NEWSLETTER
NO.

15

2009 . 3 . 13

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY
THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO
東京大学公共政策大学院

INDEX

1

The 1st Hepburn-Shibusawa Memorial Symposium

2Public Policy Studies and the Ocean Alliance

3First “Nuclear Power and Society” Public Workshop

4Graduate School Course Report No. 7 ／ Topical NewsThe 1st Hepburn-Shibusawa Memorial Symposium

The Presidential Election
and the Future of US Foreign Policy
Ayako HIRAMATSU
PhD student, Graduate School for Law and Politics

On July 30 th, 2008, the Graduate School for Law and Politics, in cooperation with theGraduate School of Public Policy, hosted the ﬁrst Hepburn Shibusawa Memorial Symposium
titled, “The Presidential Election and the Future of US Foreign Policy.” Professors Clyde
Wilcox of Georgetown University, Michael Mastanduno of Dartmouth College, and Shinichi Kitaoka of the University of Tokyo gave keynote lectures. Professor Fumiaki Kuboof the University of Tokyo coordinated the panels. The symposium was made possible inlarge part due to the generous support of Shibusawa Eiʼichi Memorial Foundation.
Professor Wilcox began the lecture with an analysis of the 2008 Presidential Election. Heexplained why both Senators John McCain and Barack Obama won their party nominationsin spite of the fact than neither were projected front-runners, and why Sen. McCainʼspotential gains among independent voters made the election outcome impossible to predict.
Professor Mastanduno discussed the potential U.S. foreign policy changes under the next
administration. On substantial policy issues, we should expect Sen. Obama to continue
mainstream post-Cold War American foreign policy. He went on to explained how a
McCain administration would likely face inner-party conﬂict, with substantial pressuresfrom both the neo-conservative and realists circles. Professor Mastanduno maintained thatwhichever candidate emerges victorious, we should expect continuity rather than starkchange in U.S. foreign policy.
Professor Kitaoka pointed out that Americaʼs foreign policy priorities will likely bedirected toward the Middle East region. Accordingly, its foreign policies towards East Asia
would remain of secondary importance. In conclusion, Professor Kitaoka highlighted various challenges awaiting Japan, including; an appropriate foreign policy aimed at bothengaging The Peopleʼs Republic of China, and hedging against possible security risks assoissue; and the need to address Japanʼs limited capacity to respond to small threats on itsown. He also suggested an enhanced Japanese presence in the United Nationʼs Security
Council would contribute not only to Japanʼ s interests, but also to the stabilization of thebroader East Asia region.

NEWSLETTER

ciated with its rise; reaching a successful resolution regarding the North Korean nuclear

1

Public Policy Studies
andthe Ocean Alliance
Naoya Okuwaki
Director of the Ocean Policy Unit, the University of Tokyo Ocean Alliance
Professor, the Graduate Schools for Law and Politics

For Environment, For HumanityOn July 3, 2007, the University of Tokyo Ocean Alli-

The Ocean Alliance has created a prototype multi-ance was established. This organisation will carry out

disciplinary program to begin to address this challenge.

research related to the marine environment by actively

The program provides an arena in which to openly dis-facilitating cooperation between researchers fromcuss issues from both an academic and an applied

diverse backgrounds. Furthermore, it will endeavour topolicy perspective. From the start, aspiring researchersdevelop a holistic approach to maritime education infrom disparate disciplines will be thrust into a stimulat-

order to support the educational needs of aspiring

ing environment where discussion can thrive. Substan-graduate students.

tively speaking, three new faculty members have been

Maritime research in natural science disciplines iswelcomed to the program: Mr. Tohomaru Hase, Dr.

extensive; however, the knowledge is highly fragmented

Masahiro Matsuura and Dr. Sookyeon Huh. Studentsand dispersed. As a whole, we do not yet have a clear

who complete the required amount of credits will

picture regarding the condition of our planet; however,receive an Ocean Alliance educational program gradua-

by cobbling together dispersed existing knowledge, it istion certiﬁcate.

clear that the environmental burden of our actions isNEWSLETTER

not small.

