The number of Japanese staff currently working for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is 30 (as of October 2024). They are working in Washington, D.C. in the U.S., as well as in local offices in Latin America and the Caribbean. While the job titles, job descriptions, and backgrounds of these Japanese staff members differ, they all share a common passion for development work and a commitment to results. In “Profile of Japanese Staff,” we report on the work of IDB staff working in Washington, DC and the LAC region, as well as the joys of working for an international organization like the IDB, through the voices of our staff.
Asei Oshima, with over a decade of experience at a Japanese leading bank, I have had the privilege of working across Japan, Colombia, and the United States. My career has been rooted in regional finance, including the development of business strategies for the bank’s Latin American operations and a secondment to a local bank in Colombia. These experiences fostered a strong interest in connecting "development" with "business," leading me to pursue a career in development finance through private investment.
In 2023, he joined IDB Invest as the leader of the Product Operations and Development team, driven by a desire to stay at the forefront of development finance for Latin America and the Caribbean. Although I was initially preparing to return to Japan, I chose to pivot to a role where I could continue contributing to the region’s growth.
The Inter-American Investment Corporation, which became IDB Invest, was founded in 1986 to promote private investment, and significantly expanded its scale and efficiency through a 2016 merge-out and re-branding as IDB Invest, a private-sector focused multilateral development bank (MDB). This transformation redefined the organization’s operations, positioning it for sustained growth. With a $3.5 billion capital increase approved in March 2024, IDB Invest continues to deliver innovative financial solutions and development impact across the region.
However, rapid growth presents its own challenges. To address gaps in internal controls and operational expansions, our team was established to enhance operational processes and improve overall efficiency. Collaborating with experts across the organization, I lead cross-functional projects aimed at strengthening operational frameworks. Coming from a commercial banking background, I have found IDB Invest’s flexibility and agility in responding to client needs to be a unique strength. While this adaptability can occasionally lead to additional internal work, it also fosters innovative solutions that set IDB Invest apart from other MDBs.
In development finance, the focus often centers on advancing new investment projects, but equal attention must be given to the operational infrastructure supporting them. In this field, I have found the generalist experience shaped by Japanese organizational practices to be particularly valuable, and there are many opportunities for Japanese professionals to leverage their unique perspectives to make meaningful contributions.
The number of Japanese nationals at the IDB Group remains limited, but I am hopeful this will change. I strongly encourage more Japanese individuals to explore opportunities within the organization fostering cross-cultural collaboration. I believe we can make a significant impact by bridging diverse perspectives and expertise, driving development across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Maya Asakura joined the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) at the end of 2011 and has been working on projects in the social development sector since then, covering a wide range of topics such as education, health, social security, employment, and gender diversity in the Social Development Department of the IDB. For the first three years after joining the bank, I worked in the country office in Paraguay, South America, where I was involved in projects mainly in the health and gender sectors. I then moved to the Washington headquarters, where I am currently involved in monitoring projects being implemented in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as planning new projects.
Their interest in development was first sparked in junior high school when I took a class on global poverty and socioeconomic disparities. Later, while in graduate school, I interned at the IDB, and this experience made me want to work in the development field. After graduation, I worked for a Japanese development consulting firm and was involved in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of official development assistance projects, mainly in Latin American countries, until I joined the IDB.
Some of the attractions of working at the IDB include the fact that it is a community-based international organization, the strength of teamwork, the dynamic nature of the work, and the open culture. In the country offices, I feel particularly strongly that the dialogue and discussions take place because of the trust built with the counterpart country and the understanding and passion for that country. For example, in the case of a health project, health experts work together with other experts from various fields such as environment, gender, monitoring and evaluation, finance, procurement, and law. The process of teaming up with people with diverse backgrounds and expertise and working with counterparts to carry out a project is steady, dynamic, educational, and stimulating. I also feel that the friendly, open atmosphere and strong personal relationships that one might imagine when hearing the word “Latin culture” are also good points of the IDB.
The economies, societies, and cultures of Latin American and Caribbean countries vary from country to country, and the needs for development assistance are also diverse and changing gradually. Recently, my department has been dealing with an increasing number of topics that are also issues in Japan, such as aging, support for people with disabilities, AI, digital transformation, and reskilling, and I have more opportunities to utilize my various specialties and experiences. I hope that more and more people will become interested in the IDB.