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[concerned8]

Allow me to reply to some past criticisms of former VP Clark(I have been away from the Forum for some time).

1  Academic qualifications.  You do not 'buy' Oxford degrees.  The system was that after three years of undergraduate study, plus research thesis, you automatically qualified for MA on payment of a 10 sterling pound registration fee. Lacking the credentialist lust that seems to affect many in the university business, and lacking any great love for the Oxford system, he was happy not to pay the fee.  His father then decided to pay it for him.

2.  Clark's problems with his four years of PhD studies (including one year to learn Japanese)  are amply described on his website.  I think anyone of integrity who found himself blacklisted by all main Australian universities for opposing the Vietnam War would have acted the same way.

3.   However Clark's main academic qualification for his AIU appointment was a book on China's foreign policy, which included totally new research in three important areas.  It could be republished today without having to change a word. It was on the basis of the material in the chapter on the origins of the Sino-Soviet dispute (namely the 1958 Taiwan Straits crisis; available on his website) that he was asked by Nakajima (who does happen to know a lot more about China than his critics) and his language abilities (Japanese, Chinese, Russian and now Spanish)  to be VP despite the very great difference in their ideological positions re China.

4.   His main qualification for previous appointments to Sophia and Tama (president) had been his book on Japanese society pointing out that isolation leading to weak ideology was the main reason for Japan's preservation of unusually strong (unique even for a modern society) groupist, 'tribal' values. If that rather unremarkable insight is allegedly rejected by all serious foreign scholars of Japan then all I can say is that I begin to understand Galileo's problems.

5.  To ridicule Clark's criticisms of the Otaru bathhouse people on the basis of a newspaper headline shows a degree of academic slovenliness ever greater than I had expected from some of the critics.  The article, and its followup on Clark's website, simply says the obvious- that all societies discriminate against outsiders in one way or another and Japan's way of doing so, while difficult for some to understand, on balance is no better or worse than most. In some areas it is markedly better.

6.  If the Minnesota people have some grudge against Clark for what happened to them then all I can say is that their persecution complexes know no bounds. They should know (in fact some do know because he told them directly) that he had great sympathy for their plight and still regards some of them, indeed a lot of them,  as better language teachers than their PhD successors.  He simply tried to explain the background to why they were treated as they were. Don't they realise that Minnesota was determined to sack them all and that they were only rescued at the last moment by Akita? They should vent their complexes on their former employers in the USA.



 

[11113567]

If the Minnesota people have some grudge against Clark for what happened to them then all I can say is that their persecution complexes know no bounds. They should know (in fact some do know because he told them directly) that he had great sympathy for their plight and still regards some of them, indeed a lot of them,  as better language teachers than their PhD successors.  He simply tried to explain the background to why they were treated as they were. Don't they realise that Minnesota was determined to sack them all and that they were only rescued at the last moment by Akita? They should vent their complexes on their former employers in the USA.

Dear Mr. concerned8,
This is a thread about Akita International University, not about Gregory Clark. If you want to start a thread about the alleged persecution of Gregory Clark, by all means do so. If you have substantive, informed comments about the unfair labor practices and other problems at AIU, this would be the place to post them. As for Minnesota and their English teachers, you (once again) only display your ignorance of the situation. Minnesota State University spent years recruiting the best English teachers they could find, watching some of the best ones leave for Japanese universities that were recognized as universities by the Ministry of Education (whose protectionist policies would warrant another thread here). They were not about to sack those teachers. You've noticed that their successors were not as good. Don't you realize that the successors were hired not in spite of their lack of ability, but because of it? That's the situation in the rigidly hierarchical world of Japanese universities, where prestige and ranking come from the ability of the students who pass the entrance examinations, not from the faculty members. AIU has never shown any interest in attracting qualified professionals, and are churning their staff. Otherwise, especially in today's job environment, they wouldn't keep having to advertise for so many positions.

