Introducing the 2016 Japan Studies Award Winner

May 18, 2016 No comments

My name is James Bruniany, and I am a rising senior at George Mason University. I am currently studying Global Affairs with a concentration in East Asia alongside a minor in Japanese Language Studies. I am also the acting vice-president of George Mason’s Japanese Student Association and do my utmost to be active with individuals with an interest in Japan and with the Japanese students that come from abroad to study at my university. I had a marvelous experience studying abroad in Akita, Japan in 2015 and gained a substantial amount of both linguistic and cultural knowledge during my time there. The lifelong friends I made and the experiences that I had at the school and outside of it in Touhoku had a major effect on my life and have made me come to love Japan ever since. After coming back from that trip, I became extremely interested in learning as much as I can about Japanese as well as about US-Japan foreign and business relations. One of my greatest desires is to strengthen my knowledge of these relationships and of the Japanese language by the time I graduate.

I am extremely excited to be working for three weeks with Sojitz and hope that by working in a company that has such a global presence, I will be able to open my view of the world even more and gain a considerable amount of applicable knowledge of the ways Japanese business is conducted and more deeply comprehend the relationship between the U.S. and Japan.

It is my aspiration to work in Japan after I receive my undergraduate degree and once I reach that point, I will be using the experiences that I will gain by working at Sojitz as a CEPEX intern to help me find a position in the public or private sector that will give me the opportunity to influence US-Japan relations in a positive way. I never thought that I would have a chance to see what working in a real company with a presence in the US and Japan is like, so I am extremely grateful that I am being given this opportunity by CEPEX. I plan to use it to fullest extent and give back to Sojitz in any way that I can in the future! Thank you!