaborate, and support one another. This space will allow members to: This initiative was introduced and carried out by Kiyono Fujinaga-Gordon (Global Leadership Award ’14) and Yuki Haba (Global Leadership Award ’15), President of the FUTI Alumni Association, with the assistance of Masako Osako, FUTI Director of Public Relations. For further information, please contact FUTI here.

On June 5, 2025 Professor Iwao Ojima will be celebrating his 80th Birthday. In honor of the occasion, the Ojima Laboratory alumni are organizing a two-day symposium at Stony Brook University on June 6 and 7, 2025: The “2025 Symposium on Research and Innovation at the Interface of Chemistry, Biology and Medicine”. Dr. Iwao Ojima received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. (1973) degrees from the University of Tokyo, Japan. He joined the Sagami Institute of Chemical Research and held a position of Senior Research Fellow until 1983. He joined the faculty at the Department of Chemistry, State University of New York at Stony Brook first as Associate Professor (1983), was promoted to Professor (1984), Leading Professor (1991), and then to Distinguished Professor (1995). He served as the Department Chairman from 1997 to 2003. He has been serving as the founding Director for the Institute of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery (ICB&DD) from 2003. He also serves as the President of the Stony Brook University Chapter of the National Academy of Inventors from 2015. He has a wide range of research interests in synthetic organic and medicinal chemistry as well as chemical biology, including discovery and development of anticancer agents and antimicrobials, targeted drug delivery, catalytic methodologies and asymmetric synthesis. His awards and honors include Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award (1994), E. B. Hershberg Award for Important Discoveries of Medicinally Active Substances (2001), the Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame (2006), ACS Award for Creative Work in Fluorine Chemistry (2013) and Ernest Guenther Award in the Chemistry of Natural Products (2019) from the American Chemical Society; The Chemical Society of Japan Award (1999); Outstanding Inventor Award (2002) from the Research Foundation of the State University of New York; Fellows of J. S. Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (1995), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1997),  The New York Academy of Sciences (2000), the American Chemical Society (2010), the National Academy of Inventors (2014), and European Academy of Sciences (2020). He has advised 145 graduate students (80 Ph.D. degrees and 44 M.S. degrees), 75 postdoctoral research associates/ fellows, 17 visiting scientists, 130 undergraduate research students, and 84 high school summer research students (many of them won Westinghouse, Intel, Regeneron and Siemens Science Competitions, including Grand Prize) by December 2024. SB Symposium Organizing Committee Plenary Speakers Keynote Speakers Invited Speakers Blitz Talks Sponsors

The Times Higher Education (THE) has just announced the World Reputational Ranking 2025 which ranks the University of Tokyo 10th. According to THE: Our ranking of the world’s most prestigious universities for 2025 has been revealed, with the top 300 most powerful academic brands listed for the first time. The revamped methodology is still based on a high-quality survey with more than 55,000 respondents – the world’s largest invitation-only, statistically representative survey of academic experts – but with additional metrics to provide a more robust measurement of reputation and more granular insights. Professor Iwao Ojima, President of Friends of UTokyo comments: “It has been more than two decades since UTokyo disappeared from the top 10 universities list in any of the world rankings, including the most prestigious Times Higher Education rankings. Accordingly, I was very pleased to see that UTokyo came back to the top 10 universities in the “World Reputation Rankings 2025” issued by the Times Higher Education. “Reputation” is very important since it is based on the perception of scholars worldwide. We should truly celebrate this very happy news!”