2022/2023
(February 27, 2023) First on-site Annual General Meeting of Eikoku Akamon Gakuyu-kai in London since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic
Eikoku Akamon Gakuyu-kai, the UTokyo alumni association in the UK, held its first on-site Annual General Meeting (AGM) since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic on the 22nd of February, 2023. The AGM had been conducted online during the pandemic since 2020. Nearly 100 attendees, including students who were visiting London from Tokyo under the University’s “Hands-on Activity (Taiken Katsudou) Program,” gathered at the Watermen’s Hall in the City of London.
Mr. Hiroyuki Uehara, President of the Eikoku Akamonkai, made an opening remark, followed by a toast.
A message from Professor Teruo Fujii, the President of UTokyo, to celebrate the first on-site AGM since 2020 was also presented.
All the participants enjoyed the opportunity to catch up and network face-to-face at the event which was far larger than the casual pub gatherings and golf events which are also arranged by Eikoku Akamon Gakuyu-kai.
(February 21, 2023) A new alumni network has been launched in Washington, D.C.
Despite the large number of UTokyo alumni in the district, Washington, D.C., the national capital of the United States, has long suffered from the lack of a UTokyo alumni network, although some alumni in the area have continued to host a study tour group of current students under the UTokyo Hands-on Activity Programs every summer.
However, the study tour in summer 2022, which was organized in an in-person format for the first time since the pandemic, reminded the hosting alumni of the joy of getting together with other alumni. With this inspiration in mind, they quickly launched a listserve as a communication platform among the alumni, and then organized the first get-together event (a happy hour) in November at a pub in D.C.
The listserve attracted as many as 100 alumni in the area in a few months, of which over 40 joined the in-person happy hour where the participants enjoyed discovering new people as well as reuniting with old friends.
They recently launched a bilingual website so that those who are moving to the D.C. area can join the network and benefit from their great alumni. The next happy hour is slated to be held in spring 2023.
The participants and hosts of 2022 UTokyo study tour program together with the graduate students of Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies, Johns Hopkins University
(February 15, 2023) UTokyo Vice President Atsushi Tsuda gives talk titled “University of Tokyo and athletics: How can sports ‘improve’ the entire University?”
On January 27, 2023, Prof. Atsushi Tsuda, Executive Director and Vice President of the University of Tokyo, gave a talk titled, “University of Tokyo and athletics: How can sports ‘improve’ the entire University?”. The event was co-sponsored by Satsuki-kai America and Friends of UTokyo. A total of 30 participants from the U.S. and Japan attended the event, including many alumni who were members of sports teams/clubs (“Undo-bu”and ”Doko-kai”) during their undergraduate years. The gathering was hugely successful with a lively discussion.
First, Mr. Kenichi Kawamoto, President of JETRO New York, who was a member of the track and field team at UTokyo and remains an avid marathon runner to this day, made opening remarks. He was followed by Prof. Tsuda who spoke for about 40 minutes after which he fielded questions and comments from the panel and audience.
Arguing that athletics have great potential for multifaceted growth at the University of Tokyo, Prof. Tsuda focused mainly on five points: 1) The current state of athletics at UTokyo; 2) The University’s relationships with sports team/club alumni; 3) Promoting the development of athletics at UTokyo; 4) Presenting the research findings of the UTokyo Sports Science Initiative (UTSSI), including the “FUSION” concept and cooperation with local communities; and 5) The improvement and outreach activities of sports at UTokyo.
Following Vice President Tsuda’s presentation1, panelists including UTokyo swim team alumnus, Takeshi Komoto (Google Japan G.K.), and UTokyo volleyball team alumnus, Yasuhiko Takanashi (Kyoto Sangyo University), spoke about their personal experiences with UTokyo athletics and addressed the following topics:
Komoto: 1) My motives for joining the team; 2) The benefits of joining a sports team/club; and 3) What should be done to invigorate athletics at UTokyo.
Takanashi: 1) The importance of setting a goal to strengthen sports at UTokyo; 2) The need to publicize/share UTSSI findings with the outside world; 3) Future topics such as bringing sports science researchers in contact with athletes on the field.
In the Q&A session that followed the presentation and panel discussion, interesting questions were raised and a lively exchange ensued as many of the participants had played an active part in sports while at UTokyo. Below are excerpts from the discussion.
Q: What is your thought about setting a concrete goal for strengthening athletics at UTokyo?
Tsuda: Setting a goal to promote sports at UTokyo is a frequent topic of discussion for the University, and continues to be so as it is a highly complex issue. Some reasons for its complexity include the fact that there are many stakeholders in the University, and there is no department that coordinates sports at the University. However, this is an issue that needs solving, and the fact that discussion has commenced over the need for a “UTokyo Sports Charter” is already a huge step. With the “UTokyo Sports Charter,” it is our expectation that setting a goal for promoting and supporting sports at UTokyo will be possible.
Q: Do you have any thoughts on training elite athletes at UTokyo?
Tsuda: When considering the brand/mission of UTokyo, training elite athletes should NOT be the priority. However, since contributions to society by UTokyo alumni are of the utmost importance and given that the social influence of UTokyo is significant, the University plans to give wide and balanced support for sports activities on campus.
Q: Please tell us about sports science at UTokyo and its contribution to society.
Tsuda: UTSSI was established to be the internationally preeminent center for sports science research. Providing support for competitions and strengthening teams are not the only purpose of this research facility. Through sports science research and development, the center aims to explore a wide variety of ways to contribute to society such as through improving public health on a community level and promoting the well-being of the elderly and/or disabled.
Lastly, Mr. Kenichi Sugiyama (former general manager of the External Relations Division of the University of Tokyo), who was a member of the University’s American football team and the General Section for Athletic Affairs during his undergraduate years at UTokyo, gave the following closing remarks:
Until this discussion, I was largely unaware of Prof. Tsuda’s commitment to athletic matters. However, I now see that his enthusiasm for the development of athletics at the University is clearly demonstrated by his proposal to create a “Charter on University of Tokyo Athletics.” His discussion today clearly explained the University’s policies and stance in this area. As an alumnus, I appreciate the contribution of the University to wider society as well as the latter’s support for the former. Reflecting on FUTI’s accomplishments/activities, I realize the enormous impact of the contribution of its benefactor, Mr. Chihiro Kanagawa, (formerly Chairman of Shin-etsu Chemistry, Ltd.) who passed away in January 2023 2. Just as he did, we must also endeavor to support the development of our alma mater.
After the lecture and dialogue, many of the participants remained to continue the stimulating discussion. The hosts of the event commented, “On top of thanking all the participants, it would bring us great joy if this event, with the support of UTokyo alumni, becomes an impetus for societal progress through sports and further invigorates UTokyo.”
Friends of UTokyo/Satsuki-kai America Event Team
1 A presentation by one of the panelists, Masako Osako, was not given due to time running out. For those interested in seeing the slide presentation, “What does it take to rally a university through sports? A venture by the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) University-wide 5K,” please contact satsukiamerika@gmail.com.
