Walk a mile in the shoes of the non-Japanese administrator

Although nearly unthinkable in years past, non-Japanese faculty are now sometimes finding themselves in senior administrative positions within Japanese universities. In this chapter, we draw on our own experiences as Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) in Peter’s case and University President in Stephen’s case, to offer a sense of life on the inside, and explain why as a foreign administrator—in a world based on consensus and compromise—you may not always get what you want, but if you try somehow (and in the right ways), you just might find, you get what you need.