Catherine’s Monthly Wrap Up - April 2023

Written By Catherine O'Connell

As I have been writing in my last couple of blogs, my home country of New Zealand suffered devastating damage with successive flooding and extensive burden to more than 300,000 households in the Gisborne and Hawkes Bay regions from the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle in February this year.

The good news from Jayne Nakata and I as part of the threesome with Makoto Kinjo forming #teamnzinjapan (Cyclone Gabrielle Disaster Area Fundraising Group), we raised JPY 3 Million yen (NZ$36,500) from two Kiwi BBQ events in - at Tokyo Tower, in Tokyo, and in Shiga prefecture at Rosa & Berry Tawada English Garden. This big donation is on its way to the New Zealand Red Cross for distribution to the affected areas of the East Coast of NZ. 

See my post here on Linkedin with my reflections on how the small acorns of a citizens-for-purpose movement can grow into a strong tree to become a force in the community to give back to a cause. Check out this link to our IMPACT REPORT on what we did and break down of donation details.

In another live-and-online-auction-event in Tokyo at the end of April, another NZ$60,000 was raised for New Zealand. I bid successfully on two artworks which I will share about in my next blog. At this event I got to meet the very humble Michael Leitch, captain of the Brave Blossoms Japan National Rugby Team. What a sweet guy on top of being a top class rugby player… and hailing from my hometown of Christchurch! 

In other news these are some wrap-up highlights from my month of April 2023! 

  • I lead the second in the series of Women Lawyer’s Retreats to Iwaki Yumoto onsen (hot pools) town in Fukushima, about 2 hours north of Tokyo. This time we gathered for relaxation and to also do a self-improvement and visualisation exercise, working on the “Three Big Questions” to identify the experiences we want to have, the growth we need to achieve them, and the contributions we want to impact others and give back to community.

    Research tells us that only when we activate the third prong of contribution can we truly find happiness inside us. A bit more about the three big questions is here if you are curious!

    If you are a female lawyer or you are reading this and know a female lawyer who you think would get a lot out of a peer-guided coaching session as part of a retreat away from the city, then get in touch with me for the information on the next retreat at admin@catherineoconnelllaw.com. 

  • Power Harassment law in Japan - webinar

    I teamed up with Japanese lawyer Hiroshi Chiba to be his MC and facilitator for a 45-minute webinar for the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan on the area of Power Harassment law in Japan. There were 65 attendees and 99% of them stayed the duration to learn what actions are deemed power harassment and tips to avoid being accused of power harassment. Thank you to BCCJ for this repeat opportunity to help the community in Japan understand more about the effects of the laws here on their safe and smooth operations of business here. 

  • International Women’s Month - The Digital Leap to Gender Equality

    It was a truly enlightening to be present in person at a lunch gathering to hear an amazing group of four prominent industry leaders, experts, and professionals from Japan and the UK to discuss the latest advancements and trends in the field of technology and IT, with a specific emphasis on gender equity, inclusivity, and the influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the industry.

    Masako Mori, former Minister of Justice and advisor to PM Kishda’s cabinet gave a forthright yet emotional presentation on the steps Japan has made in the area of advancement of women in work in Japan. It was an inspirational conclusion to a wonderful celebratory IWD this year.

  • MRI virgin no longer! - I had my very first experience of having an MRI scan in April. The navy blue waffle fabric pajama ensemble I wore (see the photo!) was so comfy I wanted to take them home to use! What a noisy machine the MRI is despite having headphones on, blaring music but what a very cool machine it is too.

    Turns out I have a dodgy cartilage with wear that has made the surface no longer smooth but rather “frilly” - akin to the wear that athletes experience (and athlete, I am not) and I also have a mini tear in the meniscus likely the straw that broke the camel’s back in the form of standing, wearing high heels for long periods. So my body knows its age even if I don’t feel it.

    I’m having more treatment and now I fondly look back on how I took for granted my good health and being able to take walks in the park every day without even thinking how lucky I was. Now my mind focuses on “is there an escalator or lift in this building” or “is this a stand-up or seated event” etc.

