Go East, young man

The number of foreign scientists working and studying in Japan has increased steadily in recent years. And while the experience is unforgettable, there are many pros and cons to furthering one's scientific career in the Land of the Rising Sun.

There are times when the life of a foreign researcher can seem rather more stressed than blessed. Unfamiliar social customs, lack of understanding of local rules and conventions and of course the inevitable language barrier can turn the simplest everyday situations into seemingly insurmountable problems, detracting from the many positive things about living in another country and leaving the expat worker feeling isolated, frustrated and out of their depth. Whilst the above is true of any overseas destination that might be considered for furthering one's career, common wisdom has it that there are few foreign countries as foreign as Japan.

Lost in translation

Top of the list of obstacles facing foreign researchers in Japan is the problem of communication. Japanese, with its complex grammar, multi-layered respect language and baffling writing system, is universally acknowledged to be one of the most difficult languages for non-native speakers to master. Although the inability to make oneself understood can undoubtedly complicate day-to-day life, for many foreign scientists it causes surprisingly few problems in the lab. “It's not an issue,” says Mario Negrello, a postdoctoral researcher from Brazil currently working at the Okinawa Institute of Technology (OIST). “Everything at the OIST is done in English and if I do have a problem I can ask our secretary.”

No matter how long you are in Japan, because you were not raised here, you are always going to feel like an outsider in some way. Laurent Safa

However, according to Cevayir Coban, a Turkish native who joined the Immunology Frontier Research Centre (IFReC) in Osaka seven years ago to work in the group of world-renowned immunologist Shizuo Akira and who is now an associate professor with her own research team, climbing the academic ladder and becoming independent can bring new pressures. In particular, key tasks such as applying for funding can leave the foreign researcher more dependent on colleagues than would be the case at home. “I need to get grants, and most grant applications are in Japanese, so I have to rely on other people to help me.” For this reason, Coban stresses the importance of foreign researchers building a good relationship with an institute's support staff. Despite the pressures of being a foreign researcher, both she and her husband, also an independent research scientist, have never looked back and Coban considers joining the IFReC to be one of her best career moves.

Ashwini Patil, an assistant professor in the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Tokyo (IMSUT), has met with similar language-related obstacles in obtaining funding. Applications for many large public Japanese grants in her field can be submitted in English, yet almost all of the smaller private funds must be applied for in Japanese. Patil, who speaks little Japanese, often feels frustrated knowing that there are a large number of grants out there — some intended specifically to assist female researchers — to which she has no access.

For many expat scientists, however, the lack of Japanese language skills is no barrier to success, especially if they have strong ability in English. For Suzanne Mak from Hong Kong, who is now working at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, the fact that she is fluent in English has led to her acting as a de facto liaison officer for her adopted laboratory, an opportunity that might not have arisen at her former institution, the University of Hong Kong. “I speak good English so here I am encouraged to interact closely with visiting professors,” she says.

Tom Rodgers, a postdoctoral researcher studying the optical properties of carbon nanotubes at Osaka University, agrees. Whilst conceding that being one of only a limited number of overseas scientists at an institution can sometimes lead to feelings of isolation, he admits that this can have its advantages. “Because there are so few foreigners, people from different fields and with different statuses are willing to work with us. Plus, when a leading researcher is invited to our institute, I am often asked to attend even if I am not the host. I cannot see this happening back home.” Negrello has had a similar experience noting that, despite the lack of direct flight connections from Okinawa to destinations outside of Southeast Asia, exposure to a large number of internationally renowned visiting scientists is one of the most attractive things about working at the OIST. “I had no idea it would be such a good place to meet people,” he says.

Family matters

I had no idea it would be such a good place to meet people. Mario Negrello

Overseas researchers bringing dependants can face additional complications. Few institutions are willing to hire both members of a husband-and-wife research team, but for researchers in long-term relationships, those that do have a substantial advantage over those that do not when considering employment options. Swiss-born string theorist Susanne Reffert was initially attracted to working at the Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (IPMU) based at the Kashiwa campus of the University of Tokyo due to its high-quality research and world-class facilities, but the willingness of the IPMU to hire her husband at the same time was a major drawcard and meant that they were able to live together for the first time in years. “Being together is a very important factor for us and one that will influence whether we stay,” she says.

