FEW Career Guide 2010 Keynote and Workshop Speakers

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Introduction

The For Empowering Women (FEW) Career Guide 2010

This Guide has been produced primarily as a supplementary resource for participants of the 16th FEW Career
Strategies Seminar and, as such, features details of keynote and workshop speakers for the spring 2010 event.

The Guide has been compiled by the members of FEW, with the invaluable assistance of many other foreign
women working in Japan. These women have already trodden the path you are taking – whether you are just
beginning to settle into a new life and career, or have been here for some time and are looking for a change
of direction.

There are numerous books and websites available to help you settle into life and work in a foreign country.
This Guide does not aim to replicate or replace these resources, but instead looks to present you with
first-hand accounts of how industries operate in Japan and how foreign women are thriving in these industries.
Some additional aims are as follows:

Ÿ to reassure you that a move to Japan does not have to mean the end of pursuing a rewarding career
(even if you do not speak Japanese)
Ÿ to provide you with tried and tested hints and tips on how to have an enjoyable and rewarding working
life in Japan
Ÿ to provide you with an extensive, but by no means exhaustive, list of useful resources that can help
you achieve your dreams here
Ÿ to help you appreciate that you are not alone

Firstly, the Guide provides you with a brief overview of 16th CSS workshop speakers. It then offers some
advice on evaluating your career, going job hunting, dealing with recruiters and handling job negotiations. It
also provides tips for “staying sane” in Japan while you’re dealing with all of the above. Throughout the Guide
you will find success stories of other women who are living and working here; these personal accounts reflect
the writers’ own experiences and opinions and are not necessarily those of FEW.

We very much hope that the 16th CSS and this accompanying Guide will prove useful for you, and that your
time in Japan will bring you much success and happiness.

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FEW Career Guide 2010

Contents
Acknowledgements .................................................................................... 05

Sponsors ..................................................................................................... 06

Keynote Speaker ......................................................................................... 10

Workshop Speakers .................................................................................... 10

Careers in Focus ......................................................................................... 14
Consulting
Advertising
Entrepreneurship
Finance
Human Resources/Training
Information Technology
Web design
Marketing
Public Relations
Writing/Editing/Publishing

Job Hunting .......................................................................................... 35
Getting into the Marketplace in Japan
Networking
Researching the Japanese Job Market
Resume Writing
Interviewing
Interviewing – The Japanese Experience
Getting an Offer

Immigration and Visas .............................................................................. 49

Career Development .................................................................................... 51
Staying in Your Own Field
Volunteer Work
Career Management
Japan Market Expansion Competition
Temple University School of Continuing Education
Continuing Opportunities

Financial Planning .................................................................................... 68

Culture Shock – On the Job ................................................................... 70

Resources ..................................................................................................... 71
Recruitment Firms
Job Listings and Information
Business Information
Organizations
Advisory Services
Other Helpful Resources

About FEW ......................................................................................... 79

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Acknowledgements

As a non-profit organization whose mission is to help women in Japan support each other in their creative
and career goals, FEW would like to express its sincere thanks to all of those who made this CSS event and
Guide possible.

Seminar Committee Chairperson
Mary Fidler

Career Guide Committee
Lori Henderson, Geetanjali Singh, Monika Surma

Career Guide Design and Layout
Geetanjali Singh

Publicity
Kirsten Adachi

Speakers Committee
Mary Fidler, Lauren Shannon

Administrators
Michelle McKee

Sponsorship Liaisons
Andrea Mori, Minako Okuma, Florence Roca

Website Administration
Lauren Shannon

Catering
To the Moon and Back, Carolyn Pieroway

Facilities
Temple University Japan

Special Acknowledgments

FEW would especially like to thank Lizzie Murray of Studio Number 3 for designing all promotional materials
and folders for the 16th CSS. Special thanks also goes to the France Travel Center for their generous donation
of a two night stay at Kyoto. Finally, FEW would like to extend its appreciation to Geetanjali Singh for the
design and layout of the 2010 Guide, and Lori Henderson for compiling and editing the Guide contents.

5

FEW Sponsors

FEW thanks the following sponsors for their donations to the 16th CSS. We encourage you to contact these
vendors when shopping for goods and services in Tokyo.

ACCJ Journal
http://www.accj.or.jp/

ANA International Hotel
http://www.anaintercontinental-tokyo.jp/e/

BIVIO Sports Club
www.megalos.jp/bivio

Chanel Japan
http://www.chanel.com/ja_JP

Chez Olivier, Olivier Oddos
www.chezolivier.co.jp

Electronic Arts
www.ea.com

Eureka!
www.eurekamoments.net

France Travel Center
http://francetravel.co.jp

FBC (Foreign Buyers Club)
www.fbcusa.com

Friends Provident International
www.fpinternational.com

6

FEW Sponsors

Fusion GOL
http://www.gol.com/en/biz/

Generali International
http://www.generali-gi.com/

Hooplovers
http://www.hooplovers.com/index.html

IFG Financial Services
http://www.ifg-asia.com

KUDOS First Benefit
http://www.firstbenefit.jp/

Le Cordon Bleu
www.cordonbleu.co.jp/

L’oreal Produits de Luxe
http://www.lorealparisjapan.jp/main.html

Lugdunum Bouchon Lyonnais French Restaurant
Christophe Paucod
http://www.lyondelyon.com/en/index.php

Metropolis Magazine
www.metropolis.co.jp/

Nama Kiss Raw Vegan Desserts
http://lucina-livefruitfully.blogspot.com/2009/07/lucinas-april-pure-living-news.html

Royal London
http://www.royal-london.co.uk/

7

FEW Sponsors

Studio Number 3
http://studionumberthree.com/

Temple University, Japan Campus
http://www.tuj.ac.jp/

Tokyo Hacker Space
www.tokyohackerspace.org

Tokyo Yoga Circle
www.rajay.org

To The Moon And Back Catering
http://www.tothemoonandback.jp

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Few Sponsors

9

Speakers & Presenters
Keynote Speaker Workshop Presenters
(alphabetical order)
Yukiko Ogasawara Amanda Cennon
Yukiko Ogasawara is President and Representative
Director of The Japan Times, Limited; she also sits on With 10 years of international business, sales, and
the board of Nifco Inc., the parent company of the organizational development experience, Amanda has
Japan Times. The Japan Times, founded in 1898, is worked across a variety of industries and career levels
Japan’s oldest English language newspaper, and with workshop participants from around the world.
currently serves the foreign and English-reading Interested in motivation, goal setting, and global
Japanese community nationwide. leadership, Amanda is also accredited to run
workshops on team building, 360° feedback and
Yukiko was born in Japan in 1961 but spent most of strategic selling. Amanda runs Action Coaching Tokyo
her childhood in the United States of America. She (a mastermind group for women entrepreneurs), is
graduated from Evergreen State College, Olympia, an enthusiastic member of FEW, an avid hiker and
Washington with a B.A. in Art and pursued her artistic enjoys balancing things out with yoga. She holds an
studies with an M.F.A. from the California College of MSc from the London School of Economics, a B.A.
Arts and Crafts in San Francisco, California. from the University of Saskatchewan and certificates
from the American Society for Training &
She has been awarded a fellowship from The San Development, Team Management Systems, and Miller
Francisco Foundation and has exhibited several Heiman. She is originally from the Canadian prairies
collections of her art work in California. and has worked in the U.K, Canada and Japan.

