U.S.-Japan Council (Japan) Communications and Marketing Manager Chieko Tashiro Shares Her Career Journey with the TOMODACHI Community

On August 15 (August 16 Japan time), the TOMODACHI community welcomed the new Communications and Marketing Manager of the U.S.-Japan Council (Japan), Chieko Tashiro as the guest speaker for the August 2022 Career Talk series.

Ms. Tashiro shared her career trajectory and a bit of her personal background with the audience, highlighting the myriad of communications roles that have made up her career before finding herself in her current position at the U.S.-Japan Council (Japan)  from a magazine reporter to an account director at a marketing and PR agency and a director of communications at a luxury hotel. She also shared how her introverted personality and tendencies are actually assets to her current role.

“[Being introverted] really helps when I’m editing articles and researching and analyzing the results of a campaign…I focus on the task,” she said. “I think personalities always grow and change with time…I think anyone can be a PR manager or a communications director or a journalist.”

For those interested in seeking employment in the media and communications field, Ms. Tashiro emphasized the importance of networking and finding opportunities to create your own content to display not only one’s interest in the field, but to showcase your creativity through social media, sharing your own unique story angles or writing blogs. “As you do it,” she asserted, “your skills always grow.”

Ms. Tashiro was also transparent about some of the challenges she faced throughout her career, including the loss of her entire clientele during her tenure at a PR agency, and what she learned about teamwork from that experience. “A situation is not reflective of someone’s ability,” she asserted, “When someone is having a difficult time, it’s just a situation; it doesn’t mean that that person doesn’t have skills.”

She also encouraged the audience to follow their curiosity, regardless of their chosen field, and emphasized the importance of trying new things and learning about a variety of topics. We at the Council thank Ms. Tashiro for her time and her continued contributions to the U.S.-Japan Council.