Application
Essay 1
Yosuke Tanaka
February 15, 2004
I
hope to earn an MBA so that I can return to my career in the
Japanese Cabinet Office with an advanced and
systematized knowledge of management, finance, economics and statistics. I am anxious
to serve as an effective senior manager of my organization in the future and my
early career in the Japanese government has convinced
me that these skills will be essential as I assume positions of greater
leadership and responsibility.
My
experience at the Cabinet Secretariat (where I was on loan from the
Cabinet Office) was the first that impressed upon me the importance of managerial skills
for effective government work. In Japan, the Cabinet Secretariat is responsible for
coordinating and managing the various government ministries as well as troubleshooting
Cabinet administration problems as they come along. With the January 2001
reorganization of Japan’s cabinet and government ministries, the Cabinet Secretariat
gained more power in managing and overseeing the ministries, which in the past
had been much more autonomous. As an official in the Cabinet
Secretariat, I had the opportunity to participate directly in this
reorganization and headed a project to redesign government conferences led by
the Prime Minister or Cabinet to suit the new cabinet and ministry structure.
After the reorganization, I managed the meetings of Cabinet Ministers, Senior
Vice-Ministers and other high level government officials. My duties at the
Cabinet Secretariat also included overseeing the disclosure of public documents
and information under Japan’s Freedom of
Information Act.
The
newly strengthened Cabinet Secretariat, in aiding the Prime Minister, has the
complicated and important task of managing and coordinating the activities of
various ministries. As an
official in
the Cabinet Secretariat, I saw how important it is to have comprehensive
business management skills. As the power of the government is becoming more
centralized and concentrated with the prime minister and cabinet, leadership and
management skills have become extremely important for cabinet
officials.
Only with these skills can I hope to effectively manage and lead the Cabinet
Office as it does the important work of coordinating the
activities of the various ministries of the Japanese government.
My
second experience, my current position working at the Department of Business
Statistics (part of the Economic and Social Research Institute which is in turn
part of the Cabinet Office), also made me see the great value of gaining
the knowledge and skills that come with an MBA. The Cabinet Office, in
coordinating the activities of the various ministries in governing the country, is particularly concerned
with improving economic conditions in Japan. When making economic decisions, the Cabinet
Office, with
advice from my department, must accurately assess the economic climate in
Japan. To this end, my department calculates and publishes statistics
on business conditions. To analyze and accurately evaluate the business conditions I have been
collecting, one needs a sophisticated knowledge of economics
and statistics. Though I have
gained some knowledge of these subjects, I did not have the opportunity to
study them academically, as I majored in law. I believe I will gain a much
better understanding of economics and statistics by earning an MBA. With the flexibility
of studies the MBA program offers, I will be able to concentrate on those areas
most relevant to my career.
Now
more than ever, as Japan is going through difficult times economically, I am motivated
to do whatever I can to help my country.
After completing graduate business study, I would like to return
to my career
at the Cabinet Office. The Cabinet Office, I believe, has a large role in
solving Japan’s problems, as it can coordinate the ministries and carry out
policies that are pivotal to the recovery of Japan’s economy. I
am thrilled to be a part of this organization and its important role in
governing my country, and I am anxious to take on positions of greater
leadership and responsibility in the future.
As an administrative unit leader in
my department,
I realize that to best lead the Cabinet Office, I need to increase
my knowledge of management, finance, statistics and economics through MBA
study. I am particularly interested in Wharton’s program because of your
curriculum’s strength in statistics, financial analysis and other areas
important to my career in the Japanese government. I am especially looking
forward to taking your courses on Macroeconomic
Analysis and Public Policy, The Governmental and Legal
Environment of Business, Managerial Economics, Statistical Analysis for Management,
and Management Communication. I believe that
an MBA from
your excellent program offers the unique opportunity to
supplement the professional experience I already have and return to my office
with the knowledge and skills I need to serve as an enlightened and effective
cabinet leader in the future.