[stuckinjapan]

Dear all,
I would like to add some comments related to the blacklist of japanese universities that is available to consult during a japanese job search. the main criterion for being listed as a black university is unfair treatment of non japanese. i would like to add the fact that even fair treatment may be considered distasteful to some non-japanese.

i am tenured at a japanese university, and i am treated fairly, ie as other japanese faculty, but the admin treatment of faculty, and the faculty treatment of faculty is unbearable (to non japanese).

a few years ago there was an announcement from the admin that all faculty must stay in their offices from 8:30 to 5pm every day because 'they might need us'. before that announcement faculty were free to come and go as they please, do research home or office , etc etc. a condition of what would be a normal university in usa or europe.

but the new rule applied to all, japanese and non, and the next day, a friday faculty were in their offices at 8:30. and this rule was from 4 years ago and still remains.

this is fair treatment, but does anyone want to work/research under those conditions?

there is no sabbatical at the univ, but previously there was 6 months research leave if one had funding from another institution. BUT being able to go is the discretion of the dept head. the univ is 25 years old , and so far there were 4 people who took advantage of this system. 15 years ago 2 people were granted 6 months, 10 years ago another got 6 months. that same person a couple of years later got another 6 months but was refused since going would have caused resentment.
i received a 3 month fellowship. initially they would let me go for 3 weeks. i had to fight fight fight and i got my 3 months. i got it, but now people tell me to look forward to revenge from the dept head. i was successful in winning another 3 month research fellowship at an internationally known institute, but was denied because 'they need me' and 'others may apply for it'.

so, i am being treated same as others, but does anyone want to work under these conditions?

emails are sent calling 'emergency' meetings within an hour and a half. if one does not attend these meetings, one is considered derelict of duty and it goes on your record. so what? one may say. but then these remarks affect your pension and or salary. both can be reduced at discretion of university. yes, we can hire a lawyer, then faculty at university will see you as a traitor, and ignore you until you must quit. also, the fact that one hires an attorney is not private. you would not be able to get another job in japan since word would get around that you are trouble.

this is true for japanese and non. fair equal treatment, but who would want to work under these conditions?

then you could say, 'why not quit?'. it is difficult to quit, there may be financial penalites, and you may not get permission to quit. YES, faculty or anyone needs permission from the president to quit the position.

i could go on and on. but i will end with some advice for those who want to work in japanese 'academics'

1. what they tell you in interview is not necessarily the actual job description. it doesnt matter if you ask questions. they will do what they do.
2. you will be treated royally for the first couple of years. then it is downhill from there. at about the 3rd year, it is time to leave. they will be happy and your career would not have been damaged.
3. 'career damage'? yes, imagine working in japan 10 years, and having had to teach english at least part of the time. the new positions you apply for ask what have you been teaching for the last 10 years. if half the courses are english, this does not fare well. then they ask about your research, since you may have to work nights and weekends, etc etc you will not have much time for such, and your record will suffer. then they ask about grants. the largest grant for individual social science resesarch is about $35,000  usd. but in the usa, that amt is nothing. they may ask you about any teaching awards you have received. there are none in japan. they may also ask you what have you done creatively to help your dept. it is not possible to do anything to help your dept or anyone elses.

4. the money is good, but is it worth the aggravation? i am here for 18 years. and for the past 4 have been miserable, before that hopeful to get out. but i had family obligations that required me to stay here. my career is in ruins, but i dont regret that since i made the decision to stay, but i offer this advice and info for all those thinking to 'work' in japan.

the japanese 'work ethic' and the way 'academics' should work are fundamentally opposed to western thought.

i will close with some comments given to me from japanese faculty within the first few months of my hire (paraphrase)

from 70 year old economics prof:
"This place is feudalistic, feudalistic!!!"

35 year old english prof:
"you will NEVER be able to act american here"

another 35 year old english prof:
"you will never get in with the japanese, never"

from head of english department:
"be careful what you say on the phone and what you throw out in the trash"

good luck to all.

[ken94a]

stuckinjapan: While I sympathize with your situation, your experiences should not be considered "typical" in Japan, and I feel I must speak up to give a different point of view. Your situation would be intolerable to most Japanese academics as well. In all countries, working conditions differ greatly depending on the institution, and bad workplaces exist all over the world.

I am tenured at a Japanese national university, and my working conditions are similar to those of my colleagues at American and European research universities.

