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schoollovesinging.Rightnow,theyarelearning‘Sing’bytheCarpenters.Pleasewatch.

(Videoof‘Sing’bytheCarpentersassungbythechildrenofSakiyamaElementarySchool)

Mr. Cohen：Ihopeyouenjoyedourpresentation.Gotoisawonderfulplace.

Natsumi：Pleasecomevisit!

Yuudai：Wearewaitingforyou!

Ms. Tsutsumi：ThatisallforourpresentationaboutGoto.Thankyou.

Everyone:Thankyou.

MC ：Thankyouforaveryenjoyablepresentation.

MC ：Next,wehaveapresentationfromMr.YojiAbe,ManageroftheGlobalHRandHRDevelopmentSection,

HumanResourcesandGeneralAffairsDepartmentofSojitzCorporation,andMr. JamesRegent, a former

participantintheJETProgramme.Thethemeoftheirpresentationis‘TheAppealofJETParticipants-TheGlobal

PersonnelThatCompaniesAreSeeking.’Thankyou,Mr.AbeandMr.Regent.

Mr. Yoji Abe, Manager of the Global HR and HR Development Section, Human Resources and General Affairs

Department, Sojitz Corporation ：Goodafternoon,ladiesandgentlemen.AsIhavebeensokindlyintroduced,I

amYojiAbeofSojitzCorporation’sGlobalHRandHRDevelopmentSection.

Mr. James Regent, Controller Section, Sojitz Corporation ：AndIamJamesRegentofSojitzCorporation’s

ControllerSection.

Mr. Abe ：Weareveryproudtohavebeengiven time topresenthere today. Thankyouverymuch for this

opportunitytotalktoyouaboutSojitz’sinvolvementwiththeJETProgramme.

AsIwilldescribeinmoredetail,weatSojitzreallylovetheJETProgramme.WehavelovedJETforfiveyearsnow.

Talented JET Participants – The Global Personnel that Companies Want

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IthinkI’vealreadydecidedI’mgoingtogotoGotōformyholidaysattheendoftheyear-JETisthatamazing.

I’d liketoexplainbrieflyaboutwhatcompanies lookfor inglobalpersonnel.Ourpresentationwill followthe

followingagenda.First,abriefintroductionofthecompany,ourreasonsforwantingglobalpersonnel,then,we’ll

introduceourJETemployees,likeJameshere.Then,I’dliketotalkaboutwhattheappealisofJET.

Firstly,allowmetogiveabriefexplanationofourcompany.SojitzCorporationhasundergoneamergeronly

relativelyrecently,soyoumaybemorefamiliarwiththenames,Nissho-IwaiandNichimen.Thesetwocompanies

mergedin2004,andSojitzCorporationcameintobeing.Weareageneraltradinghouse.I’dliketobrieflyexplain

thecurrentnetworkofourgroup.IfIcouldaskyoutolookatouroperatingbases,asyoucansee,becausewearea

tradinghouse,wehavemoreoperatingbasesoverseasthanwedoinJapan.JustfourbasesinJapan,asopposedto

83overseas.Itisthesameforthenumberofourgroupcompanies—113inJapanversus283overseas.So,asyou

cansee,weareaveryglobalgeneraltradingcompany.

It isnoteasytoexplainwhatageneraltradingcompanydoes,butsimplyput,wecurrentlyhaveninebusiness

units—fromautomotive,aerospace,environmental infrastructuretofoodand,morerecently,overseas,wehave

enteredtheretailsector,suchasconveniencestoresandsupermarkets.Jameshereisinvolvedinoperationsprimarily

supportingourmachinery-relatedbusinessesofthesethreedivisionshereatthetop,whichmean.