2 See Dr. Chihiro Kanagawa’s obituary (FUTI link here).
https://www.friendsofutokyo.org/dr-chihiro-kanagawa-important-supporter-and-benefactor-of-futi-passes-away/
Endnote: Translated by the Event Team. For the original article approved by the lecturer, please refer to the Japanese version.
(December 7, 2022) Lecture by Mr. Hayato Kume, First Secretary of the Embassy of Japan in the USA, Entitled “Japan’s Coronavirus Policies as Seen from My Perspective Gained in the United States” Held, hosted by Satsukikai America of D.C. and New York and co-hosted by Friends of UTokyo
On November 4, 2022, Mr. Hayato Kume (UTokyo alumnus), First Secretary of the Embassy of Japan in the USA, gave a talk titled “Japan’s Coronavirus Policies as Seen from My Perspective Gained in the United States.” This event was hosted by Satsukikai America of D.C. and New York and co-hosted by Friends of UTokyo. The lecture was lively and attended by 26 participants from the US and Japan representing various backgrounds.
In 2006, Mr. Kume joined the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare in Japan. During his tenure at the Ministry, he worked in a wide range of areas, including healthcare policies, policies for disabled people and reforms in employment regulations. After serving as Deputy Director of the Ministry’s Headquarters for COVID-19 Response, in September 2020, he was placed in charge of the department overseeing COVID-19 and global health as the First Secretary of the Embassy of Japan in the USA. In this lecture, he shared his own experience serving in the Headquarters for the COVID-19 Response in Japan and his reflections on Japan’s coronavirus policies after observing the US coronavirus policies on a first-hand basis. Using a slide presentation, he covered the following five main topics: 1) a statistical comparison of Japan with other G7 countries regarding coronavirus infection numbers and rates of vaccination, 2) the circumstances surrounding the Japanese government’s initial response to the pandemic, 3) the conflict in prioritizing the economy or medical resources, 4) the Japanese government’s progress from vaccine procurement to inoculation of the population, and 5) discoveries made in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
Many participants shared their thoughts on the lecture including: I was glad to learn the carefully planned strategies of the Japanese government’s coronavirus response,” “[Mr. Kume] shed light on why the positive developments in Japan were not publicized abroad and how the situation can be improved,” and “I was truly glad to hear the stories of those who worked so hard on the frontlines during the coronavirus pandemic.”
Many of the participants, which included FUTI Vice-President Dr. Yuichiro Kuwama, were experts in medical fields, public health or pharmaceutical studies. This mix in the audience resulted in a Q&A session with thought-provoking discussions and lively exchange of opinions.
(Participant) I would like to ask your views on policies/perspectives or methods on the pandemic response that the US, Japan and other countries would benefit from utilizing.
(Kume) Early on in Japan’s response to the new corona-virus, fortunately or unfortunately, a team of specialists was placed on the Diamond Princess cruise ship to manage the situation and studied the characteristics of the coronavirus (including asymptomatic infections and aerosol transmission). Their discoveries that were made early on in the pandemic helped Japan to form policies later on. Moreover, drawing on their prior experience of the “novel” influenza and SARS virus, the Japanese government was able to quickly institute the system of retrospective tracing firmly in place in respect to infection recognition, testing, and isolation. Also, Japan can take pride in its ability to plan countermeasures that are sensitive to regional characteristics because of the unique public health centers in each region. On the other hand, the US had an advantage in that the government and private sector have been investing in and working on a vaccine even before the coronavirus pandemic, so that the quick development and implementation of a highly effective vaccine was possible. Compared to other countries, vaccine development was delayed in Japan due to a higher level of vaccine hesitancy and past experience of lawsuits that caused many pharmaceutical companies to withdraw from vaccine development. I believe that this issue will be a topic for discussion in Japan going forward.
(Participant) In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, restaurants in the US ceased operation, but in Japan restaurants only shortened the business hours. Please share with us your thoughts on this matter.
(Kume) In Japan, measures such as the closing of restaurants were not imposed. However, I believe that the measures taken by Japan, including the establishment of giving detailed guidelines to help mitigate the spread of infections such as shortening business hours, limiting the number of customers allowed to enter the facility, and limiting the alcohol supply had a solid effect. As I discussed in my presentation, finding a balance between economic and public health needs was essential, and these are difficult decisions.
(Participant) Early on in Japan, the HPV vaccine (cervical cancer vaccine) inoculation rate was low, but I have heard that because of the widespread practice/implementation of COVID vaccination, the resistance to vaccines more generally has been reduced and the HPV vaccine inoculation rate has gone up. What do you think?
(Kume) As the COVID wave peaked, the public’s scientific literacy about vaccines in general has gone up, and I think it shows great progress that the HPV vaccine inoculation rate has accelerated. However, I should caution that vaccines have to contend with efficacy and safety since vaccines can have widely different effects on individuals. Therefore, the decision to be vaccinated rests on each individual and must be made after weighing the risks and benefits. From now on, it is important for the government to disseminate information regarding vaccines by working closely with specialists and the public.
(Participant) I believe that a topic of this kind of lecture also could include the current state of mass media.
(Kume) Absolutely. However, understandably the mass media needs to consider viewership numbers and there is a risk that viewership preference influences broadcast news contents. In order to mitigate the effect of such a possibility, it is critical to further improve the scientific literacy of the public.
Mr. Kume further commented, “It has been my pleasure to have the opportunity to present to everybody the effort by the Japanese government to counter coronavirus infections, and to have stimulating discussions with many of you.”
(November 30, 2022) Student group GERNE and UTokyo Office for Alumni Affairs hold an online networking event for current students in cooperation with United Kingdom Akamon Gakuyu-kai, Europe Akamon-kai (France), Dusseldorf Akamon-kai and Frankfurt Akamon-kai
On November 26, 2022, student group GERNE and the UTokyo Office for Alumni Affairs held an online networking event for current students in cooperation with the United Kingdom Akamon Gakuyu-kai, Europe Akamon-kai (France), Dusseldorf Akamon-kai and Frankfurt Akamon-kai, with a view to provide students an opportunity to talk directly with UTokyo alumni currently working in Europe.
Many alumni with various backgrounds gathered from the United Kingdom, France and Germany. Students who have an eye on studying at European graduate schools as well as working in Europe signed up for the event. In total, 19 alumni and 23 current students participated. Group and university staff members included Mr. Koichi Sato from the San Francisco Akamon-kai, who held the same kind of event in the U.S. in May this year, Mr. Junichiro Ui from GERNE, and Mr. Kiyokazu Tomoyoshi and Ms. Kazuko Fukumi from the UTokyo Office for Alumni Affairs.
Three 30-minute breakout room sessions were held, and each breakout room, with titles such as Science, Startup, Reseach, Bank, Government, Woman, UK, France and Germany, was hosted by related alumni.
Many students gave favorable comments, including:
・Had an opportunity to listen to information from people on the ground and career experiences that cannot be obtained through the internet, and started to build a network with alumni, which likely will last long.
