Kristiina Jokinen
ATR Interpreting Telecommunications Research Laboratories

"Well, what is it like to work in Japan?" is a question that a foreign researcher often encounters both at home and in Japan. A foreigner working in Japan is still considered a somewhat special case, although the situation is rapidly changing due to many exchange programmes and mutual cooperation plans set up in recent years by the Japanese Government and private companies. It has become easier for a foreigner to come to do research in Japan, and on the other hand interest in spending a couple of years in Japan has also increased among Western expert researchers.
I have been lucky to work in new research institutes in Japan: at ATR for almost two years now, and as a JSPS Research Fellow at NAIST (Nara Institute of Science and Technology) for two years. Before coming to Japan, I completed my PhD at UMIST (University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology) in UK. Being originally from Finland, this gives me a wide view for comparing a foreign researcher's situation in different countries.
One of the first impressions that a foreign researcher gets in Japan is the kindness and helpfulness of the Japanese people - their enormous patience in explaining "weird" Japanese habits to a foreigner, and their equally enormous curiosity to know how a foreigner likes sushi or the Japanese summer. Like many foreigners, I can also recall several occasions where my Japanese colleagues have gone out of their way to help me with a printer or health check questions. However, one cannot always rely on the good-will of one's colleagues, and also, for a foreign researcher, there are many cases where simple daily tasks cannot be performed because of a language or a knowledge barrier. ATR is rare among Japanese companies in that about 25 % of its staff are foreigners. Besides creating a unique international and intellectually stimulating atmosphere, there is also the Support Group for Foreign Researchers which does important work in smoothing the gaijin's puzzlement over different bureaucratic matters (visa applications, tax forms) and easing their life in other ways as well (information about kabuki performances, kendo classes, etc.) Even though one's experience and language ability increases, there are situations where an organised help service at the work place would be vital. My husband, an Englishman who has been working for a Japanese company for eight years, says that this kind of support is unknown in his company, but that in many cases it would have saved both time and resentment on his and his boss's side.
Being a woman, I've also often been asked questions about what is it like to be a female researcher in a Japanese company. In general, the situation for Western women is the same as with their Western male colleagues: they are respected as guests. However, a striking difference -- especially if one comes from Finland -- is the lack of Japanese women working as responsible researchers. Even at my laboratory, there are only about three female Japanese researchers (out of about 180 Japanese researchers in total), and no women on the management levels at all. For a competent Japanese woman it seems very difficult to advance in the career: all too often her male colleagues are preferred as group leaders and given higher positions quicker (and charged more in departmental parties). The whole society would benefit from promoting women's education and ability to work as managers by dismissing old-fashioned attitudes: equal opportunities would also allow men to choose differently from the constrained life as a typical sarariman, and thus decisions be based on the individuals' competence and ambitions, not on their expected roles.
Japan provides a fascinating mixture of the old traditional culture and modern thriving society, and more foreigners are quite ready to stay for a longer period in Japan (without necessarily being married to a Japanese). However, compared to the situation in Europe and the US, only few foreign researchers can make Japan a permanent home. The usual one-year contracts do not support this kind of long-term planning but opportunities for longer contracts and permanent positions would obviously make this possible.
Working as a foreign researcher in any country is a challenge both for the researcher and the research environment. Different backgrounds and attitudes bring in contrasts which often cause frustration, but also positive development: new possibilities for a successful research, tolerance and mutual understanding, by widening of the individuals' perspectives.