TOMODACHI Generation: Kazunari Tanabe
Kazunari Tanabe is from Keio University, and studied abroad at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as an exchange student on the 2014 TOMODACHI Sumitomo Corporation Scholarship Program. Not only did he have the opportunity to study with leaders from the economics field, but he also created new cross-cultural friendships by playing his favourite sport, soccer. As a TOMODACHI alumnus, he hopes to work overseas in order to represent Japan on the international stage.
About Kazunari Tanabe
Why did you apply to the TOMODACHI Sumitomo Scholarship?
The reason why I applied to this scholarship is because the idea of “Being a global leader through U.S.-Japan relations” aligns with my goals, and I agree with the TOMODACHI Initiative’s vision of “Fostering young Japanese in an effort to support Japan’s recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake”. In the years to come, the political and economic presence of Japan and the United States will become more important and the strengthening of the relationship between both countries will be crucial. In the future, I would like to be a person that can contribute globally through U.S.-Japan relations. Furthermore, I would like to contribute to the recovery and reconstruction of Tohoku.
What would you like to learn from this program?
I hope to gain a larger perspective through the exchange with many people who have differing values, and I believe I can do this in the United States because it is so multiracial. It is not something that I can experience while living in Japan. However, what I am extremely interested in learning about is economics. I think the United States offers the most sophisticated economic studies courses and it is the best country to apply what I will be learning in the class to the real life. I currently attend Carnegie Mellon University, which is highly ranked in the areas of financial policy and theory, in the world. Through the understanding of finance, which serve a really important role in the modern society, I would like to achieve my dream.
What connection and/or interest do you have with the United States?
My second cousin is American and I visited my relatives in the U.S. during the summer of my junior year in high school for the first time. I was learning English since I was in elementary school because I wanted to succeed globally, but the experience I had in the summer changed my perspective quite a bit. What I found surprising is that Americans discussed issues not only from a domestic perspective but also from a global perspective. I felt the significance of international cooperation through the exchange with people who have different backgrounds and perspectives, and I wanted to be able to communicate my views to various people when I had an opinion.
