At the JICA Argentine Office (above) and delivering remarks at the concluding ceremony of the Third Countries Training Program in Argentina (below)Aspirations from My Youth Inspired Career ChangeMiyazaki initially became interested in international cooperation while a student at a Protestant junior and senior high school. Her interest was sparked by a talk given by Dr. Noboru Iwamura,* who had been involved with providing medical aid to Nepal for many years.“Having studied at a school with a philosophy similar to Sophia’s ‘For Others, With Others,’ the idea of international cooperation naturally resonated with me,” Miyazaki explained. She added that this was why she chose to pursue her degree at Sophia University’s Faculty of Foreign Studies.“Looking back, it may have been a simplistic idea, but I thought that if a war were to break out, I could survive as long as I could speak a foreign language. My teacher told me that achieving na-tive-level fluency in English was nearly impossible, so I decided to major in Spanish, a language spoken in many countries around the world. Sophia was the ideal environment for someone like me who had a strong interest in foreign cultures. Its highly interna-tional campus attracts people from many countries.”Miyazaki majored in Spanish, with a minor in international re-lations. She joined the seminar led by renowned political scien-tist Professor Masatsugu Naya and attended lectures by professor Sadako Ogata who would later became the president of JICA. “I was intellectually stimulated by the wealth of knowledge imparted by these internationally-minded professors. I also developed my physical stamina by participating in the university’s mountain climbing club.”After graduating from Sophia in 1988, during the peak of Japan’s bubble economy, Miyazaki joined a private firm in the financial sector. With the financial world becoming increasingly global, she had hoped to work abroad. However, despite spending nearly four years on the trading floor, she unfortunately never had the oppor-tunity to be posted overseas. It was around this time that she came across a small newspaper advertisement for a position at JICA.Broadening Global Horizons at JICAMiyazaki has been with JICA for more than 30 years. Though her overseas postings were limited to Argentina and Thailand, she de-scribes her career as one of discovery and fulfillment.“My education in foreign languages and international relations did not provide me with expertise in specialized fields such as civil engineering, agriculture, or environmental science. However, this turned out to be an advantage, as it allowed me to work on a wide range of projects. I also discovered that I was well-suited for tasks such as coordinating between JICA’s internal departments, and with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (which oversees JICA) and partner countries.”* Noboru Iwamura (1925 – 2005) was active in Nepal from 1962 - 1980 as a doctor dispatched by the Japan Overseas Christian Medical Cooperation Society. He received the Magsaysay Award in 1993.Sophia People21Miyazaki held various leadership positions at JICA, includ-ing Senior Director of the Office for Gender Equality and Poverty Reduction, Chief Representative at the Thailand Office, and Director General of the Governance and Peacebuilding Department. These roles significantly broadened her perspec-tive. One particularly memorable experience was her time at the Argentina Office, where she engaged with Argentine people of Japanese descent and gained insight into their history and expe-riences living on the opposite side of the globe from Japan.“This experience deepened my awareness of the presence of for-eign nationals working and living in Japan, and it reinforced my belief that Japan needs to become a more open and international society.”In Thailand, Miyazaki became the first female JICA Chief Representative. The country is home to many Japanese businesses and expats, and Thai students who had studied in Japan. She felt the strong expectations and trust they placed in Japan.“With Japan’s economic prominence waning in recent years, it was a valuable opportunity to reflect on how to maintain trust in Japan and its global standing in Thailand and also on the global stage.”Miyazaki’s time in the Office of Gender Equality and Poverty Reduction had a profound impact on her. The office’s mission is to integrate gender perspectives—particularly those of women—into all JICA projects. For instance, in patriarchal societies in
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