K I Z U NA
Linking Japan and the World

Female Pioneers Advancing
Gender Mainstreaming

Winter2022

KIZUNA

KANAZAWA SHOKO
Calligraphy Artist
Born in Tokyo in 1985, she started learning
calligraphy from her mother when she wasfive years old. One of the notable young
calligraphers of today, her solo exhibitions
have been held throughout the world,in cities such as New York, Singapore,and Prague. She was selected as one of theofficial poster artists for Tokyo 2020.

Welcome to KIZUNA, the official
magazine of the Government of Japan.
This bold work of calligraphy is
絆(kizuna) written in Japanese. Kizuna
means the enduring bonds between
people—close relationships forgedthrough mutual trust and support.
Originally describing the rope used
to tether domestic animals such as
horses and dogs, the meaning of
kizuna has evolved over the years. A
passage in The Tale of the Heike,compiled in the 13th century, uses theterm to refer to the bonds of love
between a father and his children.
More recently, kizuna has gone
beyond bonds tying together family
and close acquaintances; it is now
used in a broader sense of human ties
and connections. Of particular note is
the kizuna born among people during
natural calamities, which fosters
feelings of solidarity and serves as theunderlying strength to overcome
hardships.
Similarly, the kizuna cultivatedamong the countries of the world has
the power to deepen cooperation for abetter future. By reporting on a wide
variety of topics concerning Japan, we
hope that this magazine will provide
opportunities for Japan and the rest of
the world to connect and build
strong kizuna.

CONTENTS
FEMALE PIONEERS ADVANCING GENDER MAINSTREAMING

04

Improving Women’s Status Creates
an Empowered Society

06

Using Design Thinking to Cultivate
Global STEAM Leaders

08

Discovering the Untold Stories of Evolution:
One Woman’s Challenge

10

One Woman Launches Herself into
Space Exploration in the New Era

12Midwifery Education Offers
a Positive Childbirth Experience in Tanzania

14

The Cosmetics Giant Championing
Female Empowerment

16

Embracing Music as an Indispensable Tool
for Social Change

18

Finding Your Magic:
A World-Renowned Author Reveals Her Secret20

How a Hiroshima Sake Brewer
Revived Her Family’s Brewery

22

Finding New Value inFukushima’s Dormant Resources
PORTRAITS OF JAPAN24

Winter—A Chance to Discovera Never-Before-Seen JapanSCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

26

Successful Japanese Innovator
Gives Back to America

TO READ MORE CONTENT,CHECK OUT OUR WEB MAGAZINE.
https://www.japan.go.jp/kizuna/

Winter 2022

COVER
(Clockwise from top left) IMADA
Miho, president and master brewer of asake brewery in Hiroshima*;
Dr. SAITOU Marie, an evolutionary
biologist at the Norwegian University ofLife Sciences**; KOBAYASHI Miai, asocial entrepreneur based in Fukushima
and Tokyo; and KONAKA Mina, a
researcher at the Paris Observatory.
Photo credit: *MAE KOSUKE;**LISA MARIE BAUGE FJELLSBØ

03

POLICY & DIPLOMACYIMPROVING
WOMEN’SSTATUS
CREATES AN EMPOWERED SOCIETY
Japan will host the World Assembly for Women (WAW!) this December toincrease momentum toward achieving gender equality and empowering
women. With extensive experience in developing corporate talent,
ACHILLES Michiko—selected by the American magazine Diversity Global
as one of the “2017 Top 10 Influential Women in Global Diversity”—talks
about Japan’s efforts and the challenges involved.
The Government of Japan isaccelerating its actions toward
gender equality and women’s
empowerment to create a society
in which everyone’s individualityand diversity are respected,
regardless of gender. In December,

ACHILLES Michiko is Senior
Advisor of HR Strategy at SAP Japan.
She joined the APEC Women andthe Economy Summit from 2010 to2012 as Japan’s representative. Also
representing Japan at G20
EMPOWER, an international
alliance, she has worked to expand
women’s involvement amongcorporate decision-makers.

04

the sixth World Assembly for
Women (WAW! 2022) will beheld in Tokyo. The conference
invites leaders in different fields
from around the world for
discussions on gender issues inJapan and other countries.

According to the World
Economic Forum’s index ofnational gender gaps, Japan still
has a long way to go. However,the country is making steadysteps toward solving its issues. In
June, the Kishida administration
announced the Intensive Policy
for Gender Equality and the
Empowerment of Women 2022
(the Basic Policy on Gender
Equality and the Empowermentof Women 2022), which focuseson involvement by both men
and women. The measures
advocate for women’s economic
independence through diverse
lifestyles. One of the specificactions is the requirement thatcompanies with 301 or more
employees disclose their gender
pay gaps.
ACHILLES
Michiko,amember of the WAW! advisors
and Japan’s G20 EMPOWER
co-chair, recognizes the policy as“a major step forward.” She adds,“Governments and corporations
are both taking action in a

Left: Women foreign ministers
from seven countries joined thefifth WAW! in March 2019.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate
Malala Yousafzai (far left) was
among the speakers.
Bottom: Achilles was a speaker
and on the host committee forthe 2017 Global Summit of
Women.

positive direction. That includes
real efforts to address gender gaps
within organizations and also
among employees at the same job
level. The next challenge will beto accelerate this drive.” Gender
statistics and their disclosure
are also essential from an ESG
perspective, and the disclosureof Japan’s female manager ratio
in the G20 EMPOWER 2020
report—in line with International
Labour Organization (ILO)standard statistical methods—isanother step forward.
Japan is meanwhile putting
effort into developing female
talent in digital technology. In
2020, the modal (most common)age of death for Japanese women
was 93. As we enter a time whenmany people live for 100 years,
economic independence forwomen is absolutely essential.
Japan has a three-year plan to focus
on developing female tech talent
to encourage women—many ofwhom have been employed inlower-wage industries—to workin digital fields. This is a promisingmeasure to heighten women’svalue in the labor market.

Achilles appreciates that thepolicy also focuses on men. She
says, “In addition to supporting
women’s careers, it’s importantto change men’s behavior
and encouraging men to takechildcare leave is one way to dothat. It would get men involved intheir families and communities,
letting married couples build theircareers together.”
According to Achilles, Japan
has designed several excellent
systems that mark it apart fromother countries, such as generous
leave and financial support forchildbirth and childcare, as well as
public and private childcare centerswith affordable fees. Achilles isenthusiastic about WAW! 2022.
“It will be a great opportunity tohave a deeper discussion about
the priority policy measuresand common global challenges
and to learn best practices, suchas family support policies,” shenotes. “It is important to show
our commitment to promoting
women’s empowerment and theireconomic independence.”
Further promoting genderequality and women’s empowerment

will help build the foundations
for accelerating diversity andinclusion in Japan. Throughout
history, Japan has developed
while taking in ideas fromvarious cultures. Achilles cites
Sony—which has emphasized
and respected employee diversity
while
producing
numerous
innovations—as a good example
of being proactive about adding
various perspectives to theirdecision-making. With a smile,
she says, “Besides, it’s more fun towork with different people withdifferent perspectives, isn’t it?”
Women’s empowerment leads togrowth for society and companies,
and Japan will push to achievethat empowerment.