2

The Aim of the Ocean Alliance-

Given the uncertainties about our planetʼs future, it islikely that the process itself will be worth more than theCurrently, mankind and the sea have become

paper result. It is essential for scholars who are con-estranged. The image of the sea as a broad open

ducting research in specialised ﬁelds to cultivate the will

expanse has become usurped by an image of depth andto embrace new conceptualisations based on a holistic

darkness. Shorelines which used to be covered withperspective.

coconut husks are now homes to mountains of garbage.

In closing, for those researchers who are having trouble

Coral bleaching and the degradation of mangrove

identifying themes for your own research, I contend thatswamps continue unabated. Yet, it is the sea which gave

the process of examining the relationship between thebirth to life on our planet. In fact, all land life is utterly

sea and the world, Japan or society will reveal somedependent on the sea. In order to avoid humanityʼsintriguing prospects. I hope that students and graduate

demise, the current generation must ﬁnd ways to em-students studying at Tokyo University - particularly thebrace their responsibility and rectify these problems.

graduate students studying at the Graduate School ofAccordingly, focusing on what can be done represents a

Public Policy - will actively join in our endeavours.

small but certain ﬁrst step in guiding the research
agenda of the Ocean Allianceʼ s multi-disciplinary
research eﬀorts and gaining the support of the JapanFoundation.

The Science, Technologyand Public Policy Unit
Project Researchers :Ryoko Hatanaka, Go Yoshizawa

September 17, 2008 ‒ The ﬁrst workshop on gover-food risks, researchers tend to pursue and prove certain

nance was held at the University of Tokyoʼ s Takeda

risks of their research subjects in order to exhibit theConference Hall. It was sponsored by the Engineeringresearch is useful and persuade the sponsors to keepDepartmentʼ s Global Center of Excellence (COE), thefunding.

Nuclear Education and Research Initiative and supported by the Graduate School of Public Policyʼ s Scien-

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYOFirst “Nuclear Power and Society” Public Workshop

Comments from Discussants-

tiﬁc, Technology and Public Policy Unit. The workshop

Hatanaka spoke about prospects and concerns

examined the impact of risks associated with emergent

regarding an impending self-governance frameworktechnology on society pertaining to three areas: nuclear

within the medical profession.

energy, health care and foodstuﬀs.

Presentations-

Yoshizawa expressed concern that the process ofincluding multiple stakeholder input into the inquiry

On the topic of health care, Dr. Ryozo Nagai, profes-

commission proceedings would be regarded as more

sor on cardiovascular at the Graduate School of Medi-form than substance. He iterated the need for the gov-cine, the University of Tokyo, delivered a presentation

ernment inquiry commissionʼs activities to be moreon the theme of crisis in the health care system. He

transparent and for the public to be better informed.

explained how funding within Japanʼs health care ﬁeld
has been watered down and dispersed to the point thatOn the response to the foodstuﬀs theme, Associate

it is undermining the eﬀorts of medical practitioners. HeProfessor Tatsuhiro Kamisato from the School ofwent on to assert that in order to facilitate further medi-

Engineering emphasized the challenges inherent incal advancements, eﬀorts should be expended to ensure

identifying coping mechanisms for perils associatedthat there is a circular link between fundamental andwith unseen risks related to foodstuﬀs.

applied research.

