The CSEM Advisory Group

Joji SUGAWARA is Vice President at the Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI), an independent, non-profit, and non-partisan health policy think tank based in Tokyo. With a background in political science and over a decade of experience in global health, he is deeply engaged in building inclusive and evidence-based health systems through consensus-building and civic engagement.

At HGPI, he leads strategy, external relations, and policy initiatives on Universal Health Coverage (UHC), antimicrobial resistance, and planetary health. Drawing on his policy training, Joji brings a strong understanding of the political processes, institutional complexity, and the importance of multi-stakeholder governance in shaping health outcomes. He emphasizes the need to ground policy in grassroots realities, recognizing that sustainable health systems must be shaped not only by technical inputs, but also by participatory dialogue across all levels of society.

Recently, he has championed a “Greener UHC” agenda in Japan, connecting UHC to broader environmental determinants such as climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. His work reframes UHC not solely as a financial goal, but as a sustainability challenge requiring intergenerational and intersectoral collaboration.

He also supports global health diplomacy for former Minister of Health and WHO UHC Goodwill Ambassador, Keizo TAKEMI, including engagements at the UN General Assembly. He is a Councillor at the Asian Population and Development Association (APDA) and plays a central role in Japan’s CSO ecosystem, co-drafting major joint statements and participating in MOFA–NGO dialogues.