As a Japanese executive, who worked 23 years for U.S investment bank Goldman Sachs, I have always been puzzled by how few Japanese rise to the top ranks of foreign firms in Japan.
In posts where dealing directly with Japanese clients is the key to success, Japanese nationals account for almost all the senior staff. But in areas such as technology, management and others, where client contact is not central to the work, many Japanese "wash out" in their first decade of employment.