・Had an opportunity to listen directly to alumni who play active roles in Europe.
・Since the number of people in the breakout room was small, it was easy for me to ask what I wanted to know.
Steering members plan to hold a similar event inviting UTokyo alumni working in Asia, in the future.
(November 8, 2022) The 20th General Meeting of NY Icho-kai held on Friday, October 28, 2022
The 20th General Meeting of NY Icho-kai was held at Nippon Club in New York City. About 120 participants attended the event. UN Ambassador Kimihiro Ishikane (who graduated from the Faculty of Law in 1981) presented an opening remark followed by greetings from NY Ambassador Consul-General Mikio Mori (who graduated from the Faculty of Law in 1985). President of UTokyo NY Office Masaharu Masuyama (who graduated from the Faculty of Engineering in 1968) gave a toast. President of Friends of UTokyo Iwao Ojima (who graduated from the Faculty of Science in 1968) and Co-leaders of ICHI-O-Kai Koyo Tamaki (who graduated from the Faculty of Engineering 1991) and Yulong Yang (who graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in 2013) made reports on their recent activities. Executive Director and VP of UTokyo Atsushi Tsuda, joined by VP Takeshi Tange and Head of Alumni Affairs Office Hiroshi Miyazaki, participated from Tokyo online and gave a speech and presentation on current situations surrounding UTokyo. Participants sang “TADA HITOTSU” in chorus. The event ended with closing remarks from President of NY Icho-Kai Katsuyuki Yamaguchi (who graduated from the Faculty of Law in 1989). All participants enjoyed the first-time face-to-face event after a long activity break due to COVID-19. Besides holding a general meeting once a year, local alumni get together to exchange information with each other on a regular basis as the ICHI-O-Kai.
(November 7, 2022) Six networking events hosted online by overseas alumni associations on Homecoming Day 2022
On Homecoming Day 2022, which was held on October 15, 2022, six networking events were hosted by overseas alumni associations across regions and time zones. It was the second time for overseas alumni associations to hold events on Homecoming Day. The time zones and the names of alumni associations, etc. are as follows:
| Time zone | Name of alumni association |
Number of participants |
Participants from UTokyo |
| 1. Early morning | UTokyo Alumni Association of Canada-East Chapter/West Chapter | 6 | Executive Director and Vice President Tsuda; Vice President Tange |
| 2. Afternoon | San Francisco Akamon-kai | 14 | Executive Vice President Okubo; Executive Director and Vice President Tsuda |
| Todai Beijing Friendship Association | 21 | Executive Director and Vice President Osawa; Vice President Tange | |
| Stanford, Silicon Valley Akamon-kai | 13 | Executive Vice President Okubo; Vice President Tange | |
| 3. Evening | United Kingdom Akamon-gakuyu-kai | 26 | Executive Director and Vice President Tsuda; Executive Director and Vice President Osawa |
| Europe Akamon-kai, Paris | 17 | Executive Director and Vice President Osawa and Vice President Tange |
Four staff members from the UTokyo Office for Alumni Affairs also participated in these events.
In total, about 100 alumni members enjoyed the networking events such as general meetings, networking sessions, exchanging opinions, performance of chamber music, etc.
(September 15, 2022) Social Event Hosted by Thai Todai Alumni and Todai Women's Network-Community Satsuki-kai
For the first time, Thai Todai Alumni and Todai Women's Network-Community Satsuki-kai held an online social event on Saturday, September 10. On the day of the event, a total of 23 people (including staff), 9 Thai and 14 Japanese, participated in the event, and it was a very productive exchange.
On the Japanese side, Mr. Ryoichi Ieda, who has stayed in Thailand three times and has a wealth of knowledge about Thailand, including working as the president of a local corporation, gave a presentation entitled "What I have learned from working in Thailand"; from Thailand, Ms. Parinda, who is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, gave a presentation entitled "My experience studying in Japan and my adaptation to Thai"; Ms. Ruttiya, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Population Studies at Chulalongkorn University, gave a 10-minute presentation on "My life between Tokyo and Bangkok: Why I entered the University of Tokyo, my change of perspective, my work at a Thai university and gender perspective."
After each presentation, the students were divided into groups of 4-7 and had a discussion on the theme of what they felt after listening to the presentations.
On the Japanese side, they learned many things that they did not know before, such as the fact that when Thai people are angry with their bosses, their first priority is to appease their bosses before apologizing, that Thai people like Japan much more than Japanese people think, and that about 80% of faculty members at Thai universities are women. They realized how little we knew about Thailand and learned a lot from this event. The Thai members were very pleased that they had not had this kind of exchange since they returned to Thailand, and they expressed their desire to continue the relationship in the future.
The following are examples of participants' comments:
It was good to exchange various opinions with Japanese people.
I was happy to be able to speak Japanese for the first time in a while.
I was happy to be able to interact with foreign students since I didn't have a chance to do so when I was a student.
Both Thai Todai Alumni and Todai Women's Network-Community Satsuki-kai would like to expand this kind of "exchange event with alumni overseas" to other areas in the world.
(August 24, 2022) Prof. Ko-Yung Tung Discusses “The Supreme Court: Why it matters so much in the US, and so little in Japan?”
For the inaugural Fireside Chat, Prof. Ko-Yung Tung discussed the topic of “The Supreme Court: Why it matters so much in the U.S. and so little in Japan” on July 30 (US) and July 31 (Japan) via Zoom. The Chat was sponsored by Friends of UTokyo (FUTI), Satsuki America and FUTI Alumni Association.
Prof. Tung, a lecturer on law at Harvard Law School, was a Foreign Fellow at the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law, and General Counsel of the World Bank. The moderator was Dr. Geeta Mehta, professor of architecture at Columbia University, who earned her Ph.D. in architecture from UTokyo.
Dr. Mehta started by asking Prof. Tung why the roles of the Supreme Courts of the U.S. and Japan differed so much when the Japanese Constitution of 1947 was essentially written by Americans under the Occupation. Prof. Tung briefly recounted the drafting of the U.S. Constitution by noting that it was a compromise document between the Federalists who favored a stronger national government against the anti-Federalists who were concerned with protecting the rights of States, including slavery. This tension and compromise produced many provisions of the U.S. Constitution that still divide U.S. politics and jurisprudence. On the other hand, the Japanese Constitution was drafted essentially by three young and idealistic Americans without real opposition from the Japanese Government (which was under SCAP control) and people (who were not invited to participate in the drafting). The American drafters were primarily interested in “demilitarizing and democratizing” Japan in accordance with the Potsdam Declaration of 1945 with the so-called “Peace Provision” in Article 9 and with extensive civil rights to the Japanese people.
