On the morning of Wednesday, May 14, 2025, the Tokyo Foundation received an unexpected but welcome phone call. Mikel Jauregi Letemendia, a 1998 Sylff fellow from the University of Deusto and currently Minister of Industry, Energy Transition, and Sustainability in the Basque Government of Spain, wished to stop by for a courtesy visit and word of thanks.

At the Foundation’s office, Jauregi was warmly received by Sylff Association Chairman Yohei Sasakawa and Tokyo Foundation President Mieko Nakabayashi.

Basque Minister Mikel Jauregi being welcomed by Sylff Association Chairman Yohei Sasakawa.

Appointed to his ministerial post under the Imanol Pradales administration in June 2024, Minister Jauregi was in Japan as part of an economic cooperation initiative rooted in the 2019 Memorandum of Understanding between the Basque Government and Fukushima Prefecture to promote collaboration in renewable energy.

During the visit, he reflected on his longstanding ties with Japan through the Sylff community. He participated in a Sylff Regional Forum in the early 2000s and was a member of the Sylff Fellows Council, through which he visited Japan and developed a deep appreciation for its culture—especially memorable were his experiences in Hakone.

Professionally, Jauregi built a distinguished career in the private energy sector, working with firms such as PwC, BP, and Centrica, and was based in London before receiving a call from the Basque Government to take up the ministerial post—a request he accepted in part out of a sense of gratitude for the support he received as a Sylff fellow.

As Minister, Jauregi has focused on strengthening partnerships between the Basque Government and industrial clusters, technology centers, and private-sector firms to enhance the region’s economic competitiveness. In October 2024, he led a delegation to Japan and Taiwan to showcase the Basque Country’s capabilities in industry, technology, and innovation.

“Sylff played a major role in shaping who I am,” he said during the visit. “Now, I want to use my experience to give back to society.”

The Sylff Association secretariat was honored by Minister Jauregi’s visit and proud to see a former fellow embodying Sylff’s mission through a life of professional excellence and public service.

The Sylff Association secretariat was honored to welcome Jozef Tancer and Lucia Vilcekova of Comenius University in Bratislava on April 24. Their visit was part of a broader delegation of nearly 50 Slovak academics organized by the Slovak Ministry of Education, Research, Development, and Youth to deepen and forge new ties with Japanese institutions.

Tancer is the vice-rector for international relations at Comenius and chair of the university’s Sylff steering committee. A noted expert in German language and history, he also heads the Department of German, Dutch, and Scandinavian Studies in the Faculty of the Arts. Vilcekova is the vice-dean for international relations in the Faculty of Management.

In addition to visiting the Tokyo Foundation, they also met with various academic and institutional partners in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hiroshima.

Comenius University Vice-Rector Jozef Tancer, seated right, and Lucia Vilcekova, along with members of the Sylff Association secretariat.

Comenius University is a new scheme Sylff institution, providing fellowships to full-time PhD students in the Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Management, and Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences. The fellowships are primarily used to support international research, conference attendance, and publication in peer-reviewed academic journals—all of which are critical for building academic credibility during doctoral training.

“Many of our Slovak students look for mobility opportunities abroad, even if just for one semester,” says Tancer. “One of the advantages of our faculty is that we offer around 60 courses each semester in English, including full degree program, which makes it easy for us to receive students from abroad.”

Vilčeková adds that Sylff helps students to showcase their research on international platforms: “Even when their research is focused on domestic issues, it would be a pity if their findings are known only in Slovakia.”

Comenius is also making efforts to attract more foreign students, which is particularly important given Slovakia’s relatively small size—its total population is roughly one-third that of Tokyo. Tancer believes that international exchange and multilingualism are essential to a well-rounded education.

“In the past, being able to read English, German, and French was part of what it meant to be an educated person.” He notes, however, that the COVID-19 pandemic had an alarming impact on students’ well-being. “Many PhD students became isolated, and around 30 to 40 percent reported mental health issues. Even after returning to campus, many struggled with in-person lectures, discussions, and workshops.”

This shift has also affected communication skills. “When we hire new staff in my department, we often ask candidates to make a short phone call. For many young people, that can be a real challenge—they’re used to writing emails or texting messages but not speaking directly.”

