On Being a Global Citizen

Over the past several decades, as air travel has become more accessible and technology has allowed us to dip our toes into new cultures with the click of a mouse, our opportunities to engage with the world at large have grown exponentially. But beyond the number of stamps in your passport, being a global citizen is a mindset: to be open and self-aware, embracing the similarities and differences that strengthen our place within the world. In this time of change, as we face an unprecedented political season in the U.S. and a global pandemic that has closed borders and restricted travel, it is especially important that we not lose sight of being outward-looking global citizens.

My personal views of the world have been deeply shaped by my background growing up in a bicultural environment. Born in the United States, I moved to Japan at the age of one. As an American growing up in Japan, my way of adapting was to embrace both countries as my own, taking the U.S. as my homeland and Japan as my heartland.

Formative and transformative moments

In doing so, I’ve been marked by the formative moments that have impacted my two countries. When I left Japan at 18, like many young people, I sought to explore an entirely new part of the world and fell in love with Turkey, a passionate and expressive culture where politics are neither linear nor simple. I was studying abroad on 9/11 in Europe, but when the Twin Towers came down, I happened to be visiting Morocco. While I, like many Americans and people all around the world, was devastated to see this violent attack, I also felt profoundly grateful for the warmth and support that I received from those around me in this Muslim-majority country. What could have been an isolating moment instead reinforced for me the connectivity and generosity of spirit that embodies this global citizen mindset.

Americans remember where they were on 9/11; Japanese remember where they were on 3/11—March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster. I remember where I was both days. On 3/11 I was not able to reach my parents, who, as missionaries, jumped in immediately to support the impacted communities in Japan. With every phone call that didn’t go through and each horrific image that I saw coming out of the country, my heart sank. After I connected with my parents, besides relief that they were safe, I felt deep pride for my heartland of Japan as they told me about the overwhelming sense of camaraderie that they were experiencing. In Tohoku, people came together without any chaos or looting. Even as Tokyo shut down without electricity, everyone pulled together to conserve and prepare for the recovery ahead as uncertainty about Fukushima dominated the news. The TOMODACHI Initiative, from the U.S., was an outpouring of respect and support. Japan had been there in America’s hour of need, now we were going to be there for them in their own.

A common agenda

We are facing another pivotal historic moment in 2020 with the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has wrought hardship on individuals, families, and communities, plunged economies into recession, and changed our ways of life. Resiliency is the name of the game—throughout the world. Whether in Japan, which has historically bent from adversity, from one earthquake to another, one tragedy to another, or in the U.S., facing down natural and manmade disasters, as we look toward this season of change and the responsibility we have as global citizens, we need to focus on the common agenda and the common values we share.

My personal and professional lives have always intersected, most recently as the President and CEO of Japan Society, connecting my homeland and heartland in a 113-year-old organization that brings the U.S. and Japan together. We are now approaching the 10-year anniversary of 3/11 and next year we will commemorate the 20-year anniversary of 9/11. The Japan Earthquake Relief Fund that the Society initiated on March 12, 2011 was a conduit through which Tohoku was helped to rebuild. I am proud to say that we raised more money on the private sector side than almost any other entity—close to $15 million. The ways that both countries responded to these tragedies gives me hope for the resilience of our interconnected world—and our ability to move forward into a post-COVID future.

The more things change, the more we try to find grounding in a sense of home or belonging. I hope that Japan Society can be a home base not just for our community here in New York, but also for all who are committed to the U.S.-Japan relationship, a bridge to bring out the spirit of deep connection, or kizuna. Kizuna is about a shared responsibility, a common humanity—an almost familial connection—a way to look toward the future together. Ultimately, in moments of crisis like this, it is up to us as global citizens to find opportunities to make a difference in our world.

Joshua Walker (@drjwalk) is president and CEO of Japan Society. Follow @japansociety.

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.