Before becoming a government servant, Kazumi Okamura worked for 17 years as a corporate lawyer. She believes she did her work well. "And I think I developed the reverse side, my inner world," she said. Now with a unit of the Ministry of Justice, and bearing the awesome title of attorney in the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office, she tries to keep her responsibilities in perspective. "I always think about the beauty of nature," she said. "To stay close to a natural way of life is the best way."
At 47 a thorough professional, Okamura keeps balance, thoughtfulness, and a yogic philosophy. When she was a small child growing up in the center of Tokyo, she longed for a setting of grass and trees and small rivers. Her parents, anxious to guide her, kept her well supplied with books. By the time she graduated from high school, she knew she wanted to be a lawyer. She entered Waseda University, where she took her degree in law.
"Then I decided I wanted to be an international lawyer," she said. "I began English lessons, and for more than four years while I was working, I saved money for my study-abroad program. I went to Harvard."