 Public servants around the world work everyday to achieve
many of the same goals of protecting and serving the public good
of their country and citizens. Despite sharing similar goals, public
servants in some cases perform their tasks very differently. In June
2004, I had the distinct honor of being selected as a Mansfield Fellow,
joining the tenth class of Maureen and Mike Mansfield Fellowship
Program participants. During the two-year fellowship I had the opportunity
to work alongside Japanese civil servants for fourteen months while
in offices of the legislature, courts, and bureaucracies. Through
day-to-day interactions with my colleagues I had a rare opportunity
to see similar policy goals shared by both the United States and
Japan, be implemented in different ways. Thanks to the support of
the Japanese National Personnel Authority I was able to sit alongside
judges as a law clerk learning how judges thought about and worked
through such cutting edge legal concerns as immigration and intellectual
property. I worked together with legislative aides to a Vice-Minister
and came to better understand the process by which Japanese government
reform efforts go from incubation to expression in passing legislation.
In the bureaucracies I naturally learned much about the subject matter
of Japans regulations in communications and other fields. Most importantly
though, I caught a glimpse of what most concerns these civil servants,
how they worked through weighing concerns, and as a group worked
towards resolving problems. Civil servants the world over can appreciate
how quickly the rules and laws in the books change, even in one's
own country and field of expertise. I think that having the chance
to get inside the "mind" of the Japanese civil servant
may prove even more valuable than the many important specifics I
learned about Japanese law and regulation.
How the program came together and the cooperation that has made
the program successful for more than ten years also offers training
and management specialists some "best practice" lessons.
First, the program honors Mike Mansfield, a great American Statesman
who's outstanding commitment to fostering understanding and cooperation
underscores the import role of professional exchange in good international
relations. When Member of the House of Councillors, Mr. Yoshimasa
Hayashi finished studies at the Harvard School of Government in 1991,
he began an internship in the U.S. Senate. His contributions there
would be instrumental in the creation of the Mansfield Fellowship.
An opportunity to learn more about U.S. government in turn contributed
to opportunities for American civil servants to improve understanding
of Japan.
Second, while studying government in an academic way is valuable,
the experiential learning possible with personnel exchanges is difficult
to replicate in the classroom. In much the same way a lawyer reads
the same laws that a layman does, understanding how government works
and being able to make predictions about a process requires an "understanding" of
how to think about a problem not simply a "knowing" of
the rules. Finally, exchange efforts require support by many groups.
I am very thankful for the enthusiastic support of the Government
of Japan, and the good planning and hard work by the NPA, that can
help me to contribute to the continued strong relationship of the
U.S. and Japan.
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from the International Affairs Division