Prof. Tung also noted a significant difference in how Supreme Court Justices are nominated and appointed. In the U.S., a Supreme Court Justice is first nominated by the President of the U.S., then subject to the “advice and consent” of the Senate, which makes it very political. However, U.S. Supreme Court Justices are appointed for life in order to make them immune from political or popular influence. On the other hand, Japanese Supreme Court Justices are appointed by the Cabinet (except the Chief Justice is appointment by the Prime Minister), in each case upon the recommendation of the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Justice. Each Justice is subject to a national approval at the first general election following their appointment and again every 10 years thereafter. Furthermore, Japanese Supreme Court Justices are subject to a mandatory retirement age of 70, and with the average appointment age being around 65, the average tenure of a Justice is about 5 years.
Most of the questions from the participants focused on the Japanese Supreme Court and its decisions. One questioned the “independence” of the Japanese Supreme Court as it has overturned so few legislations as unconstitutional (only 8 during 1950-2010; as compared with over 900 in the U.S., over 600 in Germany, and over 1/3 in France). Prof. Tung noted the uniformity of the background and the closeness between the judicial and the executive branches of government making orthodoxy quite an expected result.
Another question asked about “controversial” judicial cases in Japan. Prof. Tung mentioned that currently the same-sex marriage issue is very controversial. Art. 24 of the Japanese Constitution provides that “marriage shall be based only on the mutual consent of both sexes...”. Last year the Sapporo district court interpreted that Article to allow same-sex marriage based on the sexual equality provision in Article 14 of the Constitution. However, this year the Osaka district court ruled that same-sex marriage was barred by Art. 14. Both cases are up on appeal at the High Courts, and most likely will go to the Supreme Court. It will be interesting to see how the Japanese Supreme Court will rule on this issue.
Given the time limitation, there was not enough time, unfortunately, to deal with many other interesting questions.
The online format allowed more than 35 members to join this event from the U.S., U.K. and Japan. Participants’ backgrounds were diverse, ranging from graduate students to corporate executives, scientists and legal professionals. The session ended with a huge applause, with many participants asking Prof. Tung to come back and give a continuation of the talk.
(June 21, 2022) Japanese x Indian Ideathon calls for applicants
The year 2022 marks the 70th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Diplomatic Relations between Japan and India. To commemorate this, an Ideathon is being organized for next generation leaders so they can get a first-hand feel of Indian society and its challenges. Members of the Steering Committee include Nao Shigeta, CEO, Infobridge India and member of the Board of Directors of Indo-Akamonkai (UTokyo Alumni Association of India).
Providing an opportunity for Japanese and Indian youth from different backgrounds will serve as the link between the two countries to help shape the future by achieving mutual understanding and personal growth through travel and teamwork.
*Eligibility: Students age 18-25 only
*Free of charge
*Period: September 16 to September 25, 2022
*Application deadline: July 17, 2022
Home | Hack The Innovative Future (hif.asia)
(June 16, 2022) FUTI to launch Fireside Chats for UTokyo’s International Alumni and Friends: You are invited to fill out the Alumni Survey!
Dr. Geeta Mehta, the board member of Friends of UTokyo (FUTI) in charge of international alumni networking, has announced the launch of a Fireside Chat series for UTokyo’s international alumni and friends, which will begin in mid-July in New York City. Please fill out the online survey which Dr. Mehta and her team are conducting in order to identify alumni’s interests/preferences. [The online survey form can be obtained by contacting info@friendsofutokyo.org.]
The purpose of the series is to encourage spirited dialogues among UTokyo international alumni and friends and develop a supportive network among them. The Fireside Chats are designed to provide a platform for alumni to discuss the topics of their mutual interest in an informal setting.
Dr. Mehta and her team’s message about FUTI’s launch of the Fireside Chats series for UTokyo’s International Alumni and Friends:
“We are so excited to be creating, with your help, our in-person (and/or online) Fireside Chat series in New York, starting in summer of 2022. This will be an opportunity for all our alumni, including international alumni, to connect, learn about each other, and celebrate the ongoing achievements of UTokyo. As the first step in this planning, we request you to fill in the survey.
We want YOU to help design the Fireside Chats the way you want! These could include a brief presentation/dialogue on topics of interest to you such as your favorite books, research, projects, current affairs and more. These could be followed by socializing and networking over some food and drinks.
We expect the Chats to take place several times throughout the year, welcoming UTokyo’s international and other alumni.
Looking forward to receiving your completed survey by June 30, 2022 and seeing you in the near future.”
Geeta Mehta, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor of Urban Design, Columbia University
Founder and President, Asia Initiatives
Board Member, Friends of UTokyo (International Alumni Networking)
Cc: Masako Osako, Ph.D.
Executive Director, International Longevity Global Alliance, Ltd.
Board Member, Friends of UTokyo (Public Relations)
(June 7, 2022) UTokyo Alumni Association Membership Fees Introduced
On July 2, 2021, the Constitution of UTokyo Alumni Association (“UTAA”) was amended to clearly state “to support the University of Tokyo” in the purpose and the business of UTAA and to create an article on Membership Fees (one-time payment of 10,000 yen by each Member) for the financial independence of UTAA.
https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/alumni/utaa.html
(May 26, 2022) San Francisco Akamon-kai holds online networking event for current students cohosted with Student group GERNE and UTokyo Office for Alumni Affairs
On JST May 21, 2022 (PST May 20, 2022), San Francisco Akamon-kai, led by President Koichi Sato, held a networking event for current students with a view to provide students an opportunity to directly talk with UTokyo alumni currently working in the US, cohosted by GERNE, a UTokyo student group that plans and organizes online international exchange events, and the UTokyo Office for Alumni Affairs.
Many alumni with various backgrounds gathered from the San Francisco Akamon-kai. Students who have an eye on studying at US graduate schools as well as working in the US applied for the event. In total, 13 alumni and 21 current students participated in the event. Staff members included Mr. Koichi Sato and Mr. Akihiko Uehara from the San Francisco Akamon-kai, Mr. Junichiro Ui from GERNE, and Mr. Kiyokazu Tomoyoshi and Ms. Kazuko Fukumi from the UTokyo Office for Alumni Affairs.
Three 30-minute breakout room sessions were held, and each breakout room, with titles such as Tech, AI, Bio, Startup, Marketing, Venture Capital, Google, Apple, Amazon, Apple, Genentech, Stanford, MIT, Yale, UC Berkley, PhD, etc., was hosted by related alumni.
Most of the students gave favorable comments as follows:
・Learned main points in career/life designing, such as the importance of challenging new frontiers and making personal connections during university days.
・Had an opportunity to directly listen to alumni who play active roles in the US.
・Had a clearer vision of studying abroad.
Mr. Koichi Sato plans to hold similar events inviting UTokyo alumni working in Europe and/or Asia in the future.
(May 8, 2022) Chicago Akamon-kai, Satsuki-kai and Friends of UTokyo Hold Online Meeting inviting Mr. Takeshi Komoto, Minister at the Embassy of Japan in the United States of America
The Chicago Akamon-kai, Satsuki-kai America, and Friends of UTokyo jointly held an online meeting on April 22, 2022, inviting Mr. Takeshi Komoto, Minister (Economy, Trade, Industry/Business, and Energy) at the Embassy of Japan in the United States of America. The lecture title was: “The Constraint of the Biden Administration and Japan-US cooperation.”
