Successful Employment of
Foreigners in Japan

Most foreigners have the impression that the Japanese try to hide their weaknesses behind smiles and silence if they cannot find an appropriate answer or understand what is going on in a business situation.
According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in 2008 on foreign students in Japan, the number one requirement of Japanese companies in order for foreigners to obtain stable employment was a deep understanding by Japanese employees regarding cultural differences. Understanding cultural differences begins with recognising these differences. In this series, we are going to examine the essence of global business through the eyes of foreign employees in Japan.

Mr. Charles Underwood from London, UK, who has been living in Japan for around 13 years, currently works for a major foreign securities company in Tokyo. What does he think about Japan, its society and business environment? Before coming here, what was his image of Japan?
When he was a university student in the UK, he was amazed by Japanese films, such as "Dodesukaden"(the story of a mentally disabled boy and his unusual neighbours) and "Ran"(chaos/revolt) directed by Akira Kurosawa. He was also inspired by the literary works of Yukio Mishima. Through these, he felt a connection with the purity of Japan and Japanese culture.

"When I was in the UK, I heard that Japanese employees are not good at decisions-making and that they always rely on their bosses or another employee to do so for them. When a decision has to be made, it is always sent to the head office because no-one else wants to take responsibility. This is probably quite stressful for Japanese employees; however, it is understandable considering the hierarchical structure of Japanese companies.

In Britain, when there is a project to carry out, we spend only 20% of our energy on planning and 80% on implementation. If something goes wrong during the process of implementation, we try to work it out or take an alternative approach without stopping the project. It is the other way round in Japan. They spend 80% of their energy on thinking and discussing measures to cope with potential problems. Then, at last, they start to implement the project using the remaining 20% of their energy. This is an absolute difference between the two countries. Also, Japanese employees do not ask questions of their clients or bosses as often as we do. This is a prominent feature of Japanese companies, whereas we are constantly questioning those who are involved with a particular project."

"In the UK, companies are obliged to take social responsibility for their conduct. Companies positively participate in fund-raising; for example, for the construction of hospitals for cancer patients or for child-care. However, in Japan, the government has primary responsibility for these things. Japanese companies frequently consider CSR regarding the environment, but Japanese CSR lacks diversity. Needless to say, there are plenty of issues for which the British government is primarily responsible, but companies are also highly expected to take a leading role in societal welfare."

"First of all, the global standards do not apply to Japan.
The country has a unique culture and customs which are deeply embedded among the people and in society. Japanese people do not react in the same way as Europeans. The way of thinking is also totally different. For example, the Japanese like to have "face to face communication" for business meetings, rather than to use intermediary communication tools. It is crucially important for foreigners to understand the differences between themselves and the Japanese way of thinking.

Secondly, you do not have to be over-sensitive regarding what your Japanese colleagues think or feel about your behaviour in the office. While you are worried about what you have said or how you have acted, your Japanese co-workers actually do not care about it as much as you do.
Thirdly, it is important for you to behave appropriately and considerately. I address my departmental Japanese colleagues by their first names, even though other Japanese employees do not do so. They address each other by their family names with courtesy titles (--san). This is totally acceptable to me because I understand that we have different cultures."

"In the UK, there are Internet-based intra-office ICT services. We often utilise the company’s own website which details, amongst other things, employee’s hobbies and skills. This can be accessed by individual employees in the office and we appreciate being able to get new information regarding our colleagues through this service. It is true that some people are concerned about the leakage of personal data, but surprisingly, everyone is open to the release of their interests. I think Japanese companies would also benefit from using ICT for intra-office communication.

We also go out to the pub with our colleagues after we finish work. This is the same as the Japanese way, in which company employees go out to Japanese-style bars, izakaya, with their colleagues. This is not for a meal, more for drinking.
Japan is a wonderful country. The food is tasty, Tokyo is a good place to live, and it is suitable for my hobby, cycling."