After graduation, she spent some time teaching art
Katie Decker
and crafts to children whilst she was Artist-in-
Katie Decker is a twenty-something American gal who
Residence at the Francisco Middle School in San
has spent five years living and working in Japan.
Francisco at the invitation of the S.F. Arts Education
Inspired since childhood to learn more about the
Program. Throughout her creative activities she has
country, Katie studied Japanese language at the
made great efforts to introduce art and artwork to
University of Michigan and spent a semester abroad
children. In Tokyo, she now continues these activities
in Kyoto. After graduation, she returned to Japan to
in a private capacity and was recently asked to
work at the U.S. Pavilion at the Aichi World Expo
become a director of the Children’s Express, a non-
where she explained U.S. public diplomacy initiatives
profit organization which seeks to educate children in
to more than 10,000 visitors everyday. Shortly
writing, self-expression and artistic expression.
following the conclusion of the Expo, Katie moved to
Tokyo where she worked at the U.S. Embassy as
In 2003, Yukiko Ogasawara returned to Tokyo to take
Special Assistant to the Ambassador for three years.
up a position as Assistant General Manager of the
In March 2009, she accepted an offer to work at Tokyo
International Division in Nifco Inc. and was elected a
Electric Power Company (TEPCO), where she is the
director of the company in 2005. She was appointed
only foreigner among 40,000 employees, and is
President of The Japan Times in March 2006.
responsible for communicating with TEPCO’s
international counterparts in the G8 countries. When
Yukiko now has residences in Tokyo and Los Angeles.
not caught up in the daily grind, Katie can usually be
found chatting with her girlfriends at a local café or
dancing the night away. She loves Tokyo’s unique
international vibe, and considers the city her home-
away-from-home.

Anne Good
Anne is an HR professional with in-depth knowledge
of, and experience in, business strategies and training

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practices. She operates her own coaching and of Oak’s Human Resources Solutions team, which
personal development business in Japan called Eureka! offers HR consulting services in areas such as
Corporate Training & Development, HR Outsourcing,
She moved to Japan in 2003 and has worked with a Executive Coaching & Career Consulting and
variety of businesses ranging from large Orientation & Relocation.
multinationals to smaller entrepreneurial enterprises
with a particular focus on foreign companies investing Renee Kida
in Japan. Renee came to Japan over twelve years ago, after
graduating with a degree in Japanese Studies from
Anne has an MA in Educational Management, San Francisco State University. She began working at
Certificate in Post Compulsory Education and Training, an American orthopedic medical device company with
University of Hertfordshire, England and is a Certified rudimentary Japanese skills, right in the middle of a
Myers Briggs Professional and Certified Keirsey company merger, and had no real idea of what she
Temperament Sorter II Professional. was going to be doing! She found herself one of three
foreigners working in a company of approximately 700
Anne has well-developed skills as a facilitator and has employees, in an industry known for being very
managed teams of trainers in a wide variety of training conservative, with a difficult customer target –
fields. She has a strong commitment to helping Japanese doctors. After finding her way slowly in the
individuals and organisations achieve their maximum organization she achieved some success and a
potential. promotion, and began leading a team of two
foreigners. Approximately six years into her time in
In the UK, Anne worked with Spring Group plc, a UK Japan she married a Japanese man, and decided to
based consultancy, recruitment and training make this her home. But she had hit a wall in her
company, where she further developed business- career. So, after 8 years she parted from her first
planning skills including strategic direction, company in Japan, and took some steps to reinvent
competitor analysis and financial planning & analysis. her career. She received her MBA through distance
She gained additional experience in managing start learning, and currently she is the HR and Operational
up projects including Education Learning Centres. Manager IKEA Japan’s Contact Center, leading a team
of approximately 90 Japanese staff. In her personal
Anne set up her own executive career and life time, she likes catching up with friends, meeting new
coaching business in January 2008 and works with people, cooking, travel, getting massages and recently
people from all walks of life to support their personal has gotten into Twitter.
and professional developmental needs.
Anna Kunnecke
Anna Kunnecke talks a lot, writes stuff, and coaches
Carolyn Gaskins people around the world by phone.
Originally from North Carolina, Carolyn has lived in
Tokyo for over 13 years. In the U.S., with Roadway She graduated from Bryn Mawr College and put that
Express, Carolyn assumed management and sales excellent education to questionable use: as flower
roles, with hands-on experience in facility operations, shop girl, cleaning lady, bookstore clerk, and
client relationship management and supervision of unemployed beatnik. (Obviously, she needed a life
union employees. When she moved to Japan in 1995, coach in the worst way.) She also had “real jobs” at
Carolyn worked as an instructor for Nova Group; she a foundation, at international consulting and
then became involved in the training and marketing firms, and as a professional theater actress
development of new employees, the supervision of and MC. She continues to do voice-overs for TV
instructors and in the management of HR generalist commercials, video games, and documentaries.
functions at head office. After briefly returning to the
US, Carolyn and her husband came back to Tokyo in Since she had made every career misstep possible and
2001, when she joined Oak Associates K.K. through a survived (even thrived), she decided to help others
referral from a former colleague. After working for avoid some of her early mistakes. She trained as a life
the first year as a Search Consultant, Carolyn is coach with Dr. Martha Beck, author of Expecting
currently a partner in the company and the manager Adam and monthly columnist at O, the Oprah

11

Magazine, and was certified as a Martha Beck life artistic pursuits and enjoys working collaboratively on
coach in November of 2009. She likes to coach different advertising and creative projects. She is
renegades, who she defines as anyone ready to make currently based in Tokyo, Japan, where she runs her
their own joy and live by their own lights. She is agency from a shared studio at the Ikejiri Institute of
currently writing a memoir, and writes a daily blog Design. Lizzie is always looking for ways to promote
about her life as the working mother of a 3-year-old: talented artists and designers, and loves that art and
www.sitatmytable.com. design are an important part of everyday life in Japan.

Check out her upcoming telecourse, How To Shine In Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Lizzie has a
Front Of People, at www.annakunnecke.com. Bachelor of Fine Art (Photography) and a Post
Graduate Diploma in Interactive Media. She enjoys
Terri MacMillan the freedom of working for herself, especially because
Terri was born in Harlem, New York in January 1958. it enables her to collaborate with a broad range of
She attended the High School of Music and Art as a talented contributors on various projects.
Voice major, was Manager of Business Affairs for CBS
Records International for 10 years, Director of Ad- She likes cats, cafes, gardens, art, and Heathcote
ministration for Prince’s Paisley Park Music for 2 shiraz.
years, Director of Sales for Kampo Cultural Center,
then moved to Japan to co-manage Pizzicato Five.
Kristin Newton
Among other artists and musicians, Terri has worked Kristin is an artist and facilitator and has delivered
with Laurie Anderson, Don Alias, Onaje Allan Gumbs, workshops for a long list of global clients, including
Mark Egan and Danny Gottlieb, Boom Boom Satel- Ogilvy & Mather, SAP, AIG, UNITAR Hiroshima, Fuji
lites, Hisaishi Joe, GAO, Asian Kung-fu Generation, Electric, MI Associates, Fuji Kasai, Shinsei Bank, and
Chitose Hajime, Feed produced by Lenny Kaye, and Pro-Active Learning. She studied for many years with
Kayoko. She managed Pizzicato Five’s international Dr. Georgi Lozanov, considered the "father of
career, signing them to Matador Records, and was accelerated learning", and Betty Edwards, the author
instrumental in exposing their music in commercials of “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain”. Kristin is
and films in countries outside of Japan. well known in Tokyo for teaching a 5-day workshop
by the same name. She holds a degree in Fine Art and,
As a new media producer, Terri has produced pod- in 1993, founded RBR, an art school inTokyo. She was
cast series garnering hundreds of thousands of originally invited to Japan in 1980 to make glass
downloads. She has also worked with some of the sculptures and teach glass design, and still considers
most prominent social media communities in Ameri- glass her favorite medium.
can progressive politics.