Despite these challenges, Comenius continues to cultivate globally minded scholars and professionals. Past Sylff fellows from the university have gone on to distinguished careers in politics, government, academia, the private sector, and civil society. One such fellow is Milan Šagát (2005), managing director of ČERVENÝ NOS Clowndoctors, an organization that uses the art of clowning to support the emotional well-being of hospitalized children and seniors.

©ČERVENÝ NOS Clowndoctors

The Sylff Association secretariat applauds Comenius University’s commitment to internationalization, multilingual education, and student well-being. These efforts reflect the core values of the Sylff Mission: to nurture leaders who transcend differences in language, nationality, and political systems to bring about positive social change in global society and the local community.

On Aprill 22, the Sylff Association secretariat had the honor of welcoming two distinguished visitors from INSEAD, a globally renowned business school, during their visit to Tokyo as part of their relationship building efforts in Japan.

Ben M. Bensaou, professor in technology management and Asian business and comparative management, and John Wei Zheng, associate director of INSEAD’s Asia Campus, were in Tokyo to engage with the institute’s many influential alumni in the Japanese business community and to meet with partner institutions and foundations.

INSEAD’s Ben Bensaou, left, and John Wei Zheng at the Tokyo Foundation’s office.

Bensaou emphasized the significant role fellowship programs can play in career development, drawing from his own experience as a Rotary International fellowship recipient in 1981. He visited Japan under the scholarship—an opportunity, he says, that “completely changed my life.” Now fluent in Japanese, he went on to earn an MA in management science from Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo and has also taught at Aoyama Gakuin University and Keio Business School.

He also highlighted the value of having alumni with diverse expertise in different regions around the world. “This broad network helps people to support each other in becoming even better leaders in their fields,” he explained.  

Zheng, meanwhile, noted that INSEAD has close to a thousand alumni in Japan, including prominent figures like Tsunehiro Nakayama, former chairman of Merrill Lynch Japan and current chairman of the highly esteemed Tokyo Club, and Satoshi Koyama, senior vice-president and chief operating officer for mineral resources at Mitsubishi Corp., who serves as president of the alumni association.

“We hope to leverage the strong networks these alumni have in the Japanese business community to boost INSEAD’s profile here,” Zheng added. “Like Sylff, we prioritize staying connected with our alumni, meeting with them, and inviting faculty to speak at alumni association meetings.”

Bensaou served as the keynote speaker at this year’s INSEAD alumni event, which followed the meeting at the Tokyo Foundation. He shared valuable insights on how to build continuous innovation into the fabric of an organization—be it in the private sector or civil society. His lecture drew on material from his critically acclaimed 2021 book Built to Innovate, whose Japanese translation was just published in February.

The Sylff Association secretariat shares INSEAD’s enthusiasm for actively engaging with alumni, recognizing that the leadership demonstrated by fellows in addressing social issues best demonstrates and enhances the value of a Sylff fellowship.

Bensaou presents a signed, Japanese-translation copy of "Built to Innovate" to the Sylff secretariat staff.

The Sylff Association secretariat had the pleasure of reconnecting with Michelle Sadler (University of Chile, 2003) during her visit to the Tokyo Foundation on April 15. Currently a professor at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez in Chile and director of the Chilean Observatory of Obstetric Violence, Sadler blends her academic work with her advocacy in civil society, focusing on maternal and reproductive health and rights.

A participant in Sylff’s Visit Japan Program in 2004, Sadler toured various birth centers across Japan—a transformative experience that “profoundly changed my understanding of childbirth models,” she recalls. “What I witnessed contrasted with my limited exposure to Chilean public maternities and sparked a lifelong passion for maternal health and rights. I remain deeply committed to this cause over twenty years later.”

Today, Sadler resides in Athens, Greece, tutoring PhD students and teaching master-level classes online, as well as conducting research. Having completed a Chilean-government-funded project on HIV last year, she is currently focused on examining issues related to breast cancer. Yet, as she emphasizes, “My chief interest has always been childbirth.”

Michelle Sadler, right, and her husband Panagiotis Gatsos during their visit to the Tokyo Foundation.

