NEWSLETTER
NO.

16

2009 . 6 . 5

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

INDEX

1Symposium

2Faculty Research Number 13

3Student Interview

4Topical News

Enhancing Vitality and Trust in the Capital Markets
Ryozo Hayashi ／ Report on the Global Public Policy Network (GPPN) Student Conference

Mr. Kenta Watanabe

Symposium

Enhancing Vitality and Trustin the Capital Markets-Listed Company System and Public Policy
Naohiko Matsuo
Visiting Professor, Graduate School for Law and Politics

On the afternoon of October 17, 2008, the University ofTokyoʼs Graduate School of Public Policy (GraSPP) organizeda three hour symposium entitled “Enhancing Vitality and Trustin the Capital Markets - Listed Company System and PublicPolicy” at the Universityʼ s Tetsumon Memorial Hall. Thissymposium was part of the “Capital Markets and Public Policy”
lecture series launched in 2007 under the sponsorship ofMizuho Securities Co., Ltd. Over 100 people attended.

The keynote presentations led into an hour long panel
discussion featuring panellists Mr. Omori, Prof. Kansaku,

The ﬁrst keynote speech of the symposium was delivered byProf. Hideki Kanda (the University of Tokyo) and Mr. Satoshi

Yasuhito Omori, Chief of the Planning Division at the Financial

Nakamura, a lawyer from the Mori, Hamada & Matsumoto.

Services Agency. His speech was entitled, “Enhancing Vitality

Matsuo moderated the session which deliberated on the topic

and Trust in Our Countryʼ s Capital Marketplace”. His“Interplay of the Financial Instrument and Exchange Act andpresentation focused on the capital market reforms that arethe Company Act”. The panellists wove their way through aconsidered essential for facilitating continued progress on thediscussion of the current state of aﬀairs and future trends inroad to the “market-oriented” ﬁnancial system.

relation to Japanʼ s system of regulating listed companies.
This multifaceted discussion melded insights from researchers,
bureaucrats and practicing lawyers. The contents of theMarketplace and Corporate Law in the EU: Examples fromdiscussion appeared in the volume 1849 of Commerce Shoji

German Law”. Prof. Kansaku introduced German laws pertaining

Houmu magazine (publication: November 11, 2008) which isto capital markets, commerce and corporations to illustratepublished thrice a month specialising in corporate legal issues.

how an interplay of these three legal ﬁelds is aﬀected in theFollowing the symposium, the participants shifted venue toEU. In his conclusion, he advanced the proposition thatthe Sanjo Conference Hall for a social gathering. After aunderstanding how these legal areas in the EU interplays may

welcoming address by Mr. Keisuke Yokoo, President of Mizuho

hold relevance for Japanese legal system reform.

Securities Co., Ltd., attendees mixed and shared conversation.

NEWSLETTER

The next keynote speech was by Professor Hiroyuki
Kansaku of the University of Tokyo on the topic “Interplay of1

lifestyles from all over the world overwhelmed me.

Faculty ResearchNumber13

Ryozo Hayashi

It was the presidential election year, and the experiencestimulated both my academic interest and professional interest.
The election process was like a festival. It is serious but fun.
Harvard Professors were joining political groups to participate

Professor, Graduate School of Public Policy(Former Director General for Economic andIndustrial Policy Bureau, METI)

in policy-making for the candidates. It was a sharp contrast
with the insider's process of leadership selection as well as
the very much structured decision-making process in Japan.
Later, as an intern at a Washington law ﬁrm, I interacted

On America

with many political appointees and Congress staﬀ who lived
double lives in academic arena and policy arena. This had asigniﬁcant inﬂuence over the career choices I made.
In the 30 years since then, there have been countless

America is a country of mysterious charm.

encounters with America, as a trade negotiator, as an ally inI ﬁrst met America as a law school student at Harvard.

the challenge to stabilize global economic development throughAmerica was in a deep trouble in those days. Economicallyinitiatives in currency market and petroleum market, as a fellow

ﬁrst energy crisis hit the US hard, and many US industries lostat Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

their competitiveness. Politically the Vietnam War disgraced

Throughout all these experiences, my intellectual curiosity in

America at home and abroad. However, America gave an

the comparative study of Japan and America has been stimulated.

unforgettable impression on a 27 year old young man. TheOver the years, the road has gone through peaks and valleys

highway network, theme parks and supermarkets were all newand the scenery has kept changing along the way. However,to me. The huge wildernesses in national parks are breath-the fascination during my ﬁrst experiences in America hastaking.Intellectual interaction with variety of talents at thenever been lost.

universities and the daily encounter with culturally diverse

America is an interesting country.

