We, the Japanese students at IESE, are committed to not only advancing our own careers but also exploring how we can contribute to shaping the future of Japan as the next generation of business leaders. We hope to inspire similar reflections among the Japanese business community.
This time, we had the privilege of interviewing Ms.Shikata, the Consul-General of the Consulate-General of Japan in Barcelona. Our interview focused on themes such as “”Encounter with Spanish”, “Career path as a diplomat”, and “Working on the international stage”.
About Ms. Akiko Shikata
The Consul-General of the Consulate-General of Japan in Barcelona.
In March 1986, after graduating from the Faculty of Foreign Studies at Sophia University with a major in Spanish, she joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan as a Specialist Official in April. Her designated professional language at the Ministry was Spanish. After joining, she underwent two years of training in Madrid, the capital of Spain. At the Escuela Diplomática (Diplomatic School) in Madrid, she completed an international course alongside aspiring Spanish diplomats as well as international students from Latin America and Asia. She later pursued a master’s course on the European Union at the Technical University of Madrid, studying with Spanish professionals.
Her overseas assignments included posts at the Embassy of Japan in Mexico (1989–1991, 2002–2005), the Permanent Delegation of Japan to the OECD (1999–2002), and the Embassy of Japan in the United Kingdom (2013–2015). Subsequently, she served in various key positions, such as Director for Cultural Diplomacy Strategy in the Public Diplomacy Strategy Division, Director of the Regional Coordination Office in the Minister’s Secretariat, Director of the International Affairs Division of the House of Representatives Secretariat, and Regional Coordinator for Central America and the Caribbean Division in the Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Bureau. She assumed her current position in March 2024.
On a personal note, she is married to a fellow Ministry of Foreign Affairs official, and they have one son. She also has experience serving abroad accompanied only by her son.
Q1. You majored in Spanish at university. What inspired you to study Spanish?
When I was a child, I saw television footage of a major earthquake that struck Nicaragua, and it left a deep impression on me. Since then, I had a vague but persistent desire to one day work in a field that would help people in developing countries. When the time came to choose a university, I realized that in order to give form to that desire, I needed to learn more about Latin America. As a first step, I decided to study Spanish.
Q2. What made you decide to pursue a career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?
While studying Spanish at university, I learned about the realities facing developing countries, especially in Latin America. This led me to aspire to a career that would allow me to serve as a bridge between those countries and Japan. I was strongly drawn to work where I could use my language skills, represent Japan on the international stage, and build relationships of trust with local people — and this naturally led me to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In addition, at the time, it was far more difficult for women to secure employment and maintain long-term careers compared to today. While job hunting, I also considered working for private companies and attended various corporate information sessions. However, I often encountered situations where I felt that it would be challenging to build a lasting career as a woman. Against this backdrop, I was drawn to the public sector, where institutional and cultural equality was more established and where women had more opportunities.
Q3. Did you choose Spanish as your professional language at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs because you hoped to work at embassies or consulates in Spanish-speaking countries？
Yes, especially because I wanted to work in developing countries.
At the time, it was extremely rare for private companies to send female employees abroad—especially to developing countries. I thought that, as a public servant, even as a woman, I might have the opportunity to work in such places.
Q4. We’ve heard that studying at the Diplomatic School in Madrid was quite demanding. What motivated you to take on the challenge of studying alongside native Spanish speakers, completing coursework in the international program, and passing both written and oral exams?
Ordinarily, the standard path would have been to first solidify the basics at a language school. But I’ve always had a tendency to “reach beyond my grasp,” so I dove straight into Spain’s Diplomatic School in my very first year.
I took graduate-level lectures and exams on the same footing as native Spanish-speaking students, and that first year was truly a struggle just to keep up. I often felt discouraged, especially in the dorm cafeteria where I couldn’t follow the rapid conversations among native speakers.
What kept me going was, above all, my sense of purpose. Even in the face of hardship, my strong desire to acquire the advanced Spanish skills necessary to fulfill my duties became my driving force. I was also helped countless times by the warmth of the Spanish and Latin American people around me.
Ms. Shikata receiving her diploma from King Juan Carlos I of Spain (at the time) at the Diplomatic School graduation ceremony
Q5. After your two years of training in Spain and your assignment in Mexico, you worked at the Ministry’s headquarters in Tokyo for a period. What kind of work were you involved in during that time?
After returning from Mexico in 1991, I worked in Tokyo for about eight years until my assignment to Paris in 1999. Initially, I was responsible for Central America, and later for Spain and Portugal.
During my time as the Central America desk officer, I was mainly involved in two areas of work. The first was development cooperation, specifically Official Development Assistance (ODA), where we explored what kind of support Japan could provide to countries emerging from civil war. The second was democracy support, which was a major challenge in countries that had long suffered from dictatorships or civil conflict. One of my responsibilities was coordinating the dispatch of Japanese election observation missions. Since I was pregnant and later gave birth during that time, I couldn’t travel to the region myself, but I clearly remember feeling relieved when I learned after giving birth that the observation mission had been successfully dispatched and that “free and fair elections” had taken place.
Later, while in charge of Spain and Portugal, I focused on building frameworks for exchange and cooperation with both countries, including in the economic and cultural fields. One particularly memorable project was being involved in organizing the first Japan-Spain Symposium, which aimed to strengthen mutual understanding and cooperation between the two countries from a long-term perspective. The first symposium was held in Madrid, and it has since been held annually, alternating between Japan and Spain. It brings together distinguished figures from both countries—politicians, business leaders, artists, and experts from a variety of fields.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the symposium, with the event scheduled to take place in Barcelona in October. Although I am now involved in a different role, I am truly pleased to be connected once again with a symposium I helped launch during my time at the Ministry’s headquarters. Over the past 25 years, the continued dialogue among thought leaders from both countries has laid a solid foundation for enduring relationships across politics, economics, and culture.