The Foreign Ministry plans to raise the salaries of chefs at Japanese embassies and consulates general in fiscal 2019 for the first time in five years, in an effort to secure skilled cooks for diplomatic missions abroad, according to sources.
The ministry hopes that by improving working conditions, it will attract experienced chefs of Japanese cuisine amid fierce hiring competition due to the worldwide popularity of Japanese food, the sources said.
Chefs working for embassies, consulates general and other diplomatic missions abroad prepare and serve meals to diplomats and their guests.
Currently about 210 chefs are working overseas at about 200 Japanese diplomatic establishments, with many living on the premises and employed by heads of diplomatic missions. Applicants for the job are required to have a cooking license or at least five years of experience as a cook.
The chefs support diplomats in collecting information and building personal connections. They also assume the role of spreading Japan's food culture, and are thus also called "food diplomats."
Their salaries are paid through a combination of state subsidies and the private expenses of heads of diplomatic missions, including ambassadors and consuls general. Their current average monthly pay is about 300,000 yen (about 2,780 dollars), of which 170,000 yen comes from public coffers.
Under the fiscal 2019 budget, the ministry will be able to raise chefs' monthly salaries by up to about 30,000 yen based on their ability and experience. The raise will be covered by state subsidies.
In general, chefs at Japanese diplomatic missions are picked from a list of applicants when the heads of diplomatic missions are dispatched overseas.
However, the number of applicants has been decreasing in recent years due to stiff competition to secure chefs of Japanese cuisine. In response, the ministry has decided to make the job more attractive by raising salaries, according to the sources.
Takeshi Matsui, who served as a chef at the Japanese Embassy in Hungary for three years from 2014, said he studied local food culture during his service, and was able to improve his cooking abilities.
"In addition to improving working conditions, it is also necessary to help them find a new job after their contract ends," Matsui said.
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