Tech for Peace Symposium 2023 Held
The Tech for Peace Symposium 2023 was held on March 26, 2023, at the NY Office of the University of Tokyo. The symposium aimed to discuss technology-enabled peacebuilding and brought together participants from various fields, including domestic and international experts, academics, non-governmental organizations, and businesses. The program included keynote speeches, panel discussions, high school student exploration presentations, and round discussion tables. In the keynote speech, Professor Hidenori Watanave of the Graduate School of the University of Tokyo introduced the development of digital archives for peace. He highlighted the activities of digital archives to remember various calamities. He introduced ways to utilize valuable memories of the past. In the panel discussion, Mr. Tsutomu Kono, Senior Political Officer, United Nations Office for Regional Disarmament, Information & Outreach Branch Office for Disarmament Affairs; Mr. Taichiro Fujino, Associate Expert, Office of the Technical Envoy, United Nations Secretariat; Mr. Tatsuru Sakamoto, Japanese Language Teacher, United Nations International School, and Mr. Tomohiro Kawase, Partnership Specialist, Japan Unit, External Relations Advocacy, UN Development Programme NY Headquarters They participated as panelists. After each panelist introduced what they are working on at UN agencies, they discussed the diffusion of technology, how to deal with the younger generation, the use of technology from a cross-sectoral perspective, and the profession’s response to peaceful use. The high school students’ exploratory presentations covered various topics, followed by round discussion tables where participants freely exchanged ideas and opinions. Speakers and high school students brought their own experiences and perspectives to the discussion, which was free and vigorous. New ideas and solutions were generated by examining the relationship between technology and peacebuilding from various angles. Of particular note were opinions on the importance of active participation of the younger generation and the importance of countries and regions working together to achieve common goals. After the symposium, participants further exchanged ideas and shared their activities and initiatives. The event was a valuable opportunity to promote the use of technology in peacebuilding efforts and is sure to accelerate Tech for Peace’s activities in the future. Tech for Peace Symposium 2023 was an important event that focused on technology-enabled peacebuilding, leveraging the diverse backgrounds and knowledge of the participants to explore avenues for building peace in the future. We hope these symposiums will continue to increase awareness of the peaceful use of technology and encourage more people to work together to make peace. Request for Support Hidenori Watanave Laboratory, Graduate School of the University of Tokyo, is developing and operating a digital archive to preserve memories of disasters and wars for the next generation. To pass on these technologies to the future, we are seeking donations to sustain our research and introduce advanced technologies. Your support and cooperation in this project are greatly appreciated. https://utf.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/project/pjt158
New Appointments to the FUTI Advisory Committee
At the Board meeting held on April 17, 2023, the following officers were appointed: Member of Advisory Committee: Eri FurusawaMember of Advisory Committee: Yuki Haba For more information on the officers, please visit our website’s About Us page.
Mr. Masatoshi Ito, Honorary Chairman of Seven and i Holdings, Passes Away
A major supporter and long-time benefactor of FUTI, the honorary chairman of Seven & i Holdings, Mr. Masatoshi Ito, has passed away of old age on March 10, 2023 at the age of 98, just a month short of his 99th birthday. As the founding director of the ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A., he generously donated every year to FUTI, and has become a “pillar” of the FUTI mid- to long-term study program since establishing the ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A.-FUTI Scholarship in 2016. Looking back at how his daily life was filled with vigor even in his advanced age, we realize what an extraordinary person he was. We would like to honor him with thoughts and prayers filled with heartfelt gratitude. In Japan, Mr. Ito was also founding chairman of the Ito Scholarship Foundation which helped many high school students go to college, and college students to continue on to graduate school through its scholarship programs. Mr. Ito was born in Tokyo in 1924. While Japan was a poor nation at the time, he received support from his relatives, which helped to fund his education at a technical school of commerce. He was grateful of the support as he believed that the education gave him the drive to advance his life and career. As a sign of gratitude, he established a foundation to support advanced education using the assets he gained from his business successes. After the Second World War, his involvement in the family business, a clothing store in Kitasenjyu called Yokado, led to its expansion through the motto, “A business that will make customers happy”. In 1958, he became the president of Yokado, later to become the publicly traded retail giant, Ito-Yokado. After showing interest in the American convenience chain store, 7-Eleven, Mr. Ito opened in 1973 Japan’s first convenience store, Yōkusebun, which later became Japan’s largest convenience chain, 7-Eleven Japan. In 1991, Ito-Yokado bought out 7-Eleven from its American parent company, and also established Denny’s Japan bringing the U.S. restaurant chain to Japan. In his writings and conversations following his successes, Mr. Ito encouraged the younger generations, urging “Let’s keep an adventurous spirit without being afraid to take risks.” We would like to take this advice to heart and live everyday with this mantra.
