The Institute for Japanese Studies, Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, Department of Political Science, and the Mershon Center for International Security Studies present the 10th Annual Brad Richardson Memorial Lecture:
"Reflections on Professor Bradley M. Richardson and the Legacy of The Ohio State University"
Aiji Tanaka
Waseda University
A reception will follow the lecture from 6:00-6:30pm.
Abstract: This presentation honors the late Professor Bradley M. Richardson, highlighting his academic contributions and personal influence on my development as a political scientist. I will reflect on my formative years at the Department of Political Science at The Ohio State University, where the mentorship of Brad and other faculty members profoundly shaped my scholarly path—both in Japan and within the International Political Science Association (IPSA). I will also share insights into the educational and cultural environment of Ohio State in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Beyond the classroom, experiences such as campus life and football games enriched my intercultural communication skills, which later proved invaluable in my leadership roles at IPSA and Waseda University. Finally, I will discuss current developments at Waseda University, where we are revisiting the founding ideals of Okuma Shigenobu: “independence of scholarship,” “application of scholarship,” and “fostering model citizens.” These principles continue to guide our institutional strategy and global engagement.
Dr. Aiji Tanaka is the 17th President of Waseda University (Tokyo, Japan). Born in Tokyo in 1951, Dr. Tanaka earned his B.A. in Political Science from Waseda University in 1975. He later pursued graduate studies in the United States, receiving his Ph.D. in Political Science from The Ohio State University in 1985. Before joining the faculty at Waseda’s School of Political Science and Economics, Dr. Tanaka held teaching positions at several Japanese universities, including Aoyama Gakuin University and Toyo Eiwa Women’s University. His academic career has been marked by a deep engagement with both domestic and international scholarly communities. Dr. Tanaka has served in numerous leadership roles, including on the Board of Directors of the Japanese Association of Electoral Studies (1996–2006), where he later became President (2006–2008). He was also a member of the Board of Directors of the Japanese Political Science Association (2004–2006, 2010–2018), and served on the Executive Committee of the International Political Science Association (IPSA) (2009–2018), where he held the presidency from 2014 to 2016. From 2019 to 2023, he was a member of the Steering Committee of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU). At Waseda University, Dr. Tanaka has held several key administrative positions, including Dean of Academic Affairs (2006–2010), Vice Provost for Academic Affairs (2010–2014), and Director of the Global Education Center (2014–2018). Beyond Waseda, he continues to contribute to higher education policy and governance in Japan, serving as President of the Japan Association of Private Universities and Colleges (2021–present), a member of the Central Council for Education at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (2010–2017), and a member of the International Committee of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) (2007–2017, 2022–present).