A Call for Compassionate Care

Childbirth is a profound experience that is fundamental to human survival and deserving of both reverence and compassion, yet it is often reduced to a clinical procedure. “In many cases, women in labor are forced to lie on their backs, connected to fetal monitors, and aren’t allowed to move freely,” Sadler explains. “Their discomfort and fears are frequently dismissed with comments like, ‘It won’t hurt that much’ or ‘Don’t be a complainer.’ This can be said to be a form of obstetric violence.”

Sadler notes that many women, dissatisfied with their birth experience due to disrespect and mistreatment, have sought alternatives by establishing birth centers that embrace midwifery and wellness models. These centers, she believes, are ideal for those who prefer a natural, low-intervention approach to childbirth, including natural pain management techniques. In contrast, hospitals are more suited to mothers requiring a wider range of medical interventions, such as C-sections or epidurals.

Sadler, center, flanked by daughters Eleni to her left and Sofia, stopped by the Foundation during a family trip to Japan.

“Mothers need to be supported in both their physical care and their bonding with their babies,” Sadler asserts. “Unfortunately, during the pandemic, some were isolated from their kids for days to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Xenophobia, especially in the wake of increased migration from countries like Colombia and Venezuela, has also contributed to mistreatment, particularly of migrant women. These women, who were sometimes unfairly suspected of belonging to drug cartels because of their tattoos, were treated as incapable of caring for their infants. This is a clear violation of human rights.”

Addressing Obstetric Violence in Chile

In addition to her academic and research work, Sadler founded the Chilean Observatory of Obstetric Violence, a small team of professionals—including experts in law, journalism, midwifery, and psychology—who, alongside graduate students, volunteer their time to address issues in maternal health and rights.

“We raise awareness through media columns, public forums, and advocating for legislation that promotes a more holistic approach to maternal care,” Sadler explains. “But our most important work is offering direct support to women who are struggling with the system and need professional assistance.”

The Observatory provides counseling, legal advice, and access to health professionals for women who face barriers to the care they seek, often in hospitals that do not accommodate their needs. “While our funding is limited, we have a strong network,” Sadler says. “Our goal is to ensure that every woman who reaches out to us finds a solution to the challenges she is facing.”

The Sylff Association secretariat is proud of Sadler’s critical work to promote maternal health and rights. Her unwavering dedication to improving maternal care is an inspiring example of the power of combining academic expertise with social engagement.

We are always eager to meet Sylff fellows and other Sylff Association members from around the world. If you are in town, please be sure to let us know, and we would be thrilled to welcome you to our office.

The Sylff Association secretariat was delighted to welcome Justin Lesniak (University of California, San Diego, 2017–19) to the Tokyo Foundation’s office on April 9 during the final leg of his two-month trip to several Asian countries.

He had just completed a four-year tenure as a research analyst at the International Monetary Fund, where he supported the Fund’s engagement with Honduras and El Salvador and ensured the data integrity of country statistics for the World Economic Outlook database.

It was during his childhood in Los Angeles that Lesniak first developed an interest in international development. “We started learning about US history in fifth grade and were taught about how great the US was,” he recalls. “But I wondered why other countries, including smaller ones, can’t be great like the US? This question stuck with me, and I wanted to understand how the economy works and how politics could be made better to help people. It’s all connected.”

Spending six months in Chile as an exchange student during his undergraduate years deepened his interest in Latin America. “The country is like a poster child for free-market economics,” he explains. “After Pinochet seized power in a military coup in 1973, the country implemented free-market policies with the help of US economists from the University of Chicago.

“They privatized everything, and growth took off,” he added, “but this created inequality and other political problems. The dictatorship also persecuted its political opponents, leading to mass disappearances. But what’s fascinating is that in the end, Pinochet stepped down as president in 1990 after losing a democratic election. Usually, this never happens in a dictatorship.”

Lesniak worked as a consultant for the World Bank in the Office of the Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean before earning a master of international affairs in 2019 at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy. And although he had hoped to work for the US government following his time at the IMF, those prospects are now diminished due to recent cuts to federal personnel under the current US administration.

