Date of publication: Jun 03, 2019

Elliot Conti

General Manager: Global Aichi

Date of birth: Jan. 30, 1990

Hometown: Wilmington, Ohio

Number of years in Japan (cumulative): 7 (as of June 2019)

Q1: What was your first encounter with Japan?

I remember being exposed to “Pokemon” and some anime as a child, and I was friends with a Japanese exchange student in middle school. However, Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation” was the first encounter to have a significant, lasting impression on me, and studying Japanese at university provided the impetus for my first trip to Japan.

Q2: Please state your motto in life and why you have chosen it.

Stay hungry, embrace struggle and focus on your purpose. “Hunger” refers to a life rooted in constant personal growth. “Struggle” represents the means for such growth, as there are no shortcuts to progress. “Purposefulness” brings clarity and helps me define who I am and the role I play. These three are inextricable, unending and set the tone for my life.

Q3 : Over your career, what achievement are you the proudest of?

My career is just getting started, so I am much more excited for what is to come than what has come to pass. If I had to say, being named by Wedge magazine as one of the “30 pioneers of the new age” in April was truly an honor. However, starting Global Aichi and safely seeing it grow through the first year-and-a-half brings me a tremendous sense of accomplishment.

Q4 : What are your goals during your time in Japan, your current position or in life?

I believe that informed, highly skilled foreigners have an incredibly important role to play in helping this country through the hard road that lies ahead. As such, my goal for working in Japan — a society that both accepted and taught me a tremendous amount — is to contribute to its diversification and internationalization as well as its economic and social development in every way I can.

Q5 : What wisdom, advice or tips can you give to people living and working in Japan?

As linguistic proficiency is a key that opens many doors in this country, I strongly recommend intensive study of Japanese. While mastery is not a must, fluency in the language is a huge step toward building close personal relationships with Japanese people and networking within Japanese society. It certainly is not easy, but that is why you must embrace the struggle.

Last updated: Jun 03, 2019