In Japan, there’s a term called 社畜 “corporate slave”. This term is very important in examining the problems of Japan’s corporate society. I will begin with a dictionary definition of the word “corporative slave” and then point out some of the problems associated with it.

For many years, the practice early morning work has existed in many Japanese companies. No matter how early in the morning a worker comes to work, that does not count as overtime pay. Nevertheless, there are workers in Japan who willingly come to work early in the morning. I hypothesize that there may be a relationship between early morning work and career advancement. I tested this hypothesis that the company I worked for in the past.

The salary of a salaryman does not change whether he works diligently or socks off. The idea of slacking off without working is not acceptable in a Japanese company. This is because at Japanese companies, your attitude toward work is strictly monitored by your supervisors and coworkers.

These days, Japanese university students seem to start job hunting much earlier after entering university. Compared to university students in the past, today’s university students do not have the luxury of time, and they probably have to be overly conscious of adapting to cooperate society from an early stage. This is the tragedy of today’s students and leads to their studies being dwarfed by the logic of corporate society.

When you join a Japanese company, your boss may invite you to play golf on your days off. If you like golf, it may be fine, but some people may not be interested in golf. Is this episode, I explain how to turn down a golf invitation from your boss.

You need to get along with the people around you in a Japanese company. This is because if you are not well liked, you will not be able to rise in a company. It is not enough if you work diligently and sincerely without asserting yourself to avoid being disliked by others. It is a very difficult technique to master, you will be able to further refine your ability to get along in a Japanese company.

It is not so difficult to work with Japanese who have experience studying or working abroad. These Japanese know through experience that there are differences in culture and values between Japan and other countries. There are some Japanese who have no interest in foreign countries at all. The theme of this episode is about how such Japanese and foreigners should work together.

In many Japanese companies, detailed work related manuals exist. This may reflect the Japanese love of imitation. For truly autonomous and motivated employees, manuals does nothing but harm.