“I had an interview with USAID just two days before the decision to shut down operations there,” he says. “Now, I’m glad things didn’t work out because it would’ve been like ‘you’re hired’ one minute and ‘you’re fired’ the next. After the presidential election in November, I thought this might be a good time to travel, since the job market might not be that good in DC, and that turned out to be correct.

“So, I’m really happy to be here,” he said in looking back on his first visit to Asia that also took him to Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. “I’ve been visiting friends, and it’s been really eye-opening because there are so many differences from one country to the next. But I’m still thinking about what comes next. I might go back to international development or maybe do more fieldwork and something on the ground.”

As he contemplates his career options, will he consider returning to academia? “Probably not. I’ve debated doing a PhD in economics, but I guess I’m more interested in ‘real work’ with tangible impact, rather than just working with theoretical models.”

At the moment, he is thinking of exploring how climate change may alter seasonal trading patterns and affect what can be produced where. “After all,” he smiles, “I’d like to keep drinking coffee!”

Historian Evgeniy Kandilarov (Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski,” 2003), who is currently a visiting professor at Sophia University in Tokyo, was a featured speaker at a March 19 event celebrating the Japanese translation of his book detailing over a century of Japan-Bulgarian exchange and friendship.

The book, originally published in Bulgarian in 2019 as Bulgaria and Japan: Politics, Diplomacy, Personalities, and Events, was co-authored by Kandilarov and career diplomat Vera Vutova-Stefanova. It details the very long and surprisingly rich history of bilateral ties, which officially began in 1909, just one year after Bulgaria’s independence from the Ottoman Empire. The relationship continued to evolve even during the Cold War.

The cover of the Japanese translation of Kandilarov’s book.

“EXPO ’70 in Osaka was a major factor in strengthening the postwar relationship, despite differences in the two countries’ political systems,” Kandilarov noted. “Prime Minister Todor Zhivkov became the first East Bloc leader to visit the Expo site and meet with Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato. Bulgarians saw Japan as a technologically and economically advanced country, and many Expo visitors were highly impressed with the large-scale Bulgarian pavilion,” an exhibition that some argue contributed to the popularization of Bulgarian yogurt in Japan.

“By the mid-1970s, major Japanese trading houses and manufacturers like Mitsubishi Corp., Mitsui & Co., and Fujitsu had set up offices in Bulgaria,” he added. “The decade of deepening friendship culminated in an October 1979 visit to Bulgaria by then Crown Prince [now Emperor Emeritus] Akihito.”

Despite the geographical distance and apparent differences between the two countries, some writers in Japan have described Bulgarians as the “Japanese of the Balkans.” This affinity may stem from a feeling that both people are not only hardworking but also excellent soldiers and fearless fighters.

The book-launch event took place at the Diplomatic Archives Exhibition Room of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. It was organized by the Bulgarian Embassy in Tokyo with the support of the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Japan-Bulgaria Society.

Evgeniy Kandilarov makes a presentation as Bulgarian Ambassador Arabadjieva, right, and Diplomatic Archives Director Yamamoto look on.

Other noted speakers included Bulgarian Ambassador to Japan Marieta Arabadjieva, Diplomatic Archives Director Hideaki Yamamoto, Bulgarian history expert Junko Sugahara who translated the book into Japanese, and Director General Akiko Igaya of the Japan-Bulgaria Society.

In recognition of his academic achievements and his role in fostering deeper understanding between Japan and Bulgaria, Kandilarov was awarded a Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendation during a ceremony at Sofia University in April 2023. He had previously received a Certificate of Honor from the Japanese Ambassador in September 2015 for his contributions to introducing Japan in Bulgaria as a researcher, lecturer, and author.

The Sylff Association secretariat was pleased to welcome Chris Bush and Jan Tristan Gaspi from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, on March 26, 2025, as the very first visitors to our new office in Toranomon, Tokyo.

Bush is the executive director of the Institute for Business Innovation at Berkeley-Haas, and Gaspi is IBI’s associate director for finance and operations.

Berkeley-Haas implements a highly successful Sylff program, having disbursed some $200,000 in tuition support to six PhD students in AY2023–24, five of whom completed their dissertations. Sylff continues to be the most prestigious and generous fellowships available to graduate students at the Haas School of Business.

