I spent most of my childhood in Senegal, Africa because of my father's work. Then, from 10 to 18 years old, we have transferred and stayed in the US. Throughout my life abroad, I have felt that Japanese culture was not properly recognized. I noticed that gap particularly in food, where I was laughed at for eating raw fish. As a child, I had a lot of unpleasant experiences. My father's work was related to fishing, so I felt that I was made fun of because of that and because of our culture. Because of these experiences, I had a strong desire to introduce sushi and other Japanese food to the world and to let the world know the wonderful side of Japan when I started working. On the other hand, I am also aware that there are other wonderful cultures abroad, so I thought that I wanted to become a bridge between two different cultures.

In the recent years, AI (artificial intelligence) and other cutting-edge technologies have been introduced in the financial world, limiting the things that can only be done by humans. Even jobs that require experience and know-how that our pioneers have acquired for about 10 years, can now be achieved by young people nowadays in tremendous speed.In order for me, who has become part of the so-called veteran generation of the finance world, to survive, I would like to provide an environment for the young to be able to accelerate further rather than slowing them down, and for me to be to continue mastering my craft with a humble attitude. In order to move forward, I must remain humble. Otherwise, they may no longer need me tomorrow. I put that sense of danger in consideration as I do my job. And in order for one to remain in demand in the society, it is important to continue trying new things. It is because a person can grow regardless of his age.

UNIC Tokyo plays a role in translating various information in Japanese so that we can help them understand what the United Nations is aiming. The most noteworthy among these is the SDGs (Sustainable Development Target). This is an international goal aimed at sustainable development to address poverty, hunger, energy, climate change, and to attain a peaceful society. There are 17 goals listed in SDGs, and one of which is [5. Gender equality]. However, it does not simply stop there. That goal is also the tool that supports all the 17 goals.

My father was a movie actor in Toei. When I was a child, my brother and went frequently to a Toei studio near our house during vacations and pretend being in a sword fight. It was the best playground ever. My mother was not the type who would object on what I wanted to do. She would always support me as long as I would not break any law or cause trouble to anyone. When I said that I wanted to learn the violin, she brought me to an instrument shop on the same day. However, once I have decided to do something, I had to promise to continue doing it for three years. Because of this, the habit of preparing and taking responsibility on my own decisions has been deeply ingrained in my being. It was summer of my second year in high school when I suddenly thought of going to Europe alone. My mom bought me an open ticket, stayed there for three months, and made a lot of friends. I wanted to reunite with them someday, and I thought that the best profession that will enable me to do it was to become a pilot. When I told my mother about it, she assured me saying, "It would be tough, but I know you are serious about it". That weekend, I went to an aviation school in Miyazaki and aimed for admission.

My father was a salary man, and we were relocated so many times. As a child, I kept transferring to different elementary schools. Because of that, I became a keen observer to everything that is going on around me. My ability to see through the eyes of people also developed naturally, which made me become discerning even up to this day.Although I studied hard when I was still a student, I was the type that read a lot of books and spent time as I wanted, rather than being very serious about taking my classes. It may sound audacious, but from that time, I have always been thinking about what I want to do and how I would want to live my life.

When I was four years old, my father failed in the real estate industry, and our once peaceful lifestyle has completely changed. From what I could remember most from my childhood years, we lived with extreme poverty in an apartment with no bathroom. During my high school years, I have experienced fights with my father that ended horribly because of getting physical. Not seeing what lies ahead, I guess both of us fought in an extreme situation. Because of that, I had learned to think seriously about the future.I proceeded to a vocational school after graduating high school, got qualified as a real-estate broker, and ventured into the real estate industry just like my father. I was attracted with the words "full commission" in job advertisements.

Kiichiro Toyoda was born in Shizuoka Prefecture, Fuchi District, Yoshizu Village, Yamaguchi in 1894. His father was inventor of a fabric weaving machine who was representative of Meiji Japan, Sakichi Toyoda. Seeing his father work day and night immersed in the research and development of automated weaving machines caused Kiichiro to have dreams of his future as an inventor and engineer.

As suggested by the name of this company, it is a consulting business for companies focusing on motivation. When it was established in 2000 there were only 7 employees including myself. At the time it was a small company of 5 men and 2 women. The business subsequently continued to grow favorably, and we immediately started mid-career hires. From that time there were many female applicants, it happening to be the time when women started thinking of forming careers. And currently, 18 years after our founding, we have reached about 1,400 employees, about 650 of whom are women. In my opinion, I feel there are many women who attempt to go to extremes in their own fields of specialization. It also seems that many women are very serious in how they engage in social rules and conventions. On the other hand, men tend to intend more leadership, with more of them working toward improving their careers. For this reason, under the present conditions management and administrative positions tend to be filled more by men.