Message from the President
The Tokyo Foundation is more than just a forum for policy discussion. It is a platform for driving policy and transforming society.
The world today stands at the threshold of an unprecedented era of transformation. The international order is in flux, technological innovation is reshaping fundamental values, and the relationship between the state and the market is undergoing profound redefinition. Japan is by no means immune to these global shifts. We face pressing challenges: demographic decline, fiscal constraints, and a rapidly evolving security environment. In response, we cannot passively await solutions—we must actively forge them.
As an independent think tank, the Tokyo Foundation is committed to contributing to the future of Japan and the world through unfettered intellectual inquiry and a long-term strategic vision. We go beyond issuing data-driven policy proposals; our mission is to build coalitions among stakeholders, facilitate dialogue, and strategically mobilize society toward meaningful change.
Moreover, knowledge alone does not catalyze social transformation. It is individuals endowed with both the will to act and the capacity for insight who lead such change. The Tokyo Foundation is deeply committed to cultivating these future leaders through its scholarship programs across 44 countries, its support for Japanese language education, and its international donation of literature on Japan. We also place great emphasis on creating an environment where globally minded individuals with practical expertise can engage directly in the policymaking sphere. This is a vital component of our mission.
In April 2025, the Tokyo Foundation embarked on a new chapter. While returning to its foundational principles, the Foundation is transcending previous boundaries to evolve into a more strategic and impact-driven think tank. We will continue to ask the essential question—What, fundamentally, is required to bring about societal change?—and we will act upon the answers. As we build the future together, I respectfully ask for your continued support and collaboration as valued partners in this endeavor.
The Tokyo Foundation
President
Mieko Nakabayashi, Ph.D.
President’s Brief Profile
Mieko Nakabayashi holds a Ph.D. in International Public Policy from Osaka University and an M.A. in Political Science from Washington State University in the United States. In 1992, she obtained U.S. permanent residency and was appointed as professional staff to the United States Senate Budget Committee, where she served for a decade. After spending 14 years in the United States, she returned to Japan in 2002. Upon her return, Nakabayashi held positions as a university faculty member, served on multiple government advisory councils—including the Fiscal System Council of the Ministry of Finance—and was elected to the House of Representatives (2009–2012). In 2025, she assumed her current position as President of the Tokyo Foundation. She has also been with Waseda University since 2013 and serves as a professor there. Her numerous publications include the sole-authored Understanding America Today Reveals Japan and the World: Signs of a Historic Shift in a Time of Turmoil (Tokyo Shoseki, 2025), and Handbook of Japanese Public Administration and Bureaucracy (Amsterdam University Press, 2024), a volume she edited and to which she also contributed as an author.
