The Ministry of Justice used to be a purely domestic government agency until certain problems arose over the inclusion of foreign lawyers in Japan leading to the Ministry suddenly experiencing globalization firsthand.

At that time there were only seasoned translators on hand who had been working since the time of the occupation forces, but what we were seeking was a fresh “native” speaker. Otherwise the official documents, dialogues and personal correspondence could not be adequately understood by the listener or the reader. Equally important, we needed someone who could also understand the Japanese perspective.

Placing special confidence in her versatile communication skills, the Ministry of Justice was pleased to welcome Ms. Shibahara, who effectively combined these two features.