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About Zipan
support

For foreign IT professionals
Career advancement
course

Career advancement course

This is a 2-month intensive program primarily for IT engineers, consisting of 45 sessions of 25 minutes each. The short online lessons are easy to follow even for busy individuals, allowing for steady skill improvement. You can choose from five specialized courses to match your job type and goals, receiving practical instruction focused on each individual's challenges.

* Unlike Zipan 's regular courses, the course materials are not freely selectable.

❶IT Management Skills Improvement Course

This course is designed for individuals aiming to advance their careers to the next level by providing practical training in core IT management skills, from project management to Leadership and problem-solving, while taking into account Japan's unique business perspective and consensus-building processes.

Japanese Language Proficiency (JLPT)
Approximately N2 or higher
subject
People who want to improve their team management skills in Japan, such as PMs and leaders.
assignment
As a foreign national, I feel I lack sufficient knowledge about project team management in Japan.
Lesson Overview
The program consists of 45 sessions in total: 30 dedicated lessons, 10 interview preparation sessions, and 5 Assist Lessons tailored to the student's needs.
Completion Requirements
Completed 30 dedicated lessons and at least 40 lessons in total.

Part 1
Japanese workplace culture

  1. Japan's "Business Perspective"
  2. The essence of reporting
  3. Consensus building and preliminary negotiations
  4. How to express your opinion
  5. Work-life balance
  6. Communication style
  7. The etiquette of "Honesty" and "Facade"
  8. Long-term orientation vs. short-term orientation
  9. How to perceive responsibility
  10. Review Discussion

Part 2
Projects in Japan
Management

  1. What constitutes "success" in a project?
  2. Project priorities
  3. "To convey" information, "to deliver" information
  4. Instructions that lead to action
  5. Speed of decision-making and action
  6. The power to instill change within the team
  7. Stance on policy change
  8. Balance of responsibility and follow-up
  9. What does it mean to "delegate" work?
  10. Review Discussion

Part 3
Management
Core skills

  1. Communication skills
  2. Leadership skills
  3. Negotiation skills
  4. Stakeholder management skills
  5. problem solving ability
  6. decision-making power
  7. Risk management skills
  8. Team management skills
  9. Driving force for innovation
  10. Review discussion (reflecting on the whole and organizing what was learned)

Part 4
How to pass the interview
Practical training

  1. Recruitment interview attitude
  2. Give a good first impression
  3. Talking about your work experience
  4. Talking about your motivation
  5. Promoting yourself
  6. Talking about workstyle
  7. Talking about your future career
  8. Dealing with difficult questions
  9. Asking questions
  10. Mock interview

❷IT Communication Skills Improvement Course

This course is designed for engineers who want to acquire practical communication skills in Japanese, from interactions within and outside their team to project collaboration and leadership roles, and who aspire to advance their careers in the IT field.

Japanese Language Proficiency (JLPT)
Approximately N2 or higher
subject
People who want to improve their Japanese communication skills within a team, whether as a leader or a member.
assignment
I feel that my weakness lies not so much in my engineering skills, but in my Japanese communication skills.
Lesson Overview
The program consists of 45 sessions in total: 30 dedicated lessons, 10 interview preparation sessions, and 5 Assist Lessons tailored to the student's needs.
Completion Requirements
Completed 30 dedicated lessons and at least 40 lessons in total.

Part 1
Communication with team members

  1. Participation in a new project
  2. Progress report at the first daily scrum meeting
  3. How to receive tasks
  4. Communication via team chat
  5. Bug reports and responses
  6. Conversation during pair programming
  7. Presentation of opinions at a meeting
  8. Technical study sessions and knowledge sharing
  9. Reporting mistakes and problems
  10. Review Role-Playing

Part 2
Collaboration within a project

  1. Issues raised in code review
  2. Confirmation of specification changes
  3. Project Progress Report
  4. Make a technical proposal
  5. Document creation and sharing
  6. Collaboration with other teams
  7. Summarize the agenda for the meeting.
  8. Meeting with external clients
  9. Career consultations and interviews with your supervisor
  10. Review Role-Playing