05Dr. KIJIMA Rie leads discussions about challenges in
educational equity and inclusion in her undergraduate
course, Education in a Global Context, at the
University of Toronto. VIVIAN XIN SHUUSING DESIGN THINKING TO CULTIVATEGLOBAL STEAMLEADERS

Dr. KIJIMA Rie and SKY Labo have developed experiential workshops using design thinking
as a pedagogical tool, with the intention of cultivating women STEAM leaders for the global
stage. Girls have a new toolset for changing the world.
Many adolescent girls think of science andtechnology as fields that are far removed from theirown experiences and interests. However, the girls
who participated in a three-day workshop for juniorand senior high school students—conducted by aneducation non-profit organization, SKY Labo—cameaway with stronger interests in the STEAM fields.
This year, SKY Labo collaborated with Kyotango
City, in the northern part of Kyoto Prefecture,
the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
Graduate University (OIST), and PwC Japan, aglobal consulting firm, to implement the workshop.
The workshop’s theme this year was sustainability.
Youths were placed in a team of four people and one
design coach (a college or graduate student), theninterviewed “users” (business leaders or university
faculty members) to understand their needs. Each06

group brainstormed a solution to solve these user’s
needs and created a prototype to visualize theirsolution. They presented the prototype to the users
for feedback, which led to further improvements.
Participants gained first-hand experience of SKY
Labo’s “design-thinking” process that emphasizes
the importance of thinking out of the box, failingforward, and bias towards action.
Today, there is a great need to create more
opportunities for youths to pursue STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in orderto tackle the complex, global challenges our world
faces. SKY Labo aims to cultivate the next generationof women STEAM thinkers by emphasizing theimportance of human inquiry, or the Liberal Arts,
and combining it with STEM. Through rigorous
evidence-based research, they show that this results

SOCIETYin a notable change in the participant’s perceptions
towards STEM, a higher level of creative confidence,heightened prosocial tendencies, and an increase in
future aspirations and career options.
Dr. KIJIMA Rie, the co-founder of SKY Laboand assistant professor and Director of Initiative for
Education Policy and Innovation at the Munk Schoolof Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University ofToronto in Canada, mentions that the uniqueness of
SKY Labo activities lies in the utilization of design
thinking to promote STEAM learning. “We want
youths to think out of the box, explore different
ideas, and work collaboratively in a more humancentered way. That is what we want the youths to takeaway at the end of the workshop,” she says.
Kijima’s focus on education has roots in her own
career: after earning an M.A. at Stanford University,
she worked for the World Bank and was involved
in improving access to education and the learning
outcomes of children and youths living in developing
countries. There, she helped devise monitoring
strategies to ensure that progress can be measured
for various education projects. Upon returning to
Stanford for her Ph.D., she gained more research skills

Top: Design coaches guide the youths at the workshop. At OIST, a doctoral
student engages and collaborates with them using the human-centeredapproach.
Bottom: Kyotango City in Kyoto Prefecture is a center of the machine-metalindustry in Japan. The students learned about how community leaders in
Kyotango tackled the issue of sustainability in their region and designed
prototypes that meet their needs.

Kijima received a Ph.D. in international
comparative education at Stanford
University. What drives Kijima is the desire
to help girls acquire creative confidence andbreak down the social barriers to studying
the STEAM fields.

and learned about different
theoretical frameworks that
help us understand issuesof diversity, equity, andinclusion in education.
Driven by a strong desire
to create a bridge connecting
research, practice, and policy
and to address the large gender gap in Japan, Kijima
co-founded SKY Labo in 2016. To date, more than
300 youths have participated in their workshops. At
the OIST workshop mentioned above, for example,
one of the groups tackled the issue of sustainability
and conceptualized the idea of cultivating young
children’s love of nature by building a school under
the sea, surrounded by translucent walls.
“In Japan, there is a narrow and leaky pipeline
into the STEM fields for young girls and women.
Research also shows that young girls in Japan have alower sense of self-efficacy and self-concept, and areless motivated in science and mathematics comparedto their peers in other OECD countries,” Kijima
reflects. “There are various social forces that influence
girls to think that they should not pursue the STEM
fields.” Kijima thinks that we need to create a system
where we empower youths so that they can break
down the barriers to pursuing STEM. This desire,more than anything else, is what motivates Kijima in
her efforts.
“Girls who were initially hesitant about voicing
their opinions begin to feel more comfortable
sharing their ideas as they make more progress during
the workshop. Our job is to provide them with
an opportunity to fail forward and to create a safe
learning space for them to imagine what it is like topursue their interests in STEAM,” she says.
Kijima’s message seems to be reaching them. As one
workshop member noted, “The world is so much bigger
than I had ever thought. My greatest takeaway is that
now I think that maybe, I can change the world.”

07

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYDISCOVERING THE
UNTOLD STORIESOF EVOLUTION: ONE WOMAN’S CHALLENGE

Evolutionary biology has made great strides in recent years through advancements
in technologies such as DNA analysis. Working actively at the frontlines of this headline-making
field is Dr. SAITOU Marie of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. Here she speaks about
the fascination of using science to unravel the mysteries of life and the new challenges she plans to take on.

YUICHIRO CHINO/GETTY IMAGES

Evolutionary biology employs the vast power ofscience to answer riddles about how living things have
evolved since time immemorial. It is a field of intenseinterest, having made significant advancements in recent
years due to innovations in technologies such as DNA
analysis. Dr. Svante Pääbo, an evolutionary biologist who
was the first in the world to successfully sequence the
Neanderthal genome, was awarded the Nobel Prize inPhysiology or Medicine in 2022. Ambitious research iscurrently underway around the world, and one Japanese
researcher working actively on the frontiers of this field is
Dr. SAITOU Marie, principal investigator (equivalent toassistant professor) at the Norwegian University of Life
Sciences. “Since we can now analyze DNA contained inancient bones, we are gaining a deeper understanding of
extinct plants and animals. The true joy of evolutionary
biology is to use this data to discover the unknown stories
behind evolution,” she says.
A study on Neanderthals published in 2021, based on
research Saitou carried out during her postdoctoral period
in New York, focused on the fact that analysis of DNA
contained in their ancient bones exhibited a mutation of“Genome sequencing and editing technologies are making advancements day
by day, so I have to keep on learning. I often exchange opinions withresearchers from other countries, who give me insights into their knowledge
and expertise,” says Dr. SAITOU Marie of the Norwegian University of Life
Sciences. LISA MARIE BAUGE FJELLSBØ

08

the growth hormone receptor gene, which is associatedwith metabolism and growth. A study was conductedon children with malnutrition in Africa, where many
people today carry this mutation, and it was found thata lower percentage of those children with the mutation
had developed serious symptoms than those without it.
Meanwhile, in a test in which both genome-edited micewith the same mutation and regular mice were fed a lowcalorie diet, the male genome-edited mice became smallerthan the regular mice, and the females
larger. Those results led Saitou to theconclusion that a similar phenomenon
may have occurred in Neanderthals’bodies, increasing their chances ofovercoming starvation, with men
becoming smaller to save energy andwomen storing energy more efficiently
to get through pregnancy.
Though analytical techniques areconstantly advancing, such research
Joining Saitou (sixth from left) are researchers from her research center at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences
still involves the ongoing process of hailing from such countries as Jamaica, the U.K. and South Korea. In addition to managing a research budget andtrial and error. According to Saitou, recruiting talent for her research team, Saitou lectures in a graduate course attended by some 80 students. “Although it’s
hard work, it is also very rewarding because I can make various decisions at my discretion.” DOMNIKI MANOUSI“We often get results that were totally
unexpected. But it’s fascinating to see our studies develop researchers from around the world in her team to take onin directions we had never imagined.”
new challenges. “Since I regularly interact with people
Saitou became interested in evolutionary biology of different nationalities and backgrounds, my horizons
when she was a college student. “I’ve always loved literature have broadened both personally and research-wise, and I
and the natural sciences, and I thought evolutionary have become able to think more freely.”
biology had the double appeal of being a field of scientific
She now plans to expand her research to include thestudy and one that looks at evolution as the long story study of life forms other than human beings, such asof life.” After earning her doctorate from the University salmon. Understanding the evolution of living thingsof Tokyo, she went to the United States to pursue her can benefit a wide range of fields, from medicine to thestudies further. Her research on Neanderthals and other environment. “Cancer cells, for example, develop fromendeavors were highly appraised by the Norwegian mutations. Evolutionary biology could be very helpful in
University of Life Science, and in 2020 she established elucidating their mechanisms and causal factors. In such
her own research group there.
a way, I want to contribute to industry and society,” says
Since she had always been shy and not particularly Saitou. “I wish to continue using modern technology to
adept at English, Saitou never dreamt that she would be unlock long-unsolved mysteries. And someday, I hope toactive on the global stage someday, but she is now leading discover facts that have never crossed anyone’s mind.”

