In the spring of 2012, a major Japanese information technology company put a young Iranian man on its payroll in what was supposedly a worthy example of a new Japan embracing globalization.
But the man soon discovered in his office that he was in the old Japan, where working long hours, regardless of the task, is a badge of honor, quite literally in this case.
"When I left the office on time after finishing my work for the day, I was rebuked for not working hard enough and was told to stay longer," the 26-year-old man said on condition of anonymity. "The people who worked until late at night, not the people who produced results, received employee commendation awards."