Hiroshi Yoshikawa, Part 3

Anxiety is natural, but do your best

Hiroshi Yoshikawa serving as chief facilitator for the 2010 APEC Junior Conference in Hiroshima in February 2010.

Hiroshi Yoshikawa

Born in the city of Hiroshima in 1961. After graduating from Funairi High School, he moved to the United States. He graduated from the faculty of economics at UCLA. At the age of 25, he founded a company in Hiroshima called "American Dream" to support those studying abroad and interacting with different cultures. He served as an interpreter at the Los Angeles Olympics, provided support for the effort to register the A-bomb Dome as a World Heritage site, and worked as a member of the bidding committee to bring the 2002 World CUP to Japan. In February 2010, Mr. Yoshikawa served as the chief facilitator of the 2010 APEC Junior Conference in Hiroshima.

Every morning, I check my email the first thing after I arrive at my office. The work may be routine, but it's always accompanied by some tension. In fact, many times I've found messages that have made my heart pound.

"A Japanese student is missing after a hurricane hit the southern part of the United States." "A car driven by a Japanese student hurried through an intersection as the light was turning red and crashed into another car." "The United States was struck by terrorist attacks on September 11." In terms of the terrorist attacks, when I saw the news on TV at home after work, I received an emergency call on my cell phone from the United States so I quickly returned to my office to deal with the situation.

My work involves providing support to Japanese students studying overseas. I myself was an international student, studying at universities in the United States, and after I returned to Japan, I founded my company at the age of 25. The business has now been running for 23 years.

Fortunately, I've never had to face a situation of life or death involving my students. I hope such circumstances don't occur in the future, either, but since the possibility exists, I always talk to those preparing to go abroad about emergencies.

Our conversations, though, aren't limited to such emergencies; we also talk about attending an American university and daily life in the United States.

My view is: "If you prefer comfort and convenience, it's better to stay home. The farther you go, the more stress and inconvenience you'll encounter. If you want to challenge yourself and go overseas alone, studying for a few years to earn a degree while living in a different country with a different culture and language, and not having your family at hand to rely on, you have to proceed with the assumption that everything won't always go as you hope. But the experience abroad will teach you how to deal with the difficulties."

I went to the United States when I was 18 and encountered stressful situations many times. When I was distressed by poor grades at school and felt homesick, I spent several years longing for the day I could return to Japan with my diploma. Having had such experiences, my work now involves helping Japanese students who wish to study abroad. Of course, I hope these students won't have to experience all the difficulties that I faced.

It has been said that, in the future, Japan will be left behind by other countries, including other Asian countries. However, I think it's possible that Japan could experience another revival. Historically, Japan fought back from extreme poverty after its defeat in World War II.

A few years ago I accompanied a delegation of small and medium-sized businesses in Hiroshima to United Nations headquarters in New York. I remember the words of a U.N. staff member at that time.

"For people who are suffering from war or natural disaster, Hiroshima, a city which rose again from the ashes of war, offers the sort of message that is more encouraging than any kind of organizational support: 'Stay strong. Maintain hope. You can overcome, as we did.'"

No one, at heart, wants to suffer setbacks or failure. But friends can help lift the spirits of someone experiencing hardship and pain. I tell my students: "It's natural to be nervous and have concerns. But try with all your might. Even if you fail, whenever you can, try again."

I've become convinced that my own many setbacks and moments of failure have led me to this work, "my true vocation."