April 2025
Congratulations on your admission to the Graduate School of Public Policy (GraSPP).
This April, we are delighted to welcome 80 professional students (including 3 double degree students), 2 PhD students and 4 exchange students.
I would like to welcome you all and share with you our vision of the kind of people we hope you will become when you complete your studies. Last year, GraSPP celebrated its 20th anniversary and redefined its mission. After discussions with faculty, staff and students, we defined our mission as the improvement of public policy. To achieve this, we decided that on the teaching side, we would aim to train leaders in public policy, and on the research side, we would propose better public policy through scholarly research.
The traditional way to develop a career in public policy is to work for Kasumigaseki, local governments, international organisations or public financial institutions, but in recent years, collaboration between the public and private sectors, or public-private partnerships, has become important in solving various problems such as environmental issues, regional social issues and economic issues in the Global South. Public-private partnerships are becoming increasingly important in solving a variety of problems, including environmental, community and economic issues in the Global South. Reflecting this trend, more and more people are entering various fields in the private sector, including consulting firms, think tanks, infrastructure companies, energy companies and financial institutions.
In addition to those who go into traditional academia, the number of PhD graduates who go directly into the world of practice, including international organisations, is gradually increasing. It is a characteristic of GraSPP, as a professional graduate school, that it trains people to go into a variety of careers in this way. Whatever sector you choose to enter, as a graduate of the University of Tokyo Graduate School, you will be expected to take on leadership roles from an early age.
In addition, the majority of graduates from the University of Tokyo, regardless of the field they enter, are expected to be involved in international affairs in a very natural way. Developing people who can work naturally in an international environment is the area where the University of Tokyo and other top Japanese universities have failed the most, and I think it is fair to say that this is the greatest challenge facing university education in Japan.
According to the 2024 Global Competitiveness Ranking by IMD, a leading Swiss business school, the University of Tokyo ranks 65th out of 67 countries in terms of “depth of competent managers” and 66th in terms of “language skills to meet corporate needs”. In my personal experience, I have met many ministry officials who attend international conferences and do not speak at all. When I say this, some people protest that it is not enough to speak English, but this is a matter of course. It is obvious that a person who has graduated from the University of Tokyo cannot properly perform the work expected of him or her if he or she cannot speak English.
Now that I’ve talked about the dark side, the good news for all of you is that GraSPP is the most radical educational institution attempting to overcome the problems facing the University of Tokyo. However, in order to take full advantage of the educational opportunities we offer, you need to make some significant changes in your mindset.
First of all, I think you should change your attitude that it is enough to do well in Japan. Japan’s population is expected to decline in the future, and competition for young people is expected to slow down, but Japan as a whole may gradually lose its presence in the international community. It will become inevitable that Japan will have to get along well with other countries, including those in the Global South, such as Asia, Africa and South America, which are experiencing remarkable growth. We hope to train people who can provide leadership in such a global arena.
So what are the elements of good leadership when it comes to the international community?
There are three elements. These are a solid knowledge of one’s field of expertise, soft skills such as leadership and negotiation, and a command of English as the lingua franca for people of different nationalities working together. These three factors are multiplied to determine the qualities of a leader in the international community.
Firstly, knowledge of specialised fields such as political science, economics and international relations, and the ability to think about the issues at hand from these disciplines and to share these ideas with others. Thinking on the basis of these disciplines is the basis for logical thinking that can be shared across countries, and this is a fundamental skill.
Then, skills such as leadership, which teaches what it means to work in a team, and negotiation, which is necessary for team building, will enable you to take a meta-view of the work you are doing and understand the considerations you need to make when working with others. Finally, to work with people from different backgrounds, you need to be able to understand the needs of others.
Finally, to work with people from different backgrounds, you need English language skills. If you can balance these skills, you will have the opportunity to take on leadership roles in international situations. Skills are something that can be developed, unlike innate abilities. I, therefore, hope that you will make effective use of the various opportunities offered by GraSPP to acquire these skills and complete your studies.
GraSPP is half international students and half of the classes are taught in English, with many classes emphasizing discussions and presentations in English. The School also offers a variety of seminars in both English and Japanese, internships at international organizations, exchange programs, and a double degree program that allows students to earn a master’s degree from a foreign university within a two and a half year period.
Double degree programs are offered with 9 prestigious universities in the world, and including semester-long exchange programs, we have agreements with 15 universities around the world. The added value of the education offered by GraSPP varies greatly depending on whether you can take full advantage of these opportunities, but if you want to take advantage of these opportunities, the only way is to acquire English proficiency. If any of you have not yet reached a TOEFL score of 100, I would like you to start by studying for the exam so that you can take advantage of the various educational institutions offered by GraSPP. Then, I would like you to follow the classes where you will have discussions and presentations in English to the end. For those of you who have received your education in Japan up to this point, this may be difficult and your pride may be hurt, but you have been selected as people of high caliber, so I hope you will not give up and work hard. You may be able to complete your studies without overcoming this hurdle, but no matter what career path you take, sooner or later, you will face this obstacle. Either way, if you are going to do it, the sooner you do it, the better your future will be.
Now that I have told you that I want you to complete the programme with a good balance of subject knowledge, social skills and English language skills, let me explain why you must become such a person. I know this may sound a little exaggerated, but there are many social problems in the world that, if not solved, will lead to the misery of many people, if not the extinction of the human race. These include global warming, the fragmentation of the international community as represented by tariff hikes, wars and regional conflicts, and the ageing of the population and financial sustainability in developed countries. International cooperation is essential to solve these problems, and we need people who can work in the international arena.
When faced with these problems, most people assume that someone else will solve them. William James, an American philosopher, educator and religious scholar active in the second half of the 20th century, argued that between these two attitudes lies the entire course of human moral evolution. Between these two attitudes lies the entire course of human moral evolution. Given that GraSPP is the product of an ambitious plan to educate this rare breed of person, the standard of excellence required of you is also high. I sincerely hope that you will acquire the skills to live up to these expectations.
With this, I congratulate you. Once again, I congratulate you all on your enrolment. I wish you all the very best.
Daiji Kawaguchi, Dean
Graduate School of Public Policy, The University of Tokyo