Dr. Chihiro Kanagawa, Important Supporter and Benefactor of FUTI, Passes Away
Photo credit: Asia Nikkei On January 1, 2023, shockwaves spread through FUTI as well as the industrial communities in Japan, as the renowned executive, Dr. Chihiro Kanagawa, the Chairman of the Board of Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd., passed away at the age of almost 97. In 1992, the Emperor of Japan honored him with the Medal of Honor with Blue Ribbon for his contribution to development of the Japanese industry. He led Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. to acquire large world market shares in silicon wafers and polyvinyl chloride among others. Dr. Kanagawa is an important benefactor for FUTI, making significant contributions which enabled FUTI’s scholarship and research support programs. He was a 1950 graduate from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo (UTokyo) and received a doctoral degree from the Graduate School of Engineering at UTokyo in 2011 for his dissertation entitled, “Management in the Polyvinyl Chloride Industry: Strengthening Business and Management of a Commodity Chemical Business”. In 2009, responding to the UTokyo community’s request, he encouraged Shintech Inc., a subsidiary of Shin-Etsu Chemical in the US, to give a substantial donation to FUTI. Dr. Kanagawa had greatly expanded and strengthened Shintech Inc. since the 1970’s, and was installed as its President in 1978. Shintech’s donation to FUTI has continued annually since 2009. Its generosity inspired and encouraged UTokyo alumni to donate to FUTI. The donor-contributed fund has supported almost 200 students at UTokyo and universities in the US to study or conduct research abroad. FUTI will forever be grateful to Dr. Kanagawa for his generosity. He will be greatly missed by the many lives he touched.
A Great Star has Fallen: Mourning the Loss of Former President Hisashi Kobayashi
Prof. Hisashi Kobayashi, former President of Friends of UTokyo, Inc. (FUTI), has passed away on March 9, 2023 (JST) at the age of 84. The death of such a significant figure came as a surprise. As he was dean emeritus of Princeton University’s School of Engineering, flags were flown at half-staff for a week at the university. We mourn the loss of Prof. Kobayashi who devoted himself to the establishment and growth of FUTI. Born in 1938 in Tokyo, after graduating from Toyama High School, he attended the University of Tokyo, receiving his bachelor’s degree in 1961 and master’s degree in 1963 in electrical engineering. Subsequently, he was engaged in designing radars at Toshiba, Inc. before receiving a scholarship from both the US and Japan in 1965 to study at Princeton University where he earned his PhD degree in only two years. For the next 15 years, he worked for the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, and, for four years after that, led the initiative to establish and serve as the first director of IBM Research – Tokyo. In 1986, he was appointed Sherman Fairchild University Professor at Princeton University, where he also served as Dean of Engineering from 1986 to 1991. His exceptional mathematical ability and unparalleled focus have enabled him to solve a succession of problems which led to countless accomplishments. For example, for his work on dramatically increasing the speed at which a computer can record on a hard disk, he received the Technology Award from the Eduard Rhein Foundation in Germany in 2005 and the C&C Prize from the NEC C&C Foundation in 2012. After Friends of UTokyo (then Friends of Todai) was founded in 2007 in New York with the initiative of then UTokyo President Hiroshi Komiyama (2005-2009), Prof. Kobayashi was instrumental in the early stages of its development while serving as FUTI’s president from 2011 to 2015. The scholarship program which started in 2011 was also initiated by Prof. Kobayashi. With youthful passion and enthusiasm, he devoted himself to helping the young generation in Japan and the US to become global leaders of the future, thus laying a strong foundation for the organization. With the exception of the short period in the last days of his life, Prof. Kobayashi led such a healthy life that he did not have a need for a family physician. It was his plan to enjoy his retirement in Honolulu, but one day at his residence he suddenly became ill. Although, with the help of several friends, he was able to receive cutting edge treatment at the University of Tokyo Hospital, it was not enough to bring him back. It is with deep admiration and gratitude that we reflect upon his significant contribution to the digital age and the exceptional vigor with which he lived life. Prof. Kobayashi’s vision and belief for FUTI will remain and live on. In this time of sorrow, we would like to turn our feelings of grief into encouragement and hope. He will be remembered forever in our hearts and prayers.