Julia Maeda
Julia is an experienced management consultant, Sarajean Rossitto
trainer and coach who has had extensive experience Sarajean is a Tokyo-based nonprofit NGO consultant.
working with cross-functional teams, particularly She facilitates workshops, seminars and projects
within organisations undergoing transformation. aimed at developing skills, organizational capacity and
an understanding of global issues through effective
Julia juggles being an independent management partnerships. For more than 10 years she has worked
consultant and interim manager, with being a mother with organizations in Japan, running training and skills
to two very lively boys. She is also an active member development programs for nonprofit NGO
of the local and ex-pat community. As well as being professionals, and has assisted with linking different
President of FEW, she is also Chair of the British School communities to Japanese organizations. Sarajean also
PTA and has been involved in work for a number of facilitates internal organizational planning meetings
local charities. and corporate community engagement programs. She
spent close to four years coordinating bilateral
Lizzie Murray exchange of nonprofit professionals between the US
Lizzie is a creative director and producer for her own and Japan for Japan-U.S. Community Exchange
company Studio Number Three. She loves art and (JUCEE). She also worked for 6 years with the Tokyo
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YMCA. Sarajean holds a Columbia University Masters
of International Affairs degree with a focus on human
rights in East Asia. Her undergraduate degree is in
Sociology with a focus on social movements.

Lauren Shannon
Lauren Shannon is the president of the Tokyo-based
Sapphire Restaurant Management Group,
chairwoman of Democrats Abroad Japan, founder of
Tokyo Writer’s Salon, vice-president of For
Empowering Women (FEW), and a start-up member
of Tokyo Hacker Space. Until recently, the
Pennsylvania native and 12-year Japan resident was
also the general manager at Fujimamas, the late,
much-lamented restaurant in Harajuku. With her
former Fujimamas staff, she runs the catering
company To The Moon And Back and is in the process
of re-opening her popular new hangout for fine wines
and good food called the Kimono Wine Bar.

Eriko Talley
Eriko has held various Human Resources roles for the
past 20 years in the Silicon Valley (California) and
Japan, overseeing global HR in more than 20 countries
over the years. She is currently based in Tokyo as the
HR Director of a major US company, and co-chairs the
HRM Committee of the American Chamber of
Commerce in Japan (ACCJ). She holds a Bachelors
Degree from Notre Dame de Namur University.

Deanne Tonkin
Deanne is passionate about bringing the art of hoop
dance to the diverse international scene in Tokyo. Her
desire to connect people through dance, music and
fun fueled the creation of Hoop Lovers
www.hooplovers.com. Deanne's mission is to inspire
global beings to find their true potential through
movement and self-expression, and is passionate
about the encompassing benefits of hoop dance.

Deanne currently teaches weekly Hoop Dance classes
in Tokyo, including active and creative lessons for
adults and children. She regularly performs Hoop
Dance shows for corporate and private parties as well
as kid's events and a variety of other celebrations. She
has traveled the world sharing her individual style of
hoop love and has performed on stages in Sydney,
Thailand and San Francisco.

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Careers in Focus
Consulting very much focused on providing expertise that could
not be provided by a native Japanese speaker.
Consultants provide a company with expertise and Examples of these areas of expertise could be bringing
advice in areas that the company itself lacks, or does a new foreign business or idea into the Japanese
not have the free resources to deal with. That market or helping a Japanese company manage
expertise can be in any area, from marketing to image relations with their native country. Consultants advise
building, accounting, IT services, strategy and on many aspects that in their home country would
planning, post merger management and managing often be handled in-house, including office location,
change, business process reengineering, or even banking facilities, staffing, market analysis, marketing,
changing direction entirely. communications, management and even
recommending potential business partners.
One area of expertise that is in particular demand
here is dealing with and handling the Japanese Good interpersonal skills are clearly essential, as is the
regulatory process. The regulatory process in Japan is ability to see through the tangle of corporate,
unique; being walked through the process is an almost governmental and market data, create strong
essential service for many foreign companies and quantitative analysis to backup recommendations and
businesses hoping to enter the market in Japan. the courage and ability to make realistic, rather than
optimistic or pessimistic, assessments and
Consultancies come in all shapes and sizes, from recommendations.
corporate giants like Accenture to solo operators,
from highly specialized niche practices for IT or Networking is also an essential tool for consultants,
marketing to “one-stop shopping” conglomerates. In in order to build and strengthen their networks, as
practice, most fall somewhere in-between. well as broaden their knowledge and awareness of
the current climate. This can increasingly be done
In addition to the private consultancies, government- online, as well as in the real world.
backed trade commissions also offer a number of
similar fee-based services, including JETRO, the US Japanese language ability is generally required to
Department of Commerce, the Australian Trade successfully move into the larger consulting firms
Commission and the German Chamber of Commerce here. This is because junior to mid-level positions
and Industry, just to name a few. These tend to charge essentially are involved in interviewing the client and
on a project or hourly basis, while private working together with local staff on the project. Some
consultancies will usually charge on a flat fee or senior level managers are expatriates but are more
retainer basis. commonly bilingual local staff, and few positions at
this level are available here.
Consulting can be entered via several levels. Often,
an entry-level position can be obtained with an Recommended Resources
undergraduate degree from a prestigious school or a Organizations:
strong educational background in a particular field, Management Consulting Network International
such as IT. The next level up will usually require an http://www.mcninet.com/onassociations.html
MBA, according to accepted wisdom. However, many
consultants are successful purely and simply because
of their experience, and the expertise they have built
up in their chosen field of specialization – they will
have an extremely in-depth knowledge of their field,
they can predict and navigate potential pitfalls and
problems successfully and they have a wide range of
valuable contacts with whom they have a high degree
of credibility. Consultants like these may be able to
work independently on per project basis for large
companies (often international).