In 2022, Saitou (front row, far right) was awarded the Recognition Prize of
the First Marie Sklodowska Curie Award, which was established tocontribute to the further advancement of female Japanese researchers. “Thiskind of award is very significant as the first step in promoting women in thesciences. I hope there will be more awards that put a spotlight on a broad
range of people—not only those in academia, but also dedicated researchersin companies and those in outlying regions of the country.”
EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND IN JAPANWhen working as a
postdoctoral fellow in
the United States,
Saitou studied under
Professor
Omer
Gokcumen (right) at
the State University of
New York in Buffalo,
where she immersed
herself in her research,
including the study of
Neanderthal DNA.
Behind her is a poster
describing the resultsof her research.

09

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYONE WOMAN LAUNCHES HERSELF INTOSPACE EXPLORATION
IN THE NEW ERA
Sending humans to the moon again—worldwide
momentum is currently building toward that goal, which
will usher in a new era of aerospace development. Here,
KONAKA Mina, a researcher at the Paris Observatory
who is setting her goals into space, speaks about theimportance of space exploration and what drives her
toward her dream.

KONAKA Mina’s aspiration to explore space wastriggered when she was 11 years old. She happened
to notice a public campaign to suggest a name for a
new lunar explorer that Japan was launching. Almost
immediately, she submitted the name “Kaguya,” after
a famous Japanese fairytale princess from the moon.
“Six months later, having completely forgotten
about it, I received a commemorative badge fromthe Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency ( JAXA)
and a certificate stating that my suggestion had
been chosen,” says Konaka, currently a 26-year-old
researcher at the Paris Observatory, a French research
institute. “It made me aware, for the first time, of theexistence of a national space agency and professions
related to outer space.”
Since that time, she would secretly feel proudwhenever she saw news reports regarding Kaguya,
and began to wish that she could go to the moon as
well. This feeling grew ever stronger, and starting in
her middle school years or thereabouts, she began to10

KONAKA Mina has worked at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency( JAXA) since 2020, where she worked on satellite development and otherprojects. She says that although Japan is prone to natural disasters, she feels
well-protected by aerospace technologies that monitor changes on Earth.
“Space may seem very far away, but aerospace technology actually supports
our lives in many ways.” PICTURE PRESS/AFLO

immerse herself in English, math and science studies,with the goal of becoming an astronaut. When she
was 15 and in the United States to study English,
a friend’s parent, who was an engineer at National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)At Tohoku University’s Graduate School, Konaka (center) immersed herself
in research on lunar exploration rovers and small satellites under Professor
YOSHIDA Kazuya, who is involved in a number of international space
projects. SPACE ROBOTICS LABORATORY, DEPARTMENT OF AEROSPACE ENGINEERING,TOHOKU UNIVERSITY

invited her to the Goddard Space Flight Center.
“After the tour, the engineer kindly took the time togive me one-on-one answers to my many questions.
Until then, NASA had felt like something out of amovie. It was a big realization for me to learn that
ordinary people like me were working there.”
After graduating from the Department of
Aerospace Engineering at the Tohoku University
Graduate School of Engineering, Konaka worked
as a satellite system engineer at JAXA. Wishing tohone her expertise by cultivating knowledge andperspectives not just in engineering, but in astronomy
as well, she has been studying since 2021 for her
doctorate while working at the Paris Observatory.
“For me, a job related to going into space combinesseven professions: engineer, scientist, diplomat,
doctor, educator, pilot, and also artist who conveys
the appeal of outer space. In that sense, it brings
together all kinds of knowledge and experiences,” says
Konaka.
Although the number of women in the aerospaceindustry is still quite limited, she has never waveredfrom her path and keeps surging forward. Thatowes much to the role models she encountered
while studying for her master’s degree. “When I
participated in a program in the Netherlands, which
was organized by the International Space University,
I met many women whom I would like to emulate.
While my career choice might seem unique from theoutside, those inspiring role models really did help me
get through.” Wishing to do her part in supporting
younger generations, Konaka participated in 2021 asa mentor in Space4Women, a project sponsored by
the United Nations to promote the empowerment ofyoung women. For one year, she gave study and careeradvice to female students worldwide who aspired to

explore space. Even now, after the end of the project,
she stays in contact with them.
Konaka says that she will continue to explore theuniverse in various ways. With the recent surge inmomentum for lunar exploration, and the emergenceof ambitious projects around the world, both public
and private, the opportunities awaiting her are sure
to expand. In the course of gaining experience in theaerospace industry, which has always been her dream,
her thoughts toward space have also changed. “I
no longer want to go to the moon simply to satisfy
my own interests or aspirations. It is a mission
more important than such personal concerns,” says
Konaka. “Unlike the Apollo mission 50 years ago,
lunar explorations now mean an ‘expansion,’ since
they assume that some people aspire to inhabit themoon and vicinity in the future. This is a challengethat has never been taken up in human history. As aperson involved in aerospace development, and as arepresentative of Japan, I would like to contribute tosuch an endeavor.”

Konaka stands in front of the “Great Dome” at the Paris Observatory, where
she currently works as a researcher. “Although astronomy—the study ofcelestial bodies and the universe itself—differs significantly from engineering,which is mainly concerned with technological development, the two fields
are deeply interrelated. I wish to develop perspectives in both those fields,”
she says, adding, “In France, many people including those working in theaerospace industry value their private lives, but work hard when they are on
the job. I want to learn about such an outlook on life as well.”11

Because girls who give birth at a young age are
expelled from school and often find themselves
isolated, Dr. SHIMPUKU Yoko focuses on
efforts to educate adolescents on pregnancy andreproductive health.

MIDWIFERY EDUCATIONOFFERS A

Dr. SHIMPUKU Yoko, a professor at Japan’s
Hiroshima University, contributed to thecreation of Tanzania’s first midwifery master’s
degree program, and is also committed to
upgrading the quality of childbirth care in thatcountry. Midwives educated in this programphysically and emotionally support expectant
mothers, enhancing their childbirth experienceand leading to a decrease in mortality rates
among both newborns and their mothers.

It was a chance encounter that took a young
Japanese midwife to Tanzania for the first time. After
working in Japan, Dr. SHIMPUKU Yoko went to
the United States for a doctoral course in nursing at
the University of Illinois Chicago. An anthropology
class on breastfeeding and human evolution brought
her into contact with a professor who invited her toparticipate in a research project regarding maternaland child health in Tanzania. Shimpuku had beendrawn to Africa by photographs that she saw during
the course, so she agreed to join the project without
hesitation. The next year, 2008, found her in Tanzania.
The focus of the project was a farming region six
hours from Arusha, the country’s second largest city.
There, Shimpuku witnessed the harsh conditions
surrounding childbirth in Tanzania, and theexperience changed the course of her own life. “Thehealthcare environment was not adequate at all:pregnant women often died en route to facilities.

There was nothing we could do, and it made me feelso helpless,” she recalls sadly.
Much of the problem lay in the paucity of medical
staff. Doctors tend to be concentrated in large cities,
whereas in rural areas, a single midwife may often be
responsible for a disproportionate number of births.
If increasing the number of doctors was too difficult
a hurdle to overcome, Shimpuku thought, the only
option was to train specialists in midwifery—leadersof the profession who could pass on their specialized
knowledge.
After returning to Japan, Shimpuku became
an assistant professor at St. Luke’s International
University in Tokyo, and through exchange programs
involving Tanzania and her university, she helped
develop a midwifery program that would form thebasis for educating the country’s future leaders in thefield. Then in 2014, Tanzania’s first midwifery master’s
program came into being, at the Graduate School of

POSITIVE
CHILDBIRTH
EXPERIENCEIN TANZANIA

12HEALTH & WELFARE
Midwives receive
training for fetal
ultrasonicexaminations.

Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences,located in the country’s biggest city, Dar es Salaam.
Shimpuku’s emphasis has not only been on saving
lives, but also on providing pre- and postnatal carethat focuses on women’s feelings. Many women of
the region traditionally choose to give birth at homebecause care offered in medical facilities is far fromsatisfactory, with many hospital beds lined up in arow, for example.
Given those circumstances, Shimpuku was gratified
to see how midwives learned the importance of preand postnatal care and acted assertively to improvethe childbirth environment at hospitals by taking
such steps as installing curtains around the beds forprivacy and listening to and empathizing with theindividual pains of expectant mothers.
She also co-produced a tutorial smartphone appthat aids self-education in midwifery in Tanzania.
“The app is based on WHO guidelines, and we added
illustrations and videos to make it more useful forclinical practice,” she explains. The app also features
an interactive function with which participants canshare techniques and experiences. Midwives praise
the app as a means of support.
In recognition of Shimpuku’s efforts in Tanzania,
WHO and other organizations named her as oneof the world’s “100 Outstanding Women Nurse andMidwife Leaders” in 2020.
Shimpuku, who currently serves as vice president

for international public relations at Hiroshima
University and as a professor at its Graduate Schoolof Biomedical and Health Sciences, says that her longyears of aid work in Tanzania have given her a newawareness of the respective merits of giving birthin Japan and Tanzania. “I confirmed my belief thatJapanese midwives are conscientious about making
birthing mothers feel at ease. Healthcare is not merely
a matter of treatment and procedures—emotionalcare is also important,” she asserts.
She continues, “On the other hand, there is notmuch support for women in Japan after childbirth.
One wonderful aspect of Tanzania is the way inwhich large families and the wider community
come together to support women in childbirth andchildcare. We should emulate the merits of bothsocieties and make childbirth a positive experience
for as many women as possible. This is what I consider
to be my mission.”

Midwives can use the app, co-developed by Shimpuku, for selfstudy on their smartphones and tablets. The app is based on
WHO guidelines for childbirth care and has been enhanced tomake it more applicable to clinical practice.

HIROSHIMA’S ROLE IN THE PURSUIT OF PEACE
Hiroshima University, where Professor SHIMPUKU Yoko serves as one of the vice presidents, is located in the first city in humanhistory in which an atomic bomb was dropped and holds the pursuit of peace as its guiding principle.
The Center for Peace, Hiroshima University originated from the first academic research body in Japan to conduct peace studies,
which was established in 1975. The institution is distinguished by two pillars of research
focus: Hiroshima peace research, studying the effects of the A-bomb, post-disasterreconstruction, and nuclear disarmament and abolition; and global peace research,covering peacebuilding, human rights, and structural and environmental violence.
In recent years, the center has been actively establishing networks with otherorganizations working on peace studies in Japan and abroad. Aiming to apply the
results of its research in society, it also devotes efforts to planning and operating peaceeducation programs, including lectures open to the public.
The world is now in turmoil, and we have reached a watershed moment. The Center
for Peace will further deepen its research and provide opportunities to rethink themeaning of peace.
SHUTTERSTOCK

13

SOCIETYTHE
COSMETICS
GIANT
CHAMPIONING FEMALE EMPOWERMENTWhile making great strides as a global company, the Shiseido Group also acts as a pioneer in promoting genderequality and the empowerment of women. Behind those efforts is a corporate culture that has been passed down since
the company was founded 150 years ago.
The Shiseido Group, a Japanese cosmetics giant, hasmore than 40,000 employees globally, with business
operations in about 120 countries and regions. While
it is, on the one hand, a venerable company thatcelebrated its 150th anniversary in 2022, it is also a
pioneer that has taken the lead in promoting genderequality and female empowerment by positioning“As our business expands globally—though thecircumstances surrounding female employees
differ from country to country—we come to seethat we all share the same fundamental challenges,
including the lack of role models and theexistence of mental hurdles,” says IMAIZUMIChiharu, director of the People & Organization
Development section of Shiseido’s People
Division. “There is no one solution. We willcontinue to provide various kinds of mechanisms
to resolve those challenges by all possible means.”

diversity and inclusion as pillars of its management
strategy. Though many Japanese companies are on
their way toward the goal of having 30% of their
management positions filled by women, Shiseido
has already gone beyond that, with women making
up more than 37% of the company’s managers inJapan and more than 58% of their managers globally.

“Providing opportunities for women and others indiverse positions to develop their careers contributes
to our organization’s growth and innovation,” says
IMAIZUMI Chiharu, director of the People &Organization Development section of the company’s
People Division. “We also hope that our actions will
help create a change in society.”
Shiseido started working wholeheartedly
toward promoting gender equality and women’s
empowerment in the early 1990s. That was triggeredby the fact that even after Japan’s enforcement of theEqual Employment Opportunity Act in 1986, which
prohibited discrimination against workers on thebasis of sex, many women were still resigning fromthe company after getting married or having children.
To address that situation, Shiseido introduced
various new systems, including shorter workdays andworkplace daycare, and carried out more detailed
support measures such as allocating extra staff during
peak evening hours, enabling beauty consultantsraising children to balance work and childcare moreeasily. Thanks to such efforts, today more than 99%
of women in management and career-track positions,and more than 92% of beauty consultants, return towork after taking parental leave.
From 2017, the company also began to focus on
cultivating new female leaders, such as by starting aleadership program for those with notable potential.
The program not only instructs these women in
the skills necessary for upward career progression,

A scene from “Speak Jam,” a mentoring program in which female employees
in various areas—from sales to production and R&D—can speak directlywith female executives of the company. According to Imaizumi, “Some in thecompany say that although there are many female employees, finding a rolemodel is difficult. We want to provide them with the opportunity to create apatchwork of role models by matching individuals with a variety of senior
employees.”

Shiseido has continually endeavored to provide women with an environment in which they
can work to freely demonstrate their abilities, in accordance with the times. Back in 1934,
when few women in Japan belonged to the workforce, the company created a staff position
known as “Miss Shiseido” (left), who was the forerunner to Shiseido’s beauty consultants oftoday. In 2006, the company introduced a system of allocating extra staff (right) during peakevening hours to enable beauty consultants raising children to balance work and childcare
more easily.

but also includes lectures and mentoring by female
Shiseido executives. Its primary aim is to sweep
away biases regarding senior positions. According to
Imaizumi, “There are unconscious biases relating not
only to gender, but also to position. Many capable
women believe that they don’t have what it takes to bea leader because of their stereotypes about leadership
positions. By recognizing those biases and letting goof them, these women can breathe new life into andre-ignite their original visions and dreams. Since they
are all very competent, once that fire is kindled, they
will be able to master whatever skills they need on
their own. The key is how much of that fire can bekindled.”Behind such efforts is the corporate culture that has
been passed down over Shiseido’s long years of history.
Imaizumi explains, “Since our company started as a
private dispensing pharmacy, at our foundation has
been the desire to create a better society in which
everyone can lead healthy lives, both in body and inmind. That is why, in every era, we have been actively
engaged in developing human resources and finding
solutions to social issues.”
In the early days of the company, employees weresent to night school to study whatever they wereinterested in, and in the mid-1930s, the company
created “Miss Shiseido,” a staff position that becamea coveted career option for women, and that was thepredecessor for Shiseido’s beauty consultants. In the
future, the company aims to achieve a 50:50 ratio ofmen and women in managerial positions in Japan.
Also, in the fall of next year, it plans to establish the
Shiseido Future University at its head office in Ginza,
Tokyo, to develop the next generation of global
leaders. “There is still much that can be done. We willcontinue to take on new challenges from multiple
angles.”15

