Category: Newsletter 24

Dr. Fujii will succeed President Makoto Gonokami, whose six-year term will end on March 31, 2021. Dr. Fujii will assume his six-year tenure as UTokyo’s 31st president on April 1, 2021, following his appointment by proper governmental authority. Dr. Fujii explained his vision at a press conference held immediately following the election: “While dealing with the challenges immediately facing us, including the coronavirus pandemic, I believe it is important to have a long-term vision for the University especially when society’s norms are undergoing major changes.”  “I’ve been saying that I want to create a ‘venue for learning’ in which every qualified person around the world would become enthusiastic about joining. In developing such a new learning venue, I would like to incorporate a wide range of opinions from inside and outside the University.” In respect to the qualities and strength he looks for in UTokyo students, Dr. Fujii stressed the importance of “relearning” for them to be viable members of a rapidly changing society.  Based on his experience at the University overseeing the University’s “Relationship with Wider Society” and “Industry-academia-government collaboration”,  Dr. Fujii said: “There are many large-scale collaborations with companies set up under the current president. We hope to contribute to society by showing solid results in these corporate-academia collaboration projects.” Dr. Fujii has been involved in research cooperation efforts in the United States, including the opening of the University of Tokyo office in New York in 2015.  He has also been a Director of Friends of UTokyo since 2018. FUTI President, Prof. Ojima, gives the following congratulatory words: Please accept my heartiest congratulations on being named the next President of the University of Tokyo!!! The future of the University of Tokyo is secured by your creative and innovative vision, as well as your outstanding leadership!!!  The FUTI Board Members and Advisory Committee Members are all extremely excited by the news. It was very fortunate for us to have had the opportunity to know you in person and to have worked with you at FUTI in the last few years. We are looking forward to seeing the innovative transformation and growth of the University of Tokyo under your Presidentship! Author: Yuriko Suzuki; Translator: FUTI staff This article uses the following references: https://www.friendsofutokyo.org/ https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/focus/ja/articles/z0508_00185.html http://www.microfluidics.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/index_j.html https://www.ims.u-tokyo.ac.jp/imsut/jp/info/post_29.html Articles in this newsletter:

FUTI has recently begun accepting scholarship applications for 2021. Information is available at friendsofutokyo.org/scholarships-grants. The scholarships are offered to qualified students of UTokyo aspiring to study in universities in the U.S. and to students of universities in the U.S. interested in studying at UTokyo, regardless of nationality. The FUTI Global Leadership Award supports students interested in summer programs and internships. This program is funded by donations from individual UTokyo alumni and by Shintech, Inc., a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. in Japan. The ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A.-FUTI Scholarships are awarded to students planning to undertake mid- to long-term study abroad (one semester/two quarters or longer). This program is supported by the ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A. whose president is Mr. Masatoshi Ito. He is the founder and chairman of the Ito Scholarship Foundation (in Japan) and honorary chairman of Seven and i-Holdings Co., Ltd. We welcome applications from interested students. Articles in this newsletter:

Dear Supporter of Friends of UTokyo (FUTI), I hope this message finds you well in spite of the new coronavirus pandemic, which drastically changed all aspects of our lives worldwide. This year marks the 13th year since the inception of FUTI in 2007, and I am deeply grateful to the many generous donors who have been helping to sustain the Scholarship Programs, which is the core activity of FUTI. As described in the 2019 Annual Report, the 2019 FUTI Scholarship program was able to award 26 scholarships. Of those awards, 17 (for eight University of Tokyo students and nine students at U.S. universities) are for the summer programs and nine (for University of Tokyo students) are for the ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A.