NEWSLETTER
NO.

31

2013. 3. 8

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

Contents

1 WHEN THE DEEP CALLS UNTO THE DEEP......［Evans Maka］
2 Murmurs and Musings, No.5 [Koichi Hasegawa] ／ Trip to Saga［Bed Raj Phuyel ＋ Deepak Dhakal ＋ Suman Dahal］
3 Student Interview No. 13 [Miss Ayumi Ando]
4 GraSPP Year End Party (December 14, 2012) ／ Topical News

WHEN THE DEEP CALLS UNTO THE DEEP......
Evans Maka
2nd Year, MPP/IP

NEWSLETTER

The advantages of studying in GraSPP are enormous: numerous
scholarship oﬀers, numerous learning resource centers dotted allover Hongo campus with aﬃliation to the department, loving
administrative staﬀ supporting international students to live inJapan with no qualms, and the ease with which students canapproach professors being it academic or private matters, etc.
Besides, I see GraSPP as a graduate school poised to address thewoes of the failing global economic architecture. Contrary to the era
where public policies were conﬁned to speciﬁc country settings, theadvent of globalization had brought into force various intervening
factors inﬂuencing public policies globally. Globalization was
welcomed by the praise singers, mainly developed economies, withmuch optimism due to opportunities for integrated and expanded
markets, and global production networks. The censured chicaneries,
in mainly developing countries, were more circumspective due tothe fragile nature of their economies. But the crux of the matter isthat now the ramiﬁcations of globalization seem to be startling forboth developed and developing countries alike. The new global
economy is impacting tremendously on the economic policies ofboth developed and developing economies heading toward
diﬀerent forms of crisis, ranging from ﬁnancial crisis, political crisis tosovereign crisis. In fact, the global economy has gone deeper and iscalling unto the deeper, than the 18th century ideology. Thus when
the deep calls unto the deep, there must be a deep somewhere to
respond, and in fact GraSPP has positioned itself in responding to
the deep. GraSPP provides an endemic training in public policies forstudents to become able to think by themselves, nurture risk-taking
abilities and welcome diversity through courses oﬀered across law,politics and economics. The veteran professionals in the policy
forefront in economics, science and technology, energy andenvironment, development, etc., who constitute the teaching staﬀ
of GraSPP provide students with a specialized skill to enhance theirsense of critical thinking, problem solving ability and capacity toproperly investigate and interrogate policy issues around the globe
by drawing on the lessons of Japan.

Catching the glimpse of Japan When my plane ﬁrst landed in
Narita International Airport and walking through the streets of Japan
with my tutor, Akao san, I, at a point in time sighed heavily andprayed to ask God whether this nation is closer to the promisedparadise. Well, this may sound funny but not for an “African child”
who landed in Japan for the ﬁrst time. I see Japan as a nation where
economic growth had been fully decomposed to all layers of society
and people enjoy their lifestyle with the aid of state-of-art
technologies. Senior citizens are given the requisite medical support.
This makes the citizens conﬁdent in reaching old age without
qualms because they can still maintain their dignity and self-worth.
The impressive transportation system cannot be overemphasized.
A trip organized and funded by GraSPP for international students
in 2011 to Nikko, where we visited the Edo Wonderland, a historicalplace in Japan, unraveled an interesting sight that made me feelthat Africa today follows Japan in the Edo era. Japan during that era
was characterized by manually driven machines, animal power
driven agricultural equipment, low standard classrooms,
bloodsheds, etc. But through industrious attitude, imitation andcreativity, the nation metamorphosed into its current state. The
traditional culture of courtesy, non-use of outdoor shoes indoors
and limited use of derogative words seem to portray the unique
attribute of the Japanese. Notwithstanding, since there had been no
modernization without a trade-oﬀ of country's values, Japan has
gradually adopted the western style.
Japan's experience aptly demonstrates how science andtechnology, public policies and private sector initiatives could
accentuate eﬃciency and bolster resource allocation, since Japan
achieved growth and success without naturally endowed resources.
But today, Japanese policy makers seem to be in bewilderment withthe citizens doubting possible recovery and being more pessimistic
about the future path of the economy. Prolonged stagnation, risingdebt to GDP over 200%, declining birth rate coupled with aging
population, deep-seated deﬂation and historical appreciation of theyen seem to bedevil the Japanese economy. If a nation which once
experienced a “growth miracle” (coined by economists) is now
calling for reconstruction, then I say that the Japanese economy hadgone deep and is calling unto the deep. It is worth asking whether
Japan's economic growth since the 1950s was really a miracle or thepolicies (I thank Professor Takatoshi Ito, Dean of GraSPP, for his
exposition on the Japanese economy). Now that the same economy
had gone deep, and calling unto the deep, there must be deep
policies somewhere to respond.

1

M

urmurs and MusingsNo.

