Interview with Mr. S

"The first time I came to Japan was in 1991, when I was sent here to study and work on aircraft engines. That experience left me with a very good impression of Japan. At the time, Japan’s technology, economy, and quality of life were far ahead of China’s, so I felt it was an incredible opportunity.

Later, I left aerospace and moved into the software industry. Around then, Japan was facing the “Y2K problem,” when Microsoft’s systems were expected to reset in the year 2000. I took advantage of that situation and landed a job in Japan. At that time, Japan’s economy was still stronger than China’s, but it also urgently needed skilled workers. After that, I transitioned into the fiber optics and telecommunications field, and in those companies, I was often the only Chinese person.

From my experience, Japanese people generally take work very seriously. Of course, there are always exceptions, but those are rare—and you can find that anywhere. Compared to China, I felt Japanese companies paid less attention to interpersonal politics. For example, you don’t need to flatter your boss to get ahead. In China, especially in smaller private companies, networking and relationships often play a much bigger role."