Applications Now Being Accepted for the 2023 FUTI Scholarship Programs
FUTI has recently begun accepting scholarship applications for 2023. 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 at universities in the U.S. interested in studying at UTokyo, regardless of nationality. Short-term studies are awarded with funding made available through the Hsun Kwei & Aiko Takizawa Chou Scholarship and the FUTI Global Leadership Award programs. However, an applicant need only submit their application through a single portal. FUTI prepares one set of procedures for application, criteria, selection, and awarding, and will notify recipients as to which scholarship will be awarded after assessing the best fit to fulfill the focus of each scholarship. The Hsun Kwei & Aiko Takizawa Chou Scholarship, administered by Friends of UTokyo, Inc. (FUTI) is funded by a generous donation made to the University of Tokyo New York Office (UTokyoNY) by Dr. Hsun Kwei Chou and Mrs. Aiko Takizawa Chou. The FUTI Scholarship is funded by three sources: Donations from Shintech Inc., which is the US subsidiary of Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd; donations from the UTokyo New York Office called UTokyoNY; and donations from UTokyo alumni and individual supporters of FUTI. There are several scholarships in the mid- to long-term studies category including the ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A.-FUTI Scholarship, IF Ikuei Scholarship, Hsun Kwei & Aiko Takizawa Chou Scholarship, and the FUTI Scholarship. As in the case of the scholarships for short-term studies, FUTI prepares one set of procedures for application, criteria, selection, and awarding. The ITO FOUNDATION U.S.A. was established in the US by its founder and chairman, Mr. Masatoshi Ito, who is the honorary chairman of Seven and i Holdings Co. He is also the founder and chairman of the Ito Scholarship Foundation which has a long history in Japan of supporting an extensive range of students with scholarships for their studies. We welcome applications from interested students.
2022-2023 Campaign Begins
The 2022-2023 FUTI Campaign is underway! As the Covid-19 pandemic slows down, Friends of UTokyo’s study abroad programs and international student exchanges are picking up steam. Since the inception of Friends of UTokyo, Inc. in 2007, 245 scholarships have been awarded to support University of Tokyo students to study in the US and US university students to study at UTokyo. These study abroad experiences, whether it be a few weeks participating in a summer internship or a long-term endeavor to obtain a degree, have made a valuable impact on the students’ lives. Students express their gratitude for the scholarship in their reports, often indicating that they would not have been able to afford the study abroad without the scholarship. FUTI’s scholarship programs are made possible through the generous donations from UTokyo alumni and other supporters of Friends of UTokyo who believe in its mission to support the global leaders of tomorrow. Click here to view the greetings from President Iwao Ojima and Vice-President Yuichiro Kuwama. For more information and to donate, please visit friendsofutokyo.org/donate
FUTI Scholarship Recipients Discuss the Importance of “Diversity”
On November 11, 2022, the FUTI Advisory Committee (AC) invited three former scholarship recipients to report on their current activities as well as to discuss their thoughts on the topics of “Diversity”. Invited former award recipients included an evolutionary biology graduate student currently enrolled in a PhD program at a U.S. university, a physician practicing hospital medicine in Tokyo, and an international relations graduate student pursuing her doctorate degree at UTokyo. The participants all agreed upon the importance of striving to attain “diversity,” while recognizing that it is a multifaceted and dynamic concept. The main conclusion of the group was that “diversity” has multiple aspects and interpretations that can change dynamically over time. Participants also agreed on the importance of recognizing/approaching this concept from a broad perspective while striving to achieve it. Highlights of the discussion are presented below. The meeting included a presentation by Dr. Shige Matsushita (chair, FUTI Scholarship Committee) entitled “Outline of scholarship student selection process at FUTI.” In particular, Dr. Matsushita noted that the pool of scholarship recipients at FUTI has been well balanced in terms of gender. While women students comprise about 20% of the student population at UTokyo, approximately half of our award recipients are women. We are interested in finding out why male UTokyo students appear to be underrepresented in our applicant pool compared to the university-wide ratio. He wondered if male students have a limited appetite for studying abroad because of concerns about establishing a career and family. Another reason why we receive more female applicants may be because more women than men aspire to work in the international arena. Student I (2015 Recipient of FUTI Global Leadership Award) Student II (2018 Recipient of FUTI Global Leadership Award) Student III (2018 Recipient of Ito-Foundation U.S.A.-FUTI Scholarship Award) The students’ presentations inspired a lively exchange of ideas and opinions from the audience also. Some examples are given below: The meeting ran overtime due to this lively dialogue among AC members and scholarship recipients. Closing the session, Dr. Yamada, Chair of the Advisory Committee, thanked the participants and proposed holding another session in the near future to continue this meaningful dialogue.
