Advisors

Prof. Akio Takahara
Prof. Akio Takahara
Advisor
Akio Takahara is Professor of Contemporary Chinese Politics at the Graduate School of Law and Politics and the Graduate School of Public Policy (GraSPP) at The University of Tokyo. He received his DPhil from Sussex University, and later spent several years as Visiting Scholar at the Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong..

AKIO TAKAHARA

Advisor

Akio Takahara is Professor of Contemporary Chinese Politics at the Graduate School of Law and Politics and the Graduate School of Public Policy (GraSPP) at The University of Tokyo. He received his DPhil from Sussex University, and later spent several years as Visiting Scholar at the Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong, the Japanese Embassy in Beijing, Harvard University, Peking University, the Mercator Institute for China Studies, and the Australian National University. He currently serves as Senior Adjunct Fellow of the Japan Institute of International Affairs and Senior Research Advisor of JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development. E-mail: takahara@j.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Prof. Hiroshi Kato
Prof. Hiroshi Kato
Advisor
Prof. Hiroshi Kato is the Vice President of the International University of Japan (IUJ), and he is also a Professor and Dean of the Graduate School of International Relations at the same university. He was the Senior Vice President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) from October 2013 to September 2019......

Prof. Hiroshi Kato

Advisor

Prof. Hiroshi Kato is the Vice President of the International University of Japan (IUJ), and he is also a Professor and Dean of the Graduate School of International Relations at the same university. He was the Senior Vice President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) from October 2013 to September 2019. He was also the director of the JICA Research Institute from 2012 to 2013.
Mr. Masato Watanabe
Mr. Masato Watanabe
Advisor
Mr. Masato Watanabe is currently a Senior Fellow of National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Japan, and he is also the President and Representative Director of the Japan-Bangladesh Society. He was the Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh (2015-2017) and the Ambassador of Japan to Bulgaria (2017-2020)....

Mr. Masato Watanabe

Advisor

Mr. Masato Watanabe is currently a Senior Fellow of National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Japan, and he is also the President and Representative Director of the Japan-Bangladesh Society. He was the Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh (2015-2017) and the Ambassador of Japan to Bulgaria (2017-2020). He was also the Vice President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) (2011-2013).
Senior Professor (Chair) H.D. Karunaratne
Senior Professor (Chair) H.D. Karunaratne
Advisor
Professor Karunaratne is the Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. He earned his PhD in Economics from the Graduate School of International Development (GSID) of Nagoya University, Japan in 2000. He also holds MA in Economic Policy from Nagoya City University..

Senior Professor (Chair) H.D. Karunaratne

Advisor

Professor Karunaratne is the Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. He earned his PhD in Economics from the Graduate School of International Development (GSID) of Nagoya University, Japan in 2000. He also holds MA in Economic Policy from Nagoya City University, Japan (1997), MA in Economics from the Department of Economics from the University of Colombo (1992), and a BA (with specialization in Economics) with First Class honours from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka (1990). His academic research focuses chiefly on Entrepreneurship, International Business, International Migration, Labour Markets, Income Inequality and International Trade. According to ResearchGate, Prof. H.D. Karunaratne has more than 126 research items and over 246 Google Scholar citations. On the international front, he is a recipient of the Japanese Government Postgraduate Research (Monbusho) Scholarship for Seven Years (1993-2000). He was an Invited Professor in the Faculty of Economics of Hosei University, Tokyo in 2006-2008 and 2016/2017. The Japan Foundation in Tokyo awarded him a Senior Researcher Fellowship to conduct research at the University of Tokyo in 2016-2017. In recognition of overall academic and socio-cultural exposure to Japan, he was appointed as the Director of The University of Tokyo Sri Lanka Office by the University of Tokyo in October 2019. He was awarded the Foreign Minsters’ Commendation by the government of Japan in August 2021. Senior Professor Hettige Don Karunaratne is the Chair Professor of Business Economics in the Faculty of Management and Finance, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. He completed 31 years of service in academia and his professional career by September 2021. Additionally, he serves as the Director, the Institute of Human Resource Advancement, University of Colombo (IHRA-UOC) Chairman of the Governing Council of the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), the Vice President of the Sri Lanka Economic Association (2018 – to date), President of Japanese Graduates’ Alumni Association of Sri Lanka (2012-2014 and 2018 – to date). At the University of Colombo, Professor Karunaratne has held many academic positions during his 30-year stint there to date. They include Senior Professor (2017-to date), Professor (2009-2017), Associate Professor (2007-2009), all in the Department of Business Economics, Associate Professor (2003-2007) and Senior Lecturer (2000-2003) in the Department of Commerce of Faculty of Management and Finance and Lecturer (1990-2000) in the Department of Commerce and Management Studies of the Faculty of Arts. Professor Karunaratne has also held multiple administrative positions at the University of Colombo; as the Dean of the Faculty of Management and Finance (2011-2014), Acting Vice-Chancellor (April 2014), Acting Director of the Institute of Human Resource Advancement (January-May 2015), Acting Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies (December 2013), Chairman of the Sports Board (2011-2014), Head of the Department of Commerce (2005-2006), Head of the Department of Business Economics (2010-2011, 2014-2016), Acting Director of Studies in the Faculty of Graduate Studies in 2009. Also, he carried out roles as the Chairman of Summit Finance PLC (2016).