The problems you describe with outrageous, top-down management are primarily at some private universities and relatively small/regional public universities.  At a national university or a highly ranked private university, the situation you describe ("admins" dictating work hours, meetings called on short notice) are structurally impossible. At national universities, governance is almost completely bottom-up, and administrators and dept heads have no power. Department heads rotate, often on a 1-2-year term without possibility of a consecutive term, so nobody can order
anybody to do anything, and all changes have to be implemented through consensus building.
This state of near-anarchy has its own set of problems, but my point is, one should not generalize too much from one's own experiences.

For those considering coming to Japan:

There is increasing demand for faculty who can teach advanced subjects in English (as opposed to English language courses), and the number of foreigners in permanent and "tenure-track" positions is rapidly increasing. However, such positions are very hard to get (see below).

It might seem that teaching English language courses is an easy way to get a foot in the door. However, as stuckinjapan says, you'll probably have a heavy course load and little time for research, risk not being taken seriously as a scholar, and may be treated as easily replaceable labor with an expiration date of 3-5 years. Thus, if your specialty is not English instruction, then teaching English can seriously damage your long-term career.

There are 20-30 universities where one can safely expect an environment comparable to R1 research universities in the US (except if your job involves teaching English language courses, as noted above). At the other schools, working conditions depend greatly on the specific department and other circumstances, so do your due diligence before hopping on the plane.

Re: the aforementioned online "blacklist": this was probably valuable 10-15 years ago, but has become quite obsolete.  Aside from individual entries being outdated, there have been systemic changes. Since the mid-2000's, most junior faculty positions were converted from permanent to limited term positions. With a glut of Ph.D.'s, stable
employment is a major concern for everyone, not just foreigners.  The normal career route in Japanese academia today is a series of postdocs/temporary positions, eventually (hopefully) landing in a tenure-track/permanent position.  The good old days when all Japanese faculty had  permanent positions from day one are long past.  If you
follow the blacklist's outdated advice and insist upon permanent employment or a clear "tenure-track" commitment upon hire, be prepared for a very long job search.

Finally, once you're in Japan, most likely initially in a temporary position, note that the chances of obtaining permanent employment are dramatically increased if one becomes fluent in Japanese -- otherwise,
you'll be perceived as a net liability, increasing the service/committee burden on other faculty (there are some exceptions, like RIKEN).

[stuckinjapan]

thank you very much for your thoughtful response. i would like to make a few further comments.

stuckinjapan: While I sympathize with your situation, your experiences should not be considered "typical" in Japan,

my contention was not that my situation was typical, but it is a possibility (and not rare) and should serve as a warning to those seeking a position in japan.

 Your situation would be intolerable to most Japanese academics as well.

if you mean that most japanese academics would not tolerate that situation, i must disagree. i have been in my current position for 15 years, and only 1 japanese faculty member quit. all others who left retired. also, i understand that japanese do not complain, yet if my situation were intolerable to them, i think at least colleagues that i am close to would hint at their dissatisfactioin. however in all those years, i have hear only one weak complaing.

In all countries, working conditions differ greatly depending on the institution, and bad workplaces exist all over the world.

yes, of course. but one of points was that the WAY my position is bad would be most distasteful to most americans/europeans.

I am tenured at a Japanese national university, and my working conditions are similar to those of my colleagues at American and European research universities.

i would have to ask you for more detail. since i know many non-japanese at many top universities in japan, and none of their working conditions even come close to american colleagues. in usa i am talking of cornell, ucla, boston university, and university of pennsylvania. in japan my experience has been with faculty from tsuba, tokyo university, kyoto university, and keio university.


The problems you describe with outrageous, top-down management are primarily at some private universities and relatively small/regional public universities. 

i agree with this.

At a national university or a highly ranked private university, the situation you describe ("admins" dictating work hours, meetings called on short notice) are structurally impossible. At national universities, governance is almost completely bottom-up, and administrators and dept heads have no power.

i mentioned tsukuba university above. this may still be classified as a national university, but i know  or knew a colleague there who was hired for 3 years to teach 6 classes a semester. after his first year, he was ordered to teach 9. originally he was supposed to teach 3 english and 3 content classes, but ended up with 6 english and 3 content.  this was on order from his department head. there was no written contract guaranteeing 6, only a promise during the hiring interview.

