Program on U.S.-Japan Relations announces 16 program associates, fellows

The Program on U.S.-Japan Relations has announced this year’s class of program associates, which includes scholars, professors, government officials, businesspeople, and journalists from Japan, the United States, and elsewhere. 

While at Harvard, the associates will conduct independent research that will be presented publicly as part of the program’s Tuesday seminar series, and will complete a paper that will be published as part of the program’s “Occasional Papers” series. 

The 2007-08 class of Program on U.S.-Japan Relations associates and advanced research fellows are as follows:

Arichika Eguchi, National Police Agency (NPA): After earning an A.B. in law from the University of Tokyo, Eguchi entered Japan’s NPA. There, he has served as the deputy director of the 2nd Organized Crime Division in Tokyo and the deputy director of the International Affairs Division in the commissioner-general’s secretariat. Most recently, Eguchi held the position of deputy counselor for national security and crisis management in the secretariat of the Cabinet. While at Harvard, Eguchi will examine the causes of and countermeasures against extremist and terrorist movements.

Eiichiro Fujii, Tokyo Gas Company: Fujii earned his A.B. in sociology from Meiji Gakuin University before joining the Tokyo Gas Company. His first assignment at Tokyo Gas was in the sales and marketing section of the air-conditioning and commercial consumer development and service department. Most recently, he worked in the regional marketing division, where he served as the assistant manager and manager. At Harvard, Fujii will conduct research on “Corporate Alliances and Firm Restructuring in the Energy Industry.”

Sayuri Inoue, World Bank: Inuoe earned her B.A. in British studies from the University of Tokyo and an M.P. P. from the Kennedy School of Government, where she focused on the study of international development. In the Japanese government, she has served as an auditor in the Ministry of Construction and Housing Audit Division in the Japanese National Board of Audit. Most recently, she has been the senior operations officer of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency at the World Bank. At Harvard, Inoue will examine the lessons developing economies can learn from corporate governance and ethics in the United States and Japan.

Kozo Ishimura, Ministry of Finance: Ishimura earned an A.B. in economics and political science from Waseda University, an M.S. in public policy from the University of London, and a master’s of philosophy degree in development studies from the University of Cambridge. At the Ministry of Finance, he has served as director of the Economic Research Division, and most recently, as director of the Credit Cooperative Supervision Division in the Kanto District Finance Bureau. At Harvard, he will investigate the impact of the Basel II Accord on U.S. and Japanese financial systems.

Naoki Kobayashi, Tokyo Electric Power Company: After earning his B.S. in electrical engineering from Waseda University, Kobayashi joined the power company where he worked as an engineer in the distribution network operations group. Most recently, he served in the distribution engineering group in the power network division. Kobayashi has written on topics related to energy and electricity. At Harvard, he will compare American and Japanese electric power companies’ strategies for coping with global harmonization of technical standards.

Taro Koyano, Yomiuri Shimbun: After earning his A.B. in economics from Keio University, Koyano joined the Yomiuri Shimbun. His first assignment for the paper was in the Tohoku branch in Sendai from where he reported on city news and local government. He then moved to the economic news department, where he wrote a number of articles related to the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the electric equipment industry. At Harvard, he will examine the latest trends in private equity funds in the United States, and compare mergers and acquisitions in the United States and Japan.

Mark Manger, McGill University: Manger earned his M.Sc. in political science from the University of Hamburg and his Ph.D. in political science from the University of British Columbia. He is currently an assistant professor of political science at McGill University. His research interests focus on international political economy, international relations of East Asia, and Japanese political economy. While at Harvard, Manger plans to complete his book manuscript titled “Competitive Liberalization: North-South Free Trade Areas Around the Pacific Rim.”

Sherry Martin, Cornell University: Martin earned her A.B. in politics from Princeton University and her Ph.D. in political science from the University of Michigan. She is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Government and the Program in Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Cornell University. At Harvard, Martin plans to complete her book manuscript, “Engendering Strategic Voting: Women Voters in Contemporary Japan.”