Without bilingual skills, consultancy here in Japan is

14

Careers in Focus
Advertising account manager who must decide when to persuade
the client to accept something different from what he
The Japanese advertising industry is witnessing a had envisaged and at a different cost – in effect selling
recent trend of gradual recovery as advertisers’ total the creative team’s idea back to the client.
spending increases, while clients are starting to focus
on building brands and turning to more experienced For anyone in advertising, good interpersonal skills
foreign advertisers. On the other hand, clients are are paramount, as well as a creative turn of mind and
looking for an integrated approach to their marketing, the ability to accept scathing criticism. For a
meaning that advertisers have to consider all the copywriter, the ability to write concisely, as well as
different ways that people connect to and experience the ability to work under pressure and to adapt
brands, including Internet, mobile phones, out-of- oneself to the client’s demands, is essential.
home media, in-store activities, and events. At the
same time the industry is continually becoming more A degree in marketing could be helpful these days,
high-tech with the Internet advertising expenditures though good experience may still win the day, and an
showing a rapid expansion, although it still remains account manager will also need the ability to control
behind television and newspaper ads. A lot of a team and to empathize with the client.
expenditure is also being sent to in-store marketing,
as the retail environment continues to grow as a In Japan, many of the opportunities in this field are in
media to capture consumers’ attention and interest the area of bridging foreign and Japanese
where the actual purchase happens, to drive cross- advertisements. Global brand advertisers more and
sales and even unexpected purchases. more seek for consistency in advertising campaigns
worldwide. This could mean that the concept of an
In simple terms, the types of jobs in advertising are advertising campaign is built at one office, usually the
divided into three areas, as in “Client Service headquarters, and creative executions are adapted to
Department”, “Creative department” and “Planning local context. Your language skills and cross-cultural
Department” and within these sections, the different understanding may help in this type of environment.
job descriptions range from Account Executives,
Account Supervisor or Manager, Account Director, Interactive advertising for the Internet is now also on
then Account Planner or also called Strategic Planner, mobile phones, being a growing area in Japan and also
Media Planner and then going to creative part, a new field of advertising that offers many
Creative Director, Art Director, Designer, Copywriter. opportunities for those willing to take a chance and
branch out, since there is still a limited number of
It is said that good copywriters are made, not born – experienced people in this area.
being able to write is not a guarantee that they will
make a good copywriter – it takes time, and just as You should never underestimate the power of your
importantly, requires an ability to write concisely, native communication skills, but more important than
often wittily and with a good and usually original turn your language abilities, your main competitive
of phrase. Of course, advertising positions are not just advantage could be your bicultural skills. Clients tend
limited to copywriting, there are many other positions to be more internationally oriented and appreciate
available too. Japanese Advertising agencies different ways of thinking, expecting to be exposed
outsource almost everything of the work, leaving their and stirred up by new ideas. By understanding and
offices to deal with Client Service and Creative, appreciating both cultures, you clearly have an
however this is not the case for Foreign Advertising opportunity to contribute as a bridge between
agencies which have full services in-house and it is a cultures. So, consider your status of being a foreign
trend that is starting to be embraced by Japanese woman in Japan as your advantage and use it as
agencies also. leverage.

Account managers are the key point of contact with Recommended Resources
the client, managing the day-to day business Organizations:
relationship, and ensuring that the creative team Forum for Corporate Communication (FCC)
meets the client’s expectations in terms of creative http://www.fcctokyo.com
executions, scheduling and budgeting. It is the

15

Careers in Focus
Japan Advertisers Association, Inc. (JAA) Entrepreneurship
An industry organization aimed at improving the
quality and efficiency of advertisers’ activities. For whatever reason some people were born to seek
Includes a list of related organizations. risk, adventure and challenge; for those folks, working
http://www.jaa.or.jp/jaa_eng/index.html in a corporation or for a boss can be stifling. As an
alternative, they feel the need to recreate their lives,
Japan Advertising Agencies Association (JAAA) make their careers more independent. One way that
Includes membership list. many women in Japan – foreign and Japanese – have
http://www.jaaa.ne.jp/english/ achieved this is by starting their own business.

In some ways, Japan seems a very daunting
environment for entrepreneurship. There is, of
course, the language barrier and costs can potentially
be very high - though these costs are coming down in
the new global environment. Also, the business
culture in Japan is often difficult to understand,
regardless of your level of Japanese. However, these
challenges are by no means insurmountable and, if
you are determined, you can even use some of these
perceived barriers to your advantage.

One common theme to hundreds of business books,
seminars and conferences is that starting your own
business demands passion. To make a business
successful, you need passion to drive you through the
ups and downs, so it’s essential that you are doing
what you love. You cannot just “like” your business
idea, model or product; “like” will not sustain you
during the hard times especially when getting started.

If you want to read a great and funny book about
finding passion and taking it to great heights, check
out Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk. His three principals
for entrepreneurship, which set the tone for the
whole book, can’t be underestimated: Love you
family, work super hard, and live your passion.

For a more feminine approach to going it alone, SEED
is a great resource. This is an empowerment tool for
the advancement of 21st century women, and the
recognized authority on the feminine way to do
b u s i n e s s :
http://www.seednetwork.com/php/summary.php?id
=1. Through its learning programmes, support
networks, group events and unique tools, SEED
enables women to live and work according to the
feminine principles of community, connection and
collaboration.

A piece of advice to potential entrepreneurs in Japan
is: look for possibilities - and don’t let the bad
economy of the 2009-2010 scare you off. The

16

Careers in Focus
economic situation is apparently so grim that some Finally, a good rule of thumb for any entrepreneur is:
experts fear we may be in for a stretch as bad as the Give back. One way we can all succeed as women in
mid-seventies. But you know what? That is when business is if we help each other. We should actively
these two companies were formed: Microsoft and seek out and support other women in Japan! Two
Apple. There is an even longer list of household known ways to do this are to check out women’s business
names that started during and just after the great groups and buy from female-owned companies. Or,
depression of the 1930s. A recession may not be such if you have been running your own company for a
a bad time to launch a startup - what matters is who while why not mentor a new woman entrepreneur?
you are, not when you do it. If you're the right sort of
person, you'll win even in a bad economy. An upside Being your own boss is highly rewarding and a lot of
to a down economy is that sometimes, starting costs, work but for many of us in Japan it is the best match
rent and other daunting bills may be lower than in for our personalities and passion!
boom times. Everyone knows you're supposed to buy
when times are bad and sell when times are good. Written by Lauren Shannon
But, even in bad times, if you run your own company
as cheaply as possible you’ll be off to a good solid Recommended Resources
start. Entrepreneurs have a great ability to see Organizations:
potential. Seeing potential and coming up with
something new means being out there on your own EA-Tokyo
sometimes – and this is difficult in Japan. But The Entrepreneur Association of Tokyo was founded
remember there are lots of resources and online sites to promote and support entrepreneurship in Japan.
to help! http://www.ea-tokyo.com/index.php

Having a viable business plan is also important to your Tokyo Small Business Meetup
endeavor. If you have a strong business background, The focus of the Tokyo Small Business meetup, is on
use all of what you know to make your plan viable; if getting managers the tools they need to do their job
you don’t, get in touch with people who do, and get better. Every month, one of the members or an
lots of feedback before setting up. With a strong external speaker, presents their business idea, or
business plan, you may be able to find partners or introduces their service, or gives a workshop related
investors to help you get started in Japan. to business, hopefully with a specific focus on Japan.
http://www.meetup.com/TokyoBusiness/about/
Obviously, individual talents and skills are the most
important things for starting your own business. And, Chambers of Commerce:
no matter what your educational background and Contact your local one through the phone directory
work experience, while you’re in Japan, you must or phone operator. The chambers can answer many
continue to build your skills, develop yourself, and questions about how to get started, where to find
take stock of what you are learning. Striking out on networks and more. Some examples of active
your own means pooling all your resources from every chambers in Tokyo include:
area of your life, so that you can continue to build
your experience and skills. And, as with anything Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan
worthwhile, building your own business requires http://www.cccj.or.jp
continual efforts. The accumulation of hard work on
a day-to-day level is essential to success. British Chamber of Commerce in Japan
http://www.bccjapan.com/
Being in business for yourself can be stressful, so it’s
vital to take care of your health and, as much as you American Chamber of Commerce in Japan
can, try to maintain a good work/life balance. Look http://www.accj.or.jp/
for positive ways of dealing with the ups and downs
of entrepreneurship, like joining an entrepreneur’s Online:
organization for example. http://www.womanowned.com/
WomanOwned was formed in 1998, and since then
we have provided the information, tools, networking

17

Careers in Focus
opportunities and advice that have helped hundreds Finance
of thousands of women. Women just like you -
starting or growing their business. The financial services (FS) industry encompasses a
huge range of professions and employers through
Smallbiz Japan different strains of finance. A career in finance could
A Yahoo group for foreign people starting or running mean working anywhere from a multinational
small businesses in Japan. securities house as a trader to a small manufacturing
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SmallBizJapan/ enterprise as an in-house accountant. Each sector
offers different levels of client contact or individual
Reading/Research: or team working. Most offer attainable career
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor progression and some, more than others, the need
http://www.gemconsortium.org/ for specific qualifications to enter.