Department heads rotate, often on a 1-2-year term without possibility of a consecutive term, so nobody can order
anybody to do anything, and all changes have to be implemented through consensus building.

yes, i heard this is true of some places, but it is rare.

This state of near-anarchy has its own set of problems, but my point is, one should not generalize too much from one's own experiences.

i know experience of many others that are similar. mine as of now is the worst, yet when i first found this position, i claimed it was the best in japan since it worked in a way akin to the way american universities work.

For those considering coming to Japan:

There is increasing demand for faculty who can teach advanced subjects in English (as opposed to English language courses), and the number of foreigners in permanent and "tenure-track" positions is rapidly increasing. However, such positions are very hard to get (see below).

this is the exact opposite of my experience. i now know 5 qualified ph.d.s (2 american 3 european) looking for tenured positions in tokyo. one in the past year has found a 5 year contract, but he must teach all english.

It might seem that teaching English language courses is an easy way to get a foot in the door.

yes it is relatively easy, but it is tremendously difficult to leave once one enters the 'english door'. once one is classified as an english teacher, one will be tainted for one's entire time in japan.

However, as stuckinjapan says, you'll probably have a heavy course load and little time for research, risk not being taken seriously as a scholar, and may be treated as easily replaceable labor with an expiration date of 3-5 years. Thus, if your specialty is not English instruction, then teaching English can seriously damage your long-term career.

yes, i agree. if you teach english in japan for a few years, then begin to apply for positions in usa/europe, the latter do not take kindly to teaching such classes. they are basically a death knell.

There are 20-30 universities where one can safely expect an environment comparable to R1 research universities in the US (except if your job involves teaching English language courses, as noted above). At the other schools, working conditions depend greatly on the specific department and other circumstances, so do your due diligence before hopping on the plane.

that is good advice, doing diligence does not mean merely checking internet sources, but gathering personal information from those who have been there. it is difficult to get this type of information.

Re: the aforementioned online "blacklist": this was probably valuable 10-15 years ago, but has become quite obsolete. 

i have to disagree from personal experience. i wanted to apply for a position at tsukuba, found that it was on the blacklist. i then asked around and one japanese friend of a friend told me absolutely not to apply there, and told me some stories. thus the blacklist served me to question further, and it helped. it is a good reference site to make people aware of what is happening in some universities, and at least should spur those interested in positions in japan to ask questions, many questions before committing oneself.

 If youfollow the blacklist's outdated advice and insist upon permanent employment or a clear "tenure-track" commitment upon hire, be prepared for a very long job search.

yes, this i agree with.

Finally, once you're in Japan, most likely initially in a temporary position, note that the chances of obtaining permanent employment are dramatically increased if one becomes fluent in Japanese

i must disagree with this. most non-japanese faculty i know are not near fluent. and they have very high positions, eg professor, they are paid well, and have fairly good working conditions. there seems to be no correlation between fluency and permanent employment.

-- otherwise,
you'll be perceived as a net liability, increasing the service/committee burden on other faculty (there are some exceptions, like RIKEN).

this could be true.



[/quote]

[taikibansei]

I've been a dean at a Japanese university and have worked in permanent positions throughout my time here. Note that I don't teach English. (Indeed, I normally don't teach in English--with the ability to teach in Japanese a requirement for hire.)

i must disagree with this. most non-japanese faculty i know are not near fluent. and they have very high positions, eg professor, they are paid well, and have fairly good working conditions. there seems to be no correlation between fluency and permanent employment.

What a simply bizarre statement. A quick check on JRECIN (the main site for university job postings) shows that, at least for permanent hires, there are about 25 searches currently running (in all fields) that are open to foreign applicants. Japanese language fluency is a written stipulation in almost all of them. (Indeed, the majority of said adverts are written only IN Japanese.)

The link to JRECIN (Japanese version) is here:
http://jrecin.jst.go.jp/seek/SeekTop

JRECIN has an English page as well. Note that this page does not have the exact same content as the Japanese main page--e.g., it lists far fewer jobs total (the overwhelming majority in EFL), and far fewer permanent jobs. Japanese language ability is often not listed as a requirement in this section (as it is intended solely for non Japanese speakers). Perhaps you are basing your opinion solely on visits to this page?

yes, i heard this is true of some places, but it is rare.