Next,I’dliketotouchonwhySojitzwantstoemployglobalpersonnel,andwhyweemployformerparticipantsof

theJETProgrammeeveryyear.Firstly,weareatradingcompany,whichmeansthatourbusinessoriginallystarted

withexportsandimports.Thismeansthatourcompanyhasbeendoingbusinesswithothercountriesforavery

longtime.However,doingbusinessoverseashasbecomeextremelycomplicated.Inthepast,itwasjustimportsand

exports,andtheyusedtosaythatinstinct,experienceandgutswouldbeenoughtogetthejobdone.Ofcourse,it

wasneverreallythatsimple,butbusinesshasbecomeextremelycomplicated,anditisbecomingmoreandmore

difficulttodobusinessoverseas.Doingbusinessoverseashasalsobecomemoreimportantthanever.Andwiththat,

thetypeofpersonnelweareseekinghasbecomemoresophisticatedandglobal.

Assuch, forusasageneral tradinghouse, thenon-Japaneseemployeesweemployatouroverseasbaseshave

becomeincreasinglyimportant.Atthesametime,ithasalsobecomeimperativetomakeouremployeesatSojitz

headquartersmoregloballyoriented.WestartedwithtrainingourJapaneseemployeesandreinforcingtheirEnglish

languageskills,butthereare limitstowhatthatalonecanachieve.Thatledtotheneedtorecruitnon-Japanese

personnelatourJapaneseheadquarters.Thisisthemainreasonwearelookingforglobalpersonnel.

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I’dnowliketomoveontointroducingJames.I’llcallonJamestoexplainwhyhejoinedSojitz,andwhySojitz

recruitedJames.

Mr. Regent ： Goodafternoon,ladiesandgentlemen.IfImaytakethisopportunitytointroducemyselfoncemore,

IwasbornandraisedinPittsburgh,intheAmericanstateofPennsylvania.Asyoucanseefromthisphotograph,

PittsburghisnotasbigasLosAngelesorNewYork,butitisnotasmallcityeither.AfterIgraduatedfromhigh

school,IattendedGeorgetownUniversityinWashingtonDC,whereImajoredinlinguistics.Mysecondlanguage

andminorwasJapanese.ThisgavemeastronginterestinJapan,andIappliedfortheJETProgramme.Fortwo

years, from2009to2011,IworkedasanALTinelementaryand juniorhighschools inWashimiya-machi in

SaitamaPrefecture.WashimiyahassincemergedwiththecityofKukinextdoorandisnowpartofKuki.

Thephotographatbottomrightshowssomethingthatmanyofyoumayalreadyknow. That isWashinomiya

Shrine,whichissaidtobetheoldestshrineintheKantoregion.Themaincharacterinthemangacomicbook,

LuckyStar,hasapart-timejobatthisshrine,soeventhoughWashimiyaisarelativelyquiettown,itgetsverylively

atNewYear’s,whenlargenumbersofotakuwhoarefansofthemangacometovisit.IworkedasanALTfortwo

yearsinWashimiyabeforejoiningSojitzin2011.

Mr. Abe ：WhenJamesfirstjoinedSojitzin2011,IwasactuallynotinJapan.IwasworkinginourUSofficesat

thetime.WhileIwasintheStates,Iheardthatthecompanyhadstartedrecruitingforeigners inJapan,andin

somerespects,Iwasbothsurprisedanddelighted.Sojitzheadofficehadneverbeenveryenthusiasticabouthiring

foreignersinJapan,however,in2011,Jamesjoinedthecompany.Thiswaswonderfulnewsforus,butJames,what

madeyoudecidetojoinSojitz?

Mr. Regent ： Therewerethreemainreasons. Thefirstwasthat itwasatradingcompany,butmorethanthe

possibilityofworkinganywhereintheworld,Iwasratherattractedtotheaspectthatitisanindustryinwhichyou

cancreateworkanywhereintheworld.

AsforthesecondandthirdreasonswhyIjoinedSojitz,toexplainabitofthebackground,inmysecondyearof

JET,IattendedtheannuallyheldConferenceforReturningJETsforJETProgrammeparticipantswhoareplanning

toreturntotheirhomecountries.Aspartofthatconference,therewasacareerfair.Sojitzwasparticipatinginthat

fair,andthatwasthefirsttimethatImetSojitz’srecruitingteam.AsItalkedtothem,Iwasveryattractedbythe

factthat,eventhoughIwasn’tanewgraduate,theywouldtrainandeducatemeinthesamewayastheydofor

newgraduaterecruits.Thatwasthesecondreason.ThethirdreasonwasthatIgotthesensethatthiscompanywas

engagedearnestlyandsincerelyinthepromotionofglobalisation,soIreallywantedtojoinSojitz.

