Our People
Takashi Kimura
Administration Dept.
Road Improvement project for the North-South Corridor (Zimbabwe)
What I Do
I am dispatched as an administrative officer. The duties of an administrative officer are diverse.
It would not be an exaggeration to say I handle everything outside of construction site work: accounting tasks like preparing financial statements, managing local staff labor affairs, overseeing contracts and payments with local contractors, arranging transportation and customs clearance for materials shipped from Japan, liaising with local government ministries and tax offices, and managing dormitory maintenance.
Since I cannot resolve everything alone, I seek assistance not only from our company's employees but also from local staff, local government agencies, and sometimes even the embassy, tackling each problem one by one.
My job is to ensure these tasks are handled smoothly so that our employees working on-site in the heat and cold can focus solely on advancing the construction work.
It would not be an exaggeration to say I handle everything outside of construction site work: accounting tasks like preparing financial statements, managing local staff labor affairs, overseeing contracts and payments with local contractors, arranging transportation and customs clearance for materials shipped from Japan, liaising with local government ministries and tax offices, and managing dormitory maintenance.
Since I cannot resolve everything alone, I seek assistance not only from our company's employees but also from local staff, local government agencies, and sometimes even the embassy, tackling each problem one by one.
My job is to ensure these tasks are handled smoothly so that our employees working on-site in the heat and cold can focus solely on advancing the construction work.
Motivation
For me, the rewards of my work come down to two main things.
One is the sense of accomplishment when a project is completed. Working in developing countries involves navigating various obstacles. Sometimes things don't go smoothly, and I get discouraged. But when the project is finished, I express my gratitude to the local staff, and seeing the completed work again fills me with a deep sense of pride. Especially with ODA projects, imagining how the finished work will contribute to local lives gives me the motivation to keep pushing forward at my next assignment.
The other is the temporary home leave. Every country has delicious food and drinks, but nothing beats drinking draft beer at an izakaya with friends you haven't seen in ages back in Japan. I work for this leave. If anything, this is the main reason.
One is the sense of accomplishment when a project is completed. Working in developing countries involves navigating various obstacles. Sometimes things don't go smoothly, and I get discouraged. But when the project is finished, I express my gratitude to the local staff, and seeing the completed work again fills me with a deep sense of pride. Especially with ODA projects, imagining how the finished work will contribute to local lives gives me the motivation to keep pushing forward at my next assignment.
The other is the temporary home leave. Every country has delicious food and drinks, but nothing beats drinking draft beer at an izakaya with friends you haven't seen in ages back in Japan. I work for this leave. If anything, this is the main reason.
Future Goals
I believe one of our company's greatest attractions is the opportunity to work in countries that are difficult to visit as a tourist. Therefore, I aim to continuously improve my skills, gain experience, and become an even greater asset to our company so that I can be selected for projects in even more diverse countries.
In these countries, I want to pursue our company's profits through the successful completion of projects while also creating a pleasant working environment where both our employees and local staff can enjoy their work. To achieve this, I intend to diligently tackle each task before me, one by one.
And in the countries I will be assigned to in the future, I hope to enjoy new cultures, languages, customs, cuisines, and drinks while working there.
In these countries, I want to pursue our company's profits through the successful completion of projects while also creating a pleasant working environment where both our employees and local staff can enjoy their work. To achieve this, I intend to diligently tackle each task before me, one by one.
And in the countries I will be assigned to in the future, I hope to enjoy new cultures, languages, customs, cuisines, and drinks while working there.
How I spend my days off
Our overseas projects often involve assignments to developing countries. Furthermore, construction sites for civil engineering projects, both domestically and internationally, are frequently located in remote areas, inevitably limiting entertainment options. Some countries lack tourist attractions, while others have poor security, restricting outings. However, I believe the key lies in how we make the most of those limited opportunities.
On this day, we held a BBQ with our local subcontractor. We didn't just prepare meat and vegetables; we scoured Chinese supermarkets in the capital to find scallops, squid, and shrimp. We set up a microphone and speakers for karaoke and ensured we had ample alcohol. We deepened our bonds by going around pouring drinks into the cups of the subcontractor's staff.
On this day, we held a BBQ with our local subcontractor. We didn't just prepare meat and vegetables; we scoured Chinese supermarkets in the capital to find scallops, squid, and shrimp. We set up a microphone and speakers for karaoke and ensured we had ample alcohol. We deepened our bonds by going around pouring drinks into the cups of the subcontractor's staff.
A DAY AT SITE
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- 6:00 am
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Breakfast At our worksites we generally hire a cook to prepare meals. We bring miso and dashi from Japan so they can make miso soup, and we start the day with a proper breakfast before beginning work.
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- 7:00 am
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Morning Briefing Even at our overseas sites, we start with everyone doing Radio Calisthenics, using the English-language version. After the exercises, we outline the day’s tasks, share key caution points with the whole crew, and finish by chanting together: “Safety First!”
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- 10:00 am
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Meetings with local business partners On-site, we interact with numerous contractors. This includes not only subcontractors performing the work, but also material suppliers, staffing agencies, and others. To prevent misunderstandings arising from differences in customs or language, we confirm details repeatedly.
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- 1:00 pm
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Visit Client's office I traveled to the capital city to visit the client's office. For this project, the Client is the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development of the Republic of Zimbabwe. Maintaining a good relationship with the client is key to ensuring the project proceeds smoothly.
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- 3:00 pm
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Shipments Arrangement Materials shipped from Japan have arrived. Loaded onto a ship at a Japanese port, they take about two months to reach Zimbabwe. Transport involves many obstacles and rarely proceeds as scheduled, so we breathe a sigh of relief when they arrive safely like this.
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- 4:00 pm
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Grocery Shopping Managing daily meals is also part of Admin's tasks. While we generally rely on the cook for grocery shopping, we occasionally visit Asian supermarkets in the capital city by myself for Asian ingredients.
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- 6:00 pm
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Dinner Sometimes I have local dishes as well. And for this time I tried saza.(a type of ugali made from cornmeal mixed with water), stewed meat on the bone with murio (Brassica oleracea), and madara (mopane caterpillars). I thoroughly enjoyed the local food culture.
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- 7:00 pm
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Banquet When new crew or business travelers arrive, we organize small banquets. On such occasions, we make sure to request special menus from the chef and offer complimentary beer. We strive to create a workplace with a homey atmosphere.
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- 8:00 pm
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Free Time After dinner, everyone spends their own time freely. Since the stars are exceptionally beautiful here, I'll try my hand at photographing the night sky. While keeping an eye out for wildlife, I'll enjoy experimenting with settings and shooting times.