A Single Photograph | Tomoki Kamo, Dean of the Faculty of Policy Management
June 21, 2022
I have a photograph here. It was taken on January 26, 2018.
At the time, I was in Hong Kong. Having transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in October 2016, I was posted to Hong Kong as a consul at the Consulate-General of Japan. For two years there, I was engaged in the work of analyzing trends in China's domestic politics and diplomacy. The photograph is from when my faculty colleagues came to visit me in Hong Kong.
My job was, above all, to meet people. For me, as someone who had studied Chinese politics and diplomacy, it was the perfect environment. But it was also a challenge. In Hong Kong, a city full of China experts, the people I spoke with had an overwhelming amount of information compared to me. The analytical framework became the deciding factor. What to talk about, and what to ask? There were times I felt a sense of accomplishment, and other times I was cornered and felt frustrated.
There was another problem: how to answer questions that were distant from my area of expertise. Discussions would start with Chinese politics but would eventually expand to the Chinese and international economies, Japan-US relations, Japan's diplomacy in dealing with China, and finally land on Japanese politics and social issues.
Of course, I could provide answers, but sometimes they felt unsatisfying, as if they weren't quite hitting the mark. I don't remember exactly when it was, but I vented my frustrations to my colleagues, Professor Taka-hiro Tsuchiya and Professor Toshihiro Nakayama, and asked if they would come and speak if I set up a workshop.
And so, Professors Tsuchiya and Nakayama really did come, along with three other colleagues.
At a certain historic salon, Professor Tsuchiya acted as the moderator, while Professor Nakayama and Associate Professor Michito Tsuruoka served as the speakers. The venue was packed; there were three to four times the usual number of people for a regular meeting in the room. Once the session began, everyone's eyes and ears were intently focused on the two speakers. There is no one in Hong Kong who specializes in speaking about Japan-US and Japan-Europe relations. In Hong Kong, the US and Europe were connected through Japan. This enthusiasm also reflected the high level of interest and strong expectations that Hong Kong and other Asian countries have for Japan. The attendees and I were all thrilled.
More than anything, I was struck by this teamwork. It is difficult to explain Japan when you are overseas. When I, who had been struggling, vented my frustrations, my colleagues came to help, as if they had just hopped on a bus. And in the end, after eating some delicious Chinese food, they quickly flew off to their respective next destinations. Incidentally, Professor Nakayama was not a fan of spicy food. When we all went to eat Sichuan cuisine, he confessed, "Actually..." I remember hastily ordering either spare ribs or Dongpo pork for him.
The photograph shows my colleagues as they came out of the venue right after the salon ended. I took the picture. They are surrounding Professor Nakayama on the stairs of The Foreign Correspondents' Club. Professor Tomoyuki Furuya and Professor Manabu Omae are also in the picture. Everyone is smiling and looks slightly elated.
Every time I look at this photo, I think to myself, "Ah, this is the kind of team I wanted to work with." This is what the faculty at Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC) is like, and it was my desire to cherish this that made me decide to take on the role of dean. I may be simple-minded, but I think that's fine.
I learned many things in Hong Kong. One of them was the sensibility that "order is fluid."
For two years starting in April 2001, I served as a researcher at the Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong. Fifteen years later, I came to Hong Kong again. The city had changed significantly. It changed even during the two years I worked there. And after I finished my term and returned to Japan, that change accelerated even more.
If we wish to maintain the order we now enjoy, we must not neglect the efforts that support it. However, one cannot do it alone. You need colleagues who share your values and sense of purpose. When I think about such things, I always recall this photograph.