Living in any foreign country without the support of a spouse can be difficult, but when a partner finds it hard to adapt to life in Japan, things are no easier as Rodrigo Publio, another Brazilian postdoc at the OIST, testifies. “My wife does not speak the language,” he says. “And because Okinawa is small there are few opportunities for her here.” Publio cites these difficulties as having contributed to his decision to move on from his current position at the end of his contract.

For researchers with families, the availability of education and childcare can in some cases be another sticking point. Patil, a mother of two, initially struggled to combine parenthood with high-level medical research. Although her eldest child could participate in an after-school program, the younger — a preschool daughter — was too young to join her brother but was also ineligible for the university crèche, limiting the amount of time Patil could spend in the lab. Now promoted to assistant professor and with her daughter accepted into the university's daycare program, Patil has much more freedom to concentrate on her work. By contrast, at the IFReC, Coban experienced few difficulties in securing spots for both of her children at the on-campus daycare centre and has encountered little resistance to her scheduling time in the lab around her parental responsibilities. “Japan is very good for childcare,” she remarks. “Plus, my kids have a chance to learn a new language.”

Read the small print

Another point of concern for all overseas researchers in Japan is that of conditions of employment, which should, according to Andres Maturana, a tenured assistant professor at the Nagaoka University of Technology (NUT), be established unambiguously in advance. Whilst satisfied with the clear path for his career advancement laid out by the university, something that was lacking at his previous Japanese institution, Maturana got a shock when he actually took up the position. “I didn't know my starting salary until my first day, and frankly it was significantly less than what I had been earning before,” he recalls. It was not until later when he was made aware of a series of benefits and bonuses to which he was entitled on top of his basic salary that his fears were allayed. Although now satisfied with his remuneration, Maturana — a ten-year veteran of life in Japan and with good command of the language — feels that the communication of his terms of employment could have been clearer.

The Japanese national pension scheme is another area that Maturana flags as a potential drawback for foreigners working in Japan, whether short- or long-term. Media coverage of the subject and anecdotal evidence from friends and colleagues has left him with doubts about the future viability of the scheme and he is unclear as to the benefits. “Sometimes I feel that on this issue I might be better off in Switzerland,” he says. Rodgers in Osaka is equally concerned, but more because he does not expect to stay in Japan long enough to receive the pension for which he is now paying. He is frustrated that as a result of Japan holding only a small number of bilateral pension agreements he will not receive credit for pension premiums paid while working here. This point, in addition to the fact that foreigners who opt out of the national pension program can only recoup three years’ worth of contributions regardless of the length of time they have been paying in, acts as a disincentive to remaining in Japan for more than the three-year limit, after which pension payments effectively become another form of taxation.

Not drowning but waving

Despite these and other pitfalls, the great majority of foreign researchers have a positive overall opinion of living and working in Japan, citing excellent research infrastructure, generous and reliable funding and highly motivated students as reasons to move here. However, most stress that Japan takes patience and warn that the life may not suit everyone. For Laurent Safa, a French engineer with more than a dozen years’ experience in the Japanese telecoms industry, clues to why some foreigners struggle to adapt came as he has watched his two children go through their education in local schools. In Japan, he notes, “They place a much greater emphasis on group harmony, and that permeates through society. No matter how long you are in Japan, because you were not raised here, you are always going to feel like an outsider in some way.” Reffert, who had studied in various countries before taking up her current position, describes Japan as her most interesting so far but admits that “some people definitely struggle.”

Others, however, evidently thrive and come to view Japan as much more than just a stepping stone to their next position. Like Maturana at the NUT, the IMSUT's Patil is also in it for the long haul. With her family settled and both her and her husband's careers progressing well, she acknowledges that Japan is her future. “But I need to learn Japanese,” she says, “because this is now home.”

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