CULTURE

EMBRACING
MUSIC
AS AN INDISPENSABLE TOOLFOR SOCIAL CHANGE

HIROTSURU Sumire is not only an accomplished violinist, but also a next-generation leader addressing social
issues through music. Here, she reflects on the qualities necessary for musicians in the new era, as well as how she has
been leveraging her music through what she learned at Harvard College.
There is a saying that goes, “If you chase two rabbits,
you will catch neither.” Yet, violinist HIROTSURU
Sumire has proved herself to be the exception to therule by pursuing varying goals with great success.
Graduating with honors from both Harvard College
and The Juilliard School—a private performing arts
conservatory in New York—now, at the age of 29, she
is fully demonstrating her talents as a musician, while
also wearing the hats of educator and entrepreneur,among others. “As a child, I hated to lose. When it
came to studying, I felt wholly compelled to achieve
perfect scores, and if I was in a music competition, I
just had to win first prize. It’s that simple,” she laughs.
But underlying her broad range of activities is adistinctive sense of identity and perception of music.

Besides her socially oriented
work, violinist HIROTSURU
Sumire has been taking on new
challenges in music as well,such as improvising music for
YouTube distribution andperforming game music. Oneof her future goals is to findways to break away from theconventional form of classicalconcerts, such as incorporatingaudience interaction within
performances. TETSUO OHARA“I want to become a violinist who not only pursues
new heights in music, but also uses music as a tool
to find solutions to social challenges and takes on
initiatives that will benefit others.”
Hirotsuru’s values were largely influenced by worldrenowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who is also a Harvard
graduate. She first performed with him and his
multicultural musical ensemble Silkroad Ensemble
during her time at Harvard College. “While one of
the world’s top musicians, he has contributed to awide range of causes. These include his involvementin the making of a film—featuring musicians ofSilkroad Ensemble from diverse backgrounds andhis performance at a refugee camp—and educational
projects. He has not stopped at merely giving

Left: A backstage shot with world-renowned cellist
Yo-Yo Ma (center) in 2015. Ma addresses social
challenges through music, and her encounter with himchanged the way Hirotsuru (far right) perceives music.
Right: Hirotsuru graduated from Harvard College in2016. At first, she didn’t seriously consider attending
the world-class university. However, at age 16, while ontour in the U.S. including a performance at Carnegie
Hall—as a reward for winning the grand prize at aninternational competition—she had the chance to visit
the university, and sensed something in common with
the Harvard students, namely, their passion for boththeir studies and such extracurricular activities astheater and sports.

performances, but also has a great mission going
beyond that, and this has left a very large impression
on me,” Hirotsuru recalls.
Inspired by Ma, she became determined to pursue a
professional career in music and entered the master’s
program at The Juilliard School to hone her musicalsensitivity and skills. After graduating, she steadily
built up her career as a musician flying around theworld giving performances, while also finding thetime to found a music consulting company in New
York as the first step in her social endeavors. Using thebusiness perspectives and connections that she had
developed at Harvard, she supported musicians who
were highly skilled as performers but not quite so adept
at promoting themselves. According to Hirotsuru, oneof the key elements of success for today’s musicians is
the power of words. “It’s not enough to just provide
good music, because people are exposed daily tovast amounts of information, and their attention
spans are short. Musicians need the ability to put astory behind the music and their own thoughts andfeelings into words, and convey that to others.”
Since transferring her base of activities to Japan,
Hirotsuru has been investing energy into education.
In addition to serving as a member of the Council
for the Creation of Future Education, established by
the government of Japan, and as a university lecturer,
she has been operating a summer school program,“Summer in JAPAN,” in her hometown of Oita on
the island of Kyushu, since 2012. For the program,foreign college students—mainly from Harvard—are
invited to teach elementary, middle, and high school
students a wide range of subjects, including essay
writing, computer science and critical thinking. The
student teachers also perform in concerts together
with Hirotsuru. Behind the program is the hopethat direct contact with students from prestigious
universities will encourage children to become
interested in studying abroad, no matter theirbackground, and to balance an energetic pursuit ofboth their studies and non-academic activities.
Hirotsuru believes that such initiatives havea positive impact on her own music as well. “At
Juilliard, I was very impressed by the fact that manyof the more accomplished musicians, in addition tomusic, valued activities outside of the field. I felt thatin order to stride forward musically, it was crucial
not only to hone our musical skills but also to learn
through various experiences.”
One incredible musician achieving this goal is
Yo-Yo Ma. Although he will always be an aspiring rolemodel for her, Hirotsuru says that she does not wantto simply copy him. “Since the situation and normsof the world are always changing, you will fall behind
the times by just imitating someone else. That is why
I want to carry the torch of people such as Yo-Yo Ma,
passing along the core of his and others’ work, whilecarving my own path.”“Summer in JAPAN,” organized by Hirotsuru, provides children with theopportunity to directly engage with college students from overseas—mainly
from Harvard—through a two-week program.

17

CULTURE

FINDINGYOUR
MAGIC :A WORLD -RENOWNEDAUTHOR REVEALSHER SECRETKADONO Eiko began writing at the urging of her former university
instructor. Her debut work in 1970 was based on her experience in Brazil.
It was then that she realized the joy of writing.

Japanese children’s book writer
KADONO Eiko believes that“everybody has a magical ability.”
She said, “All people havesomething they’re good at or thatthey want to do. To find it, youhave to do something you likeevery day. When a person does
something they like, they shine

KADONO Eiko, the author of children’s
literature known around the world for Kiki’s
Delivery Service, has created many works inreaction to a childhood experience that wasconstrained by the harshness of the times. Herworks have magically empowered readers acrossgenerations and borders, but what was theinspiration behind her works?

and they can lead a life that isvibrant, not boring.”
Kadono’s magical ability is
undoubtedly writing stories. Whenshe made her writing debut, herdaughter was still little, so she
wrote on a drawing board hanging
from her neck while engaged inher daily childrearing. “Writing

Edogawa Ward in Tokyo, where Kadono lived as a child, will open a museum in 2023 where visitors canlearn about the author’s achievements, see the worlds of her works, and experience the wonder ofchildren’s literature. Its nickname is “Kiki’s Museum of Literature.” The museum will house around 9,000
works of children’s literature. Kadono focused on selecting short stories because she wants children
visiting to have the experience of reading a whole book.

18

for me gave me time to relax andbe myself amid the daily grind oftaking care of my child. I realized
I’d found something good.” In thehalf-century or so since she beganwriting at the age of 34, Kadono
has published over 250 works.
Kadono was born in 1935,
and therefore experienced war
as a child. After the fighting
ended, she was enamored of new
foreign cultural influences anddecided to major in British andAmerican literature at university.
After graduating, she worked
for a publisher, then marriedand emigrated with her husband
to Brazil, where they stayed for
two years. They traveled aroundWestern countries using themoney that they had saved from

working in Brazil. Reflecting
on her youth, when she hopped
around the world looking for newplaces to explore, Kadono said,“During the war, we didn’t haveenough food and we lived with allsorts of restrictions. Being freed
from that was such a great joy.”
She added, “It’s not that I
dislike tradition. What bothers
me is having to go in one directionthat somebody else has chosen
against my will. I want to be theone making the decisions about
myself. I guess most people who
experienced a time of war when
one couldn’t speak one’s mind
probably think the same way.” In
Kadono’s definitive work, Kiki’s
Delivery Service, a young witch
named Kiki leaves home andfinds her own way as a witch,occasionally butting heads withtradition. When the book wasadapted into an animated featurefilm, the story crossed the seas andgained worldwide recognition.
Surprisingly, Kadono has only
recently produced works dealing
with the subject of war. “I had