What Ken94a describes--i.e., that "department heads rotate, often on a 1-2-year term without possibility of a consecutive term, so nobody can order anybody to do anything, and all changes have to be implemented through consensus building"--is actually the norm at all national universities and at most prefectural universities. Accordingly, assuming the individual in question was hired as a permanent employee, the scenario you describe at Tsukuba would be impossible--unless the individual in question acquiesced to the decision to teach the additional classes.

That your "colleague" had no say in this suggests that he was hired in a ninki-tsuki position--depending on the job in question, equivalent to either a Postdoc or a VAP in the U.S. These tend to be horrible jobs, with the work conditions (including teaching load and content) changing according to the whims of those in power. Ken94a is exactly right in warning people away from these kinds of jobs, particularly if the position is in EFL. On the other hand, I personally have never been at (or heard of) an institution in Japan where permanent faculty (including foreigners) lacked a say in setting scheduling/teaching assignments. The only exceptions, again as Ken94a also notes, would be some (usually low ranked) private universities and relatively small (and isolated) regional public universities.

i would have to ask you for more detail. since i know many non-japanese at many top universities in japan, and none of their working conditions even come close to american colleagues. in usa i am talking of cornell, ucla, boston university, and university of pennsylvania. in japan my experience has been with faculty from tsuba, tokyo university, kyoto university, and keio university.

Hate to break this to you, but the working conditions at most US universities do not come close to the situation at "cornell, ucla, boston university, and university of pennsylvania." My experience: I was tenure-track at a mid-ranked U.S. state university, with a 3-3 teaching load and pretty relaxed tenure requirements. (E.g., I satisfied the publishing requirements for tenure by the middle of my second year.) I enjoyed working with the students there, and had good relationships with my colleagues. Why did I leave? Because I lowered my teaching load and doubled my salary by coming here, not to mention received a personal research budget equivalent to what the whole department (14 members) was receiving back at State U. In most other areas, the working conditions at my former and current universities are exactly the same.

Are things perfect in Japan? Hardly. Living and working here long-term can be extremely challenging--not to mention career-killing for those unable to conduct research in their field. Almost twenty years ago, Ivan P. Hall famously characterized the hiring practices and treatment of foreigners at the majority of universities here as "academic apartheid"--unfortunately, there is still some truth to this...particularly if you spend too much time in ninki-tsuki EFL positions.

Still, as Ken94a also discusses, there are far more permanent (or tenure-track) job opportunities for foreigners here now than before, with the perks of these positions making them extremely attractive. While I may have my issues with the universities here (particularly all the mandatory meetings...some of which can exceed five hours in length), I must say that your experience, at least for permanent positions, is definitely not the norm.

[ken94a]

I agree with just about everything taikibansei wrote.

A quick check on JRECIN (the main site for university job postings) shows that, at least for permanent hires, there are about 25 searches currently running (in all fields) that are open to foreign applicants. Japanese language fluency is a written stipulation in almost all of them. (Indeed, the majority of said adverts are written only IN Japanese.)

taikibansei: Just to clarify and avoid reader misunderstanding - you probably meant that there are about 25 searches that explicitly mention foreign applicants.
The vast majority of the almost 2000 job postings at JRECIN do not mention citizenship at all, and foreign applicants are free to apply.
The biggest hurdle for foreigners is that  in almost all non-EFL positions, Japanese language fluency is a requirement, because naturally, classes have to be taught in Japanese, meetings are held in Japanese, and all paperwork is in Japanese.
Another obstacle, if you are not yet in Japan, is that most departments don't have the funds to pay candidates (foreign or internal) to travel to interviews (this is gradually improving). 

That your "colleague" had no say in this suggests that he was hired in a ninki-tsuki position--depending on the job in question, equivalent to either a Postdoc or a VAP in the U.S. These tend to be horrible jobs, with the work conditions (including teaching load and content) changing according to the whims of those in power. Ken94a is exactly right in warning people away from these kinds of jobs, particularly if the position is in EFL.

