Though diverse in their countries and educational backgrounds, the desire to further their careers as specialists in taxation policy is common to all students in the JJ/WBGSP program. With this desire, they tackle a curriculum which spans the fields of economics, public finance, accounting, tax law, and Japanese language. For example, in my class, "Taxation and Economic Policies," we apply basic economic theory to grasp the multifaceted effects that taxation and economic policies have on the economy.

When I read the Master's theses of JJ/WBGSP students, I see the fruits of their efforts at Keio University, and am quite impressed.

Courses Handled:
1. Business Economics
2. Advanced Study of Taxation and Economic Policies (Seminar)

Since the start of the program, thirty-five students from twenty-five different countries have graduated. It was the first time for many of them to live abroad, and not only were they taking a graduate level course, there were doing so in Japan at the far end of Asia. The newness of it all must have been bewildering at first, but they all successfully completed their stay in Japan and returned home.

We teachers also found ourselves in a new situation, since it was our first time to take in international students to this extent and provide them with advanced instruction. Yet, after trial and error, the program has gradually come into its own in the overall graduate school education of Keio University.

Now, not only World Bank international students, but other international students and Japanese graduate students as well participate in its classes. We have also increased cooperative efforts with leading graduate schools such as Harvard and Oxford. As such, we are constantly endeavoring to offer world-class education at Keio, and a look at our graduates should attest to this. We are eager to accept international students who have strong motivation to take up the challenge of studying at Keio.

Courses Handled:
1.Advanced Study of Public Finance
2.Public Finance (Seminar)

Uzbekistan

Even a good tax system will not function without well-trained tax specialists. This is why training the staff is very important. In this regard, the current JJ/WBGSP scholarship program at Keio is very precious opportunity for developing countries.

Academic training at Keio has enhanced my practical, analytical and implementation skills and knowledge. Keio Universityfs superior facilities have provided a wonderful place of learning, and its library has provided an inexhaustible source of reference material. In classes, I have learned how to apply basic economic theory to investigate tax issues from various points of view and to grasp multifold effect of taxation on the economy. With advanced instruction provided by professors, my research topic has a practical and applied orientation, focusing on analysis of existing public policy issues of my country. This has proven to be a valuable experience.

Uganda

You want to be a Joint Japan/World Bank Scholar on a taxation course in Japan? Keio University, one of the most popular and prestigious universities in Japan, is the place to be. The Master's Degree Program in Taxation Policy and Management is quite educational, interesting, and challenging, covering a wide range of topics. This course combines traditional economic theory of taxation with policy, and you get to see their practical applications in the portion the program taught under the National Tax College of Japan's National Tax Agency.

The course moulds you into a different person by the time you go through the first year. The small size of the class gives you the chance to develop close relationships with your colleagues and professors, and the international composition of the students means that you have the chance to internationalize your perception of taxation issues and learn from the experience of other countries. Come and meet the friendly professors and course administrators at the International Center who are so good that you feel at home away from home. You will undoubtedly like your experience at Keio.

Philippines

The program has enlightened me a lot on the importance of having enough knowledge of what makes a developed country. This includes the choice of sound fiscal policies, which includes the preference for a taxation system and what people need to have in order to complement the fiscal policies. This aspect of the course was made possible to us through the tremendous lectures of our able and competent professors and most especially through the different comparative country studies that we had in our classes. The practicum at the National Tax College through the initiative of the National Tax Agency of Japan has provided me an invaluable opportunity to observe and study what a developed country like Japan practices in order to have an effective and efficient tax administration.

Aside from the knowledge aspect of the course, the two-year program has given me the chance to live away from home, thus giving me a rare opportunity to be all by myself and to know my strengths and weaknesses as an individual. The course then has provided me the greatest challenge of managing myself in a foreign country. Now I can say that I was able to adjust and adapt to peoples of different cultures and this can be my most handy tool in life. In short, the program has enriched my life as a person and has widened my knowledge as a public servant.

Peru

In 1998, I obtained a Master's degree from Keio University under the two-year JJ/WBGSP Master's Degree Program in Taxation Policy and Management. I currently work at the National Tax Administration of Peru as an advisor to the National Superintendent. Among my responsibilities, I am in charge of developing and managing strategies related to various international taxation issues. In 1991, The National Tax Administration of Peru implemented a tax reform, focusing on the simplification of taxes, the enlargement of the tax base, and the increase of tax compliance. At that time it was essential to concentrate all efforts into putting domestic fiscal accounts into order. However, economic globalization has obliged Peru's Tax Administration to start thinking about the impact of operations on the tax system and tax administration, bringing a new domestic to an international tax focus in the Peruvian Tax Administration. I was designated to investigate those issues and have had the opportunity to develop a strategy and propose recommendations for the coming years.

The knowledge I learned in the program at Keio University is very helpful in my current job. It gave me a general understanding of fiscal policy, a close insight, and the adequate tools to analyze how foreign investment, technology transfer and international trade have an impact on tax policy and vice versa. Through the exchange of country experiences and practical cases, the program showed me how theory works in real life. It was an unparalleled opportunity to combine theory and practice and to use that experience in my own country.