-FUTI Scholarship. However, the situation is very different this year. Many scholarship winners selected in March were forced to temporarily halt or give up the study plans, due to the cancellation of short-term programs for foreign students, the online shift of graduate school programs, and difficulty in getting appropriate student’s visas, which were caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. I sincerely hope that truly effective vaccines are developed and approved by the FDA as soon as possible, which can bring this worldwide crisis to an end. In this pandemic, one thing that has become very clear is the critical importance of leaderships in politics, business, science, technology, arts, etc., to properly deal with this unprecedented huge crisis on a world scale. Also, it is evident that rapid and coordinated information sharing and international collaborations, especially in medical and social sciences, are the only way to solve such a crisis. In this regard, the cultivation of well-informed and innovative next-generation leaders is extremely important and absolutely necessary for us, which happens to be exactly the mission of FUTI. For personnel affairs, Directors Koichi Hamada and Sumiko Ito stepped down and Dr. Geeta Mehta (Adjunct Professor, Columbia University; President, Asia Initiatives) was appointed as a Director. Prof. Hamada will continue to serve as an Advisory Committee member. The FUTI Advisory Committee welcomed seven new members, Mr. Tetsunosuke Fujisaki (for financial affairs), Mr. Yoshinari Ikiri (for legal affairs), Erika D. White, Esq, Dr. Sadaoki Furui (Board Chair, Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago), Mr. Koichi Sato (President, San Francisco Akamon-kai), Mr. Katsuyuki Yamaguchi (President, New York Ichokai) and Prof. Shohei Koide (New York University School of Medicine). Also, ex-President of FUTI, Prof. Masaaki Yamada assumed the Chair of the Advisory Committee from this fall, succeeding Prof. Hisashi Kobayashi (former President of FUTI). Since all FUTI Board and Advisory Committee members will do their best to fulfill FUTI’s mission, I would like to request your continued support on behalf of FUTI. The FUTI Alumni Association, launched last year, is the organization spontaneously founded by FUTI Scholarship recipients, which reflects the fact that the importance of FUTI Scholarships has been recognized widely, and FUTI Scholarship recipients have achieved great successes on the international stage, including various competitions in the arts and sciences. Thus, people who are engaged in FUTI’s operation are all looking forward to its growth and success. Furthermore, FUTI continued its support for the joint research/educational programs between UTokyo and Columbia University (physics), as well as Yale University (political science) this year. These FUTI activities are made possible by the generous donations from our supporters and I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to them. Alumni organizations such as the Akamonkai and Ichokai provide various opportunities in New York and around the world for UTokyo alumni. FUTI strives to work with these organizations to reach out and nurture our younger-generation UTokyo students and alumni in order to cultivate future global leaders. As Treasurer and Vice-President Kuwama mentions below, small individual donations are becoming increasingly important. I would like to call upon each and every friend and patron who endorse FUTI’s mission for continued support in order for us to sustain and enrich FUTI’s Programs through 2021 and beyond. Sincerely yours,Iwao OjimaPresident, Friends of UTokyo, Inc. A Message from the Treasurer Thanks to your generous support, last year, donation from individuals reached virtually the same level as the previous year, which was a successful year. To accept large gifts, we must stay qualified as a public charity. Maintaining this status requires that the total amount of individual gifts be at least a third of all donations. Donations from our individual supporters are the foundation for large donations, making every individual gift three times more valuable. It is essential to have as many of our supporters as possible to contribute. I believe the easiest methods for donating are either online by making a secure credit card payment or sending a check by mail. For those who prefer sending a wire transfer to FUTI, please email donation [at] friendsofutokyo.org for instructions. We will send you the necessary FUTI account information to complete the transfer. Yuichiro KuwamaVice-President and Treasurer, Friends of UTokyo, Inc. Dear International Alumni: We are reaching out personally to UTokyo International Alumni to come together via the Friends of UTokyo platform to stay in touch and support our alma mater. As we have all benefited from our time/studies at UTokyo, working together, we hope to find ways to extend similar valuable opportunities to incoming foreign students and to further the cause of international exchange in higher education. Geeta Mehta, PhD. Member of the BoardErika White, Esq. Member of the Advisory Committee Articles in this newsletter:

