Chie Fuji, Part 2

"I saw myself as someone who would never be a global citizen"

Chie Fuji stands on Unter den Linden, a boulevard in former East Berlin. When she was in junior high school, she went sightseeing there with her family in the winter.

Chie Fuji

Ms. Fuji was born in 1969. Her father is a company employee, her mother is a housewife, and she has an older sister and a younger brother. She worked her way through college, where she majored in chemistry. She became interested in the oil industry and began working at a finance company. Later, she changed jobs and joined an NGO called the Association for Aid and Relief. Her marriage brought her to Hiroshima and she pursued a graduate degree in international studies at Hiroshima City University. After giving birth to her son, she founded Peace Builders and now serves as its director. She lives with her husband and son.

My first experience living abroad occurred when I was in second grade in elementary school. Because of my father's work, we moved to Germany and I was there through elementary school and junior high school. At the time, the country was known as "West Germany." It was the Cold War era when "the Iron Curtain" divided Europe into East and West. Each day I heard news of people climbing over the Berlin Wall. I lived among exiles from Eastern European countries.

I was able to visit most of Western Europe while I was there. We would go shopping on the weekend and easily cross the border. For example, we would go to the Netherlands when the prices there were low. However, it was much harder to enter Eastern Europe. Along the borders of those nations were fields with landmines and watchtowers. It was a forbidding atmosphere. To cross the border, you had to undergo a strict inspection. If you offered a bribe to an inspector, though, there was less scrutiny. Even as I child, I was aware of such things and I felt the air of the Cold War.

Around me were many Jewish survivors of World War II concentration camps. The problems of the Jewish people were a natural subject of discussion even among children and they talked about the establishment of the state of Israel and Palestinian issues.

In the early 1980s, starvation in Ethiopia drew the world's attention. To help African refugees, famous musicians from the United States and Europe banded together for the 20th century's largest charity concert, called "Live Aid." Bono, of the group U2, began focusing on support for Africa around this time. I liked music very much, so I was excited about this event.

Refugees from East Germany, Palestinian issues, and starvation in Ethiopia. Looking back on those days, I think it was the first time I became aware of the term "refugee."

My past experience might lead you to believe that I was a global citizen back then. However, despite my environment, I was never that interested in international affairs or politics at the time. This may be typical of elementary school students in Japan, but for Germany in that era, it was unusual.

Though I had a vague interest when I heard about refugees, I didn't pursue it in any way. These days, I sometimes meet young people who say with confidence "I'm working for world peace!" and I'm impressed by their strong will. I didn't have that sort of high-minded aim when I was younger and I made no efforts in this area.

After returning to Japan, I had trouble adjusting to a Japanese high school. I experienced bullying and I refused to go to school. So I spent my time just trying to enjoy the present. After I entered college, I still didn't have a clear direction and I often went on backpacking trips. The first time I took a trip by myself, to the Middle East, I visited a refugee camp in Palestine. I was a college freshman at the time.

I've never been an "honor student" in my life. I never got good grades and I wasn't a good girl--on the contrary, I was always rebelling against something. I didn't think I was a global citizen. In fact, I saw myself as someone who would never be a global citizen.