17 associates join Program on U.S.-Japan Relations

The Program on U.S.-Japan Relations at Harvard has selected 17 associates for research projects for the 2001-02 academic year. Founded in 1980, the program enables outstanding scholars and practitioners from the United States and Japan to come together at the University to conduct independent research and participate in an ongoing dialogue with other members of the Harvard and Greater Boston communities. The following is a list of the visiting researchers at the program for this academic year.

Christina Davis – Harvard University: While at Harvard, Davis earned a B.A. in East Asian studies in 1993 and a Ph.D. in political science in 2001. Her dissertation, “Beyond Food Fights: How International Institutions Promote Agricultural Trade Liberalization,” is a comparative study of Japanese and European trade policy that explains how the institutional context of negotiations affects liberalization in agricultural trade policy. She will begin work as assistant professor of politics and international affairs at Princeton University in September 2002. Davis’ research at Harvard will examine the politics of Japanese trade policy in comparative perspective.

Masami Hasegawa – Keidanren (Japan Federation of Economic Organizations): Hasegawa earned a bachelor of law from Waseda University in 1992 and a master of law in U.S. legal studies from Case Western Reserve University in 2001. After receiving his B.A., Hasegawa joined the Secretariat of Keidanren, where he has been a member of the International Economic Affairs Department and, more recently, the Economic Law Group of the Economic Policy Bureau. Hasegawa’s research at Harvard will examine the legislative process in the United States and Japan with a focus on corporate law.

Jun Iio – National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies: At the University of Tokyo, Iio earned a B.A. in law and political science in 1986, an M.A. in political science in 1988, and a Ph.D. in political science in 1992. Iio taught at Saitama University for several years before assuming his current post at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies. Among his publications is a book titled “The Political Process of Privatization.” While at Harvard, Iio will compare knowledge exchange between policy practitioners and social scientists in the United States and Japan.

Shunji Izutsu – Japan Air Self- Defense Force: Izutsu graduated from the National Defense Academy with a bachelor of engineering in 1986. He then spent over six years as a fighter pilot, and worked in the defense plans and operations department of the Air Staff Office and at the Air Staff College. Izutsu studied at the Air Command and Staff College of the U.S. Air Force in 1996- 97, and spent 2000- 01 getting a midcareer master of public administration at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Izutsu’s research at Harvard will focus on the relationship between the United States and China, and the impact of that relationship on Japan.

Ryuichi Kitano – Asahi Shimbun: Kitano joined Asahi Shinbun after graduating from the University of Tokyo with a B.A. in law in 1990. In his career as a reporter, he has concentrated on matters concerning minority groups such as burakumin (outcastes) and zainichi (Korean- Japanese), as well as on victims of Hansen’s and Minamata diseases. Kitano has co- authored several books on topics ranging from these issues to postwar history and East Asian fishery problems. At Harvard, Kitano’s research will analyze social intolerance and discrimination in the United States and Japan from historical and journalistic perspectives.

Koichi Kuroda – Idemitsu Kosan Co.: Kuroda graduated from Keio University with a B.A. in English and American literature in 1990. At Idemitsu Kosan, Kuroda has served as the assistant manager of the planning section at the Sendai branch, as a regional manager of the retail section at the Nishi- Tokyo branch, and as the aviation fuel sales manager in the industrial energy department. In 2000, he spent a year traveling around the world to negotiate with various airlines. Kuroda’s research at Harvard will examine airline deregulation in the United States and Japan.

David Leheny – University of Wisconsin, Madison: Leheny earned his B.A. from Wesleyan University in 1989, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from Cornell University in 1994 and 1998. His dissertation explores the relationship between constructions of national identity and the role of the Japanese state in the leisure lives of its citizens. Leheny recently published the article “By Other Means: Tourism and Leisure Policy in Prewar Japan.” He has worked in the Office of the Coordinator for Counter- terrorism at the U.S. State Department and as the editor of Social Science Japan, and is now teaching political science at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Leheny’s research at Harvard will investigate the possibilities for U.S.- Japan counterterrorism cooperation in Asia.

Fumitaka Machida – Japan Bank for International Cooperation: After graduating from Keio University with a bachelor of law in 1992, Machida joined the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC – then the Export- Import Bank of Japan). At JBIC, he has worked in the loan department on several projects involving Russia and Eastern Europe, in the budget division of the treasury department, and in the planning division of the international finance policy department. He also spent two and a half years in the London representative office. Machida’s research at Harvard will examine how to develop new models of business- government collaboration in international cooperation, as well as how to build the U.S.- Japan relationship in developing countries.