Mr. Takeshi Komoto presented an overview of international trade policy and Japan-U.S. collaboration under the Biden administration. A lively Q and A session followed 45 minutes of his presentation. Questions from participants were about various topics ranging from China policy to the environment and energy outlook. Some reflected on the current situation regarding Russia and Ukraine, and Mr. Takeshi Komoto thoroughly answered each question.
After the close of the formal segment, more than a half of the attendees stayed on to informally continue their exchange of opinions (Konshinkai).
The online format allowed more than 35 members to join this event from US, UK and Japan. Participants’ backgrounds were diverse, ranging from graduate students to corporate executives, scientists, and financial professionals. They hope to continue to deepen their fellowship/discussion going forward either in person or virtually.
The views and opinions expressed in the presentation were solely those of the presenter. This meeting was held under the Chatham House Rule.
(March 3, 2022) The Alumni Association of the University of Tokyo in Korea holds a General Assembly on February 24, 2022
The Alumni Association of the University of Tokyo in Korea (Chairman Choung Se Young, Ph.D. in Pharmacy, 1987) (approximately 1,100 registered members) held a General Assembly from 7:00 to 9:00 pm on Thursday, February 24, 2022. About 120 people participated in this General Assembly through on-site (board members) and online participation. The main contents of the General Assembly included a speech by Chairman Choung Se Young, congratulatory remarks by Atsushi TSUDA (Executive Director and Vice President), and Honorary Chairman Jong-Keun Park, and Sang-Hyeon Kim (Professor of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) was recognized for his achievements and received the “Proud Young University of Tokyo Award.” Next, there were special lectures on “The Private Role for Korea-Japan Reconciliation – Focusing on Tokyo University Alumni” by Choi, Bongtae (Samil Law Firm) and “The Present and Future of Medical Artificial Intelligence” by Kim, Dong Min (CEO of JLK). Finally, the event ended with a gift lottery with products prepared by the alumni association and donations from Chairman Choung Se Young (wine) and Vice President Kang Jong-koo (gift certificate), and coffee vouchers were given to all alumni in attendance.
(February 14, 2022) The Alumni Association of the University of Tokyo in Korea to hold a General Assembly on February 24, 2022
The Alumni Association of the University of Tokyo in Korea (Chairman Choung Se Young, obtained a doctoral degree in the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences in 1987) (about 1,100 registered members) is scheduled to hold a General Assembly on February 24, 2022 (Thursday) from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. The main contents of the General Assembly include congratulatory remarks from Atsushi TSUDA (Executive Director and Vice President), a "Proud UTokyo Alumni" award ceremony, and a special lecture by Choi, Bongtae (Samil Law Firm) ("The Role of the Private Sector in Korea-Japan Exchange") and will be viewable online simultaneously.
(The photo was taken at the General Assembly 2021.)
The UTokyo Alumni Associaion of Nepal (UTAAN) organized an Annual Meeting and Benkyokai on December 4, 2021. As the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet over, the program was organized virtually through the Zoom platform. As a regular event of UTAAN, the aim of the Benkyokai Program was to welcome and hear the students who newly graduated as of October.
On September 10, 2021, Chicago Akamon-kai hosted a newcomer welcoming online meetup for alumni and friends of UTokyo to welcome alumni from UTokyo who have recently arrived in Chicago. It was co-hosted by Satsuki-kai America and Friends of UTokyo.
We are pleased to inform you that the inaugural ceremony of the UTokyo Alumni Association of Canada - East Chapter is to be held as follows:
The annual meeting of Satsuki-kai America for the year 2020-2021 was held on May 14th, 2021. A total of 22 members, from all across the US, Japan and China, attended the meeting. This was the second annual meeting held online, following last year’s, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 
Since the spring of 2020, numerous UTokyo alumni associations around the world have been hosting online meetings in order to continue to function despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
On February 11, 2021, Satsuki-kai America and Friends of UTokyo invited Mr. Tomohiko Okuda, to discuss online the abovementioned topic. He is currently enrolled in Harvard University’s Master’s Program in Public Administration and MIT’s MBA program. He is a 2020 recipient of Ito Foundation U.S.A.-Friends of UTokyo scholarship.
The Chicago Akamon-kai held an online meeting on Dec 7, 2020, inviting Kenichi Okada, the Consul-General of Japan in Chicago. Kenichi Okada gave a presentation entitled: “US Presidential Election 2020 and relationship between Japan, US and China”. The views and opinions expressed in the presentation were solely those of the presenter.
UTAAN (UTokyo Alumni Association of Nepal) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Seminar called Benkyokai on 21 November 2020. It was conducted using the ZOOM platform because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
UTAAN (UTokyo Alumni Association of Nepal) will hold a seminar online for alumni members as well as for invitees in English as follows:
The Hands-on Activity Programs, which started in 2012, are for giving UTokyo undergraduate students the opportunity to be exposed to lifestyles and sets of values different from their own.
The Chicago Akamon-kai held an online meeting on Sep. 25, 2020, inviting Associate Professor Tatsuhiko Inatani (Graduate School of Law, Kyoto University) who gave a keynote lecture entitled "Rule of Law in Society 5.0 - Governance Innovation & Beyond."
Satsuki-kai America and Friends of UTokyo (FUTI) will present an online dialogue with Ms. Akiko Sakaedani, formerly with UNICEF's Rwanda Office. She has recently published a book titled “Do you hear the sound of hope?” which discusses how she started Rwanda’s first radio program for children. 
The Chicago Akamon-kai held an online meeting on Jul 19, 2020, inviting Professor Sadaoki Furui, Chief Research Director of the National Institute of Informatics, Professor Emeritus of the Tokyo Institute of Technology, and Chairman of the Board of Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago (TTIC).
Friends of UTokyo (FUTI) is pleased to present an online dialogue between Prof. Peter J. Macotullio (Director, Institute for Sustainable Cities at Hunter College; UTokyo professor, 2001-2006) and Dr. Geeta Mehta (Adjunct Professor, Architecture and Urban Design, Columbia University; UTokyo, PhD). Together they have several decades of experience about global cities in America, Asia, Africa and Europe.
Homecoming Day is a university-wide event for all alumni to get together again on the Hongo and Komaba Campuses. Since its launch in 2002, it has offered opportunites for alumni to reconfirm their ties with fellow alumni and also with the University.
Starting with the donation of 1,000 N95 Surgical Masks on April 28, 2020, Chinese alumni have donated various medical goods to UTokyo, as follows:
With an aim to combat COVID-19 which is spreading exponentially worldwide, the COVID-19 Emergency Action Fund has been set up.
On February 24th, 2020, the 2020 India Akamonkai Meeting was held at Mandap Hall, Hotel Jaypee Vasant Continental, and organized by The University of Tokyo India Office.
On February 19, 2020, Indonesia Akamon-kai held a new year and welcome party. Around 30 students from the University of Tokyo attended the event.
