The Henry Rosovsky Program for Collaboration in East Asia

Engaging partners in Korea, Japan and the United States for sustained collaboration on critical issues for our common future

The Henry Rosovsky Program for Collaboration in East Asia supports efforts by Japanese, Koreans, and Americans who engage in critical debates on contemporary issues like diplomacy and security, technology and science, and culture and society, as well as working for the implementation of the concrete policy proposals that result from these discussions in those three countries by engaging with experts, policy makers, and citizens.

The Rosovsky Program brings together those engaged in planning for the future in the three countries for a constructive exchange of perspectives and insights, best practices, and proposals for collaboration, thereby creating a transparent and objective platform that ungirds an honest discussion of contemporary challenges–the focus falling on diplomacy, technology, and culture–and the intersection of the three.

The Rosovsky Program puts a high priority on the contributions of young people and on engaging citizens in the three nations–all of which are deeply connected by institututional and cultural commonalities–in a discussion of the true challenges that we face today. Professor Henry Rosovsky was the central figure in liberal arts at Harvard University for decades, serving as acting president on two occasions and advancing Asian studies as a professor of Japanese studies and as a dean of liberal arts and sciences. He role was critical to making Harvard University a center for Asian studies from the 1960s.

Professor Rosovsky who passed away on November 11, 2022, grasped the importance of the Asia Institute as a means to reaffirm American engagement to Asia early on, encouraging our work in Seoul, Tokyo, and Washington D.C. from 2010.

Professor Rosovsky participated in Asia Institute seminars, offered us support in our early efforts in the United States, and arranged for numerous meetings at Harvard University during our early days.

He asked us to focus bring together people from diverse backgrounds, promoting a scholarly understanding of contemporary issues, and encouraging a sense of moral commitment among Asia experts.

See Professor Rosovsky’s interview with Asia Institute from 2016 (Huffington Post) here.
President Pastreich, who taught at Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, was deeply inspired by his work with Professor Rosovsky, a man who devoted his career to a deep understanding of the particulars of contemporary East Asia, a solid grasp of language and culture, and a commitment to governance and education in the United States.

Professor Rosovsky strove to assure that policy reflects reality, not vague wishes or projections of insecurities, thus assuring that citizens grasp the true significance of developments in East Asia for the United States.

The program was established on the basis of a generous donation from Professor Henry Rosovsky to the Asia Institute in 2019.

Henry Rosovsky (born 1927)

Harvard University

Henry Rosovsky, Lewis P and Linda L Geyser University Professor, was the author of numerous articles and books, including Capital Formation in Japan (1961), Quantitative Japanese Economic History (1961), Japanese Economic Growth (with K. Ohkawa, 1973) and The University: An Owner’s Manual (1990).