From reporting on the latest political events in North Korea to uncovering the story behind Japan\u2019s iconic train station music, journalism graduate Jake Sturmer is keeping Australia informed as the North Asia correspondent for the ABC.<\/p>\n
Sturmer works from the ABC\u2019s Tokyo bureau, located in the famous Shibuya<\/a> district. The hustle and bustle of Tokyo is a world away from Sturmer\u2019s student beginnings at Curtin FM radio, but it\u2019s a change he\u2019s worked hard to achieve.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has always been a goal of mine to become a correspondent and Japan seemed perfect. I love the contradictions \u2013 you\u2019ve got the total chaos of the cities and then right next door the harmony of shrines. The tradition mixed with innovation constantly surprises me,\u201d Sturmer says on his new job and surrounds.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, it\u2019s cherry blossom season in Tokyo and the nearby Meguro River is famous for its spectacular cherry blossoms which line the water.<\/p>\n \u201cA typical work day can involve anything from filming around Tokyo to getting a call to head to South Korea at a moment\u2019s notice. It\u2019s our responsibility to report news that breaks in this region, so we are on-call 24\/7.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Sturmer graduated from Curtin with a journalism degree<\/a> in 2008 and started his career as a news presenter for 6PR radio. In 2009 he became a cadet journalist for the ABC in Perth, reporting and presenting for radio, television and online news. Four years later, Sturmer moved to Sydney as the ABC\u2019s National Science and Technology reporter.<\/p>\n Ever the diligent journalist, he started learning Japanese well before the foreign correspondent role was advertised, but Sturmer credits Curtin\u2019s journalism degree with equipping him with the essential qualities needed to progress in the field.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Curtin degree taught me the skills I need to find and break stories as well as interview people \u2013 the fundamentals required to be a good journalist,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Sturmer\u2019s journalism has had significant reach and impact on the Australian public. In 2011 he won the WA Media award for best current affairs and in 2012 he was named the Walkley Young Australian Journalist of the Year for his investigation into the systemic child abuse at the Katanning Hostel, which subsequently led to an independent state inquiry.<\/p>\n \u201cIn this job you do experience and encounter people going through some of the most difficult and tragic moments in their lives. It\u2019s important to remember you\u2019re dealing with people and not \u2018just another story\u2019,\u201d he says.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n His extensive journalism experience down under has prepared him well for the unique reporting challenges of North Asia, but Sturmer says there\u2019s still plenty of things for him to learn during his time in Japan.<\/p>\n \u201cThe language barrier has certainly been a difficult one to work with \u2013 despite having an understanding of the language there are still so many nuances and subtle things that have taken me by surprise,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a lot of formalities. Japan is a very polite country, so introducing yourself properly \u2013 especially in business situations \u2013 is very important.<\/p>\n “You certainly don\u2019t shy away from any questions during an interview or do anything differently in that regard, but approaching people with the right level of respect and formality is crucial.\u201d<\/p>\n Since moving to Japan in January, Sturmer has reported on an array of issues and events, including Shinzo Abe\u2019s diplomatic meeting with Donald Trump, Tokyo\u2019s ballistic missile evacuation drill and Japan\u2019s ban on Australian barley.<\/p>\n He has also reported on the country\u2019s more \u2018weird and wonderful\u2019 features, such as its archaic indoor smoking laws<\/a> and the history behind its iconic train station jingles \u2013 many stations throughout Japan play their own unique music to announce the departure of trains<\/a>. For example, the \u2018hassha merodi\u2019 (which translates to \u2018melody for train departures\u2019) for Tokyo\u2019s Takadanobaba station is the theme song from Astro Boy.<\/p>\n \u201cProbably the most surprising story has been the one of a wealthy Japanese man who\u00a0fathered 13 surrogate children<\/a> through Thai mothers,\u201d Sturmer says.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cHe recently won a court case in Thailand to be named their legal parent and sole guardian.”<\/p>\n Whether he\u2019s reporting on train station jingles or a millionaire\u2019s family planning, with all his stories and interviews, Sturmer says he tries to \u201cleave the audience or reader knowing something they didn\u2019t know before.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThese days it\u2019s incredibly difficult to compete for attention with an increasingly fragmented audience, so you need to deliver something that isn\u2019t anywhere else,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve found it important to stay across and try to learn as many different skills as possible, so that whatever form this job takes, I\u2019ll be able to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n This story is part of Curtin\u2019s Young Alumni Stories<\/a> series where we celebrate the achievements of Curtin graduates 35 and under. Learn more about the Young Alumni Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What’s it like to be a journalist in another country? Jake Stumer gives us the scoop from Japan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4182,"featured_media":6649,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","wds_primary_category":1,"wds_primary_research-areas":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"research-areas":[],"class_list":["post-6648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"acf":{"post_options":{"":null,"additional_content":{"title":"Graduate snapshot","content":" Name: Jake Sturmer<\/p>\n
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