Interview to our alumni
| Watanabe Ryoichi | |
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| Interviewer | |
 Shimizu Daichi |
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Introduction
| Daichi: This interview will focus on our alumni, Ryoichi Watanabe, who graduated from Master’s program in International Public Policy in March, 2022. In this interview, I would like to feature people who are currently active as researchers or working as professionals, and collectively transmit what the program in International Public Policy was like and how graduates are living now. |
| Daichi: Since we are friends, I was a bit nervous to talk in an interview format, but I managed to push it away and proceed with the interview. |
| Ryoichi: Ok, let’s start. |
Your PURPOSE of coming to Tsukuba
| Daichi: I would like to ask you what you have done at the University of Tsukuba. May I ask what made you decide to enter the graduate school of the University of Tsukuba? |
| Ryoichi: In my case, I have been at the University of Tsukuba since I was an undergraduate student. There was a professor in the field I wanted to study who had been taking care of me since then. Then, I wanted him to be my supervisor in the graduate school, so naturally, graduate school at the University of Tsukuba was my first choice. |
| Daichi: I see. When deciding which graduate school to go to, professors are one of the big factors. |
| Ryoichi: There are many other reasons. For example, from a practical point of view, Tsukuba is a place where economically-friendly and easy to live in. Of course, there were graduate schools in Tokyo where I could do my research, but I thought that if I lived in such a place, I would have a very hard time financially. That was one of the reasons why the graduate school at the University of Tsukuba was on my list of candidates. |
| Daichi: In fact, when you live there, many things are inexpensive. You don’t have to spend much on living expenses. I honestly had a nervous breakdown thinking about what would happen if I went to a university in Tokyo. |
| Ryoichi: Also, I haven’t checked properly, but the University of Tsukuba offers the use of spacious facilities. There are private research rooms in the library, and there are graduate student rooms in the 3K building for the IPP students. Such an environment was also very attractive in terms of being able to conduct research in a spacious environment. |
| Daichi: Thank you. Since our generation was directly faced the pandemic, the environment at the University of Tsukuba, where we could concentrate on research without being dense, helped us a lot. |
| Ryoichi: Exactly. Besides, the most attractive point is that there are professors of various fields in the University of Tsukuba. When I decided to enter graduate school, I researched graduate schools in various places in Japan, including local graduate schools. I think that the University of Tsukuba has faculty members and researchers in a wide range of fields among the universities. |
| Daichi: I see. Who was your supervisor? |
| Ryoichi: Prof. Tatsuo Akaneya was my supervisor. He was my main advisor and Prof. Hiroshi Matsuoka and Prof. Atsushi Minamiyama were my sub advisors. My interest was quite inclined toward theoretical research in international relations, and I received detailed guidance and advice from Prof. Akaneya and Prof. Minamiyama in this aspect. |
| Daichi: What kind of fields is the theoretical research in international relations? |
| Ryoichi: I was doing my research in the field of international social theory of the English School, which deals with abstract concepts. I was very interested in methodological discussions like conceptual concepts such as legitimacy, or how we can view and discuss international relations in the first place. |
| Daichi: I see. I thought that your theme was difficult. |
What can you apply for your job from what you’ve learned in the graduate school?
| Ryoichi: I work for a company in the entertainment industry, which is a completely different field from my previous studies. My job is overseas sales. |
| Daichi: You are doing something that seems far from the field you were interested in in the graduate school, but was there any connection? |
| Ryoichi: There are no relationship with my research and my current job, frankly. Of course, for me, since they were both things I wanted to do, I’m consistent with myself about that. However, at a quick glance, I work for a company that really has nothing to do with my research at all. |
| Daichi: What made you work for your current company? |
| Ryoichi: I work for a company that produces a work that I originally loved. I joined this company because I was interested in the way it influenced me. |
| Ryoichi: People often ask me why I didn’t get a professional job after graduated from the graduate school, but I decided to enter graduate school purely because I had done what I cared about and wanted to do a little more research. |
| Daichi: I see, you really came to graduate school to satisfy your intellectual curiosity. |
| Ryoichi: Yes, I did. I entered graduate school to satisfy my interests and curiosity. It is really the same logic, but I decided to work for my current company because I was interested in it. |
| Ryoichi: I didn’t really think I would go into a specialized field to make full use of what I did in graduate school. |
| Daichi: I see that your pursuit of your own interests has not changed at all. Moreover, when we were talking outside of the interview, I thought that you have a good way of gathering information and accumulating knowledge about various things. |
| Ryoichi: I am glad to hear you say so. I think I learned the way gathering and organizing information in graduate school. I don’t think the quantity of specialized knowledge decide the value that we going to graduate school. I really think that there are generic skills that you can gain in the process of going to graduate school and completing both research and writing master’s thesis. I wondered if it was true when I was a university student… |
| Daichi: What kind of skills have you gained in graduate school? |
| Ryoichi: The ability to select information and find issues. I gather a lot of information by reading articles, journals, English newspapers, and so on. You should not only read the information, but also compare it with your own knowledge and your own interests, and select and discard the information, and then you will be able to think, “Oh, let’s ask this question.” Gathering further information, constructing an argument, and somehow giving it shape…. I think that experiencing this process is good training. |
