Kensuke Yamaguchi is an assistant professor at the Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Tokyo. His academic interests include rent management around natural resources and the politics of Southeast Asia. His varied work and writings focus on ASEAN member states. For example, he has advised the Myanmar government on rural electrification, written on water management in Thailand and researched power grid planning in the Asia-Pacific region, among other topics.

IVLP Impact Award Project: Building Solidarity in Japan 

The goal of this project was to build community among youth from Myanmar, Hong Kong and Japan who are currently staying in Japan.

The project consisted of two workshops, held in Tokyo, and a final symposium, held in Osaka. Multilateral Interaction with Students (MIS), a student-lead organization based at the University of Tokyo, assisted with the workshops. Each workshop engaged 50 youth leaders equally distributed from Myanmar, Hong Kong and Japan.

Together with the youth leaders, the final symposium hosted more than 100 audience members including online participants from Japan and elsewhere. The symposium event also highlighted professionals with diverse experiences such as former ambassadors, university professors and citizen activists. The event will be held annually. Throughout the project, students built connections with each other, engaged in dialogue, and practiced advocacy skills.

"It was great to hear from people in different positions and based on their own experiences, rather than just one person's lecture. I learned a lot from the valuable content." - Project Participant

IVLP Exchange Experience

Kensuke was a participant in the IVLP Project Free and Indo-Pacific Strategy and Cooperation, organized by the U.S. Department of State and Meridian International Center.

U.S. Communities Visited Virtually

San Francisco, CA; Washington, DC; Honolulu, HI

Country: Japan

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