Rochelle Kopp - The Japan Times

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Rochelle Kopp

For Rochelle Kopp's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Feb 13, 2020

Corporate Japan's paralyzing fear of the unhappy customer

Avoiding risks in business can help to keep your company safe, but it also lessens the chance you'll do something truly game-changing.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Jan 16, 2020

Why English translation needs the native touch

Japan is a country that prides itself on focusing on the smallest details, so why do incorrect English translations plague signage across the country?

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Dec 12, 2019

Working with the Japanese at a senior level when you're a non-Japanese woman

While stories about mandatory heels and a ban on glasses are making the rounds in the media, the reality of working at a Japanese firm when you're a woman is not as bad as you may think.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Nov 14, 2019

Ditch the debate tactics when it comes to persuading Japanese colleagues on a course of action

Coming to a compromise, PowerPoint presentations and group consensus will help you get your way at work over an impressive oral argument.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Oct 6, 2019

Dealing with the 'boss from hell'? You could be getting 'power harassed'

Insults, physical violence, unreasonable demands — coming from a superior at work these and other types of similar behavior are definitely not allowed.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Sep 11, 2019

How much Japanese-language skill do you need to work in Japan?

Back in the bubble period, I was able to get a job at a Japanese bank in Tokyo with language skills that were intermediate at best. With a lot of intensive effort (and classes kindly paid for by my employer) I was able to improve quickly and was eventually writing reports in Japanese.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Aug 18, 2019

Plan your response before taking on passive prejudice at the office

What should you do when one of your Japanese colleagues makes a problematic comment? Sometimes it's best to keep things light.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Jul 7, 2019

Asking for a raise in a Japanese company

When looking for a salary boost at your job it's important to remember that individual effort is appreciated but not necessarily rewarded.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Jun 12, 2019

Japanese companies claim there's a purpose for far-flung job transfers, but workers are growing increasingly skeptical

The viral story of how a Japanese chemical company, Kaneka, reassigned an employee to the Western part of Japan immediately after he returned from paternity leave in Tokyo left netizens indignant last week. And the story has also caused many non-Japanese to scratch their heads and wonder how a company could be so insensitive.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / How-tos

May 26, 2019

Getting negative feedback from your boss isn't all bad

After I had spent over a year working at a Japanese bank in Tokyo, I felt like something was wrong but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I knew I was doing a good job, and my work was going smoothly, but something was missing. Then, one day on his way out of the office for the day, the general manager of my department passed behind my desk. Without stopping, he blurted out "I'd like to tell you that you're doing a good job, but I'm afraid it would just go to your head and you'd stop trying so hard."

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Apr 24, 2019

Nobody's perfect, but an apology really helps at a Japanese company

What if you were doing something that drove your Japanese colleagues crazy, but you didn't realize it? Conducting seminars for Japanese businesspeople who work with people from other countries, I found a common theme that comes up every time I ask what behaviors of their foreign colleagues are hard for them to deal with.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Mar 27, 2019

How to work with a micromanaging Japanese boss

Putting together the slide deck for the presentation had become a never-ending ordeal for Dave. Every time he turned a draft in to his Japanese boss, it would come back with yet another set of things to correct.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Feb 25, 2019

In the Japanese workplace, take training into your own hands

When I graduated from college and went to work for a consulting firm in Chicago, for the first week I was asked to sit next to someone who had worked there for a couple of years in the same role, who methodically took me through everything I needed to know in order to do my job.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Jan 30, 2019

Thinking of working in Japan? It's good to know what you're in for

So you're thinking of working for a Japanese firm. You might be wondering whether what you've heard about working in Japan is true. Or, if you're already working here, you may wonder if what you're experiencing is typical.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Jan 30, 2019

Demand for non-Japanese engineers is growing, but know what you're in for before you apply

IT engineering is a field in which there are a lot of opportunities for non-Japanese who possess sufficient skills to work in Japan. There are 28,000 non-Japanese IT engineers working in Japan currently, comprising about 3 percent of all IT engineers in Japan, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The ministry projects that Japan will face a deficit of 789,000 software engineers by 2030, a gap that non-Japanese engineers are well-positioned to help fill.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.

Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree

By Alex K.T. Martin

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