On Friday, January 24, the University of Tokyo Alumni Club in the UK (UK Akamon Gakuyu-kai) held a breakfast meeting with President Gonokami who was visiting London. Seven members of the UK Akamon Gakuyu-kai, including H.E. Yasumasa Nagamine, Japanese Ambassador to the UK, welcomed President Gonokami and enjoyed delightful and informative conversation with him over a lot of topics, including the role of the University of Tokyo to encourage sustainable growth of society, enhancing collaboration between academy and industry, characteristics of management of US and UK universities, President Gonokami’s visit to the World Economic Forum 2019, and updates about Brexit.
On Monday, January 20, 2020, Tanseikai, the Singapore Alumni Association of the University of Tokyo, held a get-together meeting to welcome Professor Teruo Fujii, Executive Vice President and Director General of the University of Tokyo, at Royale Restaurant in Mercure Singapore Bugis. Mr. Ryu Mishima, General Manager of the Office for External Relations, also joined the event. The 23 participants enjoyed conversations on topics such as population issues and common experiences at the University.
We are pleased to inform you that UTokyo has just launched the UTokyo Sri Lanka Office and that its opening ceremony was held at the Auditorium of Lakshman Kadimar Institute in Colombo, Sri Lanka on January 16, 2020. Since UTokyo was commissioned as the head of the ”Study in Japan Global Network Project-Southwest Asia” by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, UTokyo has been engaged in increasing the number of excellent international students from that region as the representative of Japanese universities. The project's activity base was first established in Delhi, India, and then now in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Dr. Masato Ninomiya, President of Brazil Akamon-kai and Professor of San Paulo University, was awarded the 2019 Order of the Sacred Treasure (瑞宝中綬章).
On Tuesday, December 10, 2019, the University of Tokyo and IIS alumni party was held at the Esperade Lakeview Hotel in Yangon, Myanmar to concide with a farewell party for the USMCA 2019 International Conference that was hosted by International Center for Urban Safety Engineering (ICUS) and Institute of Industrial Sceince, UTokyo (IIS). A total of 62 people participated and spent a relaxing time listening to the stories of Myanmar graduates.
The 2019 Annual Meeting and Benkyokai event of the University of Tokyo Alumni Association Nepal (UTAAN) was organized on November 23, 2019. The Annual Meeting was attended by 20 alumni, whereas Dr. Yuriko Akiyama, the First Secretary (Information and Cultural) of the Embassy of Japan in Nepal, and Mr. Kiyokazu Tomoyoshi and Ms. Masako Sano from the University of Tokyo, joined the Benkyokai Program. At the Annual Meeting, progress achieved during the last year and the way forward were discussed. Two presentations were made on contemporary topics by alumni members at the Benkyokai Program. Mr. Prakash Shakya presented on the topic "Migrant Health in Japan," and Mr. Deepak K.C. presented on the topic "Climate Change Scenario and Its Impact in Nepal: GLOF Risk Reduction Practice." Both sessions were chaired by Mr. Ram Prasad Bhandari, President of UTAAN. Speaking at the Benkyokai, Dr. Akiyama underlined the importance of alumni activities and said that the Embassy will always be ready for any support. Mr. Tomoyoshi updated attendees on current activities at UTokyo and thanked UTAAN for their cooperation in carrying out seminars on higher education opportunities in Japan. During the Benkyokai, a new initiative of UTAAN, a web-based networking platform, was jointly launched by Dr. Akiyama, Mr. Tomoyoshi and Mr. Bhandari. The platform was designed and developed by UTAAN Executive Member Dr. Dipendra Gautam. At the end of the Program, Mr. Bhandari informed attendees that, in total, 88 UTokyo graduates from Nepal have been counted so far, and over 50 of them are already in contact with UTAAN. He thanked UTokyo delegates, Dr. Akiyama and all the alumni present at the Program for their active participation.
On December 2, 2019, 4 representatives of Tsinghua Alumni Association, Tsinghua University, namely, Professor Mei Xiaopength; Ms. Zhang Yueyue, Director of Executive Office; Ms. Zeng Zhuokun, Editor, Shui Mu Tsinghua Magazine; and Mr. Sun Yao, Research Department; visited the Office for Alumni Affairs, the University of Tokyo accompanied by a Chinese student of the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo as an interpreter.
The Europe Akamonkai in France held a get-together meeting on Wednesday, October 23, 2019 in Paris, to welcome Professor Teruo Fujii, Executive Vice President of the University of Tokyo.
The Chicago Akamon-kai held a newcomer welcome lunch on Saturday, October 5, 2019 in downtown Chicago to welcome UTokyo alumni who arrived in the city this summer. Far exceeding our initial expectation of about 15 attendees (based on attendance at our previous meetings), a total of 33 alumni and 2 young children joined the gathering at an Italian restaurant. Participants’ backgrounds were diverse ranging from graduate students at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University to professionals such as lawyers and corporate employees working in the city.
Since registering with the UTokyo Alumni Associaion this April, the Greater Boston UTokyo Alumni Club has hosted guests from UTokyo including Professor Teruo Fujii, Executive Vice President of the University of Tokyo, for the first time. Fourteen participants, including alumni living there as well as three guests from UTokyo: Professor Fujii, Mr. Masami Shimokawa, Senior Director of the Office for External Relations and Mr. Kiyokazu Tomoyoshi, Director of the Office for Alumni Affairs.
On August 22, members of the Peru Akamon-Kai had a meeting with the president of UNI, Dr Jorge Alva. Participants included Dr. Victor Konno, president of the Peru Akamon-kai, Dr. Koichi Kusunoki, professor of the Earthquake Research Institute, the University of Tokyo, MSc. Fernando Lazares, Academic Director of the Japan-Peru Center for Earthquake Engineering and Disaster Mitigation, and Dr. Carlos Zavala of CISMID. They talked about the possibility of an exchange MOU between UTokyo and the National University of Engineering.
On Wednesday, September 11, 2019, the Mexico Akamon-kai hosted a get-together meeting with Professor Hiroyuki Ukeda, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, in Mexico City. Professor Ukeda was visiting several areas of Mexico for research purposes. About 15 participants enjoyed the dinner and exchanged views on many subjects.
On August 15, 2019, UTAAI in Tokyo and the UTokyo Indian Students' Association (UTISA) representatives joined the celebration ceremony of the 73rd Independence Day of India that was held at the Embassy of India in Tokyo.
The Seattle Tansei-kai held a get-together meeting on Sunday, August 18, 2019 in Seattle. This is the first gathering since the former secretariat went back to Japan. Ten participants such as alumni, including Kiyokazu Tomoyoshi, Director of the Office for Alumni Affairs, the University of Tokyo, and their spouses attended the meeting.
We are pleased to inform you that the UTokyo Alumni Association of Canada-West Chapter has just been established and the inaugural meeting was held in Vancouver, Canada on Saturday, August 17, 2019 to coincide with President Gonokami's visit there.
