Interviews

1. Being Nikkei: A Double Responsibility (Spanish)

2. The Power of Language: Japanese Identity Constructed in Santa Cruz, Bolivia (Spanish)

3. The Image of Japan: Expectations versus Reality (Spanish)

4. The Impact of Technology in Japan (Spanish)

5. A Possible Path towards Happiness… (Spanish)

Ashimine Oshiro,Masakatsu Jaime

(1958-2014) Former Bolivian Ambassador to Japan

A Possible Path towards Happiness… (Spanish)

(Spanish) Well, I would like to... I would like to... I would like to send a message, or rather express a feeling I have. As I was telling you, one of the things that have impressed me here in Japan is suicide, the amount of suicides. So talking, conversing with people, they told me that this society, Japan, is a bit repressive. In that sense, I would like to use this opportunity to see if we can collaborate. I’ve read somewhere or sometime that Latinos have the highest index of happiness. So happiness is not related to the per capita income or [UI]. In that sense, I would like to invite the Japanese people who desire to do so to visit South America, especially Bolivia, so they can feel firsthand what it’s like to be or feel, as that interview puts it, happy. And I believe we are prepared to receive a great number of people who can make this visit, this trip, to feel the Latino “joie de vivre”

identity

Date: March 24, 2009

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Interviewer: Alberto Matsumoto

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Born January 11th, 1958 in Santa Cruz city, Bolivia. Graduated from Universidad Técnica de Oruro, Facultad Nacional de Ingeniería (Oruro Technical University, Public School of Engineering) in 1987. From 1989 to 1999, he worked at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). At around the same time, he also acted as supervisor of Santa Cruz city’s Servicio Geológico de Bolivia (GeoBol - Geological Service of Bolivia). From 1989 to 2000, he was the administration manager at food company, IMBA. Later, from 1998 to 2000, he was the chairman of Ashimine Motors, and from 2000 to 2006, he was the regional manager of Santa Cruz at Christian Auto Motors (Toyota Representative). In March 2007, he was named Resident Japanese Ambassador Extraordinaire by the Evo Morales administration, and moved to Japan in April. After fulfilling his duties, he returned in March 2009.

He passed away on June 2014 at age 56. (December 2014)