6

Koichi Hasegawa

Professor

Diversity

My oﬃce is on the 6th ﬂoor of the Administration Bldg. No. 2. As the closest oﬃce to the elevators, it faces
a busy hallway where GraSPP students pass through everyday. Not that I am intentionally listening, but I
hear many diﬀerent languages spoken in the hallway. Of course I hear Japanese. I also hear broken English,
ﬂuent English, Chinese, Korean, German, Spanish and many other languages which I cannot identify. Everytime I hear a foreign language, I am charmed by the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the GraSPP, and feel thehappiness of teaching here. I heard that there are foreign students from more than 30 countries andregions, accounting for over 30% of the entire student population of the GraSPP.
I participated in several international negotiations as an oﬃcial of the Ministry of Finance. In spite of thatexperience, I am surprised to ﬁnd that the diversity of the students' nationality, culture, ethnicity, language,
career background and gender diﬀerence often create an explosive dynamism during discussions in myclass. This is something I was not aware of before.
I teach the subject of foreign development aid in English. Japan's foreign aid policy seems to be suﬀeringfrom the Galapagos Syndrome of becoming isolated from world trends. Students from Asia do not appear
to feel it strange. In contrast, students from Africa or South America seem to ﬁnd it incongruous. They ask alot of questions, about which arguments erupt immediately, and the class falls into chaos. My role changes
from teacher to moderator. My lecture keeps digressing, and falling behind time.
In the beginning, I was worried about having such a chaotic class. Now I egg my students on to engage indiscussion. It is really exciting to hear such divergent opinions. As the discussion heats up, I can feel thetemperature in the classroom going up. It is the diversity that creates this powerful dynamism.
Given that, I want to urge as many of you, Japanese students, as possible to challenge this cosmopolitan
world. By the time you reach a position of leadership in society, some twenty or thirty years from now,
Japan will certainly be navigating itself through increasingly stormy waters in international society. You may
be a civil servant, or a corporate warrior, or an entrepreneur. Whatever you are, it will be impossible for you
to conﬁne yourself in the framework of Japanese history and culture and just work. Right along the hallway
you walk through everyday, there are many classes which embody this cosmopolitan society. They are
engaging in heated discussion everyday. Go knock on their doors!

Trip to

NEWSLETTER

Saga

2

Bed Raj Phuyel 2nd Year, MPP/IP
Deepak Dhakal 1st Year, MPP/IP
Suman Dahal 2nd Year, MPP/IP

Saga prefecture, which is located on northwest part of Kyushu
Island of Japan, is well-known for natural beauty, unique traditions
and historical value. We were provided the opportunity to visit thisplace in December 2012.
The purpose of this trip was mainly to observe and understandhow Saga government has been utilizing modern technologicaldevice like iPad in making the ambulance services more eﬀective. In
addition, another purpose was to observe how successfully a public
hospital in Takeo has been privatized and operated.
The oﬃce of Saga prefecture operates around 50 ambulances
which use iPads to access the hospital information database.
Through utilizing the application, they have succeeded in
shortening duration of ambulance drive. This is very praiseworthy
indeed. The ambulance worker tries to ﬁnd out the proper doctor

and hospital by accessing medical services as well as availability ofbeds in the hospital using an iPad. After that, the staﬀ contacts theconcerning hospital and takes the patient through shortest route. It
is remarkably working and getting famous all over Japan. We also
got chance to meet the planner of this operation. He is very young,gentle and very cooperative and also is being very popular throughthis innovative idea.
The visit to a private hospital in Takeo (Shin Takeo Hospital) was
also very inspiring and memorable. The hospital is well equipped,
clean, well-managed and looks like a star rated hotel. In 2009, theprefectural government decided to privatize the only public hospitalof that area and now it has drastically changed its scope andstructure. With its own helicopter ambulance and modern
equipment with highly professional medical staﬀ, this hospital isone of the best in this region.
Takeo is also famous for natural hot springs (Onsen). There are many
public as well as private hot springs around this place. We experienced
a hot spring at Takeo, which was delightful moment in our life.
During the trip, we visited some natural and historical places. We
also got chance to observe the oldest tree which was around 400
years old. The visit to Saga Shrine and Saga Castle History Museum
was also a notable event in this trip. Dinner, breakfast andaccommodation at Japanese styled hotel was very refreshing andpleasing to us. In conclusion, this trip was very enjoyable andinformative as well. We would like to thank the coordinator Ms.
Satoko Nishimura (researcher at GraSPP) and all the fellow membersof the trip for their eﬀorts on making this trip unforgettable in ourlives. We are also deeply grateful to Sompo Japan Insurance Inc. fortheir generous support on this ﬁeld trip.

13-Why a newspaper?
It all started with the Great East Japan Earthquake. I went to an aﬀected
area, and there I spent some time chatting and drinking sake with a local
man I called Pops. Pops lost his wife and daughter in the tsunami. He lost
his ﬁshing job, too. His new job was to remove debris from the sea. But
he had a really digniﬁed face. I had never seen such a noble face in mylife. Pops had to live through the unbearable tragedy, yet his face,hardened by great determination, was saying, “Ya can't give in, can ya?”Interview
No.