wanted to write about the war I
experienced, but I didn’t want toforce an adult’s point of view onreaders.” This is why she decided
to write her first book about the
topic, Tonneru no mori 1945
(Tunnel Forest, 1945), from theperspective of a 10-year-old child(Iko) living through a war. The
follow-up story, Iko Traveling
1948-, was an autobiographicalnovel about the character’s life
after the conflict.
Kadono’s books are always
surprising,engaging,
andempowering. She won recognition
for her achievements in 2018,
when she received the Hans
Christian Andersen Award for
Writing, which is also considered
the “Little Nobel Prize.” A girltrying to start a career as a witch,a ghost of a little girl who wants
to go to school, a girl who lives
through the calamity of war,
an old woman who travels on a
motorcycle ... such women andgirls, who take action and havea positive attitude, frequently
appear in Kadono’s works, andTop: Kadono’s most celebrated work, Kiki’s
Delivery Service*, has been translated into 17
languages, and has found loving readers acrossthe world. “Every person who reads the bookfeels something different. I don’t stress mythemes in my works, because I want readers to be
free to interpret each theme as they wish.”Bottom: Kadono decorates her home withwitch-themed ornaments she has picked up on
her travels across the globe.

their stories overlap with theauthor’s own.
Jumping into the wider world,
untethering yourself, following
your ambition, and finding themagic within you—helping
readers across generations andborders find magic in themselvesin such a way is the magic ofKadono’s works.

*Japanese edition published by Fukuinkan Shoten Publishers, Inc.

19

CULTURE

HOW A

HIROSHIMA
SAKE
BREWERREVIVED HER FAMILY’S BREWERY
A sake brewer in Hiroshima Prefecture, located in western Japan, is capturing
the world’s attention. Working out of a small, generations-old brewery, she hascreated new sake with global appeal. What daring challenge did she take onthat catapulted her to success? And how suited is Hiroshima’s climate toproducing this aromatic and flavorful sake?
Sake brewing season begins inlate September, during the harvestof its main ingredient: rice. Fromthen on, brewers work nonstop
through the following May.
Producing sake involves working
with microbes, so “you have to
pay attention 24 hours a day,seven days a week, because you
are growing living things.” That’s
according to IMADA Miho,president and toji at Imada Sake
Brewing Co., Ltd. in the city ofHigashi-Hiroshima’s Akitsu-cho
area.
The toji, or master brewer,
leads the team of brewers and is
responsible for all of the brewing
processes and the final product.
Although Imada was born theeldest daughter of the family
that runs Imada Sake Brewing,

she initially had no intention of
being part of the family business.
She went to university in Tokyo,
and after graduating, stayed in thecity pursuing work in businesses
associated with culture. It was afulfilling life.
However, a turning point for
Imada came when, at 33, due toa souring economy, she lost her
job. Looking back on that time,
she said, “I didn’t want to getmarried and dedicate myself tosomeone else because I wanted
to be my own boss. When I was
considering how I could provide
for myself, I thought of trying myhand at the family business.”
When Imada returned to herfamily home in 1994, regulations
on sake brewing were loosening
up and new types of brews
were being developed at a rapid
pace. Her father, the company’s
previous president, thought, “We
have to change our sake and theway we brew it, otherwise there isno future.” His daughter felt the
IMADA Miho prepares sakefor brewing. It requires
attention 24 hours a day
because the rice’s temperature
and water content affect the
sake’s flavor. The entire
process is grueling, but Imada
says she enjoys it because it
puts her in touch withnature’s beauty and there is nocorrect answer when it comesto sake brewing. MAE KOSUKE

Left: Ears of hattanso, a revived variety of rice. The rice grain’s low water absorption is among thereasons for which it has generally been considered unsuitable for brewing sake, but this is exactly why
it results in a uniquely refreshing, dry flavor. MAE KOSUKE
Right: Fukucho, Imada Sake Brewing’s signature brand, is brewed with soft water via a techniquecreated in Hiroshima. Another brand, Seafood—pronounced shiifuudo and using kanji for “sea”(shii), “wind” (fuu), “land” (do)—uses white koji mold that produces plenty of citric acid. It has alemony flavor that pairs well with Hiroshima’s famous oysters. MAE KOSUKE

same way, and became involved in
production.
One of the company’s new sakebrewing initiatives began in theearly 2000s: reviving hattanso,
a local variety of Hiroshima
brewer’s rice, which had notbeen cultivated in over a century.
The idea was that producing
Hiroshima sake from brewer’s rice
grown in the local climate, andwhich no one else was growing,
would have high value.
However, bringing back hattanso,
which had yet to undergo selective
breeding, was quite a challenge.
Since it has long stalks withheavy ears, a typhoon could easily
knock down and ruin the crop.
It also has a low yield per stalk,making it an inefficient variety
for production. Furthermore,
originally, the rice could not be
cultivated at a constant quality, so
the brewers could not tell whether
the sake they would brew with it
would have the authentic flavor.
These were problems the brewery
struggled with for years.
So what was their reason for
persevering with the cultivationof hattanso? “Because we couldn’t
make a good product,” explained

Imada. She added, “Quitting
without having learned anything
about hattanso was not an option.”
After much time spent selecting
the right koji mold and yeast to
bring out the rice’s potential andstudying brewing management
practices, they finally produceda sake with an acceptable flavor.
That was in approximately 2014,
10 years after they had first started
growing hattanso.
With the revived hattanso
rice, the company produceda brew with the traditional
Hiroshima method of ginjo
brewing, which employs heavily
polished rice grains and brews at
a low temperature. They named it
Fukucho Hattanso Junmai Ginjo.
Classified as junmai (meaning“purely rice” in Japanese) as it isbrewed without neutral spirits
and only using rice, it has a smoothmouthfeel with plenty of umami
flavor, plus a dry aftertaste. In
2017, the sake won the platinum
medal in the Junmai category
at the Kura Master sake contest
in France. It then became thebrewery’s flagship product, withorders coming in from aroundthe world. When demand for sake

The Akitsu-cho area where Imada Sake Brewing Co., Ltd. islocated. It is a small port town facing the Seto Inland Sea. In the
19th century, brewers from this area established a method of
producing sake with soft water, which had until then been
considered ill-suited to the task. The pioneering spirit andtechnical skills of craftsmen who created new approaches in theface of adversity, as well as the sophisticated palates of the
inhabitants of Akitsu-cho developed by the abundant naturalbounty of the local seas and mountains, have improved the flavorof the town’s sake. MAE KOSUKE

in Japan plummeted during the
COVID-19 pandemic, overseas
buyers saved the company.
Imada said, “I find it fascinatingthat sake can create connections
across the globe. I’ll keep doing
what I can so that even more
people are able to enjoy the flavorof sake produced in Hiroshima’s
climate.” The brewery’s sakecontinues to be shipped out
from Hiroshima to lands acrossthe sea, bound for connoisseurs
worldwide.