In the concluding panel discussion, the case of Fuku-

On the topic of nuclear energy, Professor Haruki

shima Prefectural Oono Hospital catalyzed a discussion

Madarame from the School of Engineering at the Uni-on the relationship between health care and legal juris-versity of Tokyo spoke about nuclear technology gover-diction with panellists crossing swords over whether ornance with an emphasis on required reform within thenot an emergence of self-governing standards can benuclear facilities inspection system. He also elaborated

expected.

on the need for the Japanese nuclear regulatory author-Due to the diﬃculties of deﬁning a framework to

ity to take a multi-stakeholder approach in the standard

explicate suitable rights and responsibility of each of thesetting process by enlisting input from representatives

actors who play a role in bearing the burden of gover-of industry, government and academia.

nance, it was apparent that the workshop was not going
to be successful in trying together all the problems dis-former chairman of the Codex Alimentarius Commis-

cussed with a neat solution. In all likelihood, for each ofsion, the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme,

the presenters and audience members that returneddelivered a presentation on risk governance in food-home with fresh perspectives on these issues, the work-

stuﬀs. Given high uncertainty in scientiﬁc research onshop achieved its purpose.

NEWSLETTER

On the topic of foodstuﬀs, Mr. Hiroshi Yoshikura,3

Graduate School Course Report
No. 7
Case Study(Microeconomic Policy / Introduction to Policy Analysis 1)

Course Facilitators : Yoshitsugu Kanemoto, Katsuhiro Yamaguchi,

Kisaburo Ishii, Katsuya Hiharaoﬃces to learn about climate change, Japanʼs policy positionand current mitigation eﬀorts. We were also given an opportunity
to consider the future repercussions of climate change. Within
this context, I became enmeshed in the problem of societyʼsdependence on the personal automobile. My research theme
was “To what extent would overall greenhouse gas emissions

By Takanori Kojima (Economic Policy Course: 1st Year)be inﬂuenced by taxation measures designed to rapidly suppress
personal automobile usage”. I collected data on this topic andCase Study (Microeconomic Policy / Introduction to Policy

analysed the eﬀectiveness of existing policies from an often

Analysis 1) focuses on city planning policy. Each week, oneʼs

neglected economic perspective. I then experimented with theunderstanding of applied policy is broadened. Moreover, there

development of new policy proposals to address the issue.

are many opportunities to engage in actual site inspections

Professor Kanemoto, who was the ﬁrst course facilitator, andand attend private industry hearings. This course is intended toother professors gave us very useful advice by patiently listening

achieve more than just knowledge dissemination. It aims toto our opinions and extracting problematic issues embedded

equip students with the skills to analyse planning issues from ain our comments for further analysis. Beyond this, their passions

holistic perspective and prepare policy responses that will be

for the issues was evident through their willingness to extend

suitable to societyʼs needs in any given situation. This cannot beclass hours for up to an hour in order to accommodate ourconsidered as a typical academic graduate research course, it isstudy needs.
Although I participated only for the summer session, I developedundoubtedly an applied graduate level public policy course.
In the class, everyone is divided into groups. I participated ina keener interest in research and high-level scholastic inquiry

the Environmental group. We drew on information provided

thanks to the impassioned endeavours of the facilitators andfrom hearings at newspaper companies and governmental

seniors who took the course. It was a truly inspirational course.

TopicalNews

The 8thInternational Transport Policy Research Unit (ITPU)
Workshop
The 8th ITPU workshop (a jointly sponsored workshop with the Urban Economics Workshop)
was held on August 20, 2008 on the 12th ﬂoor of the Economics Research Building. Professor
Marvin Kraus from Boston Collegeʼs Department of Economics was invited to lead the workshop.
Professor Krausʼ lecture was on his recent paper “Economies of Scale in Networks”. A lively
discussion took place on issues including conditions to minimize the cost of transport
infrastructure networks, costs associated with Tokyoʼ s road and subway network structure,and the inﬂuence on cost structure that externalities such as global warming impose.

NEWSLETTER(Professor Katsuya Hihara)

4EditorʼsNoteA number of pressing issues wererepresented in the articles foundin this edition of our newsletter.
Emergent themes included nuclear

power, food security, and the environment. The
current relevance and diverse treatment of research

NEWSLETTER

15［Editor+publisher］GRADUATESCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY
THE UNIVERSIT Y OF TOKYONo.

東京大学公共政策大学院［date of publication］2009 .3. 13［design］Masahiro ABiCo

related to these issues highlights two strengths of

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the Graduate School of Public Policy.

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