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Working for a Japanese company

Home / Archive by Category "Working for a Japanese company"

Category: Working for a Japanese company

I decided to stop talking about diversity in Japan – Professor Christina Ahmadjian

The new corporate governance code in Japan puts further pressure on Japanese companies to have external, independent directors on their boards.  For those companies wanting to be on the new prime market, the code stipulates that a third of directors should be external. Companies are now facing a severe shortage of candidates deemed suitable to fill these roles particularly if companies are also trying try to be as diverse as possible in who is appointed.

The same faces keep popping up, including people such as Professor Christina Ahmadjian of Hitotsubashi University who is currently an external director for four Japanese companies;  Japan Exchange Group (the Tokyo and Osaka stock exchanges), Sumitomo Electric Industries, Asahi Group Holdings and NEC . She was also an external director at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries until June of this year.

Her remedy for this  shortage of suitable candidates, which she outlined in a recent interview with Nikkei Business, is to hire people from a wider variety of backgrounds. Not just university professors like her, but Japanese women who are working outside Japan, or even having a quota for people under 30 years of age.  In her view, even a third may not be enough, because it would mean that the majority are still “salarymen” who have worked their way up the same company all their careers. “The director’s most important role is to appoint and dismiss the CEO. Previously, when I asked a Japanese company what is the difference between the board positions of a managing director (known as joumu in Japan) and a senior managing director (known as senmu), I was told, when a managing director gets older, he becomes a senior managing director. Such a board of directors will not be able to make the top management quit.”

You need people who don’t read the air

External directors need to be able to reject management policies in board discussions. They must also have the mindset that they can quit themselves at any time. You need people who don’t “read the air” the way salarymen directors do.

“Two years ago I decided to stop talking about diversity. I will not give a speech on it and I refuse to be interviewed on it. It doesn’t change no matter how strongly I put the case. If I give a lecture on diversity, people will listen hard and then say “OK, that was good.” I felt it was just entertainment.  Japan’s gender diversity is certainly more advanced than before. More companies are introducing maternity leave systems. But why is it so slow. I think “just do it!””

As for diversity in terms of nationality, there are many students who love Japan and want to come to Japan to study and work for a Japanese company. However, after graduating, if they get a job at a Japanese company, after about five years they quit, as they have realised that they can’t sse a future, and their friends at other companies are being promoted faster and have higher salaries.  So ofthen they choose to work for a foreign owned company while living in Japan.

1980s uncle management

“Japanese companies are more concerned with their internal talent management than with diversity. So why not hire in Indians and Russians with the necessary IT skills?”  Ahmadjian is concerned that what  she callls “uncle (ojisan) management” from the 1980s means Japan will not be able to compete globally.

Ahmadjian has lived in Japan for over 20 years, and was herself an office lady at Mitsubishi Electric in the early 1980s. She served tea and wore a uniform. “I really enjoyed it then, but it was a world of old uncles.”  “When I asked the top management of a company what is the definition of young, I was told 55 years old. I got them to lower the definition to 50 years’ old.”  Japanese-style management may have worked well as a system in the postwar context, but I think it is time to reconsider.”

For more content like this, subscribe to the free Rudlin Consulting Newsletter. 最新の在欧日系企業の状況については無料の月刊Rudlin Consulting ニューズレターにご登録ください。

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Most popular employers for graduate men in Japan are companies that would make their mum proud

It’s probably a legacy from the good old sexist days in Japan when men and women followed very different corporate entry paths that Toyo Keizai chooses to split its graduate employer popularity ranking between males and females. Back in the day, men tended to be graduates of 4 year universities and follow the management track, whereas many of the women went to 2 year junior colleges and entered the administrative track.

It’s intriguing nonetheless to speculate why men in particular choose the companies they do, compared to the most popular choices for men and women combined.

Top choice for men for the second year running is the Japanese trading company Itochu. Known to be more maverick than its rather more staid rivals Mitsubishi Corp and Mitsui & Co, it has been beating them on net income in recent years too. And it pays well.  It tops the combined male/female chart too. Mitsubishi Corp has regained some ground, however, and is at number 3 for men, up from 14 the previous year, but is clearly less popular with women, as the combined ranking is 8th. Mitsui is #30 for men, up from #43 a year ago and also less popular with women as the combined rank is #36. Sumitomo Corporation is at #38, down from #31 a year ago.

6 out of the top 10 choices for men are financial services companies – Nippon Life Insurance at #2 this year, up from #7 the previous year, Daiwa Securities at #4 (#3 the previous year), SMBC Nikko at #7 (down from #2), Mizuho Securities at #8 (down from #6), Mizuho Financial Group at #9, same rank as the previous year, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust and Banking at #10 up from #19.

SMBC had a big jump to #11 from #28 and MUFG is at #21 up from #29. However Nomura has significantly lost popularity, down to #27 from #17 and fares even worse in the combined male/female rankings, at #39.

Manufacturers are doing well – Sony up to #20 from #35, Toyota at #29 up from #49, Suntory up to #28 from #62. Panasonic is only at #67, but that’s a big improvement on #115 of a year ago.