Entrepreneur.com Magazine Typically career entry is either at graduate level,
http://www.entrepreneur.com/ although a finance or economics related degree is not
always required, or at school-leaver level. As with
Books: many industries, opportunities may present
The Anti- 9-5 Guide themselves to those people who prove that they are
http://www.amazon.co.jp/Anti-Guide-Practical-Career- willing to work hard and have the skills to adapt to the
Outside/dp/1580051863/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=en environment. Many posts are recruited through
glish-books&qid=1268978115&sr=1-1 company websites or through financial headhunters,
the local and international press or recruitment. Some
The Boss of You positions require many years of experience and a
http://www.amazon.co.jp/Boss-You-Everything- good reputation in the market place whilst other
M a i n t a i n - positions are best filled by unqualified novices who
Business/dp/1580052363/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid= can be molded to fit the company ideal. The best
1268978033&sr=8-1 opportunities in Japan at the moment, as with many
other industries, are gained through contacts and
Kick Start Your Dream Business: Getting It Started and networking. The financial services industry is
Keeping You Going reasonably self contained giving rise to many
http://www.amazon.co.jp/Kick-Start-Your-Dream- opportunities for experienced or inexperienced
Business/dp/1580082513/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=en administrators, data input clerks, telephone
glish-books&qid=1268978477&sr=1-1 representatives and other junior positions, all of
which may lead to other professional opportunities
or long term rewarding jobs in these fields.

If you already have industry qualifications it is likely
that, if gained abroad, they will not be recognized in
Japan. You will probably have to become a chartered
member or register with the relevant institution in
Japan before you may work. The Japanese Institute
of Certified Public Accountants and the Financial
Services Agency are two examples. However, many of
the chartered associations of Japan offer fast track
accreditation for those who are chartered abroad.

Japanese language is not always required within the
FS industry although accountancy and real estate
professionals could not function without strong
language skills, particularly written, and a knowledge
of Japanese laws. As such, a premium is paid for
candidates with these skills. Japanese firms operating

18

Careers in Focus
in foreign markets do not always require Japanese underwriter who assesses an applicant’s level of
language skills if business acumen is strong. exposure to risk and determines the provision or price
of cover. There has been an increase recently in the
Greatest employment is within the commercial banks number of insurance policies sold through banks,
that offer banking services to individuals and however, specialist insurance companies continue to
businesses. Opportunities range from branch clerks be the largest employers in this field. Lloyds of London
and administration assistants to financial planners, offers a worldwide benchmark for insurers with The
mortgage advisors and managerial positions. Other Prudential, Zurich and Mitsui Sumitomo being other
roles within this sector include credit analyst, loan key companies in Japan.
officer and trust officer. Because these tend to be
large companies, completing many tasks in-house, Fund Management involves the creation and
there are also opportunities for other careers, which management of a portfolio of stocks and shares for
you may not associate with these firms such as human institutes or private clients. Opportunities include
resources, marketing and advertising. This is very portfolio management, portfolio management
much a customer based environment and your career marketing, investment advisory, mutual fund analyst
progression is likely to see you perform a number of and hedge fund management. This is rarely an entry-
different roles, meet many different clients and give level career and often one pursed after a good
you the opportunity to learn about various aspects of reputation and personal style has been established
the business. Career goals in this field are relatively through for example insurance or other trust fund
easy to identify, track and achieve due to the rigid roles. Fund management requires a strong sense of
organizational structure of this type of company. In belief and a keen eye for the volatility and
Japan, Citigroup, Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi and opportunities of the stock markets. Employment
Mizuho bank have good market presence. options here range from the large investment houses
to small funds. Entry to this career is most likely
The real estate or property sector is also a large through word of mouth or recommendation although
employer. It is a far-reaching sector and fascinating opportunities may exist for trainees. Top firms in this
because of the number of people worldwide who are field are Citigroup, UBS and Merrill Lynch.
involved and because of the relationship between real
estate and the economy and social development. Investment Banking is probably the area which first
Again many opportunities exist within the sector; springs to mind when talking about the financial
property brokers, commercial property, property sector. This sector incorporates a huge range of
appraisal, property management, real estate advisory services, some of which may be offered by specialist
and development and construction. Roles range from firms, in-house teams in other industries or
managing tenants in properties for real estate agents, multinational investment banks. Some of the services
to assessing the validity of property investment offered are summarized below.
opportunities for investment banks, to creating loans
packages for a commercial banks or mortgage brokers. Corporate finance: financial planning for businesses
either for growth or expansion, or management of
Property in Japan can be a complicated business assets. This involves the financial analysis of projects,
because of the level of administration involved and assets, credits and debts, competition and markets.
consequently the language and cultural barriers. It can be hugely rewarding and interesting work which
is often carried out in teams.
The insurance industry is growing dramatically at the
moment, thanks in part to, with the worlds’ aging Mergers and Acquisitions: Investment banks are
population, the constant threat of terrorism and the often involved in valuation and assessments when one
increasing frequency of litigation. Careers in insurance firm attempts to buy out or merge with another. This
include actuary, broker, claims adjuster, service usually involves modeling and structuring of deals and
representative and risk manager. Insurance involves negotiations. Project Finance – This usually relates to
assessing exposure to risk and providing adequate infrastructure or capital projects and the assessment
cover to insure against losses. Your part may be as an of project proposals and the validity of revenue
actuary who analyzes statistics to determine the risk projections. This field usually involves co-ordination
of writing a particular insurance policy, or as an with multinational engineering consultants and

19

Careers in Focus
regional, national or local governments or 1. Financial accounting, which involves the reporting
international regulatory bodies. of financial information to institutions outside the
company.
Trading: Equities, bonds, options, futures and 2. Auditing, which tests the reliability of financial
currencies are all exchanged between investment information.
banks, commercial banks, stockbrokers and other 3. Managerial accounting, which involves the
institutional investors by traders. This field involves creation of internal reports to assist managers in
in-depth knowledge of specific markets, politics and their decision and strategy processes and finally
economics and the ability to carryout transactions to 4. Tax accounting, which helps businesses plan their
create a profitable, dynamic and adequate inventory strategy based on tax consequences and assists
of these items. the reporting of finances to government bodies.

Research: Analysts in this field use computer International accountants KPMG and Sakuma CPA
programs, contacts in specific markets or within operate in Japan and Japanese consumer brands are
specific companies and their analytical skills to often recruiting.
provide market, economic and political information
to various parties from traders and fund managers to Financial planning is big business in Japan with an
corporate financiers and venture capitalists. Clients increasing number of relatively wealthy expatriates
will pay considerable sums to proven research offering an ideal client base for foreign executives.
specialists and their importance in modern markets Whilst most commercial banks offer investment and
grows as competition increases. financial planning advice, an increasing number of
small practices are opening up with a view to offering
Stock broking: This covers only a small section of the investment and financial planning advice in Japan and
opportunities within investment banking. For further abroad. This can involve anything from pension and
information see investment banks’ websites. Nomura college funds to estate planning and tax
Holdings is the leading Japanese investment house considerations. Experience levels can vary but you
but other international firms include Goldman Sachs, may enter this field either at entry level and thus gain
Merrill Lynch, and Lehman Brothers. experience through a company by setting up alone,
or by invitation to set up such a venture with other
Information Communication Technology: This is a partners. Trust is key in this industry, which is usually
huge growth area with the increasing importance of gained through experience. Just as you would need
immediate access to, and manipulation of, to be certified at home the Japan Association of
information. Careers in this field span from software Financial Planners offers certification in Japan that is
development of, for example, trading tools or pricing a great indicator or early career goal in this field.
software to database management and development.
This is of particular interest to those who require The Financial Services Agency (FSA) of Japan is
responsible for ensuring the stability of the financial
access to statistical information particularly in the
insurance and trading fields. In addition to keen system in Japan. It is linked to the Ministry of Finance
interest in those who have the knowledge and flare and is charged with protecting financial institutions
to create the technology is the need for those who and transactions through such measures as planning
and policymaking regarding the financial system and
are able to update and maintain it. Careers in this field
are not always limited to those with degrees in the inspection and supervision of the private sector.
Information Technology or Electronic Engineering Japan ’s economy grew rapidly in comparison to the
because of the increasing importance of rest of the developed world and has suffered
numerous economic setbacks in the last two decades.
understanding the needs of those in the finance field.
Employers range from small specialist emerging firmsThe FSA acts to guard against future setbacks. Most
to news agencies such as Bloomberg and Reuters. careers in the finance industry in Japan require
registration with this authority as they would with
Accounting: Accountants record and report financial similar authorities in your home country but the
transactions. Accountancy can be broken down into association itself offers an interesting opportunity.
four main areas:
The Japanese economy has shown signs of recovery

