This is an exciting opportunity to support implementation of the new people-to-people Musubi Initiative launched at the UK’s National Day at Osaka Expo.

Background:

The UK-Japan relationship is the strongest it has been in decades. We cemented – and committed to further enhancing – our global strategic partnership through the historic Hiroshima Accord. People-to-people connections are at the heart of our partnership and enable all our collaboration. When the Foreign Secretary visited Japan in November 2023, he signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to take our people-to-people exchanges even further.

In order to maintain and grow our bilateral relationship for the future, we launched the Musubi Initiative with the aim of investing in the next generation of UK-Japan leaders. Programmes under the Musubi umbrella range from scholarships and youth exchanges to cultural exchanges and business collaborations. Musubi is a first-of-its-kind initiative for the UK and Japan, investing in UK-Japan people-to-people connections that will create a more resilient, innovative and prosperous world. It will do this by bringing greater coherence to existing connections but also attracting funding to boost and create new programmes delivering exchanges that contribute to sustainability, diversity and resilience – core themes within the Hiroshima Accord. 

What the Jobholder will be Expected to Achieve:

The successful candidate will be based in the Bilateral team in Political Section in Tokyo but will have the chance to work with other sections and a range of Japanese stakeholders. Working closely with the wider team and others from the network, you will work on:

• Developing and managing relationships with Japanese businesses and organisations and leveraging them, with support from seniors to secure concrete wins in the form of new partners and programmes; and working in close partnership with DBT colleagues to ensure our work supports positive relationships and delivery of our growth objectives and we manage reputational and relational risks.
• Leading on relationship with key Japanese contacts, with support from bilateral team, working with the team to develop a second big launch moment for the Musubi Initiative in the autumn, including significant contribution to a successful high-profile visit.
• Collaborate with bilateral team colleagues towards the establishment of a Musubi charitable foundation, leading on Japanese-language communications with contacts.
• Working alongside the Embassy’s soft power lead on the execution and development of our Soft Power Strategy, taking the lead on an area within the strategy (to be agreed), and supporting wider soft power objectives and the functioning of the Soft Power Board.
• Playing a key role in arranging visits, meetings and events, ensuring alignment with team policy objectives.

We are looking for a proactive individual who is adept at establishing and building relationships, and takes an organised, efficient and coherent approach to work with good attention to detail. They will be calm under pressure, comfortable working independently (with support where necessary) and a strong and confident communicator (in writing and verbally) with fluent Japanese and business-level English.

• Have excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to facilitate introductions and discussions with Japanese firms and other key stakeholders
• A people-oriented person with great customer service skills, excellent networking skills and a proven track record of cross-team collaboration
• Have the ability to work independently and to take the initiative when direction is unclear
• Have a positive, resilient, flexible and adaptable “can-do” attitude to overcome challenges
• Have strong interpersonal and leadership skills, ability to work successfully in multicultural teams and across boundaries, and to build and maintain useful stakeholder networks
• Have the ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines
• Have excellent communication skills, both oral and written
• Have strong skills in Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, MS Teams

Language Requirements:

This role requires written and spoken proficiency in both English and Japanese. Fluency (minimum of C2 level for CEFR framework*) in Japanese and business level (minimum of high B2) in English.

*Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages sets the following mastery or proficiency levels:

• C2: Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express themself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations.
• B2: Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in their field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.