The only non-Japanese employer for men in the top 100 is Accenture at #33, up one place from #34.

Overall, Japanese 21 year old men seem to have a preference for established Japanese companies that are performing well, pay well, and would make your mum proud.

For more content like this, subscribe to the free Rudlin Consulting Newsletter. 最新の在欧日系企業の状況については無料の月刊Rudlin Consulting ニューズレターにご登録ください。

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Which Japanese companies to work for in Europe

We’ve been publishing our top 30 Japanese companies in Europe intermittently for 5 years now.  We regularly receive enquiries for recommendations on which Japanese companies to approach as potential employers.  We’re not a recruitment consultancy so we don’t have any inside track on what jobs are available (please talk to our friends at Centre People Appointments for more practical assistance), but I would say that size in Europe and growth are important factors to consider.

Relative size in Europe is a key factor

If the European operations of a Japanese company represent a substantial part of their business, then it’s more likely that Europeans will have some influence within the organisation. There will also be more promotion opportunities and career paths than working for a smaller organisation in Europe. For that reason, it’s worth trying to join the organisation in the European/EMEA headquarters.

Companies with a relatively high proportion of their employees in EMEA (25%+) include NSG (Pilkington), Asahi (brewery company recently acquired Grolsch, Peroni, Pilsner Urquell etc brands), NTT Data, Toyota Tsusho (acquired French company CFAO with a big presence in Africa), Asahi Glass, JT International, Konica Minolta.

Has the company been growing?

Not only are growing companies more likely to have job openings, but they are more fun to work for. Japanese companies are still growing their operations in Europe overall.  However some have been undergoing substantial restructuring, which has resulted in significant headcount reductions in some countries, and significant growth in others. For example Fujitsu is reducing headcount in the UK and Germany, but growing rapidly in Poland and Portugal.

Companies that have grown the most rapidly in Europe (more than doubling) over the past five years are Nidec, NTT Data and Panasonic.

Working for an acquired company

The rapidly growing companies have mostly expanded through acquisition – for example Dentsu, Nidec, Panasonic (Ficosa, Zetes) and NEC (Northgate Public Services), Toyota Industries (Vanderlande), Hitachi (Ansaldo).  Working in those acquired companies might also be an attractive option, as there will be more autonomy, and less domination by Japanese management layers than Japanese subsidiaries which have grown organically.

Companies who score highly in terms of growth and significant European presence are NTT Data (third largest company in Europe) and Dentsu (8th).

In terms of sectoral growth – as well as IT companies that are moving into services and solutions like NTT Data, Konica Minolta and Panasonic – Daikin (# 27) and Mitsubishi Electric (#30) have both grown substantially recently, probably due to expansion of their eco friendly air conditioning businesses.

For new graduates, many of the top 30 have graduate trainee schemes, which would be worth considering if you are looking for a chance to be seconded to Japan.

Top 3 largest Japanese employers in Europe, Middle East and Africa:

1. Sumitomo Electric Wiring

Large numbers of employees in manufacturing, as making automotive wire harnesses is still a fairly manual job. Manufacturing jobs will tend to be in North Africa and Eastern Europe. There are plenty of jobs in design engineering and sales as well, and will be future proof as apparently electric vehicles also require complex wire harnesses to operate.

EMEA headquarters: UK (SEWS-E), Italy (CABIND), Germany (Bordnetze)

No graduate trainee scheme, but this page gives a flavour of the jobs available in the region for SEWS-E https://www.sews-e.com/current-vacancies/

2.  Yazaki

Very similar to Sumitomo Electric Wiring in terms of business and jobs but privately owned, so more of a family style corporate culture. Has a YEA!cademy (Yazaki Europe training academy) https://www.yazaki-europe.com/career.html

EMEA headquarters: Germany

3. NTT Data

Owned by Japan’s NTT (formerly Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, now partly privatised).  NTT Data has acquired various companies in Europe and elsewhere such as itelligence, Cirquent, Value Team, Intelligroup, and Keane. NTT is in the middle of restructuring and have put a new global headquarters, NTT Limited, in London. NTT Data will be kept as a separate organisation, however.

Lots of training and chances to go to Japan, however recruitment seems more by country/company than centralised and as you can see here https://www.nttdata.com/global/en/careers

EMEA headquarters: UK

We will cover the rest of the top 10 largest Japanese employers in Europe, Middle East and Africa in future posts.

If you would like a consultation on working for a Japanese company, then you can book an hour with Pernille Rudlin here.

We also recommend doing the e-learning modules from the leading global intercultural training firm focused on Japanese business –  Japan Intercultural Consulting – on working in a Japanese company – each module comes with a certificate – proof that you know what you’re letting yourself in for!

The latest Top 30 of Japanese employers in Europe is available here:

Top 30 Japanese companies in Europe 2021

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For more content like this, subscribe to the free Rudlin Consulting Newsletter. 最新の在欧日系企業の状況については無料の月刊Rudlin Consulting ニューズレターにご登録ください。

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Last updated by Pernille Rudlin at 2021-10-08.

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