Feb. 12 - This week Andrew Ou from our Political Section is my guest blogger. His experiences working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for one year as an exchange diplomat provide invaluable background that enriches his work at the American Embassy.
Jim
My Experience at MOFA
Here I am at my desk in the Southwest Asia Division of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, in cool biz attire! Unlike U.S. government offices, which usually consist of cubicles or individual offices, at MOFA we sat right next to each other with no physical separation.
Hello, my name is Andrew Ou and I'm a political officer here at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. I'm very excited to be a guest blogger on "Z Notes," and would like to share some day-to-day observations from my 10 months working at the Southwest Asia Division of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where I was responsible for covering Japan's relations with India and Pakistan.
When I first arrived at MOFA's headquarters in Kasumigaseki in the summer of 2008, we were in the middle of "cool biz" season, which allows employees the option of wearing short-sleeved dress shirts without a tie, in order to rely less on air conditioning and save energy. This is something we don't currently have in the U.S. government, except for here at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. But then again, we also do not have gargling machines or washlets in our bathrooms, a branch of a convenience store chain inside our building, or elevators where you can "undo" a button if you pressed it by mistake.
Toward the end of my program at MOFA, I gave a presentation on what it is like working at the State Department. I was able to learn how Japanese diplomacy is conducted, so I wanted to share our kind of diplomacy with my Japanese colleagues.
At the State Department headquarters in Washington, D.C., the Secretary of State and other senior officials' offices are on the top floor, while at MOFA, the Foreign Minister's office is on a middle floor of the building. A Japanese colleague explained that was so the Foreign Minister's office could be as accessible as possible to all employees. Other differences I noticed immediately include:
- Lunch breaks - At MOFA, lunch was strictly one hour from 12:30 to 1:30, while in the U.S., individuals have flexibility with both the start time and duration.
- Paperwork and detail - MOFA overwhelmingly has more paperwork than the State Department, and that paperwork is much more detailed.
- Career paths – At MOFA, diplomats are largely at the mercy of their personnel division on assignments, whereas U.S. officials are responsible for their own fates after the first two postings.
- Miscellaneous - Also, I could not help noticing some differences in interaction with our respective legislatures, concepts of leadership and management, sense of hierarchy and division of labor, and formulation and enunciation of policy.
Having said that, there were plenty of similarities between our two agencies. For example:
- As diplomats, most of us enjoy learning about and interacting with people from different cultures and nationalities, and we relish the opportunity to travel around the world.
- As bureaucrats, we all work for the citizens of our countries as well as for our respective national interests. We try to maintain the alliances and relationships that are important to us.
A "nomikai" with my MOFA colleagues! I'm second from right.
The U.S.-Japan alliance and relationship are perfect examples of important and meaningful things that bring benefits to both sides. I hope I will be able to take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about the Japanese system and make friends at Japan's Foreign Ministry to help bring about even greater mutual understanding and benefit for our two countries in the years to come.
- Andrew Ou
Hi Jim Zumwalt & Andrew Ou ...
I'm just writing in to say, i liked Andrew's posting on his exchange experience at the Ministry Of Foreign Affairs. I thought it was interesting how some things were the same as working here. I also liked the "Cool Biz Season" they have there too save energy. That was a great idea and it sounds like a more comfortable way to work.
Anyways , Nice posting Andrew Ou ... :)
Hey look: This entry was picked up here by another blog focusing on U.S. diplomatic missions around the world.