On June 28, 2019, Mr. Lee Sungmoo, Secretary General of Seoul National University Alumni Association, visited the Office for Alumni Affairs with Mr. JeongHwan Seo of the Seoul National University Alumni Association in Tokyo, Japan.
On May 27th, 2019, Professor I Chiu Liao，Lifetime Distinguished Professor, National Taiwan Ocean University as well as current president of the UTokyo Alumni Association of Taiwan, has been awarded the Nikkei Asia Prize “Science and Technology” at the Nikkei Asia Prize presentation ceremony at the Imperial Hotel. Professor Teruo Fujii, Executive Vice President of the University of Tokyo as well as four staff members from the Office for Alumni Affairs joined the event to celebrate his award.
We are pleased to inform you that the Greater Boston UTokyo Alumni Club has officially been registered to the UTokyo Alumni Association as the 55th overseas alumni association as well as the 12th one in the North America.
On April 25, 2019, Professor Jong-Keun Park, Director of the UTokyo Office in SNU as well as president of the UTokyo Alumni Association of Korea, visited the Office for Alumni Affairs.
On April 18th, Professor Sudhir Misra, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur as well as former president of the UTokyo Alumni Association of India, visited the UTokyo Office for Alumni Affairs. He visited Japan in order to participate in and give a lecture at the 8th Civil Engineering Conference in the Asian Region (CECAR).
Dr. Anju Seth, Director of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIM Calcutta) and Mr. Shrikrishna Kulkarni, Chairman, Board of Governors/President of the UTokyo Alumni Association of India as well as a great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, visited the University of Tokyo on the 18th of March, 2019.
On March 13, 2019 in London, UK, the United Kingdom Akamon-kai welcomed Professor Teruo Fujii, Executive Director and Vice President of the University of Tokyo, who was visiting the Royal College of Art for research purposes.
The UTokyo Alumni Association of China (Tokyo) held its 2nd general meeting at Sanjo Conference Hall on the Hongo Campus in the afternoon of Saturday, December 8, 2018.
Professor Makoto Gonokami, President of the Univeristy of Tokyo visited Taiwan with Professor Teruo Fujii, Executive Director and Vice President of the University of Tokyo from December 10 to December 12, 2018 at the invitation of Ministry of Education Taiwan.
The UTokyo Alumni Association of Taiwan held an alumni event in Kaohsiung, a massive port city in southern Taiwan, on Thursday, November 15, 2018.
The meeting called “Benkyoukai” (workshop) was held on Sunday, November 25, 2018 at Hotel Summit in Kathmandu, Nepal.
On October 29, 2018, Ms. Hanna Sundelin, Project Manager of Alumni Relations, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Ms. Erica Ojermark Strzelecka of Stockholm University visited the UTokyo Alumni Office on the Hongo Campus for the first time. They came to Tokyo to host the first joint alumni event which was scheduled for October 30, 2018.
The UTokyo Alumni Association of Sri Lanka and the UTokyo Sri Lanka Student Association (UTSLSA) co-hosted a networking event on the Homecoming Day that was held on Saturday, October 20, 2018.
The first general meeting of the UTokyo Alumni Association in Bangladesh was held on Saturday, September 15, 2018 at the Serenity Banquet Hall of Ascott Residence in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
As you may already know, the 17th Homecoming Day will be held on Saturday, October 20th, 2018.
Congratulations on your graduation from UTokyo.
Since 2017, UTokyo alumni have voluntarily registered to the UTokyo Alumni Association as its supporters and the number has reached almost 50. Their ages range from early 20s to late 60s while their careers vary from lawyers, career civil servants, and business consultants, to those working for financial companies, advertising companies, general trading companies, and as school teachers. They have started to play an active role for current students of UTokyo by making use of their own careers at the events, including a lecture for job recruiting, mock job interviews and hosting freshmen at the welcome party.
We are pleased to inform you that the lecture meeting "Bridge between India and Japan" by Mr. Shrikrishna Kulkarni is to be held on Wednesday, June 27, 2018 at Conference Room on the 3rd floor of the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia on the Hongo Campus.
On Thursday, April 26, 2018, a Welcome Party for freshmen was held by the UTokyo Alumni Association on the Komaba Campus. A total of 180 people attended the event, including freshmen, alumni and faculty members.
On March 18, the UTokyo Alumni Association of Cambodia, including Mr. Yoshi Oya, a founder of the association, participated in "Go Abroad with WEduShare 2018" which was held at Exchange Square, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Current international students who are affiliated with the Graduate School of Public Policy, as well as a prospective student who has been accepted to study at the Department of Community and Global Health, Graduate School of Medicine, also attended the event. The UTokyo booth was crowded with a lot of attendees who were interested in studying at UTokyo, and thus almost all the 2000 copies of handouts including scholarship information, introduction of UTokyo, etc. were taken. Attendees were also very interested in the variety of UTokyo video materials. We all hope that many of the excellent students who joined this event will come to study at UTokyo in the near future. .
The UTokyo Alumni Association is engaged in enhancing UTokyo's alumni network on a global basis by connecting graduates both at home and abroad.
Alumni networking is underway in several areas in the US.
The General Meetings completed or to be hosted by overseas alumni associations are as follows:
The UTokyo Alumni Association of Sri Lanka was just established on Monday, September 3, 2017 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is the 53rd UTokyo overseas alumni association.
Mr. Yuji Miyauchi, former Director of UTokyo Beijing Office, gave a lecture entitled “The Future of China Focused on Human Resources” on the Hongo Campus hosted by the UTokyo Alumni Association/UTokyo Alumni Office. The Conference Room 002 on the basement floor of Sanjo Conference Hall was filled with almost 50 participants in spite of the slightly typhoon-like weather.
General Meetings of the New York Icho-kai and Akamonkai Mexico were held as follows:
We are pleased to inform you that the UTokyo Alumni Association of Sri Lanka will be established on Monday, September 3, 2017 in Sri Lanka. It will be the 53rd UTokyo overseas alumni association.
We are pleased to inform you that the UTokyo Alumni Association of Lao PDR was established on Monday, July 3, 2017 in Vientiane, Lao PDR. It is the 52nd UTokyo overseas alumni association.
We are pleased to inform you that the UTokyo Alumni Association of Lao PDR is soon to be established in Vientiane. It will be the 52nd UTokyo overseas alumni association.
On June 6th, 2017, Dr. Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu, Psychologist of Wellness, Education, Health and Human Performance, Stanford University gave a workshop on mindfulness on the Hongo Campus. The conference room 333 on the 3rd floor of the Medical Library was filled with almost 100 participants.
On May 6th, 2017, the UTokyo Alumni Association of Indonesia held a gathering at Bogor Botanical Garden in Bogor City, Indonesia. The gathering was attended by 27 alumni from classes from the 1980s to 2010. Some of them brought their family members, which made the atmosphere more family-like. During the opening, a message from Mr. Kazuhiro Mori, Director of the Alumni Office of the University of Tokyo, was delivered by Dr. Budi Indra Setiawan, Chairman of the UTokyo Alumni Association of Indonesia, followed by warm greetings from all members.
