Student studying in Japan meets with U.S. ambassador

John Carlson, a graduate student studying regulatory science in a yearlong exchange program at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan, has had an experience not many other students have had while abroad.

Carlson, who is in the progressive degree program and is also finishing his degrees in biochemistry and East Asian languages and cultures, met with the United States Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy on March 10 to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami disasters that occurred off the coast of the Tohoku region of Japan in 2011.

Carlson has received funding through two scholarships for his studies. Through one of them, the Morgan Stanley U.S.-Japan Bridging Foundation Scholarship, he along with two other American students were invited by the TOMODACHI program to meet Ambassador Kennedy, U.S.-Japan Council President Irene Hirano Inouye and Minister of Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida.

Inouye, a USC alumna, earned her bachelors of science and master’s degrees in public administration from 1966 to 1972. Shinzo Abe, the current prime minister of Japan, also has Trojan ties — in 1978, he studied at USC for one year at the Price School of Public Policy.

The TOMODACHI Initiative was created in the wake of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster that aims to foster Japanese and American relations through educational and cultural programs, including study abroad opportunities. The initiative is a result of a partnership between the U.S.-Japan Council and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo as well as private sector companies.

“They try to facilitate student exchange, bringing students from the U.S. to Japan, and Japan to the U.S.” Carlson said.

In addition to the opportunities provided by the TOMODACHI Initiative, Carlson attributes his study abroad program and past involvement with USC’s East Asia Studies Center to helping him develop the skills necessary for his current work experiences.

Carlson, who was previously an intern at the Washington, D.C. offices of EMD Serono, an international pharmaceutical company, now works for the business’ Japanese headquarters in Tokyo. He is a graduate intern in the Government Affairs and Market Access and Pricing department of EMD Serono, which is known as Merck Serono in Japan.

“My focus is ensuring the market landscape is favorable, or at least it’s open, to rewarding innovation and allowing for new products on the market,” he said.

His speech at the meeting focused on both the positive educational experiences he has had while in Japan as well as how his work can promote economic revitalization in Japan. Carlson spoke on behalf of the three American students present at the event, and another student spoke on behalf of the five Japanese students invited, all of whom were born in the Tohoku region and were impacted in some capacity by the disaster.

“At that meeting we presented both our condolences in terms of reaffirming our generation, the Tomodachi generation’s condolences to the people who lost their lives and the rebuilding of the Tohoku region that’s still going on today, and we also discussed the future of U.S.-Japan relations,” he said.

He said that due to the high-profile nature of the meeting, his remarks had to be reviewed before the meeting by meeting organizers, and he was not able to speak about the event until after it took place.

In addition to the remarks, Carlson and the students had an opportunity to share their experiences about studying in Japan as well as the nature of U.S.–Japan ties.

“We discussed primarily our experience studying in Japan in terms of the great opportunity we’ve had, the close bonds we’ve created with Japanese students, and then our future,” Carlson said. “For us, the future is looking at increasing collaboration between the two countries, focusing not only on academia partnerships but on corporate partnerships so continuing to develop the leaders of both Japan and the U.S. together with the future of U.S.-Japan relations in mind.”

Though Carlson has plans to later attend law school, he said that his science background contributed to his desire to use innovative technologies in the pharmaceutical industry. He believes Japan particularly can benefit from such technologies.

“In Japan, there’s a large focus on science innovation, especially in its pharmaceutical industry, and it’s something that I’m passionate about in terms of my background in science,” he said.

He hopes to use his time working in Japan to create positive change.

“[My background] makes me want to bring innovative products to patients in Japan, and Japan being the powerhouse that it is in research, to have that opportunity to create new products that could change peoples’ lives — that was my [motivation] in terms of when I gave the talk,” Carlson said. “I stressed the innovation, and I stressed the economic revitalization because that’s going to make the future better in terms of strengthening Japan at the corporate and economic level — it’s just going to make the bonds last even longer.”