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Mr. Abe ：So,youjoinedSojitzin2011,andyouwerefirstassignedtotheHRandGeneralAffairsDepartment.At

thattime,thecompanyhadofficiallylauncheditsglobalHRstrategyandwasengagedinavarietyofinitiatives.As

partofthat,youhadthreemainduties:firstly,cultivatingtheglobalattributesofourJapaneseemployees,people

justlikeme,providingtrainingforournon-Japanesepersonnelatouroverseasbases,andrecruitingnon-Japanese

personnelforheadoffice.DidyourexperienceontheJETProgramhelpyouinthosethreefields?

Mr. Regent ：Itdefinitelyhelped.Whenwestartwithatrainingplan,forexample,somekindofevent—atschool

itwouldbealessonplan,foracompanyitwouldbeatrainingprogramme—thereisanoverarchingprocessfrom

conceptproposalthroughtoimplementation,andthatissomethingIlearnedthroughmyexperiencewithJET.To

giveaconcreteexample,sayyouhaveaprojectorevent,andthereareanumberofstageswithinthatproject.Before

youmoveontothenextstage,youhavetoaskyourself,haveyouconsultedappropriatelywiththeappropriate

people?Haveyouengagedeveryone involvedproperly?Haveyou shared informationproperlywithpeople

whomighthavenothingtodowiththeprojectnow,butwhocouldbeinvolvedata laterdate?Thiscultureof

nemawashi,orlayingthegroundwork,thatisuniquetoJapanissomethingthatIlearnedonJET.Ofcourse,there

weretimeswhenIfailedinthisevenafterIjoinedthecompany,whenIfeltthatwhatmymanagerwasaskingwas

toomuchbother—notyou,ofcourse,Mr.Abe.

Mr. Abe ：That’sokay.(Laughter)

Mr. Regent ：SoIlearnedthatkindofthingandhaveputittouseintheHRandGeneralAffairsDepartment.

Whenitcomestorecruitmentaswell,andthisgoeswithoutsaying,whenIwasteachinginfrontofaclass,I

naturallydevelopedpresentationskills,andbecauseofthateveryday,Iwaslookingatthingsfromtheotherperson’s

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perspectiveandthinkingaboutwhatIneededtodotoengagethatperson.AsthatwassomethingIdideverydayin

class,IthinkIhavebeenabletodrawonthoseskillsinmyrecruitmentworkaswell.

Mr. Abe ：Isee.SoyouacquiredyourexcellentnemawashiskillsatJET?

Mr. Regent ：That’sright,thebasicsatleast.

Mr. Abe ：So,youlearnedthebasicsatJETandhonedthematthecompany?

Jamesis,ofcourse,aforeignnational.Later,Ihadmany,manydiscussionswithJameshimselfabouthow,ashis

boss,IcouldmakethemostofJames’sstrengthsthatourJapanesepeopledon’tpossess,andhowIcouldleverage

James’scareer.BythatImean,formostJapanese,whentheyjoinacompany,theircareerjustkindofhappensas

theyworkforthecompanyovermanyyears,butnon-Japanesepeopletendtowanttobuildtheirowncareer,and

naturallythecompanywantstosupporttheminthat.SoItalkedtoJamesonmanyoccasions,askinghimwhathe

wantedtodo.

Ofcourse,oneareainwhichheexcelledoverJapaneseemployeesisthathehasanexceptionalabilitytoanalyse

thingsinveryfinedetail.BasedonJames’sownwishes,weactuallytookadvantageofthecompany’sshort-term

trainingschemetosendhimtoJakartainIndonesiaforsixmonths.James,howdidyoufindthatsixmonths?

