午夜剧场

After graduating from university, I was dispatched to a rural junior and senior high school in Zambia for two years as a teacher with the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV). At that time, Zambia's economy was stagnant, and severe poverty was widespread. In that environment, handling over 30 hours of classes a week and living a life where I had to travel 25 kilometers by motorcycle to the nearest town just to get daily necessities was difficult. However, because I was young, I had a strong desire to absorb and experience everything; it was truly a time that became my roots. Yet, in the field of education, no matter how unreasonable top-down policies were, they had to be implemented. There were many situations where I felt strongly that "nothing will change unless policies from above improve" and that "the sense of helplessness as a single teacher in the field is simply too great." It was around that time that I began to strongly desire to be involved in more fundamental policy-making.

Time passed, and after obtaining my PhD in the United States, I began working as an economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Three weeks later, the Lehman shock occurred, followed by the global financial crisis. The countries I was responsible for at the time also faced serious capital outflows. I flew to these countries and engaged in policy discussions and negotiations with finance ministers, central bank governors, and in some cases, prime ministers—an incredibly valuable experience that is rarely available to a newcomer who has just earned a doctorate. These experiences could also be called my roots. However, because I spent all my time in capitals negotiating with politicians and high-ranking government officials, I could not see the lives of ordinary people. In other words, I could not imagine the details of people's daily lives. This time, a feeling emerged that was the opposite of my time in the JOCV: "Is it really okay to talk about major policies like this?"

Time passed further, leading to my current position in academia. I believe the greatest advantage of being an academic is the degree of freedom. The ability to work on issues of one's own interest, from micro to macro perspectives—and sometimes combining both—is an irreplaceable attraction. Therefore, within the scope of development economics, I am able to devote myself fully to research and education. I can go out for fieldwork to understand the lives of local people, and I can be involved in providing lateral support to those striving to make an impact on educational policy in Africa. Moving forward, I intend to immerse myself in this field of research while taking the utmost care regarding illness and injury. However, as a final note, I should mention that I have already contracted malaria twice.