Mr. Takeshi Naitou, H.R. Department,
Kuraray Co., Ltd.

Kuraray Co., Ltd., a leading company in the chemical synthetic fiber industry, has invented a number of innovative products by using its cutting-edge, proprietary technologies. Many of these products have grown to become world leaders, and we have seen a rapid expansion in overseas sales in 10 years from 2000 to 2009, with the ratio of overseas sales doubling during this period. Today, overseas sales account for nearly half of our total revenue. With development and production facilities in Asia, Europe, and the United States, and as a result of conducting a worldwide business, we regard further globalization of our company as an inevitable step.

In view of this internationalization of our business, Kuraray recruits overseas talent and has, since 2010, intensified our recruitment of foreign graduates. We believe talented graduates from foreign countries can understand the situation in headquarters in Japan and as well as in local branches overseas, and will be able to mediate between the two, which is a vital role in furthering the development of our business outside Japan. 

We expect foreign students in Japan applying for a position with our company to manifest determination to take on a challenge, possess toughness, and have the ability to communicate. As for the first two of these characteristics, we have noticed that foreign students?by having experienced separation from their home country during their study in Japan?possess these merits in many cases. We regard the ability to communicate as very important because it is a core skill for someone seeking to connect Japan to the world?which is the role we expect our foreign hires to perform. Therefore, we have an expectation for foreign new graduates to have a business-level communication ability, which includes Japanese language proficiency.

By a business-level communication ability, we mean the capacity to conduct an interactive dialogue in which you understand the intentions of the person with whom you are communicating, and in return make yourself understood. In addition, it would be appreciated if you communicate using expressions appropriate to a business setting during a job interview. We assure you, however, that minor grammatical errors?such as in the use of particles or in the wording of subtle expressions?would not create a problem, as our interviewers fully understand the difficulty in communicating in a foreign language. What is more important is for you to have a mindset to actively engage in interactive dialogues and a willingness to continue to improve your Japanese proficiency through the work experience you will gain after joining our company.

As the first stage of the internationalization of our talent, we are structuring our corporate system to empower workers of foreign nationality. This arrangement includes Japanese-language training such as opportunities to take the BJT. The BJT provides an index of progress in the improvement of one's Japanese proficiency. We have also been welcoming foreign students as intern trainees, which provides our staff with valuable opportunities to learn from working with people from different backgrounds, as well as affording students opportunities to get to know our company.

I would like to share a thought with foreign students studying in Japan before closing this comment. I hope you will enjoy a wide range of experiences in meeting and communicating with different people from diverse backgrounds outside your own community. As many companies in Japan are looking for foreign students who would like to join them, my advice to those looking for a job in Japan is that one should acquire information and scrutinize the choices for the future. If you broaden your mind, you will surely find a company that suits you. We are keenly seeking students who would like to work for our company, and share the vision of Kuraray?a globally growing company.