Having met Pops got me thinking what I'd been studying for the sakeof the national interest or “for Japan” was all about. I had only a vague
notion of the "Japanese people". I realized that I didn't have theperspective to see a “person” in the ﬂesh. I started to want to get into
work that lets me deal with a “person” with respect. I wanted to follow
the everyday living of ordinary people having an ordinary life. So I
thought of becoming a director of TV programs. I applied for a job at a TV
station but didn't get it. I quickly switched my mind oﬀ TV, and got a job
oﬀer from the newspaper for which I'm going to start working in April.
The interviewer at this company surprised me by listening to me intently.
Even when I told him in a fairly blunt manner that I no longer understood
what the national interest was, he said, “I understand.”

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO

Student-What was your reason for enrolling in the GraSPP?
Initially, I was aiming at becoming a government oﬃcial, entering the
Ministry of Foreign Aﬀairs. That's why I enrolled in the GraSPP, thinking
that I should do some study before that. Well, I've got a job oﬀer from anewspaper now.

I heard this newspaper allows its reporters a wider discretion than otherpapers. Its notable feature is that the local news section has interestingarticles. It has a large group of devoted readers in the Kansai region. It still
issues an evening edition although it stopped doing so in the Kanto
region.

Ayumi Ando
Public Management Division (2nd year)

My parents objected to my taking a newspaper job. The “work is hardand fewer people read newspapers” was their reasoning. My parents
have been running a newspaper dealership, selling all papers including
sports dailies. It is obvious the shrinking readership in the paper-based
media is aﬀecting them. They used to work late into the night on New
Year's Eve to get ready for delivery next morning. These days, they ﬁnish
so early that I'd ask “Is that it?” Because of diminishing readership, as well
as demanding 365-day working conditions, my parents decided to handover their business to someone else and close the shop at the end of thecurrent year.

-What do you think of your fellow students at the GraSPP?
They are all smart elites (laugh). I'm always reminded what a bumpkin I
am. At the same time, there are a lot of oversensitive students who are
too conscious of what other people think. It's such a waste of time to let asmall failure weigh on you as if that's the end of the world! They should
do what they want to do. I thought to myself, “If I couldn't get a job, I'dwork at doing whatever I could, even delivering newspapers.” Thatthought is still with me.
I am really grateful to my parents. I am a little bit of a contrarian who
refuses to do as told by others. My parents never demanded that I study.
They were quietly supportive when I failed my ﬁrst university entrance
exam and had to wait for another year.

(Interview and text by editor)

NEWSLETTERThe GraSPP is rather lacking in unity because of the diversity of its
people (laugh). On the other hand, it is one of its attractive aspects. It's
the place where “anything goes” and “you can do anything.”

3

GraSPP

Year
End
Party
December 14,
2012

Topical GraSPP Home Coming Day
NewsAtsuko Okamoto Legal Policy Division (2nd year)

On the Homecoming Day of October 20, 2012, I presented my report of the Tohoku Study Tour earlier in the year, on
August 1-4. I felt so honored to have had the opportunity to give my report to the current students, the alumni andthe faculty. At the social gathering that followed, many of the alumni came to me and gave me a chance to have a
lot of talk based on their thoughts of my report. While thealumni are found working as leaders in surprisingly diverse
ﬁelds, I was impressed that they generally maintained an
active interest in matters of a highly public nature. I hope tokeep cherishing such connections after graduation.

The book entitled(『日本の将来を変えるグリーン・イノベーション』) (Shunsuke Managi and Ryozo Hayashi, eds. ; Chuokeizai-Sha, Inc. ; 2012) has been published. This book is a
product of the GraSPP's study program "Business Development and Green Innovation" organized as part of the
INPEX endowed course. The environment for energy has undergone a sea change. Using keywords such as “green”
and “sustainability,” this book presents a wide range of possibilities and prescriptions from the perspective of Japan
which has a wealth of experience in tackling energy issues.

The opening line of the essay written by Evans Maka
from Ghana, quoting “When the deep calls unto thedeep...” from Psalms 42:7 of the Old Testament mademe realize that his life was built on the foundation of
Christian teachings. As Prof. Koichi Hasegawa pointed
out in his essay, students from more than 30 countries and regions
are studying at the GraSPP. Naturally, their faiths, cultures andvalues are diverse. I always discover something new when I read anessay written by a student from a foreign country I have nevervisited. It is a pleasure to ﬁnd that the editor's job comes with sucha wonderful perk! (Editor)

NEWSLETTER

Editorʼs
Postscript

4

NEWSLETTER ［Editor+publisher］GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY
No.

31

THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO

東京大学公共政策大学院［date of publication］2013. 3 . 8［design］Masahiro ABiCo

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

E-mail grasppnl@pp.u- tokyo.ac. jp

http://www.pp.u-tokyo.ac.jp