TL;DR: I’m a recently laid-off “junior executive” of a large luxury/fashion company and I’d like to know if I have any viable career options in Japan.
I’ll try to keep it brief. I’m an American citizen (mid-30s, if that makes any difference) that just got laid off from a high-ranking job at a large multinational luxury brand (by multinational here I mean primarily NA and Europe). This comes just two years after my last company was bought by this one and I was, in effect, sold to the new corporation. Long story short, I’m fed up of having no control over my own destiny; I can be laid off or sold off at the whim of my superiors. I’d like to do something for myself. I’ve always meant to spend time in Japan but the vacation free 80-hour workweek has never made that possible, and it will probably become impossible again after I start my next position (assuming it’s in America of course)
My background:
JD from major (but non T14) law school
In-house counsel for small luxury/fashion startup (5 years)
VP of same startup (at this point a much larger company) (2 years)
VP of very large public luxury/fashion corporation (2 years)
It’s worth mentioning that my Japanese language skills are weak; not non-existent, but less than conversational. I would be happy to attend language classes as part of employment.
My background is in law, but for five+ years I have really been of more use in analysis, mergers & acquisitions, and decision-making roles which has made me an awkward fit to return to law firms. I have worked fairly closely with a major Japanese corporate partner during that period, and there appears to be interest in hiring me, but only for their American office.
I basically wanted to toss a line out to see if any more experienced people here could tell me that either (A) yes, there are these wonderful positions out there for you or (B) you’re hopeless, just vacation in Japan before you start your next position. I’m not sensitive and I don’t mind brutal honesty. Thank you for your input.