Clarification for other readers: "Ninki-tsuki" means "fixed-term contract" position, sometimes with the possibility of contract renewal. Note that almost all entry-level positions in Japan have become fixed-term positions (previously, almost all full-time faculty had a permament position) -- don't make the mistake of avoiding "Ninki-tsuki" positions or your options will be severely limited. As explained in my previous post, my advice is to avoid positions involving EFL teaching.

In fact, almost all recent/new assistant professorships at the top universities have become ninki-tsuki.  The standard career path today is doctorate->1 or more adjunct / postdoc / fixed-term positions -> permanent. However, as in the US, due to supply/demand imbalance,  many Japanese academics are unable to make the jump to a permanent position and get stuck in a series of fixed-term/adjunct/postdoc positions.

Unlike the US, there is no widely established "up-or-out tenure-track" system, although there are some current efforts to institute this (but see below for a warning about this).
One consequence is that mobility into and between permanent positions is relatively high compared to the US.  After some productive years in a fixed-term position and establishing  a presence in the academic community here, one can become a viable candidate for a permanent position in another university.  In general, moving into a permanent position in Japan from outside that institution is much easier than jumping into a tenured position in the US (see  threads on other parts of this forum about people having to at least temporarily give up tenure to move to another institution in the US). 

A piece of general advice about fixed-term and "tenure-track" positions: regardless of what the job posting says, what the job title is, or what you are told at the interview, take any promises/commitments about future contract renewals or conversion to permanent status with a very big grain of salt. This advice applies to visiting/adjunct positions in the US as well, but in Japan, this also applies to recently established "tenure-track" positions, simply because the concept of "tenure-track" did not exist here until a few years ago, and there are wildly varying interpretations among Japanese academics -- the permanent faculty who will perform your tenure review  did not go through the process themselves, so don't assume anything!

The best strategy is to assume that you will be on the job market when the contract expires, make the most of the opportunity, network / build up your CV appropriately, and learn Japanese if you intend to stay in Japan.  You can then take advantage of the high mobility mentioned above to try to land a permanent position somewhere.

[taikibansei]

taikibansei: Just to clarify and avoid reader misunderstanding - you probably meant that there are about 25 searches that explicitly mention foreign applicants.
The vast majority of the almost 2000 job postings at JRECIN do not mention citizenship at all, and foreign applicants are free to apply.

While you're absolutely correct to point this out, getting hired for any position which doesn't expressly state that applications from non Japanese are welcome would be "extremely challenging" (read: "impossible") for someone not already in Japan (and with strong local references, language fluency, etc., etc.). Still, yes, it can be done--my current position being an example.

Clarification for other readers: "Ninki-tsuki" means "fixed-term contract" position, sometimes with the possibility of contract renewal. Note that almost all entry-level positions in Japan have become fixed-term positions (previously, almost all full-time faculty had a permament position) -- don't make the mistake of avoiding "Ninki-tsuki" positions or your options will be severely limited. As explained in my previous post, my advice is to avoid positions involving EFL teaching.

"Almost all" seems a bit of an exaggeration to me--looking just now, there appear to be numerous entry-level positions available which are permanent from the start. (Keep in mind that this is possibly the worst time of the year to find jobs in Japan--i.e., right after the New Year holiday, and with the main hiring season just finishing.) However, you may know more about this than I...it has been "a bit" (more years than I'd like to remember...) since my last job search!

Finally, you make an excellent point about the potential dangers of "tenure-track" positions in Japan. Similarly, be sure to confirm your rank/status/working conditions in writing--in Japanese--upon hire (and before moving to take the position). Time and again, I've met foreigners who were told one thing in English but something else in Japanese...and only the latter really matters.

Again, living and working long-term in Japan is not for everyone, with finding a tenured university position in a pleasant working environment just one of the many challenges. Still, it is possible to have a good life here. I'm certainly satisfied.

[ken94a]

While you're absolutely correct to point this out, getting hired for any position which doesn't expressly state that applications from non Japanese are welcome would be "extremely challenging" (read: "impossible") for someone not already in Japan (and with strong local references, language fluency, etc., etc.). Still, yes, it can be done--my current position being an example.

