Ms. Itsue Yanagida, Business Development Manager, Graphic Systems Dept., Toray International Europe GmbH

"Empowering women: when stepping away provides a closer look at equality"

Ms. Itsue Yanagida works for Toray International Europe GmbH in Germany. It has been over 23 years since she moved to the city of Mainz, where she also spent two years as a student during her undergraduate studies at Osaka University of Foreign Studies (OUFS) in the late 1990s.

The wide world outside of Japan

Born in Kumamoto prefecture, Ms. Yanagida lived there until she moved to Osaka in the early 1990s after her high school graduation. Her hometown of Minamata in Kumamoto had been seriously affected by severe methylmercury poisoning in the surrounding oceans, which gathered lots of attention from activists and individuals who were engaged or interested in environmental protection both in Japan and from overseas. Over the course of just four years, these circumstances stimulated in her an interest in foreign culture and society and inspired her to live outside of Japan.

When she was a junior high school student, Ms. Yanagida was inspired by Waldorf education, which originated in the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, and wished to become an educator in that style of teaching. This was her first encounter with Germany and became her motivation to study in Germany at the time. She then succeeded in entering OUFS, where she majored in German.

Ms. Yanagida appreciated the education she received at OUFS. Her supervisors, Professors Akira Ichikawa and Joachim Weiland, provided instruction at a very high level, occasionally making it tough for her to keep up with them. However, she was indebted to them for setting such high academic requirements. She also made lifelong friends throughout her time at the university. It is worth mentioning that according to her observations, most female students at the time went abroad on their own after graduating from the university, while most male students tended to seize the opportunity to work abroad through their company.

Appreciation for diversity in the people, culture, and values in Europe

Ms. Yanagida joined Toray International Europe GmbH in 2005 after engaging in work at the Embassy of Japan in Bonn, Germany, and the Consulate General of Japan in Dusseldorf. As Business Development Manager, she leads the business in promoting VOC free waterless offset printing. Initially, she never would have thought that she would have stayed in Germany for so long, but there is simply no reason for her to go back to Japan. While working in Germany, she was especially impressed with its high QOL (quality of life). There, people observe regulations in their daily lives and engage in discussions when they have differing views or opinions. They do not flinch when they disagree, but rather, they appreciate discussions. Ms. Yanagida is still learning their culture through her involvement in activities with other parents and guardians at her son’s school.

Issues in politics and gender balance and empathy towards young people in Japan

Though she lives in Europe, Ms. Yanagida also continues to observe Japan and is concerned with the situation on politics and the gender gap in her home country. To her, it seems that there is no diversity among politicians in Japan, nor is there a particular interest in politics among the general public, at least not when compared with the situation in Germany. From what Ms. Yanagida has learned, students in Germany begin to analyze the policies of each political party and learn how to determine their claims while still in high school. Today, the most pressing topic among them is climate change, a view which is shared by the majority of the people in Europe.

She also points out the disadvantages that women still face in Japan are due to traditional values and institutions that give men an advantage. Therefore, she wishes to deliver her message to students at OU and the younger generation: “Please see countries other than Japan while you’re young. The common sense that you have acquired in Japan is not always the same as that of the rest of the world. If you have any sort of expert knowledge, I encourage you to attain English proficiency and consider working in other countries, such as in Europe, where expertise and diversity are appreciated.” She also adds a message to male students that they should understand the inherent gender imbalance in existing structures and have empathy for such inequality.

Text: Saori Obayashi/Edit: Christopher Bubb