After finishing university, Imada worked in a
department store’s culture division and at an
association that promotes Noh theater. She
started working at Imada Sake Brewing in 1994.
In 2020, the BBC selected her as one of the 100
most “inspiring and influential women” aroundthe world—the only Japanese person to make thelist. MAE KOSUKE

21

SOCIETY

FINDINGNEWVALUE
IN FUKUSHIMA’S DORMANT RESOURCES
Business trips took KOBAYASHI Miai to Fukushima, where she encountered bountiful nature and lifestyles thatchanged her perceptions and led her to become an entrepreneur. There, she devised a way to distribute so-called
substandard fruit, then developed a femtech (female-technology) product using kaki (Asian persimmon) peels thatare normally discarded. Dormant local resources came to life through her magic, linking urban and rural areas andpointing to a future in which society shares its wealth.
“It was a tingly feeling—the kind
you get when you meet someone
you want to spend the rest of yourlife with. In any case, it felt likehome.” That is how KOBAYASHI
Miai describes her encounter with
Kunimi, a small town of around
9,000 in Fukushima Prefecture,
where she launched a startup
called “Hitobito”—a name thatcombines the Japanese words
for “sun” (hi), “and” (to) and“people” (hito, sequentially voiced
as bito). Kunimi Town is a placeof fruit growers who welcomed
Kobayashi with open arms,
leading her to establish a business
Kaki peels are said to contain substanceswith excellent deodorizing andmoisturizing qualities. Although they arenormally discarded during the anpo-gaki
production process, Hitobito has usedthem to develop feminine-care products.

22

based on agricultural producethat is normally discarded.
Kobayashi was once a gungho career woman in Tokyo.
Harboring a strong desire toserve society, her first job after
graduating from college was atthe House of Representatives
Research
Bureau,which
undertakes the research anddocument preparation needed
for legislation in the lower houseof the Japanese National Diet.
In March 2011, toward the endof her first year with the bureau,a giant earthquake (officiallytermed the Great East Japan

Earthquake) struck the northeastof the country. She then took
a leave of absence to engage involunteer rubble-clearing workin post-disaster Tohoku (a hardhit region in northern Japan), but
collapsed from exhaustion andbecame painfully aware that the
only way to be of any use to theregion was to “do something [sheis] really good at.”Four years later, Kobayashi
switched careers and started
working for a consulting firm,
where she could assist regional
businesses on the ground in finding
solutions. She actively began

The people of Kunimi say that “work means
working for the family” and that “children aren’t
supposed to be raised; they grow up naturally.”
Such words motivated Kobayashi to rethink her
own ideas about work and life.

volunteering for jobs involving
post-disaster reconstruction in
the devastated areas of Fukushima
Prefecture. Visiting the prefecture
on a regular basis, she eventually
decided to launch her own
business. “I can do more for
Fukushima,” she reasoned. “I cando something the region reallyneeds, on my own initiative.” She
was confident in the skills that
she had gained through her workwith the government and theconsulting firm.
The place that she chose was
Kunimi, a town where she felt
at home. She spoke with thefarmers there to learn about
their problems, and began byfocusing on the distribution ofpeaches, a major product of theregion. Ordinary distributors do

The name of the feminine-care products
Kobayashi came up with is “Tomorrow I will
climb a kaki tree.” It exhorts women to live theirlives at their own pace, choosing their own way.

not accept substandard produce:that is, fruit of the wrong size or
shape, or with slightly blemishedskin. Kobayashi bought suchpeaches directly from farmers,
she then devised a system thatmade the fruit available to city
consumers at a reasonable price,
together with messages from theproducers and other pertinent
information. Her next focus wason “anpo-gaki” (luscious semidried persimmons), another wellknown product of Kunimi. The
fruit is peeled before drying, withthe peels normally being thrown
away, but Kobayashi learned
that these peels are endowedwith deodorant and antiseptic
qualities. She then spent three
years developing kaki-basedskin-care products for women’s
intimate areas, and successfully
brought them to the market in
January 2020. It was an idea thatcame to her because she herself
had been prone to skin problems
and had irregular periods
whenever she felt emotionally or
physically stressed by her formerly
irregular lifestyle.
The Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry (METI)
recognized Hitobito two years in a
row for a subsidy initiative known
as the Demonstration Project for
Femtech and Similar Support
Services. This autumn, Hitobito is
set to launch an “active-learning”
demonstration project aimed atbusiness enterprises, with the goalof removing unconscious biases
regarding women’s minds andbodies. “I think femtech will be thetrump card for achieving diversity
and inclusion,” asserts Kobayashi.

Top: KOBAYASHI Miai now shuttles between
her two bases, Tokyo and Fukushima, sharing
childcare tasks with her husband. She stays
balanced by remaining receptive to the issues
surrounding regional resources and city needs, aswell as to different sets of values.
Bottom: A husband-and-wife team in Kunimi
producing both peaches and anpo-gaki provide
the kaki peels for Hitobito products. Warmhearted and conscientious, they are vital partners
for Kobayashi and Hitobito.

“New femtech products will
give people the chance to learn
together about women’s healthissues, and we plan to focus onawareness-building, letting both
men and women think more
about their own health.”“We want to build anenvironment in which all womencan cherish the balance of theirown minds and bodies and maketheir own choices,” she adds.
Kobayashi believed in her own
potential and cleared a path for
herself. Her energy is as bright as
the sun and lights the way towarda shining future for women in
Fukushima and in Japan as awhole.

23

DEMON-LIKE
DEITIES
Residents disguised as deities from another world
visit homes, driving away evil—a folk custom passed
down through the generations in many places inJapan. In 2018, “Raiho-shin, ritual visits of deities
in masks and costumes” was inscribed on the Listof the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of
Humanity. The namahage of Oga City in Akita
Prefecture are particularly distinctive. On New Year’s
Eve, “namahage” wearing demonic masks rebuke
the laziness of humans. While fusing with otherrituals and traditional arts, it is gaining popularity
as a “hot” festival during the cold northern winter.
24

YAMANASHI MASANORI/AFLO

PORTRAITS OF JAPANTHE GOLDENPAVILIONIN SNOW
Japan’s ancient capital, Kyoto, is full of
shrines and temples. One of the most
famous is Rokuon-ji temple, popularly
called Kinkaku-ji, the Temple of theGolden Pavilion. Originally built at
the end of the 14th century, it wassaid to be a paradise on earth. The
dazzling gold leaf applied insideand outside the building captivates
all who see it, and in 1994, it was
inscribed on the UNESCO World
Cultural Heritage List. Although
it is visited by many people in all
four seasons, winter is exceptional.
The golden pavilion nestled against
the silvery snow radiates an ethereal
quality and dignity.

WINTER—A CHANCE TO DISCOVER A

NEVERBEFORESEENJAPANThe winter scenery in Japan is an impressive sight, as much so as
spring’s cherry blossoms and autumn’s colors. Unusual snowscapes,
traditional rituals suited to the northern region, and the blessings ofa generous climate. In winter, there is more to Japan than you know.

Oga,
Akita

Onomichi,
Hiroshima

Kyoto,
Kyoto

LEMON
GROVE

AFLO

Facing the Seto Inland Sea, Hiroshima Prefecture enjoys warm weather, with citrus
cultivation flourishing since long ago. Lemon cultivation began early on the island of Ikuchijima in Onomichi City, and today it is called “Lemon Island.” An area known as “Lemon
Grove,” with spreading lemon orchards, has become a tourist hotspot. Bridges linking themainland and Shikoku via a series of islands form what has become a popular cycling road,welcoming winter visitors to the island full of ripe, yellow-colored lemons.
25

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
JAPAN

Ohio
(UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)

SUCCESSFUL
JAPANESEINNOVATORGIVES BACK TO AMERICA
Dr. Hiroyuki Fujita, a Japan-born physicist, entrepreneur, and innovator,
became a successful industrialist in the U.S. after founding the medical
equipment company Quality Electrodynamics in Cleveland, Ohio. Here’s how
his beliefs led him to success and respect in the U.S. community.
On January 24, 2012, Dr.
Hiroyuki “Hiro” Fujita, a Japanborn physicist and entrepreneur
living in Ohio, found himself in
the First Lady’s box at the U.S.
Capitol, listening to President
Barack Obama extol American
manufacturing during his Stateof the Union Address. As thefounder and CEO of Quality
Electrodynamics(QED),
anengineering healthcare innovations
company, Dr. Fujita was being
acknowledged for his role as an

