In his day job he's a research scientist with Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), but when Takuma Adams was offered the chance to translate for ADF personnel aboard the Japanese frigate JS Noshiro, he didn't hesitate.
Growing up bilingual, the 26-year-old Defence scientist had been keen to use his Japanese language skills during his career and help further develop Australia's growing ties with its main partner in Asia.
He said the time with Australian, New Zealand and US Defence personnel as they exercised with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) in the south-west Pacific region offered the perfect opportunity.
"Some of my teammates needed a Japanese-speaking analyst for a project they were working on, which led to my name being put forward for the sea deployment, which is something I'd always wanted to do," Mr Adams said.
His work at DSTG involves mathematical modelling of command and control structures, which gave him exposure to some of the technical language involved within Defence environments, but he also did his homework ahead of the trip.
"Before we sailed I read everything I could related to Japanese Defence and some of the terminology they use so that I could be prepared, and that has helped a lot," he said.
Mr Adams' Japanese language capability started with him and his two siblings growing up in a bilingual environment with his Japanese mother and Australian father.
'With the growing Japanese-Australian Defence relationship, I think there will be more opportunity for bilingual engagement in the future.'
When the family moved from Victoria to Canberra when he was eight, the three children attended a Saturday school provided to children of families posted to the Japanese Embassy to keep them fluent before they returned to Japan.
The three Adams family siblings also had another language advantage in their favour - their mum was doing a PhD in bilingual acquisition of children, and her three were enlisted as test subjects.
"My mum would go through hours and hours of recordings of us speaking and she was aware of the best practice when it comes to acquiring language, so we had a lot of reading, writing and speaking Japanese growing up," he said.
As well as the chance to use his translation skills at sea, Mr Adams relished the opportunity to be immersed in a Japanese work environment. While he travels to Kobe in Japan to see family each year, this trip has given him a deeper exposure to the culture.
"One of the things that has stood out for me on this trip is some of the similarities between the Australian and Japanese personnel. They value hard work but also share Australia's easy-going nature," he said.
"Both countries have a love of sport and they are very active, so you can see them training together in the ship's gym and on the flight deck."
As well as his work at DSTG, Mr Adams is currently completing a PhD at Melbourne University in artificial intelligence and machine learning, researching how to make better decisions in complex team environments.
In the future, Mr Adams hopes to make further use of his Japanese language skills after his positive experience on JS Noshiro.
"The highlight for me has been the engaging chats I've had with the Japanese crew and seeing how passionate they are about their work," he said
"With the growing Japanese-Australian Defence relationship, I think there will be more opportunity for bilingual engagement in the future."
