My Life and Work 

I live and work with the single wish that my country Japan will be a responsible member of the human family and contribute to it with all the skills it can muster. I want the Ozaki Yukio Memorial Foundation, which was named after my late maternal grandfather Ozaki Yukio (1858-1954), to work for the fulfillment of his vision of worldwide democracy, and for Diplomatt Inc., my interpreting and translation service, to contribute to enhancing communications between people of different languages and cultures.

From my perspective as an interpreter, I can say that the conferences I work on are all about individuals, organizations and countries trying to find the best ways of coping with new realities. And now Japan itself is faced with the monumental challenge of overcoming recent natural and manmade disasters. 

Meeting this challenge and others like it must begin with facing the situation squarely and sharing it honestly with the public. Trust, after all, is an important element of the partnership which is essential in overcoming any major challenge. If we feel that our political leaders have failed us we must ask ourselves, ”ČAre we not responsible for electing them in the first place?”É This is no time for pulling each other down but to pull ourselves up together.

Fujiko Hara  (February and April 2011)

Managing Director, the Ozaki Yukio Memorial Foundation

President and Principal, Diplomatt Inc.

Member, AIIC, International Association of Conference Interpreters