After 25 Years Away, Georgia’s Top Japan Connector Is an Expat Again in Tokyo

For half of the 50 years that Georgia has had a trade and investment office in Tokyo, Jessica Cork has been back in the U.S., raising four children and nurturing a career built on her language and communication skills. 

But even working from afar and in the private sector, perhaps no single person has done more to advance the state’s relationship with Japan than Ms. Cork, now an executive at zipper manufacturer YKK. 

Ms. Cork first went to Japan at 15 as a shy high-school exchange student, and then went back after college as a Japan Exchange and Teaching, or JET, program participant. 

After returning in 2000 from that three-year stint as an educator and cross-cultural trainer, Ms. Cork spent one year at Kubota’s Gainesville, Ga., operation, then a decade at the Consulate General of Japan. She’s now going on 13 years at YKK, which pioneered Japanese investment in the state by locating a factory in Macon in 1974. 

Going far beyond the call of duty in volunteering, Ms. Cork has become an integral driver of the Georgia-Japan partnership. She was a founding board member of the International Charter Academy of Georgia, a public Japanese dual-immersion school in Gwinnett, and also co-chaired JapanFest. She’s even helped foster sister-city relationships between Macon and Dublin in Georgia and YKK’s Japanese hometowns of Kurobe and Osaki, respectively. 

It’s all motivated, she tells Global Atlanta, by a simple desire:

“My sole aim has been to repay the immense kindness that the people of Japan have shown me since my arrival in this country 34 years ago.”

She knows it’s a losing battle, but as of a month ago, she at least has the chance to try in person. 

Ms. Cork returned in April to live in Tokyo after 25 years away, this time heading up a newly established Global Engagement Office at YKK, focused on fostering smoother communications and unity of purpose across the company’s many operating units and jurisdictions around the world. 

She has considerable experience driving cross-cultural relationships, a fact recognized by the state of Georgia in 2023, when it dusted off an honor for her that hadn’t been doled out in 11 years. 

The Gov. George Busbee Award was presented to Ms. Cork at the Peninsula Hotel during a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the state’s Tokyo office, initiated in 1973 by then-Gov. Jimmy Carter. 

Mr. Busbee, Mr. Carter’s successor, later started the Southeast U.S. Japan Alliance, an annual conclave envisioned as a way to maintain and deepen friendship between the region and its new Japanese investment partners. Slated to be back in Tokyo in October, this year will bring its 47th edition.

Pat Wilson, commissioner of economic development for Georgia, said at the 2023 celebration there was “no one more deserving” than Ms. Cork of the Busbee Award. 

“Jessica has inspired others where ever she goes, and I know she’s inspired me in this relationship,” Mr. Wilson said in his speech. 

The commissioner was just coming back from a trip to Konu, a small town where he and a larger delegation experienced the tangible fruits of Ms. Cork’s labors. 

The group visited Shoganji, a Zen Buddhist temple nestled into a rural hillside in the small town now incorporated into Miyoshi city in Hiroshima prefecture. 

Otherwise unassuming, the temple now carries special significance for Georgia as the original home of the Peace Bell, which now hangs in a bell tower on the grounds of The Carter Center. 

Removed from its perch to be melted down into ammunition during World War II, the bell was somehow spared and found its way to the U.S., where it was gifted to President Carter in the 1980s and sat in the Carter Center lobby for more than 30 years. 

As chair of the Japan-America Society of Georgia, Ms. Cork played a central role in mobilizing the community to raise more than $300,000 for its permanent home.

Not only that, but links from Ms. Cork’s contacts in Hiroshima became useful in reconnecting with the city of Miyoshi and the town of Konu, which sent both wood and carpenters to construct the replica on American soil. 

A replacement known as the Friendship Bell, gifted by Mr. Carter to the village now hangs at Shoganji, joined by plaques engraved with the former president’s accompanying letter. 

The former president even inaugurated the bell in 1990, and since then, the town has gone full Carter, complete with a namesake boulevard and a civic center equipped with a full museum about the president’s life, times, and interactions with Japan. Miyoshi maintains an exchange program with Americus, Ga., its sister city — just a stone’s throw from the late Mr. Carter’s home in Plains. Miyoshi still even grows peanuts from Georgia seedlings originally gifted by the president. 

In her Busbee award acceptance speech at the 2023 event, Ms. Cork said the Peace Bell project was a perfect example of “the power of small actions sustained over time,” a tenet of the Cycle of Goodness philosophy espoused by YKK’s founder, Tadao Yoshida. Small bits of individual goodness, when aggregated, make a community’s or nation’s worth of difference, he believed. 

Climbing up the hill to the temple with a Georgia delegation in tow crystallized this for Ms. Cork.

“It gave me time to really reflect: It’s an improbable journey, the fact that this Japanese temple bell came from this tiny town and all the way to Atlanta and ended up in the hands of an American president,” she said. 

But then again, Japan and its people had always exceeded expectations. When she arrived at 15, the Katsumura family welcomed Ms. Cork with open arms and “changed the course of my life.” When she worked as a JET, she struck up a friendship with an 85-year-old neighbor who had been a victim of the atomic bomb the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima at the end of the war. 

“Yet she chose to spend four hours every week teaching me tea ceremony, and then she would break out the beer and edamame, and we would talk late into the night about every topic under the sun, and I’ve learned so much from her,” Ms. Cork said in her speech. 

Global Atlanta caught up via email with Ms. Cork as she settled into her new life in Tokyo, which she views as more cosmopolitan than 25 years ago but still as stimulating as ever. 