| Daichi: I know because I have experienced it myself, and to be honest, this process is pretty tough…. |
| Ryoichi: Yes, I know… But I am sure that those who know how hard it is will be able to make use of what they have learned there in some way. I think that you will become a sum of this kind of training whether you go on to higher education or find a job in a totally unrelated place like I did. |
| Daichi: I think that the process of writing a master’s thesis has given me a lot of abilities, putting aside the question of whether or not the thesis was good. The ability to process things in my head has improved tremendously, and my capacity to think has increased a lot. |
| Ryoichi: I think it’s very important to know about the attitude and process of thinking. When I say “think,” I also have to think about “how to think”. It is a really difficult task, isn’t it? By following procedures such as systematized assumptions and methods, we can have enough evidence and persuasive power to convince people that we are taking that process into account. |
Memories
| Daichi: Do you have any impressive memories in the university or graduate school? |
| Ryoichi: I met a lot of nice people in the university. In terms of circle activities, I was in an arts circle with a relaxed atmosphere, and I had a good time with the members there. |
| Ryoichi: The campus is incredibly large, and that made things difficult at times, but the scenery was beautiful. |
| Daichi: Yes it is. |
| Ryoichi: I think the environment was really good. After I entered graduate school, I was surprised how much closer I was to my professors than I was as an undergraduate. |
| Daichi: Indeed. I feel like I’m even closer now that I’m a graduate student, much less a doctoral student. |
| Ryoichi: Maybe after you spend two or three years in the doctoral program, you really become to share stories that you can only have there, or things that you can’t see unless you’re there. There are various opportunities to present at conferences, publish papers, and so on. From the outside looking in, I think that until now I’ve been on the receiving end of being taught as a student, but as you go through the doctoral program, your relationship with your professors will become closer and closer to that of a fellow researcher. |
Strong point of IPP program
| Daichi: What is the strength or peculiarity of IPP graduates do you think? |
| Ryoichi: Although students from other graduate schools may be the same, I feel that there are many people in this program who are very much involved in their own research. I think they are serious or something, and I am not sure if I was like them or not…. |
| Daichi: Yes you were. |
| Ryoichi: I don’t know, I wish I could. I have the image that many people who came to this program came in because they wanted to do research, and I think the university will leave us rather alone in a good way. |
| Ryoichi: I feel that the graduate school curriculum itself was designed to help students face their research and write their dissertations anyway. In that context, I feel that there were many people who were able to do well on their own, and I think that is one of our strengths. |
| Daichi: I see. |
| Ryoichi: I feel that a lot of people try to do things on their own and actually do them. I don’t know if it’s unique to us because I’ve never been in other universities, but I think there is a focus on what needs to be done and accomplishing it on one’s own with an axis. |
| Daichi: Exactly. Since I always want to be with other people, sometimes I miss people when I am doing my research like that. |
| Ryoichi: I also think in the same way. There were many times when it was hard for me to keep doing things on my own. That’s why I used to go to the student room so often. |
To students and prospective students of IPP program
| Daichi: Please give some message for students and prospective students of IPP program. |
| Ryoichi: For current IPP students, I think it is probably pretty tough right now. In such a situation, I hope you don’t work too hard, take care of your health and yourself. And, although it is only natural since you have paid the tuition, I now think that the time I spent at the graduate school was a really good time for me to be able to use my own time and think about things as I like. I would like you to make the most of that time and make sure you don’t leave anything undone. At the same time, I would like you to put your health first. I think that no matter how or why you complete the program, you will be able to do well anywhere if you have the experience you gained here. I know that you are all doing amazing things, and it doesn’t help that I said that, but I believe that from the bottom of my heart. |
| Ryoichi: For the prospective IPP students, I think it would not be lying to say that this program is a good place to start. |
| Daichi: That’s great honesty. |
| Ryoichi: I heard and know about some of the other graduate schools. If I asked “You can enter any graduate school you want. Where would you like to go?,” I am sure I would go to the graduate school of the University of Tsukuba. Of course, it is because the people are good and because there are people and teachers I know, but I think the facilities and environment are suitable as a place to do research. |
| Daichi: Indeed. I guess this interview may be going to be helpful in making a decision for those who are struggling to choose a graduate school and for those who are wondering if they should go to graduate school. |
| Ryoichi: I hope so. If you’re thinking about going to graduate school, I hope you’ll jump in. It’s a bit similar to what I said earlier to current students, but I think the two years here are both short and hard, so I think it’s worth experiencing it. There aren’t that many people who have graduated from graduate schools in the humanities, so although it will be a bit irregular, I think it would be good to know about such a point of view. Of course, there will be hard times. But if you are even a little bit interested, I think it would be good if you could take a look at the internal guidance meetings and college information sessions conducted every year, or check out our website. |
| Daichi: Oh, he is a good alumnus who also teaches us how to gather information about higher education… And this concludes the interview. Ryoichi, thank you very much for taking the time for a long interview. |
| Ryoichi: Thank you very much. |