Report on the Global Public Policy Network (GPPN)
Student Conference
Kenta Watanabe
Economic Policy Course,
the Class of 2009

Kazumi Sashida

International Public Policy Course,
the Class of 2009

Yukiko Omagari

International Public Policy Course,
2nd Year

NEWSLETTER

International Public Policy Course,
2nd Year

The four of us were given the honour of representing thewhich students examined global issues through a lens ofGraduate School of Public Policy (GraSPP) at the GPPN Student

practical insight attained by experience in the ﬁeld. For

Conference which was held from November 5-9, 2008 atexample, one English student, who had the experience ofSciences Po in Paris.

being stationed in Iraq as a British soldier, drew on hisThe student conference was initiated in order to deepen

experiences to highlight some of the missteps taken by thethe ties between students who attend public policy graduate

western coalition forces in Iraq. Another American student,schools that are part of the GPPN global network. This was

who had been dispatched to Tanzania as part of a develop-truly a global conference which featured 112 participants

ment initiative sponsored by Google, examined the role offrom Sciences Po (France), Columbia University (USA), London

private interests in supporting development by highlighting

School of Economics and Political Science (UK), Hertie School

personal experiences related to 40 investment programs.

of Governance (Germany), Lee Kuan Yew School of Public

The student conference this year will be in Singapore. We

Policy (Singapore), and for the ﬁrst time, participants from thethink, that by engaging proactively in the festivities (forUniversity of Tokyo.

2Hajime Odagawa

example through a student presentation), we can positively set theApproximately 20 university professors and staﬀ fromstage for enticing such an event to GRASPP in the future.

international organisations participated in six panel

Joining this conference and having a chance to meet students

discussions covering a breadth of topics such as thefrom around the world altered our perspectives regarding

ﬁnancial crisis, poverty alleviation and global security.

the signiﬁcance of studying public policy.

Moreover, there were a number of student presentations inIn April 2003, after graduating from the University of Tokyoʼs Faculty of Law,
I joined Nikkei Inc. For the ﬁrst two years I was a ﬁnancial reporter. After that, I wastransferred to Nikkeiʼs Seibu branch oﬃce where I spent a year as a court reporter.
I took a year oﬀ from my undergraduate studies and went to work for
an NGO in East Kenya. Talking with the representative there, Iʼ d initially ﬁnd workin Japan that would help me broaden my knowledge and then, in the future,
try and work in the development ﬁeld in Africa. I reckoned that in order to gain
the requisite specialised knowledge, I needed to go to a graduate school.
Professor Kiichi Fujiwara, who has been a mentor since my undergraduate days,
suggested that GraSPP would be best if I wished to work in the development ﬁeld.
-Please give us your departing impressions of GraSPP.

Some argue that those who are looking for relevant applied skills and for those

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO-I heard that before entering the Graduate School of Public Policy (GraSPP) you were a newspaper reporter.

who are aiming to become researchers, GraSPP would provide a bit of both worlds.
However, I think learning both theoretical and applied knowledge from individuals
who have been active on the front lines in various ﬁelds is extremely relevant.
Iʼd like to stridently implore, “Admit more experienced students”. I personallyfeel it would be better if the number of students with work experience wasenhanced from 30 % to 50 %. I feel that admitting a few more students that havepractical experience would enhance the quality of interaction in the classes.
If passion and purpose are absent and students are only attending class forthe sake of attending, it becomes undistinguishable from undergraduate programs.
Since the school oﬀers a host of opportunities, I think students should bepushing themselves to excel.

Mr. Kenta Watanabe
Economic Policy Course, the Class of 2009

StudentInterview-What did you think of the courses you attended at the school?