Tomohito Okuda ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A.-FUTI Scholarship (2020) MIT Sloan School of ManagementMBA Candidate 2022Harvard University Kennedy SchoolMPA/ID Candidate 2022 Despite the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic, MIT bravely began providing the fall semester in a hybrid model in September. Its business school, MIT Sloan School of Management, is known for the intimate communications among students. Acknowledging the risk and having a strong desire to have in-person communications, over 90% of the students came to Boston from all over the world, attending the in-person classes. The school’s commitment is extraordinary. In addition to the requirements to wear masks and keeping everyone 6 feet apart, everyone must take the COVID-19 test twice a week, and the flow of people in the building is strictly controlled. I have been in Boston since last year, but my experience has completely changed. There have been increases in unexpected expenses such as getting food delivery and electronic devices to attend remote classes, but I can continue my study thanks to FUTI’s support. Lili YU FUTI Global Leadership Program (2020) Stanford University Global Energy Dialogues [Online]MIT International Colloquia on Thermal Innovation [Online] UTokyoDep’t of Mechanical EngineeringDoctoral Student 3rd year This year has been engraved on my mind forever because of COVID-19. Everything in my daily life and doctoral study at UTokyo changed suddenly and dramatically in late January. However, the scholarship from Friends of UTokyo, Inc. really helped me through the tough period by supporting me with access to better electronic devices and internet as well as tuition payment to join online lectures at U.S. universities. My research is mainly about the mass and heat transfer in HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems for Net-Zero-Energy buildings aiming to attain energy saving and CO2 emission reduction in the future. My original plan was to attend in person the summer course at Stanford University, but I had to change my plan to take online courses at Stanford and MIT. Fortunately, it turned out to be a more productive and efficient way to broaden my research horizons since the courses helped me to communicate with truly leading scientists in my research field without the limit of space and time. Taro Kunimitsu ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A.-FUTI Scholarship (2020) University of ChicagoHarris School of Public Policy At the University of Chicago, most activities have stayed online throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but we are now gradually returning to in-person activities. The university has provided abundant support to keep the community connected, and with the additional opportunities that would have been difficult before, such as online seminars from remote locations, I feel that my current experience is by no means inferior to the in-person version before the pandemic. Under these circumstances, I have been able to touch on many policy areas of interest, learning about the regional innovation strategies of Chicago on one day, modeling the economics of Wyoming oil wells on another, and developing machine learning libraries for energy consumption prediction in between. I am truly grateful for FUTI’s support for everything that I have been able to learn and experience here. Note: Many scholarship winners selected in March were forced to temporarily halt or give up the study plans, due to the cancellation of short-time programs for foreign students, the online shift of graduate school programs, etc., which were caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Since US applicants and UTokyo undergraduates were most severely affected, these three essays were written by graduate or post-graduate students. Articles in this newsletter:

The year 2020 has seen the entire world turned upside down due to Covid-19, and FUTI’s Scholarship activities have not been an exception. To begin with, the 2019 ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A.-FUTI Scholarship recipients who were in the middle of their studies in the United States had to switch to online learning in the first coronavirus wave in April to May, 2020. After considering the highly infectious nature of the virus and the massive spread in the US, and discussing the matter with FUTI, some have decided that going back to Japan and attending the online courses there would be a safer choice. This decision of course had its disadvantages in that they had to take courses in the middle of the night in Japan’s time zone. Fortunately, both students who decided to return to Japan and those who stayed in the US seemed to have successfully accomplished their goals. With all the changes to study plans, FUTI had to quickly adapt and announce new policies to calculate scholarship amounts. In the end, no scholarship paybacks occurred because the calculations were forgiving enough so that students won’t be financially strapped for making a decision to protect their own health and safety amidst a situation which was at no fault of their own. Selections for the 2020 Scholarship awards were made before the first coronavirus wave occurred in the US, with 13 US students and seven UTokyo students selected for the Global Leadership Award supporting short-term summer studies, and 10 UTokyo students/alumni selected for the ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A.