Passport IV

Pages twelve and thirteen are a bit boring, so I'll skip to fourteen and fifteen. On the right hand page (fourteen), you can see my work permit. In most countries, you need to change from your current status to a permitted worker. In Japan, this requireds your passport to be surrendered for about one month.

Notice that I am admitted as an "Engineer". Perhaps this is a generic title they give to skilled office workers. Additionally, my permit lasts for three years. I relish the day I will have the opportunity to renew this permit.

Permanence at a foreign branch as a foreigner has many benefits that are not immediately apparent from a distance, nor upon arrival. Institutional knowledge is valuable in developing, remote locations, such as Japan. Prior to my arrival, my department had once tried an expansion in Japan only to fail. Only time will tell if our current approach will work in the long run.

Our Tokyo branch, like other banks, is struggling to balance North American business culture with the local one. Locals cannot believe their jobs secure if they are unwilling to compromise. The same is true of transplants.