"Since my work is theoretical, I like to think I am part of the academic world," Sakae Ishikawa said. "Whether I can call myself a scholar or not is a delicate question."

For nearly all his young life, Ishikawa wanted to be a journalist. He was his parents' beloved only son, born following two daughters. When he was little, his mother used to take him with her when she went for her private English lessons in Den'en Chofu. "They were my first encounter with English," he said. "My mother's teacher, Sister Paschal, gave me toys, and I would sit on the floor and play. My father, Tatsuzo, was a successful novelist, and as I grew older the kind of work he was doing looked attractive to me. I thought maybe I couldn't write so creatively. So I wanted to be a journalist."

He began by taking his first degree from Waseda University. Then he went to Michigan State University. "My professor there advised me against the department of journalism, where they taught practical things such as how to tackle a story, how to present a report, how to take a picture," Ishikawa said. "He suggested I would do better with more basic study, and recommended the department of communication. The master's program there was so interesting for me. When I came back I had changed my mind. I wanted to work as a researcher."