20

Careers in Focus
and sustainable growth since2005 and it is still proving Human Resources/Training
to be an economy to be involved in. Competition for
jobs has increased and there are many opportunities Though many people associate human resources with
arising in all sectors for all levels of experience. payroll, recruiting and administrative matters, the
field has been taking on an increasingly strategic role
Recommended Resources within organizations over the past several years. There
Organizations: are a wide variety of positions and specializations,
Association of Women in Finance with jobs available in the public, private and non-
http://www.awftokyo.com/ profit sectors.

Financial Services Agency Human Resources consists of several areas, mainly:
http://www.fsa.go.jp/en/index.html compensation and benefits; training and professional
development; employee/labor relations; and
Careers Information and Opportunities recruiting.
http://www.careers-in-finance.com/
Many Japanese companies have large human
Commerical Banking resources departments, covering nearly everything
http://www.citigroup.com/citi/global/ in-house, but smaller companies and foreign
companies often prefer to streamline and outsource
Property some of their responsibilities. As a result, positions
http://www.fudousan-kanteishi.or.jp/english/ are often available in firms that specialize in HR
consulting, training and development, recruiting and
Insurance other HR functions. Most often, companies choose
http://www.lloyds.com/ the combination of a small HR department,
http://www.seiho.or.jp/english/ supplemented by outsourced support. Some
http://www.manulife.com/public/article/index/0,,la organizations add HR functions to positions within
ng=en&artId=145007&navId=610017,00.html business units to act as liaisons with corporate HR
departments.
Fund Management
http://www.ml.com So, how does a budding HR professional break into
the field and what types of jobs can she expect to
Investment Banking encounter?
http://www.nomura.com/Asia
http://www.db.com/index_e.htm Types of Jobs in Human Resources
Those working in smaller organizations may wear
Financial News several hats, and handle a wide array of duties. If you
http://www.reuters.com/ are starting out in the field, you may want to consider
http://www.bloomberg.com starting with a smaller organization so that you can
get a solid grounding in all areas of the field before
Accountancy deciding to specialize.
http://www.azsa.or.jp/english/index.html
http://www.tohmatsu.com/view/en_JP/jp A partial, but by no means complete, list of HR jobs is
as follows:
Financial Planning
http://www.jafp.or.jp/english/ HR generalists are common in small to midsize
organizations and act as a contact for a variety of HR
functions, such as compensation, benefits,
compliance, employee relations and performance
management.

Compensation specialists are responsible for
evaluating positions and administering job grade

21

Careers in Focus
systems to monitor pay scales. They may also handle development needs of the individual, the overall
payroll processing, though this function may be part resource requirements of the project and the over all
of the accounting department in some organizations. resource needs of the firm. They may also manage the
yearly evaluation processes, provide general coaching
Benefits specialists manage and administer health and feedback to aid an employee’s career path and
insurance, pension, profit-sharing and other benefit run team effectiveness sessions.
programs in the organization.
HR jobs with an international flavor
Training and professional development specialists Global HR specialists manage international
design and deliver courses to employees based on the assignment programs, including rules and regulations,
results of needs assessment consultations with assignee compensation and benefits, international
business units and upper management. They may also relocation issues, staffing, and other related issues.
work with employees on career development plans, These positions are often, but not always based at
conducting things like Myers-Briggs tests and general corporate headquarters. Some major Japanese
communication or soft skills. Training is often corporations specifically seek out non-Japanese
outsourced to firms that specialize in human resource candidates for positions in this area, to act as liaisons
development programs. with group companies worldwide.

Employee relations specialists mediate labor conflicts Cross-cultural (or intercultural) trainers design and
and liaise with labor unions. conduct programs for international assignees and for
those who work on global management teams or in
Recruiters work with business units to assess the need culturally diverse workplaces. Some training and
for new positions and new employees, followed up development specialists conduct intercultural
with advertising positions, conducting interviews and management programs as part of their other duties
negotiations with job candidates. Some recruiters in-house, but these programs are often outsourced
travel the country hosting information sessions at to firms or independent consultants who are
universities or job fairs. Many companies choose to specialists in the field.
outsource this function, and work with firms that
specialize in recruiting and executive search. International relocation specialists provide assistance
for issues related to international assignees, including
Career development specialists work in large the shipment of personal belongings, home finding,
corporations, HR consulting firms, university career school visits and area familiarization tours. There are
centers or as independent consultants. When some large relocation firms that handle all of this
employed in-house by a large organization, they assist in-house, but there are several smaller firms in the
current employees develop a career path within that Tokyo area that have alliances with real estate
organization. At consulting firms and universities, they agencies and moving companies.
work with career changers and new graduates
throughout the process of finding suitable careers, Salary ranges vary widely according to the position,
job-hunting and interviewing skills and other the candidate’s experience, the industry and the size
techniques to help make their transition a success. of the organization.

Career development specialists are also employed by In Japan, another growing area in human resources is
outplacement firms to assist people who have lost HR consulting services, provided by consulting firms
their jobs as a result of corporate restructuring. or individuals. Many mid to senior level corporate HR
professionals choose to move into HR Consulting work
Larger and medium size consulting firms will often after gaining experience in the corporate
have Staffing and Professional Development environment. HR consultants are hired to partner with
positions. The role of a Staffing and Professional their clients to solve HR issues within the corporate
Development Coordinator can be varied but generally environment, and to help companies & organizations
involves working with the upper level management build and improve their HR related processes. The HR
and partners to appropriately staff client consultant brings value to organizations through
engagements. This includes considering the increased efficiency of HR functions, improved

