David Daniels, U.S. Department of State

As early as I can remember as a boy, I grew up reading about Japan, and having been influenced as a teenager by a Japanese World War II veteran, my interest in Japanese history began quite early in life. I can recall spending many days with my best friend talking about our dreams of traveling and learning to speak different languages.

But it all really began with one book, one photo that would change my life forever.

As a fourth grader, I spent a great deal of my free time in the library, reading as much about history as I could find. One afternoon I stumbled across a book written by Stephen Turnbull. I spent a few moments flipping through the pages, but came across one photo that I stared at for what seemed like an eternity. I had always been interested in history of all kinds. Even when I was still in grade school, I remember being especially interested in the the American Civil War, and that I could tell that this photo was from around that period; especially with the way some of the men were dressed. But what captured me was how there was such a blend of the old with the new, like a stubbornness to let go of the past. And it just seemed so solemn and grave, with a very heavy feeling to it. I read Turnbull’s story of the Satsuma Rebellion, and was captured by it . . . men who stood up for something in which they believed so strongly. It's a heady, romantic story for someone impressionable, looking for direction and a sense of belonging.

For years, I would go back to that book just to look at that photo. It fascinated me, but I had no frame of reference, except that it was from the Satsuma Rebellion. I made a point of learning everything I could about the history and culture of the men whose faces I could not seem to forget. To do that, I would need to go to Japan, fulfill a promise I made to a Japanese World War II veteran, and learn to speak Japanese.

It had always been my intention to study Japanese in college. After two semesters of language study, my life took a different direction with an offer to intern at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and I was forced to put some of my language study aside.

I found the book once again in the university library, and still felt captured by the image of those men. Although I had learned so much more about Japanese culture and history by that time, I still felt the need to learn more, to understand that history, the language, and the spirit of those men. It was then that I decided to finally travel to Japan as a student.

After the events of September 11, 2001, I faced a decision: whether to turn down the offer to study abroad, stay in the United States, and continue to serve my country. Still working at the FBI, I was overwhelmed with a sense of duty to do all I could to help in those trying times. The Pittsburgh field office, where I was serving at the time, was responsible for the investigation of the crash that occurred in Somerset, PA. I was a part of that effort, and felt it would be irresponsible to turn away to pursue my dream of traveling to Japan.

A few weeks before the January deadline for my decision, one of my squad-mates, Jim, called me to his desk. Jim had mentored me for the past two years, and I looked up to him not just as a Special Agent, but as a friend and a second father. He knew that I felt torn about leaving the U.S. to go to Japan. He said to me, “All of this will be here when you get back, the FBI, crime and terrorism; you won't miss anything. But if you don't go now before it's too late, you'll miss out on being a kid for just a little while longer. This work will always be here, but the opportunity to learn a language and a culture may never come again. Go, and enjoy.”

Of course, Jim was right. The next day, I accepted the offer to attend the Japan semester abroad.

Studying in Japan for a semester at Kanda University in Kaihin Makuhari was supposed to be a onetime visit to Japan and immersion in Japanese culture. It was a way to satisfy my curiosity and perhaps understand the story of that photo that has stayed in my memory for so long. From the beginning, I was unsure that I would be able to learn to speak Japanese proficiently enough to interact with many of the friends I would go on to make at the university. But through the good-will, patience, and overwhelming warm spirit of so many of the sensei and Kanda students, my desire to communicate with them in Japanese became irresistible.
After becoming a Special Agent with the Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, my career began to take shape, and Japanese language ability became a cornerstone of that career. Often, agents are called upon to serve on protective details of visiting foreign dignitaries, based on their language ability. My Japanese language fluency gave me the opportunity to take a key role in the visits of some prominent figures in Japanese history, including members of the Imperial family, as well as a former Prime Minister of Japan.

Kendo has become a central part of my life, since my initial time in Japan. I have spent a great deal of time learning kendo strictly through Japanese language communication. For eight years, I have made several “武者修行” trips per year to train in various kendo dojo throughout the Kanto area, having been welcomed by many including Chiba University, Waseda Univeristy, Noma dojo, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Having followed the path of some of my senpai before me, my training has taken me places I never thought possible, and all of this would never have been possible without fluency in Japanese.

Often, while in Japan and training in kendo, I have the incredibly enjoyable experience of training with children. It is at those times that I believe I am touched the most by the importance of language communication and cultural exchange .Although I am a foreigner, and come from a background many of these children kendoka may not fully understand, we are able to share something intrinsically wonderful through kendo and our communication in Japanese. Kendo is a sharing of the warrior spirit through the crossing of swords and the understanding of hearts and minds. A smile from a kendoka child who has just trained with me or a few words of advice from a senpai to a kohai -- these moments can last a lifetime. And those children may always remember that a foreigner who speaks Japanese came to their dojo to practice with them.

Kendo and Japanese language are something I feel I have been loaned, and it is through these special moments I am able to give back in some small way the enormous gift I have been given, and pass on this bridging of our cultures. Many of the friendships I forged through Japanese language and kendo will last a lifetime, and many of the moments I’ve experienced I will always treasure.

Kendo has helped me to develop as a Special Agent as well. As a diplomat, and more as a law enforcement officer, kendo has afforded me incredible occasions to not only meet and network with my Japanese counterparts in the government, military, and police, but also is a source of unique training and a way to touch and experience a part of Japanese culture and history that few non-native Japanese speakers have the opportunity to encounter.

My position at the Department of State has also afforded me the opportunity to actively participate in diplomacy between the United States and Japan on several key issues. As a diplomat assigned to several delegations for bilateral talks with the Japanese government, I am able to use all of the skills and experience I have gained over the past decade. This past year saw the beginning of a unique initiative that involves elements of the U.S. and Japanese military and law enforcement. This initiative has helped to strengthen the alliance between the United States and Japan on several key defense issues.

It is a unique and wonderful honor to be playing a part in the history of U.S.-Japan relations, the history I read about so enthusiastically as a boy. All of this would not have been possible were it not for the Japanese communication skills that were passed on to me by so many.

And it all started with a photo from a history book.

For many people, studying a foreign language may seem like a daunting task. However, the rewards that come with understanding a culture through language can last a lifetime. To one who is serious about the study of Japanese language, my advice is very simple: find something you are passionate about, and immerse yourself in that through language study. Language is not static, and it is not something that can be separated from experience. We learn and grow from the knowledge that is passed on to us, from the interaction we have with the people that touch our lives each day. One should never be afraid to live Japanese language, to use it often and in the things that one is most passionate about. For each person, it may be something different. For me, it was a photo, and a history I wanted to understand. Although I may never find all of the answers I seek, I feel honored to be speaking the same language as those noble men, passing on many of the same things they learned, and helping to bring our two countries closer together. Through language, that spirit has been passed on to me.

Oh, and I’m sure you’re wondering if I ever got a copy of that photo that started it all. Well, I have a copy of that photo in my office today.

(February 2010)