The interview below has been edited for length. 

Global Atlanta: After all these years, what is it like for you to go back to Japan? How hard was it given the stage of life your kids are in? Is this a full-circle moment for you — did you ever think you would go back to Japan to live? 

Jessica Cork: While I had dreamed of living and working in Japan again, it was hard to see that path while building a career and raising four children in the United States. I’m fortunate to work for a globally minded company like YKK, which not only sends Japanese expats worldwide but is also increasing opportunities for non-Japanese employees at YKK subsidiaries to take on roles outside their home countries. 

Timing is crucial; had this opportunity come 10 years ago when my kids were small, it might not have been possible. It’s much easier now that my kids are young adults.

What kind of challenges are you facing in re-adapting to Japan as a resident versus a business traveler? 

I’ve been coming to Japan annually for the past 12 years, but living here is vastly different from traveling. On the positive side, Tokyo has become much more global since I last lived here twenty-five years ago. Back then, there were fewer foreigners, and I received a lot of attention on trains and in stores. Now, I feel a stronger sense of belonging, which will also be great for my kids, who might not enjoy extra attention. 

I’ve also come to appreciate Tokyo’s distinct neighborhoods. In previous visits, I spent most of my time in popular areas like Shinjuku, Shibuya, or Akihabara (where YKK headquarters is located), but now I enjoy discovering the leafy, quiet neighborhoods, parks, and cafes throughout the city.

Regarding challenges, I am encountering typical expat issues. I’ve struggled to find an apartment large enough for two teenagers (four in the summer) and two cats, faced difficulties setting up various services, I still am not sure how to use my washing machine, and despite my familiarity with Japanese language and culture, misunderstandings are inevitable. I’m taking it one day at a time and trying not to get too stressed out.

Why is it that Japanese companies tend not to bring in foreigners to these positions, and what does it say about YKK that you’re there? Do you think this reflects more on your prowess than the company’s innovative thinking?

Actually, Japanese society is changing in this respect. The Japanese government is addressing labor shortages caused by demographic shifts by trying to attract skilled talent from abroad. They have implemented policies to nearly triple the number of foreigners entering under its skilled worker visa program, aiming to bring in up to 800,000 skilled foreign workers by 2028. Consequently, it has become more common to see non-Japanese living and working in Japan.

As for YKK, it has embraced a global mindset since our founder, Tadao Yoshida, embarked on three round-the-world tours between 1954 and 1960. 

He famously said, “There are no longer foreign countries or Japan in the current generation. The earth itself is one country.” He encouraged Japanese expats to become locals, learn the language of their host country, contribute to the local economy, and be good citizens in their new communities. 

Currently, the majority of YKK’s fastening business is outside Japan. As a result, we are focusing not only on increasing the number of Japanese employees working abroad but also on offering local employees opportunities to work in YKK locations globally. Although the global human resources initiative is still in its early stages, I anticipate that in the near future, many more non-Japanese will be working at YKK both in Japan and internationally.

For many years, you’ve had a variety of overlapping roles (or at least seemed to) at YKK. How is global engagement different from the digitalization and communication duties you were performing? What does it entail? 

In the current four-year business period, which began in 2025, YKK adopted the theme “ONE YKK,” which aims to strengthen the company by maximizing the power of each employee and operating company, enhancing employee engagement, and fostering a motivated, proud, and confident workforce. 

As the leader of the newly established Global Engagement Office, I am focused on uniting employees around a shared vision based on the YKK philosophy of the CYCLE OF GOODNESS®, strengthening global communication, building relationships across departments and borders, and creating communities that foster a sense of belonging. 

My experience in public relations and communications for the YKK Americas Group has prepared me well for this role. I’ve also gained valuable knowledge about technology during my time working on the YKK Americas Group digital transformation efforts, and I plan to leverage AI tools to overcome language barriers that sometimes hinder our global communication.

Being a woman in this role — does it carry a particular responsibility or opportunity, given what we know about the challenges Japan has faced in getting women engaged in the workforce, and especially keeping them in leadership positions? 

I feel both a tremendous responsibility and an opportunity to encourage women to seek leadership roles, not just here in Japan but at YKK globally. Clearly, I do not fit any mold. My career path, with half of it spent in government, differs from most YKK leaders. I’ve raised four children and spent 10 years NOT seeking increased responsibilities. This is my first chance to work abroad in 25 years, unlike other YKK leaders who have decades of overseas experience. As an introvert, I prefer leading as part of a team or as a supporter. No one here looks like me. But that means I can lean into being myself and encourage others who feel they don’t fit the mold either. 

Busbee Award: What did that mean to you, and how important are local/state relationships with Japan now, given the complexity of the geopolitical situation? 

Receiving the Gov. George Busbee Award was a huge surprise and a tremendous honor. However, over the years, my goal has never been to win awards or accolades. My sole aim has been to repay the immense kindness that the people of Japan have shown me since my arrival in this country 34 years ago, starting with the Katsumura family, who opened their home to a shy 15-year-old who couldn’t speak a word of Japanese, and in doing so, changed the course of my life forever. 

I firmly believe that peace begins with people-to-people relationships, which is why I am so passionate about sister city relationships like the ones YKK established between Japan and Georgia. I will never forget watching a video of President Carter doing a town hall in in rural Japan where he fielded questions from middle schoolers on everything from his love of yakitori, baseball, his childhood, the energy crisis, and whether he was ever scolded by his teachers in junior high. I am convinced that the town hall did more to further Japan-U.S. friendship than any of his “important” meetings with state leaders.