CEPEX

CEPEX launched a new seminar series on U.S. workforce development in October 2018 called “Japanese Innovation and Experiences Implementing New Technology in the U.S./From ‘Product Out’ to ‘Market In’”. This initiative has been supported by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) under their U.S.-Japan grassroots program which promotes collaboration with private sector, government authorities and educational institutions, on how to address workforce development issues and the 21^st century workplace. Since October 2018 CEPEX has organized six seminars in locations throughout the U.S. including Fort Wayne, Indiana; Chicago, Illinois; Dublin, Ohio; and Fayetteville, Arkansas. On December 3, 2019, CEPEX hosted the 5^th seminar at Memphis University, in Memphis, Tennessee. The 6^th seminar was held the next day at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee.

CEPEX speakers with Mayor Jim Strickland and Acting Counsel General of Japan in Nashville Jiro Nishimura

At both seminars in Tennessee, Acting Consul-General Jiro Nishimura from the Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville, delivered welcome remarks, followed by two presentations and a panel discussion. A highlight of the seminars was a presentation by Mr. Yoshihiro Sasaki, CEO and President of R-Cubes (Reuse, Reduce, Recycle), as well as the Q&A session with the panel. Mr. Sasaki’s innovative presentation on New Reverse Logistics portrayed how he has encouraged his employees at his reverse service logistics company to create in-house IT systems to increase productivity. While his reverse logistics company only has two IT employees, workers on the line have the knowledge about how to improve systems and work flow. His employees used open source software to create an in-house IT system to monitor employees’ touch time on each item on the line.

Mr. Sasaki’s presentation at Memphis University

A key reason CEPEX selected universities in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Arkansas and Tennessee as locations for the six events is to connect with university students studying Japanese, as well as educators, and local business people. About 70 people attended the University of Memphis seminar on December 3, 2019. Many of the participants were studying Japanese and quite interested in learning about future job prospects where they could potentially use their Japanese language skills. Around 70 people attended the seminar at Austin Peay State University on December 4, 2019. State Senator Bill Powers and Dean of Business Administration Mickey Hepnew joined the seminar and spoke about diplomacy, security and macroeconomic trends. Student participants asked about what innovations will come in the future. Speakers stressed that in the future is a lot of room and potential for innovation in areas that link natural science and social science, and that collaboration between industry, government and academia will be important to unleash this innovation.

With Senator Bill Powers and Dean Mickey Hepner

A notable shift for American workforce to consider is the need to understand different cultures and finding a way to communicate with people rather than solely focusing on language fluency. No matter the type of business, size of company, or workplace culture, it is more important to strive to constantly learn new things and think outside of the box in order to survive in the future age of innovation with AI and machine learning speeding up the pace of change in the workplace. Mr. Sasaki has emphasized that even the most inexperienced employee has the potential to learn about IT and do programming if they have the right motivation and environment. With a little effort, he or she can see how automation and improving the flow of systems can reduce inefficiencies and correctly align limited human resources in the workplace.

Austin Peay State University seminar

Interview with IDYL intern Yodai Tanaka:

How was your time interning at Sojitz?

Although this internship is really different from what I wanted, I still learned about how to write summaries. I think that my English has improved professionally. When I first started, it would take me around a week to write a summary but now it only takes me around a day to complete it. I was also given the chance to do my own research which was nice.

What activities did you do that aligned with your passions?

I am interested in the topic of human rights, but that’s a topic that isn’t related to what I was doing for my internship, so I often went to events outside of work. If there was a think tank discussion on something related to my interests, then I would do my best to attend them align with other events around DC.

What was the most difficult part of your internship

For me, writing summaries was something that was especially difficult for me because for the language barrier and simply lack of knowledge on some of the topics. I overcame these challenges by rewatching the streams of the think tank events so that I could go back and listen more carefully and write down points that I had missed. I am now able to turn in reports faster than when I first started so I think there has been improvement.

What kinds of cultural activities did you do?

I volunteered at Shinshun Matsuri in DC. I have 10 years of experience with calligraphy so that was one of the things that I did to show Japanese culture and also put my skill to use. I also met with Korean students in Asan Academy who are basically doing the same things that I am, but they aren’t part of a government program. I wanted to make a connection with them since there is an emphasis on relations between US-Japan-Korea.

What will be your fondest memory of DC?

This was in Maryland, not DC but close enough, but I went with my roommate to a football game. I went to Ohio State University and that’s where I gained in interest in football and would often watch their games. Ohio State University’s team came to play against University of Maryland which is the University that my friend attends so we went to watch it together. It was a close game and really fun to watch so I really enjoyed it. I also really enjoyed experiencing Thanksgiving. I went to my friend’s house and it was really nice being able to spend the holiday with their family. I got to do the wishbone tradition and it was a lot of fun.

What things should other interns expect to encounter in the US?

There’s lots of things to be aware of when talking to people such as tone and body language. When introducing yourself and meeting people, you will have to shake hands. It is also important to maintain good eye contact. There is also a difference in what is considered taboo to talk about in the US vs in Japan.
What advice would you give to incoming IDYL interns?

People in DC are very open so if you are interning here then definitely have informational interviews. People are are more likely to communicate with you and are open to let people know what they are doing. It’s something that I think is very different from Japan and even other parts of the US.

Since there is a difference in taboo topics in the US, I think Japanese people need to be aware of this and careful so that they don’t cross any lines or accidentally come off as rude. Be careful of being too straightforward.

My name is Aimee Kustar, I am currently a Sophomore at The George Washington University studying International Business and Japanese. My family is from Slovakia so growing up I learned both English and Slovak.

I found a passion for learning about other cultures and languages since I was really young. In high school I had taken Spanish and studied abroad for 7 months in Tokyo to study Japanese. When I first came to GW, I had thought that I would only study Japanese but when I found the the course was full, I decided to expand and start other language. I had heard that Korean was similar to Japanese so I decided to try it out and ended up loving it. I hope to incorporate languages and traveling in my future career.

I look forward to gaining new skills and experience and learn to incorporate my interests into my work. I am so grateful for this award and the opportunity it has given me.

よろしくお願いします。

エイミー • クスター