Mr. Regent ：Ienjoyeditverymuch,thankyou.

Mr. Abe ：Justsayingyouenjoyeditisn’tenough.Tellusabitaboutwhatyoudidthere.

Mr. Regent ：Ofcourse,JETwasmyfirstexperienceoflivingoverseas,soIthinkthatexperiencehelpedmetoget

usedtolivinginIndonesiamorequicklyandsmoothly.HerearesomephotographsofIndonesia.

Mr. Abe ：ThesephotographsareofIndonesia.Theoneontheleft,wasthatawelcomepartyorsomething?

Mr. Regent ：Itwasawelcomelunch.

Mr. Abe ：Whatistheoneattopright?

Mr. Regent ：Thatoneisofamachinery-relatedprojectIassistedwith.Itwasahydro-electricpowergeneration

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project.Iwenttosurveythesitewithsomelocalemployees,andthisphotographwastakeninthemiddleofthe

jungleinSumatra.Inthisphotograph,averysmellyfruitcalledadurianhadfallenoffthetree,andwecutintoit

andateitrightthereonthespot.

Mr. Abe ：Isee.Soyouwereexperiencingthelifeofatradinghouseman,weren’tyou?

Mr. Regent ：That’sright.

Mr. Abe ：Thephotoatbottomright.That’stheresortofBunaken,isn’tit?Thatlookslikefun.

Mr. Regent ：Itwasfun.

Mr. Abe ：Isee.Nowthen,finally,couldyoutellusalittleaboutwhatyoudonow?

Mr. Regent ：Currently,IamworkinginadivisioncalledtheControllerSection.Thenameofthedivisiondoesn’t

reallydescribewhat itdoes,butbasically, themachinery-relatedsalesdepartmentwillbringaproject to the

ControllerSection,and,forexample,ifitisanacquisitionproject,wewillconductasimple,preliminaryvaluation

ofthetargetcompany,dosomemodelling,andexplaintheoutcomesofthevaluationsandmodelling.Basedon

that,thesalesdepartmentwillmakeadecisionaboutwhetherornottoproceedwiththeproject.That’sthekindof

workIdo.

Mr. Abe ：Isee.Thankyouverymuch.

Aswehaveexplainedinourpresentationtoday,theappealofJETparticipantsforusatSojitzis,ofcourse,thatthey

areforeignnationalswhonotonlyknowtheJapaneselanguageandculture,buttheyalsoknowabouttheunique

waysthatbusinessisdoneinJapan.Forthisreason,weareveryreliantonourJETpeople.BesidesJames,wealso

havefourJETalumniheretodaywhoworkforus,sojusttoshowouraudiencethatitisn’tonlyJames;couldIask

youtointroduceyourselvesbriefly?

Ms. Murphy ：Goodafternoon.MynameisAshleyMurphy.IamfromIllinoisintheUnitedStates.Iworkedasan

ALTinthecityofFukuiinFukuiPrefectureforfiveyearsfrom2009,andIjoinedSojitzCorporationin2014.

Mr. Beckerman ：Goodafternoon.MynameisGabeBeckerman.IamfromConnecticutintheUnitedStates.I

workedininternationalrelationsinatowncalledNantoinToyamaPrefecturefrom2014to2016,andIjoined

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SojitzCorporationthisSeptember.

Mr. Clark ：Goodafternoon.MynameisDentonClark,fromtheUnitedStates.IjoinedSojitzin2012,butbefore

that,IwasanALTontheJETProgrammeforthreeyearsinasmalltowninSaitamaPrefecturecalledSatteCity.

Mr. Kim：Helloeveryone.MynameisBryceKim.IamfromLondonintheUnitedKingdom.IworkedasanALT

inKagoshimaforfiveyearsfrom2009.IjoinedSojitzCorporationinSeptember2014.Thankyou.

Mr. Abe ：Thankyoueveryone.WeatSojitzhopetocontinuetogrowwithourJETalumniintothefuture.Thank

youverymuchforyourkindattentiontoday.

MC ：Thankyouverymuch.