Student Profile: Daisuke Kageyama, MPP Class of 2023

Daisuke Kageyama, MPP Class of 2023, grew up in Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan. "It's a beautiful city surrounded by mountains, but it is unfortunately located near an active volcano. Between the volcano and the potential for earthquakes, the city is exposed to a huge disaster risk,” said Kageyama. “When I was young, researchers said that there was about an 80% chance that we would be hit with a potentially devastating earthquake within 30 years, and I remember the horrible fear of staying in this kind of high-risk disaster region. Fortunately, the earthquake has not happened so far, but we are still exposed to natural disaster risks that are exacerbated by climate change.”

This experience motivated Kageyama to study forestry with a minor in erosion control engineering at Hokkaido University in Japan as an undergraduate. After graduating in 2015, Kageyama spent five years working as a civil engineer with the Government of Japan as Chief of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism. He primarily focused on natural disaster response and prevention. He went on to become Assistant Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he helped develop a $4.5 billion dollar financial aid package for developing countries in response to Covid-19.

In 2021, he earned full sponsorship from the Government of Japan to pursue his Master of Public Policy (MPP) at Harris. When he returns home, he said, he can help create better disaster response policies.

“Climate change is happening now in Japan, and the increased frequency of natural disasters like floods and sediment disasters has devastated a lot of communities. Since we are facing a new situation, we need policies to not only respond to, but prevent, natural disasters,” said Kageyama. “As an engineer fighting against catastrophes caused by climate change, the evidence-based approach to policy analysis and insight into decision-making models that Harris provides is invaluable.

“I’ve learned a lot about statistics, economics, and game theory, as well as programming in R and Python. This ability to interpret data and use evidence will be very important in expressing the urgency of these issues. I am also learning how to share this evidence persuasively with the public.”

Kageyama said he is inspired by Research Associate Professor Kimberly Wolske’s work on climate change communication, which examines the behavioral dimensions of energy issues to improve the design of public-facing policies and programs. “I would like to explore behavioral science to provide resources and incentives for people to take appropriate action on climate change.”

He is also pursuing two certificates: one in Certificate in Data Analytics at Harris, and the Certificate in Urban Science & Sustainable Development through Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation. He also works with the Admissions Office as a Harris Ambassador, where he advised prospective international students on building resumes, statements of purpose, and other application materials and hosted sessions about the student experience.

Kageyama looks forward to returning home to put his newfound skills to use with the Government of Japan. “I have received a lot of education and other benefits as a citizen of Japan, and I want to pay back what I have received for future generations. Continuing my work in government with the skills I gained at Harris is the perfect way to do that.”