Kenji Nakai – Mitsubishi Trust and Banking Corp.: Nakai graduated from the University of Tokyo with a B.S. in urban engineering in 1984, joining the Mitsubishi Trust and Banking Corp. that same year. He has held positions in sales for the land development and real estate divisions, and worked as fund manager of Japanese equities in the pension management and asset management divisions. Nakai’s research at Harvard will examine the different investment behavior of American and Japanese investors in the equity market.

Shinzo Nakatani – Tokyo Gas Co.: Nakatani graduated from Hitotsubashi University in 1987 with a B.S. in economics. He then joined the Tokyo Gas Co., where he has held positions in the sales department at the Saitama branch and at the head office. His latest assignment was in the gas resources department. In 1999, he spent time in Spain and Italy investigating the deregulation of the energy sector. Nakatani’s research at Harvard will focus on how to solve the energy problems that East Asia will face given the region’s continued economic growth.

Kim Reimann – Harvard University: Reimann earned a B.A. in oriental studies from Barnard College in 1986 and an A.M. in regional studies—East Asia, and a Ph.D. in political science from Harvard University in 1993 and 2001. Her dissertation was titled “Late Developers in Global Civil Society: Domestic Barriers, International Socialization, and the Emergence of International Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) in Japan,” and she recently published the article “Building Networks from the Outside In: International Movements, Japanese NGOs, and the Kyoto Climate Change Conference.” Reimann’s research at Harvard will examine how the international context provided an important stimulus for changing state- NGO relations in Japan.

Ken Sasaji – Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry: Sasaji earned a B.A. in law from the University of Tokyo in 1993, at which time he joined the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI). At METI, he has held positions at the agency of Natural Resources and Energy, and the International Trade Administration Bureau. Most recently, as the deputy director for policy and legal matters in the Cabinet Office, he was responsible for helping resolve issues in Okinawa related to the Mutual Security Treaty. Sasaji’s research at Harvard will address economic and security issues in the Asia- Pacific, and examine the interaction of economic, political, and social structures in various countries.

Ethan Scheiner – Duke University: Scheiner earned a B.A. in politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 1991; an M.A. in political science at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1994; and a Ph.D. in political science at Duke University in 2001. His doctoral dissertation was titled “Democracy Without Competition: Opposition Failure in One- Party Dominant Japan.” In recent years, Scheiner has published articles on Japanese opposition party strategy and Japan’s electoral system. His research at Harvard will continue to explore electoral politics in Japan and, from a comparative perspective, the constraints shaping opposition parties’ ability to succeed.

Hisanobu Sekine – Development Bank of Japan: Sekine graduated from Tohoku University in 1985 with a B.A. in economics. That same year, he joined the Hokkaido- Tohoku Development Finance Public Corp., which later merged with the Japan Development Bank to become the Development Bank of Japan. He worked in the loan and credit analysis divisions at the Hokkaido and Tohoku branches. He also spent two years in the Ministry of International Trade and Industry’s Industrial Location and Environment Protection Bureau. Sekine’s research at Harvard will analyze the regional development policy of the United States and its implications for Japan.

Masaaki Sugimori – Tokyo Electric Power Co.: Sugimori earned a B.A. in electronic telecommunications engineering and an M.A. in engineering from Waseda University in 1989 and 1991. Since joining the Tokyo Electric Power Co. in 1991, he has held various positions in the electronic telecommunications department. As an assistant manager in the Interoperability Technology Association for Information Processing from 1995 to 1998, he worked on information technology standardization policies. His research at Harvard will examine issues facing today’s information society such as the development of new information technology business models, international standards, and regulatory structures.

Yoshiyuki Tsuji – National Policy Agency: Tsuji joined the National Policy Agency after graduating from Kyoto University in 1981 with a bachelor of law. His recent posts include chief of the Criminal Law Instruction Office in the Criminal Investigation Bureau and chief of the Intelligence Policy Office in the Defense Policy Bureau. He has published several articles on the firearms and swords control law and the law on control and improvement of the amusement and entertainment business. Tsuji’s research at Harvard will examine U.S. investigative techniques for fighting organized crime and analyze the possibility of using similar techniques in Japan.

Yoku Yamazaki – Ministry of Finance: Yamazaki earned a B.A. in economics from the University of Tokyo in 1991. That same year, he entered the Ministry of Finance, where he has held positions in the banking and budget bureaus. In 1994, he spent a year studying international relations at the University of California, San Diego. In his two most recent posts, he has served as deputy director for the Financial Crisis at the Secretariat of the Financial Reconstruction Commission, and at the Financial Services Agency. Yamazaki’s research at Harvard will focus on how to revive the Japanese banking sector.