The UTokyo Alumni Association of Indonesia will hold an alumni event in Bogor City on May 6, 2017 as follows.
Launched in 2012, the Hands-on Activity Programs provide UTokyo undergraduate students with various off-campus experiences mainly during the vacation period. Many of the programs are organized and operated with tremendous contributions from alumni both at home and abroad. These programs are very popular among students because the students are exposed to local cultures and businesses, stimulated by working alumni abroad and given opportunities for cultural exchange with local university students. The application period for the 2017 Hands-on Activity Programs is set to begin on April 17, 2017.
Since starting in 2014, Life-long Learning on Campus has offered lectures on a variety of liberal arts themes for a wide range of generations based on books published by the University of Tokyo Press.
On February 28, 2017, the Debriefing Session for the 2016 Hands-on Activity Programs was held in Engineering Bldg. 2 on the Hongo Campus. After President Makoto Gonokami's speech, certificates of appreciation and memorial plaques were awarded to the five volunteer groups who have organized the programs for the five consecutive years. Three out of four participating groups were alumni association related; namely, the “Kaga hot spring village experience” was initiated by the Akamon Mayor's Association, while the New York Icho-kai organizes “Feel the pulse of NY as a world information center,” “Community supported agriculture experience in Connecticut” and “Participate in conferences at the UN (NY) as student volunteers” and the Europe Akamon-kai (France) is engaged in handling career formation at École Polytechnique.
On Wednesday, February 22, 2017, a commemorative academic lecture by Professor Yoshinori Ohsumi, the Nobel Prize Winner in Physiology or Medicine, 2016 was held in the Lecture Hall (Classroom #900) on the Komaba Campus. The relationship between Professor Ohsumi and UTokyo is deep. He obtained his bachelor's degree in science and doctoral degree in science at the University of Tokyo's College of Arts and Sciences and Graduate School of Science respectively. After being a postdoctoral fellow at Rockefeller University in New York City, he returned to the University of Tokyo as a research associate. When he was an assistant professor at the College of Arts and Sciences, Professor Ohsumi discovered the clue that would lead to the autophagy research for which he was to be awarded the Nobel Prize. Two out of the four important theses referred to as the reason for his winning the Nobel Prize were written during his time at UTokyo. It is very encouraging that the education given at the College of Arts and Sciences led to this outstanding research, and this is also an honor for UTokyo.
The number of UTokyo overseas alumni associations has already reached 51 in 31 countries/regions as of March 9, 2017 following the registration of the UTokyo Alumni Association of Melbourne in February 2017:
We are pleased to inform you that the Melbourne Akamon-kai has just registered with the UTokyo Alumni Association as the 51st overseas alumni group and the third one established in Australia following the Sydney Tanseikai in Sydney and the Akamon Pearl Society in Brisbane.
We are pleased to inform you that the following alumni events are going to be held in Seoul, South Korea and Taipei, Taiwan.
UTokyo was founded with the four Faculties of Law, Science, Letters and Medicine in 1877. At first, the three Faculties of Law, Science and Letters were located in the Kanda area, namely, the site where Gakushikaikan is currently situated, while the Faculty of Medicine was established in the Hongo area, followed by the establishment of the Faculty of Engineering, the Faculty of Agriculture and the Faculty of Economics respectively in 1886, 1890 and 1919. (The photo on the left is of the University Library's Reading Room in 1900.)
On Saturday, October 29, 2016, the 1st general meeting of the UTokyo Alumni Association of Indonesia was held in Jakarta, Indonesia in the second year following the first joint event between Indonesian alumni and Japanese alumni in November 2014. Thirty-six alumni including 16 Indonesians and 20 Japanese attended the event. Professor Shigeto Sonoda, special advisor to the president, the University of Tokyo was invited as a guest and made a presentation on current UTokyo and alumni activities.
On the sunny autumn day of Saturday, October 15, 2016, the 15th Homecoming Day was held on the Hongo and Komaba Campuses.
Among the forty alumni associations which participated in the Homecoming Day, the Stanford Silicon Valley Akamon-kai hosted a magnificent opera concert while the Taiwan Koyu-kai offered Taiwanese tea, and both of these free events drew large crowds.
On July 18, 2016, a kick-off meeting for the UTokyo Alumni Association of Nepal (Nepal Akamon-kai) was held in Kathmandu, Nepal. Twenty-four alumni including Mr. Masashi Ogawa, Japanese ambassador to Nepal, Professor Toshio Nishizawa, Graduate School of Public Policy, the University of Tokyo and Mr. Deepak Dhakal attended the meeting. Twenty-two out of the 24 alumni were international students who went back to Nepal after completing their courses in UTokyo.
The UTokyo Alumni Association of Malaysia (Light blue-kai) joined the UTokyo Alumni Association in September 2016, following the addition of Cambodia the previous month. The Association consists of around 50 Malaysians and Japanese alumni. Members enjoy playing golf and other sports activities and participating in networking events on a regular basis. The total number of overseas alumni associations has reached 49.
We are pleased to announce to you that the 15th Homecoming Day will be held on October 15, 2016.
The number of UTokyo overseas alumni associations has already reached 48 as of August 30, 2016:
On August 20, 2016, an Exchange Event was held in Thailand cohosted by the Thailand Alumni Association of The University of Tokyo and Taikoku Tansei-kai at TPA Pattanakarn, Bangkok, Thailand. Dr. Ken Furuya, Executive Vice President of the University of Tokyo, was invited as a guest. Fifteen alumni living in Thailand attended the event, including Mr. Supong Chayutsahakij, former president of the Thailand Alumni Association, Mr. Paritud Bhandhubanyong, current president of the Thailand Alumni Association, and Mr. Mitsutaka Iida, current president of Taikoku Tansei-kai. Other alumni work for institutions such as Thammasat University, Thai-Nichi Institute of Technology, or King Mongkut's Institute of Technology.
We are pleased to inform you that the University of Tokyo Alumni in Cambodia (UTAC) was organized in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on August 6, 2016.
Launched in 2012, the Hands-on Activity Programs provide UTokyo undergraduate students with various off-campus experiences mainly during the vacation period. Many of the programs are organized and operated with tremendous contributions from alumni both at home and abroad. These programs are very popular among students because the students are exposed to local cultures and businesses, stimulated by working alumni abroad and given opportunities for cultural exchange with local university students. Recruitment for the 2016 Hands-on Activity Programs is now closed and the programs have started.
We are pleased to inform you that the University of Tokyo Alumni in Cambodia (UTAC) will be established on August 6 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Prior to the inaugural meeting, the 
On Saturday, November 22, 2015, the first meeting of UTokyo Alumni Association of the Philippines was held in Manila, and the UTokyo Alumni Association of the Philippines was established on that day. About 40 alumni including Mr. Kazuhide Ishikawa, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines, Mr. Noriaki Niwa, JICA Philippines Chief Representative, Mr. Koichi Hasegawa, Executive Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and Mr. Robert Orr, US Ambassador to the ADB attended the meeting.