Prof. Ko-Yung Tung Discusses “The Supreme Court: Why It Matters So Much in the US, and So Little in Japan?”
In its inaugural Fireside Chat, Prof. Ko-Yung Tung discussed the topic of “The Supreme Court: Why it matters so much in the U.S. and so little in Japan” on July 30 (US) and July 31 (Japan) via Zoom. The Chat was sponsored by Friends of UTokyo (FUTI), Satsuki-kai America and FUTI Alumni Association. Prof. Tung, a Lecturer on Law at the Harvard Law School, has been a Foreign Fellow at University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law, and General Counsel of the World Bank. The moderator was Dr. Geeta Mehta, Prof. of Architecture at Columbia University who earned her Ph.D. in Urban Engineering from UTokyo. Dr. Mehta started by asking Prof. Tung why the roles of the Supreme Courts of the U.S. and Japan differed so much when the Japanese Constitution of 1947 was essentially written by Americans under the Occupation. Prof. Tung briefly recounted the drafting of the U.S. Constitution by noting that it was a compromise document between the Federalists who favored a stronger national government against the Anti-Federalists who were concerned with protecting the rights of States, including slavery. This tension and compromise produced many provisions of the U.S. Constitution that still divides U.S. politics and jurisprudence. On the other hand, the Japanese Constitution was drafted essentially by three young and idealistic Americans without real opposition from the Japanese Government (which was under SCAP control) and people (who were not invited to participate in the drafting). The American drafters were primarily interested in “demilitarizing and democratizing” Japan in accordance with the Potsdam Declaration of 1945 with the so-called “Peace Provision” in Article 9 and with extensive civil rights to the Japanese people. Prof. Tung also noted a significant difference in how Supreme Court Justices are nominated and appointed. In the U.S., a Supreme Court Justice is nominated by the President of the U.S., subject to the “advice and consent” of the Senate, which makes it very political. However, U.S. Supreme Court Justices are appointed for life in order to make them immune from political or popular influences. On the other hand, Japanese Supreme Court Justices are appointed by the Cabinet (except the Chief Justice is appointed by the Prime Minister), in each case upon the recommendation of the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Justice. Each Justice is subject to a national approval at the first general election following their appointment and again every 10 years thereafter. Furthermore, Japanese Supreme Court Justices are subject to a mandatory retirement age of 70, and with the average appointment age being around 65, the average tenure of a Justice is about 5 years. Most of the questions from the participants focused on the Japanese Supreme Court and its decisions. One question was about the “independence” of the Japanese Supreme Court as it has overturned so few legislations as unconstitutional (only 8 during 1950-2010; as compared with over 900 in the U.S., over 600 in Germany, and over 1/3 in France). Prof. Tung noted the uniformity of the background and the closeness between the judicial and the executive branches of government in Japan making this quite an expected result. Another question asked was about “controversial” judicial cases in Japan. Prof. Tung mentioned that currently the same-sex marriage is very controversial. Art. 24 of the Japanese Constitution provides that “marriage shall be based only on the mutual consent of both sexes…”. Last year the Sapporo District Court interpreted that Article to allow same-sex marriage based on the sexual equality provision in Article 14 of the Constitution. However, this year the Osaka District Court ruled that same-sex marriage was barred by Art. 14. Both cases are up on appeal at the High Courts, and most likely will go to the Supreme Court. It will be interesting to see how the Japanese Supreme Court will rule on this issue. Given the time limitation, many other interesting questions could not be discussed. The online format enabled more than 35 participants to join this event from US, UK and Japan. Participants were of diverse backgrounds, ranging from graduate students to corporate executives, scientists, and legal professionals. The session ended with a huge applause with many participants asking Prof. Tung to come back and give a continuation of the talk.