-FUTI Scholarship supporting mid- to long-term studies. Although selections were made with the anticipation that an alternate plan would be needed for programs affected by Covid-19, the exceeding spread of the virus in the US and Japan almost immediately following scholarship selections, called for urgent countermeasures. For the short-term summer programs, it began with the occasional cancellations by students urged by worried parents, but soon after, all programs both at UTokyo and at universities in the US were cancelled and travel between countries became impossible. In the end, only three UTokyo students were able to attend US university programs online from Japan, which FUTI happily supported. For the mid- to long-term studies, UTokyo has cancelled their programs to send out students abroad. US universities have halted reception of international students. Some students have decided to delay their study abroad plans altogether to avoid having to do their studies entirely online. It is with a heavy heart to see students who have made painstaking plans and preparations to study abroad, only to have everything grind to a halt just as they were about to embark on their journey. Ultimately, six recipients had no choice but to cancel due to Covid-19, and only four were able to receive the scholarship for their studies in 2020. There is the slight chance that there will be one to two additional recipients who may be able to study in the spring semester. Of the four who received a scholarship, two were already studying in the US and were continuing their studies online, and the other two just made it in time to the US after successfully getting or renewing their visa. With the news of vaccines, it is the hope that 2021 will be more favorable to the study abroad situation, but the call for scholarship applications must advance with caution. It is FUTI’s plan to support those who from the beginning seek to take online courses or MOOC while staying in their home country. One could only wish for a speedy end to the Covid-19 crisis. Articles in this newsletter:

Through an idea proposed by President Iwao Ojima and Shohei Koide, FUTI Scholarship Committee member, a get-together meeting with ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A.-FUTI Scholarship recipients took place on December 4 with Shig Matsushita, Scholarship Committee Chair, presiding as host of the event. This is the first official event where Scholarship recipients have met and reported on their studies to Scholarship Committee members. A total of 20 people participated in the meeting and joined from Japan, US, and Norway. A second meeting also took place two weeks later, on December 18, in which there were 17 participants including three scholarship recipients who could not make the first meeting. The first meeting on December 4 began with a greeting given by President Ojima where he emphasized the importance of FUTI’s mission of nurturing the next generation of leaders to bring societal unity in a time when society is destabilized by COVID-19 and the US presidential election. Yoshikazu Tohyama of the Ito Foundation then gave a brief history of the Ito Foundation and spoke of its mission. It was founded by the former president of Seven & i Holdings, Masatoshi Ito, to give back to society and show gratitude for the financial support he received as a youth for his education, in a time when all of Japan was impoverished. This support gave him the driving force to success. The Ito Foundation has already awarded more than a thousand scholarships, and with the ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A.-FUTI Scholarship they hope that the recipients not only delve in their studies but to learn other cultures, meet people and expand their network, and never forget the feeling of gratitude. After the greetings, a recipient from the first year of the ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A.