Ryoji’s Journey: From university student to CEO of an international startup in Japan
LIGHTENED’s online platform brings together international students and companies in Japan, where students are able to find long-term internship opportunities, supporting them to build their careers in Japan. It’s founder, Ryoji Okuda discusses his journey with LIGHTENED and what changes he hopes to see in Japanese society in the future.
Swerving from the stable path to live an unreproducible life
I was not the studious type when I was a teenager, despite going to a prestigious preparatory school. Up till then, I did not take my studies nor my future seriously. I was only following the path my surroundings prepared and expected of me. This changed when my father, the breadwinner of our family left his job. Our family had to cut down on our living expenses, and this experience urged me to become responsible for my own life for the first time.
My mindset on my future developed further after taking a class on politics and economics, where I learned about capitalism and business structures in Japan. This class gave me a great shock as I learned for the first time that current Japanese society is functioning due to the participation of numerous stakeholders, and that ordinary salarymen are just one part of a bigger system.
This made me realize that ‘happiness’ defined by society doesn’t always fit my definition of it. I used to believe that happiness for me was going to the University of Tokyo, and then finding a job at a major corporation. However, I started to question myself, and thought that I want to live an unreproducible life that is not controlled by anybody else. Since I will only live once, I strongly felt, and still feel today, that I want to use my life to pursue difficult challenges, and create new values to society.
The Day I was treated as a Kiwi
Although I have always planned of starting my own business, it was not until university that I found a business I am truly passionate about. In junior year, I went on a one-year exchange program to the business school at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Originally I chose to study there because it was one of the few schools that offered courses on entrepreneurship, which was then unavailable at my home university, the University of Tokyo.
The life in New Zealand was full of surprises and culture shocks. What I was surprised about in the early days there was the activeness of the students. For example, it was very common to see student demonstrations on campus on various topics, such as conservation and climate change. There were also a significant number of students who chose to be Vegan, as compared to Japan. By interacting with those students, I learned that many take such actions because they have awareness and enthusiasm for different topics and interests, and progressed in the direction they believed suited them. In other words, they were self-driven and responsible for their actions. Compared to the typical university students in Japan, I felt the students in New Zealand were more aware of themselves and had a higher level of freedom in choosing their paths.
I also learned a lot in the classroom. A class I took on social entrepreneurship aroused my dream to use business as a measure to solve social issues sustainably. What I also loved about these classes was that I was never treated as a Japanese person but instead treated equally as a local. For instance, when I was studying at universities in Mexico and China for short-term exchange, the local students often asked me my opinion as a Japanese person. On the other hand, I was never asked this in New Zealand, and instead was asked for my own opinion based on my own ideas. I felt that they cared less about our backgrounds, and cared more about who I really am. In other words, I feel people in New Zealand treat each human being as a different individual, without being impacted by backgrounds such as nationality. It may be because New Zealand is a new country with diverse race, where people from different backgrounds coexist. To be honest, I myself have unintentionally treated international students differently to local Japanese students before I went to New Zealand. I thought that the way New Zealand is structured is an ideal society.
Tackling Japan’s issue of declining population
My experience in New Zealand has expanded my passion for social businesses that contribute to Japan’s diversification. The biggest issue Japan is facing currently is labor shortage as an effect of the aging population and declining birth rate. In the capitalist world, labor shortage would lead to a stagnant economy. In order to combat this, it is necessary to either improve efficiency, or strengthen the labor force. I thought I could contribute to this using my experience.
I have worked as a tutor of international students who came to study at the University of Tokyo. As a tutor I helped them learn Japanese and offered consultation on any problems they faced living in Japan. The population of international students increased significantly in the past decade. In 2008, the Japanese government announced the “300,000 foreign students plan”, in which they aimed to enhance the globalization of Japanese higher education by accepting more international students. Various educational institutions, including prestigious universities such as the University of Tokyo, Waseda University, and Keio University are now offering English-track programs.
Personally I believe this effort is a breakthrough for Japan, however international students still lack the support of the government after graduation. I believe the government wants these students to study in Japan, and continue their career in Japan. However, because many of these students do not speak fluent Japanese, it remains difficult for them to find a job in Japan. It is meaningless to just bring students into Japan for the sake of reaching a numerical target. The international students are humans, they all have their own life; it is crucial to provide continued support to them. Moreover, many of these students are smart, motivated and ambitious. They would be a great asset to companies.
I always use the year 2050 as a criteria to organize my thoughts. I think many of the existing companies today will not be confident enough to declare their company would still exist 30 years later. By 2050, geographical transfer of human beings would no doubt be uncomplicated, and companies will have to work harder to seek promising employees. That said, I believe that companies will not be able to survive if they do not promote globalization or enhance diversity in the workforce. In order to tackle this problem in the future, companies have to start changing as soon as possible. Our business facilitates these changes by connecting these companies with international students seeking job opportunities.
LIGHTENED is currently operating an online platform where international students who are studying in universities in Japan can find long-term internship opportunities. The students not only get to acquire skills through working experience, they will also get a better understanding of Japanese work culture, which would prevent a mismatch between students and companies. Companies also get to hire capable and motivated international students who are familiar with Japanese culture having stayed in Japan for their studies. LIGHTENED is a unique channel that lends a helping hand to both international students and companies, in the hope that we can tighten the gap between companies and international students through long-term internships.
A place for future entrepreneurs from all over the world
LIGHTENED’s team now consists of 12 members. Out of them, seven are international staffs, consisting of five marketers, one designer and one engineer. Two of our international staffs are university graduates, and five are current university students. Many of them came to Japan because they are interested in studying and working in Japan. Many of them are aspiring entrepreneurs, and are doing an internship at LIGHTENED to get first hand experience in starting and running a business. The youngest of them is 18 years old. They may be easily categorized as ‘international staffs,’ but they all have different values. We are a young and ambitious team from diverse backgrounds, coexisting in one company. Despite the background difference, we are a close-knit team and we enjoy going for lunches together on a daily basis. We are like a family that respects and promotes differences.
We are hiring for our new project!
LIGHTENED is currently launching a new channel. We are creating a medium in English to promote companies’ attractiveness to international students. We are hiring a Customer Success intern who will be responsible for developing this new channel, by visiting the companies and constructing strategies to connect them to students. We are also seeking a Sales intern who is highly motivated to build relationships with potential clients.
You are not required to be native in both Japanese and English. Language is only a tool. What matters most is one’s determination and willingness to learn and reach the end goal. LIGHTENED is a place where these people can play an active role in achieving our vision of a more diverse society.
Interested in joining the LIGHTENED team? Explore our open roles here.
