A Japanese in Bosnia

Were you the first Japanese national to work at the Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina?

No I was not the first – there was a Japanese there before me, in one of the field offices. But at one point, I was the only Japanese national in the entire Organization.

Why did you want to work for the OSCE?

I had some expertise in Bosnian politics and I had been working for the Japanese embassy in Sarajevo for four years as a political adviser.  I studied International Relations in Japan and after that I got a Master’s degree in the United States in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. So when the OSCE advertised the post of political adviser at the Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, I found that it matched my portfolio as it focuses on both politics and conflict prevention in Bosnia.

The other reason is that I always wanted to work in an international environment. I thought it would be more dynamic than at the embassy, where one works with one’s own nationals in a single-culture environment.

And you were not disappointed?

Not at all, it was a very dynamic experience in a challenging environment. I started working for the mission in 2012 as a political adviser to the Senior Representative of the Head of Mission in the Sarajevo Field Office – who, by the way, is now Deputy Head of Mission. In my second year with the Mission, I, together with the Senior Representative, moved to the Office of the Head of Mission. Here I had the chance to contribute to the Mission’s policy-making and co-ordinate with relevant departments and field offices. It was very challenging, as the Mission was very large – it had 360 people when I left – but I learned a lot about co-ordination and management.

I also travelled a lot because my boss, the Senior Representative, was the highest political representative in the Mission, being in charge of monitoring and assessing the political situation on the ground. We visited all the field offices – we had 14 at the time. We travelled throughout the country and met a lot of people. We set up meetings with local mayors and local civil society activists. It was a learning experience not only for my boss but also for myself. I felt I learned more about the local situations than I had during my four years with the Embassy.

What is the main thing you got out of the experience?

What I really appreciated is that I worked for a Russian boss and also had Spanish, Italian, British, Irish, American, Swedish and of course Bosnian colleagues. I learned about each country’s culture through our daily interactions and our different ways of working. That kind of cultural knowledge can give you a great advantage in understanding others. Any decision-making process relies on personal communication. Of course, in diplomatic missions, each capital issues its instructions, but they have to be implemented by people on the ground. If you want to get someone’s support, change their mind or influence them, you have to know that person’s culture.

Why in your opinion is it important for Japan to second people to the OSCE?

Japan is very interested in contributing to the international community. We provide financial assistance to many projects. In Bosnia, for instance, we have contributed around US$500 million in the past 20 years. Through our assistance, bridges, roads and buildings have been built or reconstructed. We have also been assisting with demining. But perhaps the most well-known project was our donation of new buses to public transport companies in the three major cities in Bosnia, Sarajevo, Banja Luka and Mostar, in the interest of ethnic reconciliation. And those buses are still running today.

In my opinion, in addition to financial assistance, it is equally important for Japan to show how our citizens can contribute through their expertise. I believe that one of the best ways to provide hands on assistance, especially in Europe or Eastern Europe, is to work at the OSCE. This is because, unlike other international organizations, it has large field missions there. If you are a European citizen, you may be able to get that kind of experience working for the European Union. But unfortunately, as Japanese nationals we cannot normally apply for European Union posts. As an Asian Partner of the OSCE, however, Japan has the opportunity to second experts to OSCE posts. That is why I always encourage Japanese citizens to apply. It is a way for them to get unique experience and for Japan to show its direct contribution to the community.

Working for the OSCE gives you the kind of multicultural experience you can never get in a domestic organization. This can be extremely useful later in life, when you find yourself having to address sensitive matters with colleagues or counterparts coming from different cultural backgrounds. Once you are sitting at a discussion table with them, it will likely be too late to start learning how they think or work. These are things you already need to know if you wish to get urgent things done in time. The OSCE has indeed given me a great opportunity to learn these things. Now that I have officially joined the Foreign Service, my experience with the OSCE is very much appreciated.

Do you think the OSCE approach to security, based on dialogue and co-operation, is useful as an inspiration or a model for the Asian situation? 

Unfortunately, when you mention the OSCE in Asia, people often don’t know what it is. Back in the time of the Cold War, the OSCE was created to prevent the worst case scenario by countries agreeing to mutually disclose military information. Ideally, that kind of mechanism – some kind of regional organization for transparency and exchange of military information – could be a useful model for Asia. Although it’s a very good idea, it may not be easy to introduce such a model in Asia any time soon. But of course, everything is possible if there is political will.

Seconding nationals to OSCE posts is one of the ways Partners for Co-operation contribute to the Organization’s work. Japan has been providing experts to OSCE field operations since 1999.