Ichiro Motozawa, Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK): Motozawa earned his A.B. in French language and literature from the University of Tokyo. He has been a nationwide news presenter on NHK’s broadcast satellite service, where he presented 15-minute morning news programs four times per day. Among the major news he has reported include the Great Hanshin earthquake, North Korea’s abduction of Japanese citizens, and U.S.-Japan trade disputes. While at Harvard, he will examine the role of public broadcasting organizations in postindustrial democracies, and analyze the contemporary developments in NHK, PBS, and BBC. Reiko Nakamura, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS): Nakamura earned her LL.B. from the University of Tokyo, an M.P.P. from the Kennedy School of Government, and a Ph.D. in business economics from Columbia University. Since 1991 she has served as associate professor and, most recently, as professor at Japan’s GRIPS. While at Harvard, Nakamura will examine the regional market-based approach for controlling greenhouse gas emissions in the United States and its implications for regional policy cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region. Shigeki Ohnuki, Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI): Ohnuki earned his A.B. in policy management from Keio University. Prior to joining METI, he ran an IT company called Asian Information Plaza. At METI, he has served as deputy director of the policy planning and coordination division of the minister’s secretariat, and most recently as deputy director of the finance division in the small and medium enterprise agency. At Harvard, he will examine financial policy toward small and medium enterprises in Japan and the United States.

Tomoko Okagaki, National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS): Okagaki earned an LL.B. in international legal studies and an M.A. in international studies from Sophia University, an M.A. in political science from the University of British Columbia, and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Michigan. She has been a senior research fellow at Japan’s NIDS since 1997, and has also taught at Meiji University. At Harvard, she will investigate the changing sources of stability in the U.S.-Japan alliance.

Kazuhisa Oki, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF): After earning his A.B. in law from the University of Tokyo, Oki joined MAFF. As a deputy director at the environment agency and MAFF, he has been engaged in lawmaking related to waste management, fisheries management, and farmland regulations. Most recently, Oki was deputy director, National Land Survey Division of the Land and Water Bureau, at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT). At Harvard, he will analyze the effects of U.S. agricultural and trade policies on Japan.

Mizue Oyama, Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren): After earning her A.B. and M.A. in economics from Keio University, Oyama joined Nippon Keidanren. She has served in the social affairs and economic policy bureaus, and has been an author or co-author of numerous papers and proposals relating to Japan’s anti-monopoly law, corporate governance, consumer legislation, and human resource training. At Harvard, Oyama will compare economic policymaking processes in Japan and the United States.

Mikio Sugisaki, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation (MUTB): After earning his B.S. in engineering from Tokyo Institute of Technology, Sugisaki joined Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and MUTB where he began in the pension fund management division. Most recently, he has served as a senior manager, MUTB’s Investment Research and Planning Division, and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group’s (MUFG) asset management and administration planning division. At Harvard, he will investigate changes in the American asset management business and its implications for Japan’s financial markets.

Keizo Takemi, Tokai University, and former member, House of Councillors: Takemi received his undergraduate and graduate law degrees from Keio University and has been a visiting scholar at Harvard’s Fairbank Center for East Asian Research. As a two-term member of the House of Councillors (Liberal Democratic Party, 1995-2007), he has served in the Japanese Cabinet as senior vice-minister of health, labor, and welfare, and state secretary for foreign affairs. At the House of Councillors, he has been chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense, executive member for the Committee on Health, Welfare, and Labor, and executive member for the Research Commission on the Constitution. In 2006, he played a leading role in restructuring Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA) and integrating Japan’s aid implementation functions (technical assistance, grant aid, and yen loan) into the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in 2008. At Harvard (he is also affiliated with the Harvard School of Public Health), his research will focus on Official Development Assistance, human security, and health systems reform.