2025.7.29 ”Welcoming a Guest Speaker (From the Job Hunting Seminar)”
We had the pleasure of welcoming Mr. Kenichi Takahagi from APLUS Co., Ltd., who spoke to us and shared many valuable insights.
After graduating from university, he has worked exclusively at the same company for nearly 40 years. Drawing from that long career, he explained key aspects of Japanese corporate culture—such as lifetime employment (shūshin koyō), seniority-based promotion (nenkō joretsu), and labor unions (rōdō kumiai)—in a very clear and understandable way.
He also emphasized how teamwork is highly valued in Japanese workplaces. He explained the importance of concepts like “Hō-Ren-Sō”—which stands for reporting (hōkoku), contacting (renraku), and consulting (sōdan)—and the “5-minute rule”, where employees are expected to arrive five minutes early.
In addition, he discussed the topic of harassment (harasumento), which is now receiving growing attention across Japanese society. His real-life examples of different types of harassment helped us understand issues that can’t be fully grasped just through textbook knowledge.
He further explained that in the financial industry, transfers between branches are common. He shared his personal experience of having to work away from his family—a practice known in Japan as “tanshin funin”, which was particularly interesting for international students unfamiliar with the concept.
Although the number of foreign workers in the financial industry is still relatively small, he mentioned that there will be increasing expectations for talented foreign professionals in the future.
Hearing this gave us renewed motivation and encouragement for our job-hunting journey.