    I have renewed empathy for anyone who has ever had a leg injury and from what I hear amongst my friends, carrying pain around with you in your body is more common than not. Let’s all not take our good physical health for granted!


Getting out and about (despite knee issue!) 

  • TELL (Tokyo English Life Line) celebrated its 50th anniversary at the Italian Embassy in April. Thanks to Rika Beppu for the tickets, Angela Yuen and I could see the beautiful Japanese gardens before an inspiring evening celebrating legend telephone councillors who have given 3000+ hours to this NPO. I was super proud of Royanne Doi as the new TELL CEO, and others in her team who form the backbone of governance for this amazing organisation. 

  • As Co-Chair of the Legal Services and IP Committee (LS&IP) at the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, fellow co-Chair Scott Warren and I attended at the invite of the G7 Bars Association to a welcome party where all the Bar Association leaders were present with Italy, France, US, UK, Japan and two other Bars for the G7 Bar Leaders conference on 29 April.

    It was super fabulous to be able to introduce other ACCJ LS&IP members, Lani Vinas and Angela Yuen to the female President of the England & Wales Law Society, Ms Lubna Shuja. Lubna Shuja is the 178th, first Asian, first Muslim and seventh female president of the Law Society of England and Wales.

  • It was a super thrill to celebrate Kirsten O’Connor’s office warming and to see her come so far in five years of setting up her business QUEST Tokyo. Kirsten offers educational services and tutoring to the Japanese and international community in Tokyo.

    She has a VERY cool and welcoming office space packed with shelves that have British memorabilia and cute retro lighting (you can see in the photo behind me and Kirsten as she opens the card I gave her) and lots of teeny tiny attention to detail aesthetics.

    It’s just so wonderful when you see your peer, friend and fellow entrepreneur is sparkling, has a jump in her step and is fully in her element awakening her genius! Go for it Kirsten & follow your rainbow🌈


Lawyer on Air Podcast

  • As I mentioned in my last blog, Lawyer on Air Podcast turned TWO on March 8th so we are now in Year THREE of the podcast. This is beyond my wildest dreams. With nearly 50 guests recorded and 5 Seasons in play this is my number one passion project that enhances my portfolio career and life in Japan. Thank you to all my guests for their trust in me to tell your stories to the world! 

  • I released TWO new episodes of the Lawyer on Air Podcast with Yui Ota-Barclay in Season 5 Episode 6, on the often-debated topic of being a “Japan qualified or foreign qualified lawyer” in Japan, and I talked about “Balancing Career and Sporting Achievements” with the talented Ironman athlete and foreign lawyer Tomo Greer in Season 5 Episode 7 of the podcast.

  • If you are enjoying my podcast episodes, I would love you to take just a few minutes of your time over this holiday break to leave me a rating on Apple podcasts, and write a short review so more people can hear about the podcast after reading your words to encourage them to do so. Thank you!

Jandals in Japan Podcast

Together with co-host Jayne Nakata we released another two new episodes of the Jandals in Japan Podcast. 

And finally… 

It was a delight to at last announce last month, my nomination to be appointed to the audit and supervisory board of the world’s biggest car maker and Japan’s largest company, Toyota Motor Corporation. Since then many have said congratulations and are looking forward to seeing me break glass ceilings. To get to break this particular glass ceiling meant a number of shards of glass fell on me on the way along my journey. Wounds heal and I carry the scars but they are now the success stories I can tell linking the dots to the path towards the kind of person I have become to enable me to take on this role with the equal portions of empathy and boldness which is what is needed to be a good outside board member in a Japanese company in particular.

I really cannot wait to start this role in June and to visit the team in May. I am excited at the prospect of forging ahead the corporate governance mandate in Japan through this position. It is truly an honour to support the Board of the biggest company and largest employer in Japan, and the leader in car manufacturing, moving to its next phase as a mobility company. 


That’s all from me for this month. See you in May.


Catherine

Catherine O'Connell https://www.catherineoconnelllaw.com
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