True - the point I was trying to make was that today, there are no institutional barriers preventing foreigners from competing for the same positions as Japanese. However, there are practical hurdles which make it very difficult to jump right into a dream position. Non-EFL positions with advertisements that specifically target foreigners is a good way to get one's feet in the door, especially the recent tenure-track positions which come with startup funds (however, see my previous comments about not assuming anything about the tenure review process).

And, like you, my current position was not advertised for foreigners.

Almost all" seems a bit of an exaggeration to me--looking just now, there appear to be numerous entry-level positions available which are permanent from the start. (Keep in mind that this is possibly the worst time of the year to find jobs in Japan--i.e., right after the New Year holiday, and with the main hiring season just finishing.) However, you may know more about this than I...it has been "a bit" (more years than I'd like to remember...) since my last job search!

Sorry, I injected some field-specific bias - in my science/engineering field, permanent assistant professorships have all but disappeared from the top national universities. In any case, hiring somebody into a permanent position is a big commitment for the department, so with the level of competition today, it is almost impossible for somebody without very strong local references and/or demonstrated ability to get succeed in Japanese academia to get one of these highly desirable permanent positions.

[ken94a]

stuckinjapan: (please use the "Preview" button before posting to make sure you're quoting correctly).

if you mean that most japanese academics would not tolerate that situation, i must disagree. i have been in my current position for 15 years, and only 1 japanese faculty member quit. all others who left retired. also, i understand that japanese do not complain, yet if my situation were intolerable to them, i think at least colleagues that i am close to would hint at their dissatisfactioin. however in all those years, i have hear only one weak complaing.

Oh, the Japanese most certainly do complain, they just need a few drinks to get started. :-)
Is it possible that the job market for faculty positions is tight enough in your field that your colleagues are unable to just move to another permanent position, so they STFU?

I'm sure you'd agree that even with all of the BS you've had to put up with, having a permanent position, you're far better off than the numerous underemployed academics stuck in adjunct and temporary positions. I'm definitely not saying your situation is acceptable, just trying to suggest that the reason your colleagues are not abandoning ship/rocking the boat may not have much to do with being Japanese.

i would have to ask you for more detail. since i know many non-japanese at many top universities in japan, and none of their working conditions even come close to american colleagues. in usa i am talking of cornell, ucla, boston university, and university of pennsylvania. in japan my experience has been with faculty from tsuba, tokyo university, kyoto university, and keio university.

The typical courseload in a science/engineering department for an associate/full prof at a top national university like the 3 you listed (Tokyo, Kyoto, and Tsukuba) is 1-2 lecture courses/semester.  A single "course" is 12-15, 90-minute lectures through the semester, so a course in Japan is significantly lighter than a semester course in the US.  In addition to lectures, there are research seminars for undergraduates and graduate thesis advisees, which usually count as "courses", even though these tend to be discussions / presentations by students with little prep/grading. Furthermore, a prof may be listed as teaching a course when in fact, the course is really taught by an Jyokyou (assistant prof), who, at some departments  are technically not allowed to independently teach a course).  In other words, although a prof may be listed as an instructor for 5-6 courses/semester, the "real", standard load is a mere 1.5-3.0 lecture hours per week+research seminars. This is comparable with the courseload in top US science/engineering depts. Some Japanese faculty in depts without undergrads have even lighter courseloads.

There are lots of meetings, as takibansei has said, but let's just say that there are lots of folks with PCs/iPads+Wifi/WiMax adapters umm... "taking notes" during meetings...

There is increasing demand for faculty who can teach advanced subjects in English (as opposed to English language courses), and the number of foreigners in permanent and "tenure-track" positions is rapidly increasing. However, such positions are very hard to get (see below).

this is the exact opposite of my experience. i now know 5 qualified ph.d.s (2 american 3 european) looking for tenured positions in tokyo. one in the past year has found a 5 year contract, but he must teach all english.

Like I said, good positions are hard to get. Being "qualified" is insufficient. One has to be the most qualified/best fit for the position.

