Researcher and Global Aid Professional
Tokyo, Japan
Originally from Japan with a formative upbringing in Brazil, Ikuko Takagi Matsumoto’s life has been a journey of “bridging.” Her professional path began with a seven-year engagement in civil-war-torn Mozambique with the UNDP in Maputo and Geneva. Witnessing the country’s critical transition from war to peace instilled in her a lifelong conviction: peace is the essential foundation for human flourishing.
This belief guided her 20+ year career as a project leader and division director at the Asian Development Bank based in the Philippines. Ikuko found true joy in building partnerships to enhance education and social services across Asia and the Pacific. An encounter with small Pacific nations pushed her toward a new horizon—her ongoing doctoral research at Sophia University in Tokyo, where she explores how faith and community “co-weave” resilience of the people in the aftermath of military violence and colonial legacies in the Marshall Islands.
Ikuko holds an MA in International Development Education from Stanford and a BA in Comparative Culture from Sophia University. She is on the Board of the Lucky Dragon Peace Foundation in Tokyo. As a certified clinical fellow, she also facilitates group work in a grief care program at Sophia University.
Off-campus, Ikuko is an avid mover and learner. You’ll often find her carrying her yoga mat, hiking, or swimming. She is embracing the joy of learning golf and the cello. Inspired by her son, a recent Stanford MBA and beneficiary of DCI mentorship, Ikuko is thrilled to be joining, learning with and from the DCI community.