Student-organized trip to Japan an eye-opener for participants
In early winter quarter, a cohort of eight Japanese students from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and the Economics Department sent out an all-call to their classmates: come to Japan over spring break and we will arrange an unforgettable educational and cultural experience. For 28 UChicago students, the offer was too good to pass up.
On their nine-day spring break excursion, the students met with current and former leaders of Japan, including a former Prime Minister, the former Governor of the Bank of Japan, the Minister of Finance, two other Vice Ministers, and Japan’s most famous soccer player, turned businessman. The students also met UChicago alumni, visited history-laden Kyoto, and toured the tsunami disaster area.
Trip planners included six current Chicago Harris students: Atsushi Jinno, Mie Takahashi, Toshimichi Matano, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, Daisuke Seki and Makito Nishibatake; and two Economics students: Ippei Shibata and Yuto Ezure.
In meetings with the students, the high-profile figures discussed U.S.-Japan relations, the North Korean weapons threat, pathways to government work, Japanese political parties, Japan’s aging population, and Japanese history.
Juan Carlos Benitez, a first-year Chicago Harris student, found the trip insightful, saying, "I learned many things about Japan’s most pressing policy issues today, and the steps the government authorities are taking to find solutions to them."
On the first day alone, students met with Arata Takebe, MPP’03, a current member of the National Diet, Japan’s national parliament; Ms. Yukari Sato, the Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, one of Japan's most prominent top female leaders; Yoshihiko Noda, the Former Prime Minister of Japan; Takehiko Nakao, Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs; and Taro Aso, the Vice Prime Minister of Finance.
When questioned about the Ministry of Finance's strategies for overcoming Japan’s looming labor shortage due to an aging population and a slow birth rate, Aso argued that the Japanese enthusiasm for work is one way their aging population will not be as problematic as some argue.
The students also met with former governor of the Bank of Japan, Masaaki Shirakawa, AM’77, who cited Milton Friedman as a major influence in his economic training; and Japan's most famous soccer player, Hidetoshi Nakata. Now retired, Nakata is preparing to launch a high-end sake line into American markets.
The University of Chicago Alumni Club of Japan threw a welcome party for the student tour group. Neil Faust, AM'86, MBA'91, the alumni group's president, welcomed the students, along with many other alumni, who spoke to students about their impressions of Japan.
The last few days of the trip, the students traveled to Sendai to tour the tsunami disaster area. They visited a local paper plant owned by Nihon Paper, which worked diligently after the tsunami to get the plant back online and ensure the people in the region had work again as soon as possible. The students also met high school students from the tsunami region through home stays with the young students and their families.
When asked what the trip meant to the students, Jumana AlAref, a second-year Chicago Harris student, said, "this trip has taught me how beautiful the Japanese society is and how every individual strives to contribute positively to their society."
Each student had an opportunity to share his or her experiences at a final, farewell party in Osaka, where the trip attendees spent their final night.
Eric Tawney, a first-year student at Chicago Harris, provided a conclusion for his experiences: "I intend to take back from this trip a knowledge and respect for Japan, its leaders and its culture. There is no doubt that Japan is in the midst of incredible change. Because of this trip, I was able to feel that energy in the country and will take that experience back with me."
--Lindsay Haymes