Jan Tristan Gaspi, right, and Chris Bush of UC Berkeley with members of the Sylff Association secretariat.

In addition to visiting the Tokyo Foundation, Bush and Gaspi met with many partners of UC Berkeley’s SkyDeck accelerator program while in Japan, including the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), major businesses, and universities.

Beyond SkyDeck, Berkeley-Haas also runs an Entrepreneurship Program that, for example, collaborates with Tohoku University to train top startups from the Sendai region in Lean Launch methodology. Haas has also hosted leading Japanese companies at the Berkeley Innovation Forum to explore building their innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems.

The Sylff Association secretariat will begin accepting applications for Sylff Research Grant (SRG) and Sylff Leadership Initiatives (SLI) for fiscal 2025 (April 2025 to March 2026) in May 2025. 

 As previously announced in February, several changes have been made to the two support programs this year. For those interested in applying, please carefully read through the Call for Application for each program and prepare your applications in time for the preliminary application period, which will begin on May 15, 2025.  

 The Calls for Application for the two programs are linked below.  

SRG: https://www.sylff.org/support_programs/srg/ 

SLI: https://www.sylff.org/support_programs/sli/ 

We look forward to launching our support programs for fiscal 2025 and to receiving applications for insightful research and innovative social initiatives. 

The Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research, which serves as the Sylff Association secretariat, is pleased to announce that Executive Director for Policy Research Mieko Nakabayashi has been named our new President. We have also relocated to a new office and have shortened our official name to the “Tokyo Foundation.”

Former President Izumi Kadono will remain at the Foundation in the capacity of an Advisor. The changes, as detailed below, came into effect on April 1, 2025.

The Tokyo Foundation was established in 1997 as an independent, not-for-profit think tank to examine critical issues confronting society; undertake rigorous, evidence-based policy research; and offer a range of policy options in pioneering paths to a brighter future. It also cultivates broadminded, socially engaged future leaders, both in Japan and overseas, in helping build a better society for all.

The new name is actually the one we used before 2018. We have decided to reembrace our roots in an attempt to clarify our mission, elucidate our vision, and reinforce our core values.

We hope that these changes will lead to fuller engagement with all our stakeholders in the Sylff community.

New name: The Tokyo Foundation (a public-interest incorporated foundation)
New address: The Sasakawa Peace Foundation Bldg. 5F, 1-15-16 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001 Japan
New president: Mieko Nakabayashi
Phone: +81-3-5797-8402 (unchanged)
URL: https://www.tokyofoundation.org (unchanged)
Access (nearest stations)

Toranomon Station (Ginza Line): 1-min. walk from Exit 2b, 4, or 12
Toranomon Hills Station (Hibiya Line): 4-min. walk from Exit B1 or A2
Kasumigaseki Station (Chiyoda, Hibiya, and Marunouchi Lines): 5-min. walk from Exit A12
JR Shinbashi Station: 10-min. walk from Hibiya exit

The Sylff Association Secretariat is pleased to announce that 48 fellows have been selected as awardees of the Sylff Research Grant (SRG) for fiscal 2024 (April 2024–March 2025).

The awards were made to support a diverse range of activities during doctoral and early postdoctoral research, including data collection, hiring of research assistants, conducting of domestic and international fieldwork, and outsourcing of tasks requiring specialized knowledge or skills.

We received numerous outstanding applications for research in a wide range of disciplines. Particularly noteworthy were proposals addressing pressing social issues like human rights, access to education, and climate resilience.

For fellows interested in applying for SRG in fiscal 2025, the call for applications will be updated in April. Please note that there will be some changes to the activities eligible for support under the program, so we encourage you to stay informed.

To learn how SRG has supported impactful research in the past, we invite you to explore the Voices from the Sylff Community section that features articles about previous recipients and their projects.

Congratulations to all the awardees! We hope the research conducted through this grant will yield meaningful outcomes for both the fellows and society. The profiles of the 48 awardees and their research topics are available at: List of SRG Awardees FY2024.

You may find their Sylff profiles at: https://www.sylff.org/fellows/?p=SRG