Around 170 associates
work at QED in Ohio.
Dr. Fujita sends a letterto them every New Yeardelivering a message
that they should neverlose the entrepreneurial
spirit of the company
and never be satisfied
with the status quo.

immigrant entrepreneur and forcontributing to high-tech exports.
He was honored to be sitting withMichelle Obama, Jill Biden, andother dignitaries listening to thepresident discuss income inequality,
tax cuts, and new energy sources.
The rare and special distinctionof attending the State of the Union
represented a significant milestone
in the success that Dr. Fujita had
achieved in his adopted homeland,
and it came at the end of a long roadthat began when he first moved to
the U.S. as a college student in 1988.
Born in Nara Prefecture, in Japan’s
Kansai region, Dr. Fujita originallywanted to follow in the footstepsof his grandfather and uncle, whowere both diplomats. But while hewas studying at Waseda University,
he also took a summer course at the
University of California San Diego,
and was impressed by the academic
freedom that students enjoyed. He
decided to enroll at MonmouthCollege in Illinois to benefit fromsmaller classes and focus on his
language skills.
“I was too young even to knowwhat I wanted to do at the time,”says Dr. Fujita. “But my attitude

was that I would do all I could,
given all the opportunities I saw,
to learn something new. So, I
studied physics and math, and kept
improving my English skills.”
Dr. Fujita then earned his Ph.D.
in physics from Case Western
Reserve University in Cleveland,
Ohio. His thesis focused on themodeling of radiofrequency (RF)coils used in magnetic resonanceimaging (MRI) scanners. Upon
entering the industry, he continued
his MRI research, focusing on
hardware and generating multiple
patents. However, he wanted to havea greater impact and realized thatto do so he needed to be involved
with management decisions. Suchan opportunity came when he waspersuaded to join a startup that wassoon acquired by General ElectricCompany.
At this technology giant, Dr.
Fujita enhanced his management
skills while working withtechnology teams internationally.
Eventually, however, he decided
he wanted to establish his own
business based upon the philosophy
he had developed over the years.
“My philosophy is thateverything comes down to people
and trust,” says Dr. Fujita. “I wanted
to build a company culture in which
everybody is united in mutual trust
and respect, with a common goal,
which is to make a difference in oursociety no matter what we do.”In 2006, he established QEDin Ohio as a healthcare diagnostic
imaging technology company.
QED specializes in RF coils for
MRI scanners. These devices are
essential in detecting the changes inthe body’s induced magnetic field
during scans, allowing the creationof detailed anatomical images. Whatmakes QED’s RF coils unique, says
Dr. Fujita, is their higher signalto-noise ratio, which provides
clearer, high-resolution imagery.
Dr. Fujita attributes the successful
development of the RF coils, as wellas the business itself, to personal
relationships. As proof of QED’s
success, and only three years after
the company’s establishment, it wasnamed by Forbes as one of America’s
top 20 most promising companies.
Dr. Fujita has met many great
people throughout his career but
cites 94-year-old Albert Ratner, aprominent and acclaimed giant in
the U.S. real estate industry, as a rolemodel and mentor. This respectedveterancommunity
leaderintroduced Dr. Fujita to otherinfluential businesspeople whojoined QED’s board of directors.
With that group of talent, QED
was able to expand its businesssignificantly.
In 2019, Canon Inc., well known

for its camera and office equipment
businesses, added QED to its
holdings as part of its long-termbusiness transformation strategy.
The acquisition helped the Japanesemultinational corporation to
boost corporate diversification in
healthcare imaging and radiology.
Dr. Fujita now also serves as chief
technology officer of the CT-MR
Division at Canon Medical Systems
Corporation based in Japan. “Japanis definitely one of the leading
countries in the whole world interms of craftsmanship,” says Dr.
Fujita. “I thought I could add someunique values and contributions
to the business knowing both theAmerican and Japanese culture
deeply.”Mr. Ratner also instilled in Dr.
Fujita the importance of community
involvement, not only in Ohio andthe U.S. but internationally. The
CEO has since taken on numerous
roles in public and private groups,
enhancing his prominence as anindustrialist. He is a member of theBoard of the Greater Cleveland
Partnership, the U.S.-Japan Council,
the Cleveland Council on World
Affairs, The Cleveland Orchestra,and the Board of Governors of the
Okinawa Institute of Science andTechnology Graduate University(OIST) and serves as the first
Asian chairman of The Ohio State
University’s Board of Trustees in
its long history of more than 150
years. Dr. Fujita is also the chairof the Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest
Hospital Board of Trustees as well as
inaugural Honorary Consul of Japanin Cleveland.
In taking on such roles in the
U.S., Dr. Fujita has also had to work

Dr. Fujita received the President’s “E” Award in2013 and the President’s “E Star” Award in 2019
for contributing to U.S. export growth.

in an environment with different
social issues than those in Japan. For
example, he is often the only board
member of Asian descent, and has
worked to increase the visibility offellow Asian people in America.
His goal is to change how otherpeople see Asians by making themmore prominent and more involved
worldwide in a more visible way.
“I want to make a positive
difference, and I want people toknow that we are also a great partof society,” says Dr. Fujita. “To that
end, Asian people have to get more
involved, because if people do not
see what we do, the perception
is that we do nothing, and theperception becomes a reality. I
want people to know about ourcontributions. I care about thecommunity and I’m part of thecommunity too. And then I wantyounger Asian people to recognize
that. They will say, ‘OK, this guy’s
doing that. Why not us?’”Dr. Fujita’s positive attitude, his
willingness to challenge himself,and his commitment to people
have enabled him to succeed inbusiness while becoming a pillar of
the community. His belief is that
one must have ambitions, and theseambitions will form strategies for
success. With that mindset, he’s sureto achieve whatever goals he sets forhimself.

Dr. Fujita also serves as a governor of OIST, highly
regarded worldwide for its interdisciplinary approach.
He is shown here attending the OIST Board ofGovernors meeting held in Okinawa in September 2022.

27

Winter 2022

Published by

Edited by

Public Relations Office, Cabinet Office
andOffice of Global Communications, Cabinet Secretariat
1−6−1 Nagatacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
100−8914, Japan

Available in electronic format.
https://www.japan.go.jp/kizuna/

We would be delighted to have your feedback.
Please send us your comments.
https://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/forms/comment_ssl.html

Links to the websites of ministries
Cabinet Office
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Ministry of Defense
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Ministry of the Environment
Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Digital Agency
Reconstruction Agency
Nuclear Regulation Authority

https://www.cao.go.jp/index-e
https://www.maff.go.jp/e/https://www.mod.go.jp/en/
https://www.meti.go.jp/english/
https://www.mext.go.jp/en/
https://www.env.go.jp/en/
https://www.mof.go.jp/english/
https://www.mofa.go.jp
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/
https://www.soumu.go.jp/english/
https://www.moj.go.jp/EN/
https://www.mlit.go.jp/en/
https://www.digital.go.jp/en/
https://www.reconstruction.go.jp/english/
https://www.nsr.go.jp/english/©Copyright 2022 Cabinet Office of Japan. No article or any part thereof may be reproduced without the express permission of the Cabinet Office.
All inquiries should be made through a form available at: https://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/forms/comment_ssl.html

JapanGov (https://www.japan.go.jp)
is your digital gateway to Japan.
Visit the website and find out more.
JapanGov, the official portal of the Government of Japan,
provides a wealth of information regarding various issues that Japan is tackling,
and also directs you to the sites of relevant ministries and agencies.
It introduces important policies that the government is addressing , such as economic growth,
innovative technology, and diversity, among others, with many videos and infographics.

https://www.japan.go.jp

You’ll also find the official web magazine “KIZUNA”(https://www.japan.go.jp/kizuna/).

Follow us to get the latest updates!
JapanGov

JapanGov / JapanPMOJAPAN

The Government of Japan

K I ZUNA
https://www.japan.go.jp/kizuna/