-FUTI Scholarship, Eri Furusawa, and seven of the 2019-2020 Scholarship recipients, spoke of their current situation and activities. At the end, Yuki Haba gave a greeting as a representative of the FUTI Alumni Association. After receiving her master’s degree in Urban Planning at the Columbia GSAPP, Eri Furusawa (2016-2017 Scholarship recipient) worked in the New York City Department of City Planning and at HR&A Advisors, Inc., and spoke of her experience: I chose architecture for my undergraduate studies at the University of Tokyo. As I learned more about architectural design, however, my interest gradually shifted from the site-specific design (designing a specific building on a predetermined site) to urban policy (designing what gets built in the first place), which led me to pursue Urban Planning as my major for graduate school. At the New York City Department of City Planning, my first job after graduating from Columbia, I supported the City’s zoning amendments through scenario modeling and hosting public meetings. My passion in public policy and community engagement led me to my current position at HR&A Advisors, Inc., an urban policy and economic development consulting firm based in New York. Currently, I work on multiple projects related to inclusive community engagement that reflect the needs of residents. Lately, in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, I have sought to strengthen my understanding of the history of race and its impact on current-day urban planning and policy through participation in learning opportunities and discussions within and outside of the firm. Informed by my experience pursuing a graduate degree outside Japan and working in New York, I have identified some lessons learned, summarized below: • Find a good mentor. In my case, at each turning point in my career (studying abroad, finding my first job, switching jobs), I was extremely fortunate to be able to seek the guidance of mentors who were several steps ahead, both personally and professionally. • Be completely immersed in the U.S. I have only been in the U.S. for a little over four years and my understanding of its historic, cultural, and political context is still in development. It is my belief, however, that strengthening my grasp of these topics is crucial to my work and to make my experience in the U.S. more fulfilling. • Make bold decisions. In my interactions with my peers at Columbia and at work, I was fascinated by their ability and willingness to change the course of their personal and professional lives. Not only is it common for people to select a different major for their undergraduate and graduate studies, people often switch jobs to enter different sectors or industries, and relocate to accommodate their partner’s career needs (regardless of gender). I found their boldness and agility to be extremely liberating. In addition, current recipients reported on doing well and being active. Below is a summary. Harvard University Kennedy School Public Policy and MIT MBA double-degree student: I have an interest in urban planning and have a goal of distributing water line infrastructure to the world. In contrast to my first year of study abroad, I am now able to not only learn, but to teach other students, and by teaching I am able to see things that I did not realize before which allows me to experiment with my teaching methods. I am socializing as much as I am able with the help of the various coronavirus protocols set in place by the school. Columbia Teachers College Arts Administration master’s student: One of my big goals is to expand the diversity of participants in arts activities, and to achieve this we do various projects such as creating arts programs that make it possible for the disabled to participate. In the US, I have been inspired by the number of people who, even if they are within an organization, exhibit great intrapreneurship and take initiative by creating new programs themselves. Chicago University Harris School of Public Policy master’s student: I have traveled abroad to study public policy. Aside from my master’s courses, I am doing research at the Computer Science department on estimating the power consumption using machine learning. Additionally, I am studying machine learning and artificial intelligence at the Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago which is on the same campus. Currently I…
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On July 29 Friends of UTokyo (FUTI) presented an online dialogue between Prof. Peter J. Macotullio (Director, Institute for Sustainable Cities at Hunter College; UTokyo professor, 2001-2006) and Dr. Geeta Mehta (Adjunct Professor, Architecture and Urban Design, Columbia University; UTokyo, PhD). Together they have several decades of experience about global cities in America, Asia, Africa and Europe. More than 40 alumni participated in the event. During the presentation and Q & A session, the audience asked many questions resulting in a lively exchange of opinions. Following the formal session, participants, many of whom were international alumni, stayed on for the after-session gathering and enjoyed each other’s company. This is the inaugural event in a series created to bring together UTokyo international alumni in the US and others interested in FUTI’s work. ABSTRACT Covid19 infection and death rates have been very different in New York and Tokyo, the two mega-cities with among the highest densities in the world. While the two cities are not lacking in financial capital, could social capital be the reason for such different outcomes? The speakers will present their research and analysis of the possible answers to this and show how social capital is the essential wealth of communities in not only preparing for future health or climate shocks, but also in addressing the ongoing issues of social inequity and social justice. Biosketches of Lecturers Peter J. Marcoutullio Prof. Peter J. Marcotullio is Professor of Geography and Director of the Institute for Sustainable Cities at Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY).  