*Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC)
*Completed the MA Program in March 2011
I studied international trade as my specialization at the GSAPS MA Program. As my research topic, I analyzed how much the amount of trade changed as a result of concluding the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between 4 ASEAN countries (Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines) and Japan by utilizing statistical models.
Furthermore, I analyzed the impact of the EPAs not only in terms of overall trade but also for some selected products including natural resources such as liquid natural gas. This research was conducted under the supervision of Prof. Urata and it was a very new research topic, I believe. When I entered the GSAPS, I was the only Japanese student in Professor Urata’s project research seminar in the MA Program. I had many precious experiences in such a global environment where I was able to learn different points of view from the positions of different countries on specific issues. Also, I had an opportunity to participate in an internship at the OECD Headquarters in Paris and spent five months from July to November in my second year there. This helped me expand my social network. I would like to get involved in infrastructure building in Southeast Asian countries and project finance concerning the acquisition of natural resources at the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). I am sure that the experiences I had under such an excellent environment as the GSAPS will be really valuable for my future career.