Mr. Hayato Kume, First Secretary of the Embassy of Japan in the USA Lectures on “Japan’s Coronavirus Policies as Seen from My Perspective Gained in the United States”
On November 4, 2022, Mr. Hayato Kume (UTokyo alumnus), First Secretary of the Embassy of Japan in the USA, gave a talk titled “Japan’s Coronavirus Policies as Seen from my Perspective Gained in the United States.” hosted by Satsuki-kai America of D.C. and New York and co-hosted by Friends of UTokyo. The lecture was lively and well-attended by 26 participants from the US and Japan representing various backgrounds. In 2006, Mr. Kume joined the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare in Japan. During his tenure at the Ministry he worked on a wide range of areas including policies for healthcare, those for the disabled people, and reforms in employment regulations. After serving as Deputy Director of the Ministry’s Headquarters of COVID-19 Response, he was made in-charge of the department overseeing COVID-19 and global health as the First Secretary of the Embassy of Japan in the USA in September 2020. In this lecture, he shared his own experience serving in the Headquarters for the COVID-19 Response in Japan and his reflections on Japan’s coronavirus policies after observing the US coronavirus policies on a first-hand basis. Using a slide presentation, he covered the following five main topics: 1) a statistical comparison of Japan with other G7 countries regarding coronavirus infection numbers and rates of vaccinations, 2) the circumstances surrounding the Japanese government’s initial response to the pandemic, 3) the conflict in prioritizing economy and medical resources, 4) the Japanese government’s progression from vaccine procurement to inoculation of the populace, and 5) discoveries made in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. The comment by one of the participants is representative of the positive feedback from the audience when he said “I was glad to learn of the carefully planned strategies of the Japanese government’s coronavirus response”. In the words of another participant, “[Mr. Kume] shed light on why the positive developments in Japan were not publicized abroad and how such communication can be improved”. Another participant said that “I was truly glad to hear the stories of those who worked so hard on the frontlines during the coronavirus pandemic.” Many of the participants, who included FUTI Vice-President Dr. Yuichiro Kuwama, were experts in medical fields, public health or pharmaceutical studies. This mix in the audience resulted in a Q&A session with thought-provoking discussions and lively exchange of opinions. Excerpts from the lively discussion that ensued are below: (Participant) I would like to ask your views on policies/perspectives or methods of the pandemic response that the US, Japan and other countries would benefit from utilizing. (Kume) Early on in Japan’s response to the new coronavirus, fortunately or unfortunately, a team of specialists was placed on the Diamond Princess cruise ship to manage the situation and study the characteristics of the coronavirus (including asymptomatic infections and aerosol transmission). Their discoveries that were made early on in the pandemic helped Japan to form policies later on. Moreover, drawing on their prior experience of the “novel” influenza and SARS virus, the Japanese government was able to quickly institute the system of retrospective tracing firmly in place in respect to infection recognition, testing, and isolation. Also, Japan can take pride in its ability to plan countermeasures that are sensitive to regional characteristics because of their unique public health centers in each region. On the other hand, the US had an advantage in that the government and private sector have been investing in and working on vaccines even before the coronavirus pandemic, so that the quick development and implementation of a highly efficacious vaccine was possible. Compared to other countries, vaccine development was delayed in Japan due to a higher level of vaccine hesitancy and past experience of lawsuits that caused many pharmaceutical companies to withdraw from vaccine development. I believe that this issue will be a topic for discussion in Japan going forward. (Participant) In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, restaurants in the US ceased operation, but in Japan restaurants only shortened the business hours. Please share with us your thoughts on this matter. (Kume) In Japan, measures such as the closing of restaurants were not imposed. However, I believe that the measures taken by Japan, including the establishment of detailed guidelines to help mitigate the spread of infections such as shortening business hours, limiting the number of customers allowed to enter the facility, and limiting the alcohol supply had a solid effect. As I discussed in my presentation, finding a balance between economic and public health needs was essential, and these are difficult decisions. (Participant) Early on in Japan, the HPV vaccine (cervical cancer vaccine) inoculation rate was low, but I have heard that because of the wide-spread practice/implementation of Covid vaccination, the resistance to vaccines more generally has been reduced and the HPV vaccine inoculation rate has gone up. What do you think? (Kume) As the Covid wave peaked, the public’s scientific literacy about vaccines in general has gone up, and I think it shows great progress that the HPV vaccine inoculation rate has accelerated. However, I should caution that vaccines have to contend with efficacy and safety since vaccines can have widely different effects on different individuals. Therefore, the decision to be vaccinated rests on each individual and must be made after weighing the risks and benefits. From now on, it is important for the government to disseminate information regarding vaccines by working closely with specialists and the public. (Participant) I believe that a topic of this kind of lecture also could include the current state of mass media. (Kume) Absolutely. However, understandably the mass media needs to consider viewership numbers and there is a risk that viewership preference influences broadcast of news contents. In order to mitigate the effect of such a possibility, it is critical to further improve the scientific literacy of the public. Mr. Kume closed by saying, “It has been my pleasure to have the opportunity to present to everybody the effort by the Japanese government to counter coronavirus infections, and to have stimulating discussions with many of you.”