Episode

Chika Masuda on Japan’s Digital Agency, Christian Bason, and Finding Your Way Into Government

Podcast
Civic Punks
Published
Jun 14, 2026
Duration seconds
864
Processing state
not_requested
Canonical source
https://civicpunk.podbean.com/e/chika-masuda-on-japan-s-digital-agency-christian-bason-and-finding-your-way-into-government/
Audio
https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/exiqgev7inatf7np/riverside_04_07_2026_5_06_04_pm_a_drak_s_studioav6ot.mp3
JSON
/v1/public/podcasts/civic-punks-7565949/episodes/chika-masuda-on-japan-s-digital-agency-christian-bason-and-finding-your-way-into-government
Markdown
/podcast/civic-punks-7565949/chika-masuda-on-japan-s-digital-agency-christian-bason-and-finding-your-way-into-government.md

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Summary

Tokyo was already special. Getting to spend time with Chika Masuda made it even better. Chika is Head of Intelligence Research at Japan’s Digital Agency, and one of those rare public servants who seems to connect people, ideas, and institutions with real care. In this conversation, we talk about her journey into government, what she has learned from working inside the system, and why relationships matter so much in this field. We also get into the influence of Christian Bason — someone who has shaped both of our thinking in different ways — and what it means to build a life around public service, curiosity, and making government a little more human.