I had initially signed up for the International Public Policy Course. However,Professor Joe Chenʼs “Micro Economics” awakened an interest in economics,
so I transferred to the Economic Policy Course. There are many compulsory courses
in the Economic Policy program. In “Economic Evaluation of Public Policy” taught
by Professor Yoshitsugu Kanemoto, actual policies were evaluated throughapplied theory and then in workgroups, policy proposals were formulated.
In an applied case study course taught jointly by Prof. Kanemoto, Prof. Kisaburo Ishii,
Prof. Katsuhiro Yamaguchi and Prof. Katsuya Hihara, we are focusing on the theme“To what degree will carbon dioxide emissions be aﬀectedby a shift in demand
from air travel to train travel due to the establishment of Linear Chuo Express?”
Apparently a transportation economics professor at Harvard University wasinterested in this subject so there was talk of translating the content into English
and sending it to him.
-Upon graduation, I understand that you have decided to go to work for the Ministry of Foreign Aﬀairs.

The goal I set for myself was to become engaged in development activities in Africa
before I reach 40 years of age. Accordingly, I carefully considered the best route toachieve this goal. I chose the Ministry of Foreign Aﬀairs (MOFA). The MOFA oﬀers
or policy development posts in Africa.
Iʼve already been assigned to the French language training group which was mypreferred option, because I am also interested in West Africa.
Interview and text by editor

NEWSLETTERa broader array of possibilities related to my aspirations such as embassy appointments

3

Topical NewsAt the end of August 2008, two women were dispatched fromthe Netherlands School of Public Administration for Japanesetraining. Jolanda Trijselaar (right) is the Director of the Departmentof Risk and Crisis Management of the Safety Region of Rotterdam
Area. Marjolen Smit (left) is the Deputy Borough Commander andChief of Operations, 3rd District, Regional Police AmsterdamAmstelland. GraSPP supported the training. In addition toHomecoming Day

arranging for visits to various Ministries, the school also provided“The Room is packed!” A truly wonderful phenomenon occurredlectures on Japanʼ s political structure, the government, theon Homecoming Day. There were so many people that the room

Japanese bureaucratic system, crisis management during natural

was too jam packed to enter. Meanwhile, a freezing cold November

disasters and management of organised crime. We also held a15, 2008 wind was blowing outside. Concerns over whether orreport-feedback session at the conclusion of their stay.

not people would show up were completely dispelled as alumni（International Relations Coordinator, Nobue Nachi）

poured in. Prior to a social mixer, the Alumni Association sponsoreda “Career Design Seminar”. Accordingly, a mass turnout by thecurrent students contributed to the terriﬁc turn-out. As the current
students mingled, I guess they were painting themselves into apicture of the roles they would soon play as upstanding membersof society. Conversely, I guess that as the alumni were mixing, theywere recounting the dreams that they had as students. Whenever
one is a bit lost in life, it is nice to have a familiar place you canreturn to. This is what the Alumni Association in cooperation withthe graduate school would like to create.
（Graduate School of Public Policy Alumni Chairman, Shogo Marukawa）

2009 Overseas Exchange Program
Orientation Session
On November 19, 2008, an orientation session was held forstudents who aspire to join the 2009 Overseas Exchange Program.
Approximately 40 aspiring students and incoming students
attended. Professor Takatoshi Ito kicked oﬀ the event with apresentation concerning the International Program. Afterwards,
the schools that participate in the program were introduced andstudents who had previously participated in the Overseas Exchange
Program came along to provide advice. Information on applying
for credit recognition, application forms and preparation advice
were also passed out. The orientation concluded with a Q&A
session to attend to unaddressed concerns.

NEWSLETTER（International Student Advisor, Kotoko Ogawa）

4

NEWSLETTER

Editorʼs
Postscript

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

Seminars and forums related to various ﬁelds
were oﬀered throughout February and March.
Check out our home page for more details.
(Editor)

東京大学公共政策大学院［date of publication］2009 . 6 . 5［design］Masahiro ABiCo

7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan tel 03 -5841-1710 fax 03 -5841- 7877

E-mail grasppn l @ pp.u- tokyo.ac. jp

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