He is also Adjunct Professor of Urban Planning at Columbia University, Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation (GSAPP).  Prior to 2006, Prof. Marcotullio was Lecturer (1999-2001) and Professor (2001-2006) of Urban Planning in the Urban Engineering Department, University of Tokyo and held several positions at the United Nations University, Institute for Advanced Studies, Japan (1997-2008). Geeta Mehta Dr. Geeta Mehta is an adjunct professor at Columbia University and the founder/president of Asia Initiatives (asiainitiatives.org) where she developed Social Capital Credits (SoCCs), a community currency for social good that was recognized by Fast Company as the “World Changing Idea” this year. Geeta is also the co-founder of “URBZ: User Generated Cities” (urbz.net).  She has been recognized as One of the 21 Leaders of the 21st Century by Women’s eNews. She currently serves on New York Mayor’s Advisory Board for Waterfront Development, and several non-profit boards. Articles in this newsletter:

On September 12, Satsuki-kai America and Friends of UTokyo (FUTI) hosted an online dialogue with Ms. Akiko Sakaedani, formerly with UNICEF’s Rwanda Office. She has recently published a book titled “Do you hear the sound of hope?” which discusses how she started Rwanda’s first radio program for children. https://www.choubunsha.com/book/9784811327457.php The event was attended by about 20 participants. More than a half of them were UTokyo undergraduate or graduate students. Active exchange of Q&A followed the talk. Questions included: “Reasons for becoming interested in a UN career”, “Managing family life in the context of an international career”, and “Necessary mind-set for starting a program like Ms. Sakaedani’s radio program in Rwanda”. The event concluded with a standing ovation with the attendees asking Ms. Sakaedani to come back for another talk. Abstract Rwanda is a beautiful country with thousands of green hills. Many families in the villages do not own a TV, and radio is the main media. Back in 2013, there was no radio program for small children, however. It was all about news, sports, and pop songs. As a believer in Early Childhood Development, Akiko decided to create the first children’s radio program in Rwanda. Biosketch Akiko Sakaedani Petrovic is an international development worker with 16 years of experience in Eastern Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. She mostly works in the areas of health communication, partnership and donor relations. She was the co-director of the Egypt Japan Education Partnership in 2019-2020, and currently works at the UNICEF Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa to coordinate the communication response to COVID-19. Based on her experience in Rwanda from 2013-2018, she published a book in June 2020 from Chobunsha publishing company titled Kibo Kikoeru (Do you hear the sound of hope?). She was born in Tokyo, and graduated from the University of Tokyo in 2001, majoring in anthropology. She holds a Master of Arts Degree in Intercultural Communication, and Master of Science in Public Health. She is married and has a son. Articles in this newsletter:

At the Board meeting held on September 26, 2020, the Friends of UTokyo’s Board approved the following appointments. The terms of the appointments are for one year, beginning the close of the Board meeting on September 26, 2020 and ending at the close of the 2021 Board meeting. Members of the Board Iwao Ojima (Chair)*, Yuichiro Kuwama**, Shigenori Matsushita***, Nobuko Sakurai****, Teruo Fujii, Takatoshi Ito, Geeta Mehta, Junji Takegami *Director of University Relations**Director of Financial Affairs***Director of Scholarship Programs****Director of Relations with FUTI Alumni Association Officers Iwao Ojima – President, Yuichiro Kuwama – Vice president and Treasurer, Masako Osako – Acting Secretary Advisory Committee Members Masaaki Yamada (chair), Tetsunosuke Fujisaki, Sadaoki Furui, Koichi Hamada, Hisashi Kobayashi, Yoshinari Ikiri, Akiko Koide, Shohei, Koide, Takeshi Komoto, Geeta Mehta, Yasuo Okamoto, Yuriko Suzuki, Ko-Yung Tung, Erika White Advisory Committee Ex-officio Members Tai Hasegawa, Koichi Sato, Akiko Koide, Katsuyuki Yamaguchi Scholarship Committee members Shigenori Matsushita (chair), Shohei Koide, Iwao Ojima, Masako Osako, Nobuko Sakurai, Masaaki Yamada President Emeritus Hisashi Kobayashi, Masaaki Yamada Honorary Director Hiroshi Komiyama Managing Director of Operations Masako Osako Articles in this newsletter: