Job Change Experience: To a Silicon Valley Venture Company, Part 1: Things So Obvious They Are Often Overlooked

I will introduce the process of changing jobs to a U.S. company.

The time was the height of the Showa bubble era. Steel companies were posting record profits, and in that favorable climate, there was a succession of entries into the semiconductor business, which was to be the next core industry. However, they were hit directly by the impact of the Japan-U.S. semiconductor friction, and were forced to change their business strategies. They shelved the introduction of advanced technology from NTT that they had already begun, and also abandoned the acquisition of a major electrical manufacturer within the same former zaibatsu group.

Then, in a rush to accommodate the U.S., the structure was changed to one of technology introduction and joint development from U.S. semiconductor ventures, and after the launch of the world's first fully automated semiconductor factory—which transplanted the know-how of fully automated steel production by computer—the joint development products were provided on an OEM basis. At the time, I was in charge of technology development, so I was able to watch this kind of strategic business development as an insider, which was very helpful for my later job change to the planning department.

Against that backdrop, after introducing technology from NTT to a secret domestic factory, I changed jobs to a company in Silicon Valley that develops and manufactures high-speed semiconductor memory. Formally, I was an expatriate employee of the steel company, receiving a salary as an employee of the steel company, and also receiving a salary as an employee of that U.S. venture. I paid pension and insurance premiums in both Japan and the U.S., and I paid U.S. taxes on my total income, which included my Japanese salary, U.S. salary, and expatriate allowances (housing costs, car purchase costs, transportation expenses, etc.). Since the expatriate allowance was designed to account for high tax payments, my income was far more than double my domestic salary. Moreover, the expatriate allowance was naturally in dollars, and the exchange rate was about 150 yen to the dollar, just like it is now, so when converted to yen, it was an incredible amount.

I felt secure because we used Ernst & Young (EY) for matters including tax payments. Incidentally, the company is a service firm headquartered in London that develops professional service businesses such as accounting, tax, and consulting around the world, and is a prestigious member of the Big 4.

As is the case domestically, but especially overseas,

In any case, if you pay a little extra in taxes and receive a refund later if necessary, you can avoid troublesome problems such as tax evasion or additional tax assessments.

This is one of the greatest life lessons I learned as an overseas expatriate.

The perspective is slightly different, but...

"Paying the full amount of taxes without using tax reduction systems or benefits"

(Instead of trying to escape taxes or getting something from them, the exact opposite idea of paying more than enough taxes...)
It feels like donating to the country or the local government that is taking care of you...
Because it's a contribution to society...)
I think this is also one of the etiquettes of being an adult.

The origin of that idea is also what I learned from this job change. I feel it is an evolved form of that.

When moving to the U.S., the first step was obtaining a visa at the U.S. Embassy. Since I was moving to the U.S. formally as a semiconductor technology development engineer, the visa I obtained was,

H-1B

The H-1B visa is a visa for those who will be working temporarily in the U.S. as a "specialized professional." I believe it was for four years at the time. It is based on the premise that you have special skills in a field with a labor shortage that will not adversely affect the employment of U.S. citizens, and that you will be working for a local company. One of the conditions is that you have a U.S. bachelor's degree or equivalent experience. Also, there are various application conditions for the U.S. venture company that accepts us, that is, the company sponsoring the H-1B, such as the requirement to pay a minimum wage.

The interview at the embassy for the visa and the subsequent procedures were quite troublesome.

To be continued