I claim that a good position in most fields (particularly science/engineering) is easier to get in Japan than a similarly desirable position in the US, because on average, the level of competition is lower. In part, this is because the US is a very attractive place for immigrants and attracts top talent and grad students from all over the world.   On the other hand,  Japanese academia was previously very closed, and academic inbreeding tends not to result in research excellence, so the local competition, on average, is not as tough as in the US.

i have to disagree from personal experience. i wanted to apply for a position at tsukuba, found that it was on the blacklist. i then asked around and one japanese friend of a friend told me absolutely not to apply there, and told me some stories. thus the blacklist served me to question further, and it helped. it is a good reference site to make people aware of what is happening in some universities, and at least should spur those interested in positions in japan to ask questions, many questions before committing oneself.

Tsukuba EFL positions may or may not be a nightmare. Tsukuba non-EFL positions are, by all accounts I've heard, very desirable.

Given that you're already in Japan and unhappy in your current job, I don't understand why you'd rely on hearsay and not even apply.  It would make more sense to apply, and if you got an interview+offer, then you could scrutinize the situation and decide whether or not to rely on  your colleague's experience and the blacklist, but you'd have alot more information at that point (interactions at interviews, formal offer letters, etc.). Eliminating options before they even materialize seems like a  way to ensure you're stuck in a bad situation.

Finally, once you're in Japan, most likely initially in a temporary position, note that the chances of obtaining permanent employment are dramatically increased if one becomes fluent in Japanese

i must disagree with this. most non-japanese faculty i know are not near fluent. and they have very high positions, eg professor, they are paid well, and have fairly good working conditions. there seems to be no correlation between fluency and permanent employment.

OK, I'll make my claim more precise: Among non-EFL foreign permanent faculty, a very high fraction are fluent in Japanese, but  among EFL  faculty, there is little correlation. Would you still disagree with this?

There are very few places where non-EFL courses are taught in English.  Even at the top universities, most 1st/2nd year Japanese university students are not competent enough in English to take a non-EFL course taught in English. If you don't speak Japanese, that means that at any university where lower-division courses have to be in Japanese, you'll have to be excused from teaching lower-division courses.   That's not going to happen unless the other faculty in the department are extremely altuistic :-) In other words, if you're not fluent in Japanese, you are limiting the potential pool of employers to a handful of departments/institutions within Japan.

The fact that you know lots of permanent foreign faculty who aren't fluent in  Japanese doesn't invalidate my claim.  It just suggests that they're EFL faculty, or they are the lucky few who got the highly coveted positions in the handful of departments which go out of their way to support non-Japanese speaking faculty. This is just "survivorship bias", and doesn't invalidate my claim that today, many foreign academics can't obtain permanent non-EFL positions in Japan because of their lack of Japanese fluency.

[asianwizard]

It's hilarious to see Concerned8's spirited defense of former Vice President Gregory Clark here.  You see, Concerned8 IS Gregory Clark.  Yes, it's possible to log on here under any name and that's what this nincompoop did to defend himself.  Sadly, he doesn't even defend himself very well.  The man has a bachelor's degree and that's it.  His father, yes, his father not Gregory Clark himself BOUGHT an MA for him, when that was still the norm light years in the past in Merry Olde Englande.  Sad but even sadder that G. Clark wouldn't front his own costs.  As deplorable as that was (that practice has long been outlawed, by the way, for obvious reasons) Clark has USED the bought MA degree for decades.  He is also something of a con artist, grafter so he fits well into the scene at Akita (or did so until recently).  He latched on to the idea of "Japanese cultural uniqueness" long ago because that's how the Japanese love to see themselves and they can then explain away with this notion many of their shortcomings.  His "research" and writings on this, such as they are, have been completely derided and ridiculed by people who know Japan and its history. He is not taken seriously so to address that he's now claiming he's an Australian victim of his antiwar sentiments.  As for being an outcast from Australian universities because of supposed anti-Vietnam protests by him, that too is nonsense.  There are lots of academics still employed at prestigious universities in Australia, which AIU is definitely not, who did far more than Clark to work against the Vietnam war.  No, he's an outcast there because he's a loudmouth and his "research" amounts to little more than racist trash.  Thanks Concerned8, or Gregory Clark for outing yourself!