Kasai-Buerge Scholarship in Japan Studies

About Yuko Kasai and David Buerge

Yuko Kasai (’99) and David Buerge (’00) met in a Japanese history class taught by Dr. Kenneth Pyle during spring quarter of 1997. Yuko earned a degree from the UW in Business and David degrees in Economics and Japan Studies. Yuko is the founder of Kitchen Crossing, a global community focused on building relationships through a passion for food and cooking. Previously she pursued several different roles at Jamco America, Mitsubishi Fuso and Mitsubishi Motors in Seattle and Tokyo. David is currently a captive insurance consultant at First Insurance Company of Hawaii, where he is responsible for supporting Japan-parent captives domiciled in Hawaii. He was previously Manager In Charge for the BlackRock Alternative Advisors business unit in Hong Kong, S.A.R. His contributions to the hedge fund solutions business at BlackRock spanned investment and client facing roles in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seattle.  Before joining BlackRock, David established a representative office in Tokyo for Da Vinci Gourmet. Yuko and David currently reside in Honolulu where they continue to be active participants with the University of Washington. This fund supports students with an interest in, or connection to Japan to deepen understanding between Japan and the United States.