Jun Okumura

• Location: Japan

About Me

After graduation, Jun Okumura promptly entered the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (now Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry) and stayed in the METI system most of his adult life. Along the way, he had pleasant stops in an assortment of Japanese quangos (Japangos?), overseas assignments and government agencies. After thirty years in the System, it dawned on him that he had no aptitude whatsoever for administration and/or management. Armed with this epiphany, he went to the authorities and arranged an amicable separation; to come out, as it were. He is completely on his own IYKWIAS, but he and the METI folks remain “good friends” to this day. He currently holds the title of Counselor at the Eurasia Group, the groundbreaking risk analysis firm. This gives him plenty of time to blog or make money on his own. His bank account says that he does too much of the first, and insists that he do more of what he calls “intellectual odd jobs”. He wants to be paid to write fulltime, or better, talk—that’s where the easy money is—but that distinction has so far escaped him. He really should not be referring to himself in the third person; he is not that famous.

Interests

• international relations
• politics
• language
• dinosaurs

Favorite Movies

• The Third Man
• Singin' in the Rain
• Bladerunner

Favorite Music

• R&B
• schmalzy white oldies
• hip hop
• Classical music (but averse to noisy orchestra music)

Favorite Books

• Huckleberry Finn
• The Mysterious Stranger
• The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency novels
• Devil in a Blue Dress
• Kadensho

My Blogs	Team Members
GlobalTalk 21
Snaarkastic Snaarkazm
Globaltalk 21 日本
Tales from the Cryptic
Globaltalk 21 Raw