Daiwa Scholars 1991

Joshua BERKE

Joshua Berke was awarded a B.A (HONS) in Natural Sciences by Trinity College, Cambridge in 1991. His interest in Japan was sparked by kendo and go, as well as by Japanese art.

Joshua’s homestay in Japan was in Shiroshi City in Miyagi Prefecture. His work placement was spent conducting  research at the Neurophysiology Department of the University of Tokyo.

He  went on to do a PhD at Harvard University, and was Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan.

He is currently Schmid Distinguished Professor at the Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry and Director, Wheeler Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction at the Weill Institute for Neurosciences and the  Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience at the University of California, San Francisco.

Jason CREAK

Jason Creak was awarded a B.A (HONS) in Computer Science and Management Studies by Churchill College, Cambridge in 1991. He had visited Japan several times before and had hosted two Japanese exchange students in England. At the time of applying for the Scholarships, he was keen to further his knowledge of Japanese language and culture.

His homestay in Japan was in Sapporo City in Hokkaido, and  his work placement was at the Japanese heavy industries company IHI.

He works as an IT Professional in Sydney, Australia.

Professor Edmund de WAAL CBE

Edmund de Waal was awarded a B.A (HONS) in English by Trinity College, Cambridge in 1986. He was then awarded a City and Guilds Certificate in Adult Education by Parson Cross College of Further Education, Sheffield  in 1989. Subsequently he became a self-employed potter.

Edmund’s homestay in Japan was in Koriyama City in Fukushima Prefecture. His work placement was at an independent pottery studio and at The Japan Folk Crafts Museum: the Mingeikan. After completing his Scholarship, he has continued his career as a ceramicist and author.

He is the author of  The Hare with Amber Eyes , The White Road  and The Pot Book amongst others.

He was awarded an OBE in 2011 for his services to art, and made CBE in June 2021.

22  January 2019  podcast:
In this episode of Material Matters with Grant Gibson, Edmund discusses his relationship with porcelain. He also talks about his writing – including his controversial reassessment of Bernard Leach – and a childhood he that has described, rather succinctly, as ‘odd’.

You can read more about Edmund in the “Scholars Experiences” section of the website.

James HARDING

James Harding was awarded a B.A (HONS) in History by Trinity College, Cambridge  in 1991.  At the time of applying for the Scholarship, he was interested in learning the Japanese language and being immersed in the Japanese culture. He also wished to promote a better understanding for Japan in the future by writing.

James’s homestay in Japan was in Kushiro City in Hokkaido. His work placement was  in the office of Mr Koichi Kato, a Japanese politician. After completing the Scholarship, James completed a “stage” at the European Commission, Brussels, and became a journalist at the Financial Times.

In December 2007, he was named editor of The Times, its youngest ever editor.

He became the BBC’s director of news and current affairs in 2013. He is now a journalist withTortoise Media which he co-founded.

Leo SHAPIRO

Leo Shapiro was awarded a M.Eng (HONS) in Mechanical Engineering and Management Science by Imperial College London in 1989. He had previously spent 10 months working at a Japanese company, Harmonic Dove Systems.

Leo’s homestay in Japan was in Morioka City in Iwate Prefecture. His work placement was at the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.

After completing the Scholarship he became a staff member at Bain and Company,  and went on to become Chief Executive (Oxford, Cambridge, RSA) at Cambridge Assessment.

He is now a freelance strategy consultant.

Professor Anthony SINCLAIR

Anthony Sinclair was awarded a B.A (HONS) in Archaeology and Anthropology in 1985, then went on to complete a PhD in Palaeolithic Archaeology in 1991, both at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge. He was also a temporary lecturer in Archaeology at Cambridge. Having previously made some contact with Japanese Archaeologists, he wished to learn more about Japanese prehistory, and thus contribute to the growing dialogue between Japanese and British Archaeology.

His homestay in Japan was in Hanamaki City in Iwate Prefecture. His work placement was at the Institute of Archaeology, Meiji University.

Returning to the UK, he worked as a part-time lecturer in Archaeology at Reading University.

He is currently Professor of Archaeological Theory and Method and Associate Head of the School for Education, School of Histories, Languages and Cultures  at the University of Liverpool.

Alexander STURT

Alexander Sturt was awarded a B.A (HONS) in Engineering Science by Jesus College, Oxford in 1991. Having previously spent a month in Japan on holiday and taken a Japanese course at Oxford, he was interested in learning more of the Japanese language, which could be useful for his career in Engineering.

Alexander’s homestay was in Niigata City in Niigata Prefecture. His work placement was in the Tokyo office of Ove Arup and Partners.

Following his time at Over Arup and Partners, he then spent time at the Japanese Research Institute in Tokyo.

He is currently Senior Quantitative Analyst at Statkraft UK.