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Alumna Yuka Kanazawa talks about her seminar listening to real voices in the field and how it developed her problem solving skills to grapple with various social issues

I belonged to the constitutional law seminar as an undergraduate at the School of Law. There, the students picked pressing social issues to discuss with the professor and fellow students from a constitutional perspective. This seminar was special to me because we became well-aware of the different problems the people in the field faces by hearing their real voices. When we focused on the topic of child abuse, we visited a social welfare office, and a staff member shared the office’s concern. Despite the urgency of ensuring the child’s safety, the staff members must take time building trust with parents and guardians. Through these kinds of experiences, I realized that there are cases where institutions cannot fully function without reforms, and I aspired become a governmental official planning the country’s legislative system to bring about change since then.

I knew I wanted to work in the area of public service and concentrated on studying for the civil service examination, but on the other hand, I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to specialize in until right before the interview process. I played with the idea of working internationally, so the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sounded as attractive to me at the time. However, as I contemplated my career path, I remembered that I always chose topics related to the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare for my seminar’s research. I reexamined what my heart’s calling was and finally made a decision to make this my life’s work.

Currently, I am responsible for auditing and prioritizing the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare’s legislative bills to the Diet. In this day in age where predicting tomorrow is difficult enough, to be involved with legislative reforms lasting for decades to come can be very challenging but extremely meaningful. I used to think about pondered how I could make the world a better place as a student, and those feelings haven’t changed at all. What makes me different now is the action I can take. Working as a general staff in civil service requires you to be team player and leader, and I an enjoying what I do to the fullest. From the summer of 2016, I will be studying public policy for 2 years at graduate school in the United States through a program available at the National Personnel Authority. In the future, I hope to utilize the knowledge and skills acquired at graduate school to tackle issues regarding the Japanese gerontological society.

Training to critically analyze social issues

The most memorable experience as an undergraduate was the seminar I took, which trained me on how to constantly stay alert to social issues and research them in depth. I also learned how to critically analyze which issues were at stake and needed immediate action. Another thing I remember is becoming very close with my peers from a foreign language class. We went on trips together and ran a booth at the University’s festival.

Becoming the person I had imagined to be as an undergraduate

I organize each legislative reform bill as I hear voices from the field and analyze them myself. The job I am responsible for at the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare is basically what I have done as an undergraduate in my seminar. I am extremely grateful that I am able to work in my dream job and continue having the same passion as I did as a student.

※The article is based on an interview conducted in 2015.