22

Careers in Focus
employee relations and morale, external analysis and information to those interested in learning more
view, and reduction of operating costs. HR consulting about the field.
work may touch on all aspects of human resources,
from compensation to training & development to Japanese Language Requirements
recruiting. As with many other positions in Japan, the higher your
Japanese level, the more opportunities will be
Examples of projects a HR Consultant may be involved available to you. Human resources positions with a
in include: primarily domestic focus will often require native or
Ÿ Establish a human resources department for a near-native Japanese language skills. Upper
small, growing company management positions in non-Japanese companies
Ÿ Audit the effectiveness and efficiency of a client’s may not require fluency in Japanese but often you
human resources functions must already be an employee of the company and are
Ÿ Advise senior management on a strategic brought over to create a link to the home office.
approach to HR within their firm Positions with a more international focus may often
Ÿ Temporarily manage HR functions within an have more flexible requirements.
organization
Ÿ Assess future development needs of employees Recommended Resources
and build a training plan Organizations:
Ÿ Orientation of new employees to business & World Federation of Personnel Management
cultural practices in Japan Associations
http://www.wfpma.com/
Finally, a very common HR related field in Japan is that
of recruiting and executive search. There are Society for Human Resources Management
numerous companies both large and small, http://www.shrm.org
multinational and Japan specific which compete in
this field. While Japanese is often not necessary in SHRM Global
such firms, a willingness to spend a lot of time on the http://www.shrmglobal.org
phone, searching for and talking to potential recruits
is a must. American Society for Training and Development
http://www.astd.org
Requirements
Some universities offer bachelor’s degrees in human Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
resources management, but this is not an absolute http://www.cipd.co.uk
requirement to enter the field. Some HR professionals
choose to further their education with a master’s Japan Management Association
degree or certificate in human resources management http://www.jma.or.jp/en/
or an MBA. Continuing education courses in finance,
marketing and other fields enhance the ability of HR Society for Intercultural Training and Research
professionals with non-business academic (SIETAR) Japan
backgrounds to work with upper management on the http://www.sietar-japan.org/en/index.html
organization’s business strategies.
Personnel Today
Temple University Japan offers business courses, http://www.personneltoday.com
including human resources management in their
continuing education course catalog. Additionally, Workforce
some HR professionals based in Japan enroll in http://www.workforce.com
distance learning programs for master’s degrees or
certificates in HR management. HR.com
http://www.hr.com
Human resource management textbooks are available
at large international bookstores in Tokyo and on the Monster HR
Internet, and provide an additional source of http://hr.monster.com

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Careers in Focus
Information Technology courses in programming languages, operating
systems, software design, and computer networking
More commonly call IT, this area encompasses all are beneficial and assist in picking up new skills in the
aspects of the information creation, access, use, workplace. Ongoing education is essential in IT. Even
storage, transport, and management, as well as the in Japan, it is possible to find companies that offer
design, development, installations, and continuing IT and tech certification classes in English.
implementation of the systems and applications to
store, retrieve, and use that information. Given the Software developers (programmers) design and
scope of that description, it becomes clear that IT implement computer software or tailor existing
covers a wide range of possible careers, from the software to a particular business’s needs. Proficiency
highly technical (programming database creation) to in at least one programming language, strong
the creative (web design, user interface design) and analytical skill, and an in-depth knowledge of the
the analytical (network design, troubleshooting). operating systems being worked on are important.

Overall, many in the IT industry are self-taught, and System integrators ensure that the different systems
the shortage of specific skills has led in the past to used by a business or industry work smoothly
employer’s willingness to train fairly inexperienced together, and may write interfacing programming
workers in-house. As the IT industry grows and between different systems to ensure this harmony.
becomes more mature, this trend is changing. Although if something major is needed, the task will
Depending on the company, Japanese-language be handed to a full-fledged programmer. A successful
ability is essential in the workplace here. You may find systems integrator needs to have a full understanding
that being computer literate with an in-depth of a number of products and systems and of the way
knowledge of Windows, and/or other operating they will work in the business environment. Keeping
systems, together with corresponding applications, abreast of current developments and how they can
will get you in the door. The hard truth, however, is be used is essential.
that your competition in the Japanese market is a
native Japanese speaker who has been trained with Project managers have a similar role to systems
the same skills that you have. Given this environment; integrators, but are usually brought in from outside
you will have to come to the table with an advantage to manage a specific project. They ensure that
over your competition. These advantages include appropriate “tech” solutions are found and
fluency in English (depending on the environment) or implemented to secure the smooth running of the
a mastery of a specific and highly specialized project. Project Managers have to know what
technology. products are available to help with the project (and
which ones will not) and what interfacing programs
For non-Japanese speakers, the creative side of IT need to be written (although these are usually
could prove to be most beneficial. There is a lucrative outsourced). They are often the interface between
market for Western-based start-up companies geared the business and the engineers. Japanese is almost
to the foreign community in Japan. Many web essential in this role, as project managers have to deal
specialists offer their service in the English web site with Japanese companies that offer the products
design and creation as freelancers to such businesses. being used. Equally, they must be computer literate,
Of course, thorough and up-to the date knowledge of with a strong knowledge of the various operating
web technologies is essential for these roles. systems available, such as UNIX, Windows, and Linux.
They should also have a good command of the
For more technical jobs, a thorough knowledge of applications the various systems use and an
computer architecture and data structure is essential. understanding of network connectivity. Network
While a degree in computer science or electrical engineers are responsible for setting up and
engineering would be extremely helpful, proven maintaining a company’s computer network, whether
ability in the field is likely to prove far more important within one building (LAN) or linking different offices
to a potential employer in the long run. (WAN). To succeed, a network engineer must have a
good working knowledge of available products and
A strong interest in, and a willingness to learn about services and a thorough understanding of the
computers and new technology are vital. Additional company’s business needs. In Japan, many such

24

Careers in Focus
engineers are employed by IT consulting companies. Dreamweaver, Frontpage, Homesite, or other widely
Their engineers are then outsourced to sites to used HTML editors. Web page developers create the
provide IT support. Project managers tend to be hired code necessary to bring the
by companies such as Accenture and pages together, and keep them managed and
PricewaterhouseCoopers to carry out consulting work. organized with a logical design structure. While
knowledge of HTML is a solid prerequisite, familiarity
Systems administrators decide how the computer with technologies such as JavaScript, CSS, and XML
system will function in practical terms-which are big plusses for web page developers.
computers will share resources, how end users will
access files and information, and how information will If a website is to be more than simply an online
be backed up. Again, a thorough knowledge of the brochure with web pages and graphics, such as an
systems’ abilities, coupled with a clear understanding e-commerce site handling customer transactions,
of the business needs and priorities of the company back end development is necessary. Back end
is essential. System Admins are usually responsible developers are the people who develop any needed
also for data security and should be able to Java programs, CGI and Perl scripts, and connect the
demonstrate good knowledge in this area as well. frond end web pages to a database. Often, back end
expertise is split functionally into application
User support is often the most visible part of a developers and database experts. In addition to
company’s IT department. User support staff assist having expertise with popular programming
end users of the systems, offer training and advice languages, people interested in back end
when problems arise, and set up the operating development should also familiarize themselves with
system. Apart from a good knowledge of the product-specific API (Application Programming
operating system used, and a sympathetic Interface) tools for widely used packaged solutions
understanding of the end users’ needs, an ability to for the web. Those produced by Broadvision and BEA
deal calmly and quickly with irate end users is essential. Systems are examples. For database connectivity, the
pre-requisite is usually knowledge of Oracle, SQL, or
Web Design Sybase relational database management systems
Large web design companies usually split the different (RDBMS). Back end developers generally possess a
parts of web design into what is called the front end degree in computer science or a related field.
and the back end. Web designers in the front end deal Standard certification as a developer with a particular
with the more creative aspects of the process. They technology is a big plus on a resume and is mandatory
are responsible for giving the web page a good look with a few companies.
and feel. They should know HTML, even if they use a
design package like Dreamweaver, Frontpage, or Although Japanese-language skills help in the
Homesite, in order to create really great pages marketplace, they are still not essential-good
without simply following what the package can do. experience and a proven ability to do the job are more
These days they should also be good with at least one important.
product like Flash or Shockwave.
Recommended Resources
The back end people are usually the ones that make Organizations:
Java programs or connect the front end to the International Computer Association (ICA)
database. They are essentially programmers who http://www.icajapan.jp
know Java, NET, PHP, Java Script, Perl, CGI scripts, etc.
Bar Camp Tokyo
Graphic Designers specialize in the creation and http://barcamp.org
manipulation of the graphical images that appear on
a web page. Expertise with industry standard graphics Tokyo Hacker Space
manipulation packages such as Photoshop and Tokyo HackerSpace is an open community lab, studio,
Fireworks is usually a pre-requisite to get into web workbench, sewing circle, machine shop+, where
graphic design. Creative and artistic flair is also people with common interests in technology, building
essential. Web page developers must know HTML and things, gardening, cooking, science, sewing, digital art,
be adept with software packages such as

