Minoru Kasuya
Minoru Kasuya is Chairman of the Board of the Educational Research Foundation.
After graduating from the University of Tokyo with a degree in Political Science and Law, he began his professional career in international banking, specialising in international finance, sovereign risk analysis, and project finance for major international infrastructure and resource development projects.
His growing interest in international education led him to join the founding project of International Pacific College (IPC) in New Zealand in 1990. Established at a time when the internationalisation of higher education was still in its early stages, IPC was among the first private tertiary institutions in New Zealand to be granted degree-awarding authority and became a pioneering example of internationally oriented higher education in the Asia-Pacific region.
Over the following two decades, he played a key role in the development of IPC, contributing to the design of innovative interdisciplinary academic programmes and the internationalisation of the institution. He worked closely with students, faculty members, university leaders, and government agencies from many countries and later served as Chief Executive of the college.
From 2008 to 2010, Mr Kasuya undertook an MBA in Higher Education Management at the Institute of Education, University of London, where he studied under Professor Sir David Watson, one of the United Kingdom’s leading scholars in higher education policy and management. This experience further strengthened his interest in university leadership, institutional transformation, and the evolving role of higher education in society.
Having witnessed the evolution of higher education from the early stages of internationalisation to the emerging challenges and opportunities of the AI era, he remains committed to promoting international dialogue, educational innovation, and collaboration across institutions, disciplines, and cultures.
Today, his interests focus on the internationalisation of higher education, university partnerships, interdisciplinary education, lifelong learning, and the implications of artificial intelligence for the future of universities.
Through the Educational Research Foundation, he seeks to promote dialogue and collaboration between Japanese and European universities and contribute to the development of innovative, globally engaged, and socially responsible higher education.
Areas of Interest
- Internationalisation of Higher Education
- Japan–Europe University Partnerships
- Interdisciplinary Education and Research
- AI and the Future of Higher Education
- Lifelong Learning
- Global Citizenship and Cross-Cultural Understanding
- University Leadership and Institutional Development
Education
- B.A. in Political Science and Law, The University of Tokyo
- MBA in Higher Education Management, Institute of Education, University of London
Professional Experience
- Sumitomo Bank
- Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Auckland
- Japan Centre for International Finance (JCIF)
- Chief Executive, International Pacific College (New Zealand)
- Chairman of the Board, Educational Research Foundation