25

Careers in Focus
gaming+, can find the space, the like-minded people, Marketing
and the infrastructure needed for these activities.
http://www.tokyohackerspace.org/ Debbie Howard, President of Japan Market Resource
Network, states that there are a number of
Tokyo 2.0 personality traits an individual must have in order to
http://www.tokyo2point0.net/ be successful in the marketing field. These include
creativity, good communication skills (both written
Tokyo Startup Weekend and verbal), persuasive ability, and an interest in
http://tokyo.startupweekend.org/ people and human psychology. A lively, enthusiastic
personality doesn’t hurt either. Having graduated with
Digital Eve Japan a BA in advertising and marketing from the Journalism
http://www.digitalevejapan.org School of the University of South Carolina, and with a
30-year career overall in marketing and
Japan Electronics and Information Technology communications, Howard is somewhat of an expert.
Industries Association Of those 30 years, she has spent the last 20 in Japan
An industry organization in Japan with activities and has been president of her own market research
covering both the electronics and information company for the past 17.
technology (IT) fields.
http://www.jeita.or.jp/english/index.htm To get into the Japanese marketing arena, says
Debbie, you will not only need all of the skills
Internet Association Japan (IAJapan) mentioned above, but a few others as well. The first
A non-profit and industry-based organization is Japanese-language skills. As Howard points out,
providing leadership in promoting advanced systems marketing is selling—and it is difficult to sell to a
of the Internet and solving problems that ISPs Japanese target market without speaking Japanese.
encounter when they operate services. As an alternative, or until you hone your Japanese-
http://www.iajapan.org/index-en.html language skills, you might try getting into sales that
focus on a foreign target market (i.e., telemarketing
Education: or selling advertising space that targets foreign
Temple University School of Continuing Education customers, or assisting in a section of a company that
Courses in database design and creation, desktop services a small but elite number of foreign customers
publishing, networking, web page design, etc. in addition to its Japanese customers—such as retail
http://www.tuj.ac.jp banking, hotels, financial planning and international
schools). If you already have solid marketing skills
Reading: from your career back home, you may be able to find
Cool Careers for Girls in Computers work in your field without Japanese-language skills—
Ceel Pasternak, Linda Thomburg, 1999 but such positions are few and far between.

Japan Internet Report (JIR) Another skill that will benefit you greatly in Japan is
Free, monthly e-mail newsletter featuring news and patience. You will need to keep in mind that things
commentary on Japan’s Internet industry. are going to take a lot longer to happen here and you
http://www.jir.net have to be prepared for that. The fact that decisions
and actions take longer to occur means the process
Nikkei BizTech of marketing is likely to cost more time and money.
http://www.asiabiztech.com
The third skill you will need to develop is cultural
sensitivity. This entails the need to acknowledge that
business is not going to be transacted using the same
formula as “back home.” People are going to have
different expectations and experiences—and these
will need to be factored into any marketing plan.
Howard points out that Japanese culture is subtler in
many ways. As an example, she says that comparative

26

Careers in Focus
advertising does not always go over well here as in countries as well. Don’t overlook smaller NGOs
America. Many ads in the US blatantly state how and however, since these may offer the chance to work at
why product A is superior to product B, but in Japan, a higher level because they need more “people
that can lead to a feeling of sympathy for the product power.” Another opportunity for volunteering and
being sullied. Therefore, the way a message is acquiring skills is via the foreign business chambers
communicated in a Japanese marketing campaign here in Japan, such as the American Chamber of
may well have to be more nuanced. Commerce (ACCJ), the British Chamber of Commerce
in Japan (BCCJ), the Canadian Chamber of Commerce
So how do you go about getting into the field of in Japan (CCCJ), the German Chamber of Commerce
marketing? As Howard reminds us, marketing is a and Industry in Japan (GCCIJ), and so forth. Each of
rather large field, encompassing advertising, direct these organizations has a variety of committees
marketing, marketing research, public relations, and through which you can demonstrate your marketing
sales, so the first step is to identify companies that skills by volunteering. Not only will you be able to
have such departments, or companies that provide build your portfolio, you will also be presented with
these services to other companies (advertising or PR great networking opportunities.
agencies, marketing research companies, etc.).
However, this may not be as simple as just finding a In addition to volunteering, you can build your skills
particular department in the company’s directory. by taking additional courses according to your specific
Although marketing is essential, Howard says, the role area of interest. There are a number of distance and
is not as transparent in Japanese companies as it is in continuing education institutions that offer courses
non-Japanese companies. Even if you look at a in marketing and communications. Yet another
particular company, it may not have a “VP of strategy is to take a lower level position at a company
Marketing,” or a “marketing department” per se, but and then work your way into the marketing area by
that does not mean the function is not included within demonstrating your interest and talents internally.
another department, such as “planning” or “new Although it may not be exactly what you wanted at
business development.” Generally speaking, the first, at least you will have your foot in the door and
discipline of marketing is not as developed in Japan— you can develop relationships from the inside.
and this translates into the fact that there are fewer
jobs to be found. Of course getting a position is the first step, but once
employed there are a few quirks to be aware of when
As Debbie points out, the marketing field is very entering the marketing field in Japan. The first is that
competitive in Japan, just as it is in the United States booms can occur in Japan in a very big way compared
and Europe. It is the same old adage: you cannot get to other markets. Howard uses the “tamagotchi
a job without the skills, but it is difficult to acquire the craze” of several years back as an example, pointing
skills without having a job. If you find that you are not out that it became huge very quickly, yet the buzz
having much luck entering the area of marketing, dissipated not long afterwards. Should you succeed
however, there are a few steps that you can take to with such a hit, your company will enjoy a big burst
make yourself more attractive to a prospective of sales for a short time, but then you will have to
employer. In short, you must be able to demonstrate come up with the next idea quickly. In any case, such
that you have skills that will allow you to make an booms do not occur as often as people in marketing
immediate contribution, since things move fast in the would like and, as Howard states, there is a lot of
world of marketing—but Howard stresses that this is “product churn” in Japan, with notable short product
true for career seekers in marketing anywhere in the life cycles in comparison to Western markets. She
world. One way to do this is to start building (or cites vending machines and convenience store shelves
expanding) your portfolio by offering to volunteer as an example—you can see new drinks being
your services. There are a number of organizations launched almost every week. A second differentiating
with international ties in Japan, such as FEW, that can point of marketing in Japan is the fact that it is an
always use help with their PR. Howard suggests extremely expensive advertising market. This means
getting yourself involved with an NGO that has global that ad and marketing budgets must be far larger here
recognition (e.g., Refugees International, World than in the US or Europe in order to achieve the same
Wildlife Fund, etc.) so that your efforts will be penetration.
recognized not only here in Japan but in other

27

FEW Career Guide 2010 Keynote and Workshop Speakers

FEW Career Guide 2010 Keynote and Workshop Speakers

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