Part 3
Stepping up to leadership

  1. Assigning tasks to junior colleagues or subordinates
  2. Bringing out initiative in junior colleagues and subordinates
  3. Praise your subordinates
  4. Giving warnings or asking for improvement from subordinates
  5. Creating a positive team atmosphere
  6. Facilitation in team meetings
  7. Dealing with conflicts of opinion
  8. Communication in a multicultural team
  9. Project summary and review
  10. Review Role-Playing

Part 4
How to pass the interview
Practical training

  1. Recruitment interview attitude
  2. Give a good first impression
  3. Talking about your work experience
  4. Talking about your motivation
  5. Promoting yourself
  6. Talking about workstyle
  7. Talking about your future career
  8. Dealing with difficult questions
  9. Asking questions
  10. Mock interview

❸Advanced Business Japanese Course

This course is designed for those who want to gain a deep understanding of Japanese business practices and work methods, hone their thinking, judgment, and communication skills in Japanese, and further advance their careers as business professionals.

Japanese Language Proficiency (JLPT)
Approximately N2 or higher
subject
People who want to learn about the Japanese work culture
assignment
I don't have much trouble using Japanese at work, but I sometimes get confused by the way of working in Japan, the Japanese attitude towards work, and cultural differences.
Lesson Overview
A total of 45 sessions: 30 dedicated lessons, 10 interview preparation sessions, and 5 Assist Lessons.
Completion Requirements
Completed 30 dedicated lessons and at least 40 lessons in total.

Part 1
The foundation of Japanese business practices

  1. A member of the workforce
  2. Organization over individual
  3. Initiative and cooperation
  4. Awareness and improvement
  5. Review
  6. Hierarchy and decision making
  7. Lifetime employment and ownership
  8. Figures and short-term goals
  9. Internal versus external
  10. Review

Part 2
Business practices related to operations

  1. Keeping deadlines
  2. Improvement and standardization
  3. Objective and approach
  4. Ho-Ren-So and Kaku-Ren Bo
  5. Review
  6. Mindset
  7. Gathering and Communicating information
  8. Meeting preparation with "nemawasi"
  9. Adjustment
  10. Review

Part 3
Mindset and way of thinking

  1. High and Low Context
  2. Making assumptions
  3. Understanding the essence
  4. Logical thinking and critical thinking
  5. Review
  6. Taking responsibilities versus blaming others
  7. Raising your perspective
  8. Profiling
  9. Issue analysis
  10. Review

Part 4
How to pass the interview
Practical training

  1. Recruitment interview attitude
  2. Give a good first impression
  3. Talking about your work experience
  4. Talking about your motivation
  5. Promoting yourself
  6. Talking about workstyle
  7. Talking about your future career
  8. Dealing with difficult questions
  9. Asking questions
  10. Mock interview

❹Intermediate Business Japanese

This course is designed for individuals aiming to advance their careers as business professionals by providing practical Japanese language skills necessary for daily work, including building relationships in the workplace, basic business etiquette, and reporting, contacting, and consulting.

Japanese Language Proficiency (JLPT)
Approximately N3 or higher
subject
People who want to improve their business communication skills using Japanese
assignment
I have enough basic Japanese language skills to work, but I still lack the experience and knowledge to use it as a communication tool.
Lesson Overview
A total of 45 sessions: 30 dedicated lessons, 10 interview preparation sessions, and 5 Assist Lessons.
Completion Requirements
Completed 30 dedicated lessons and at least 40 lessons in total.

Part 1
Building good relationships at work

  1. Introducing yourself
  2. Receiving feedback
  3. Inviting someone out
  4. Declining an invitation
  5. Review
  6. Asking about something
  7. Listening to others
  8. Asking questions about work
  9. Expressing gratitude
  10. Review

Part 2
Basic business etiquette
Wear

  1. Seating order
  2. (By phone) Take a message
  3. Greeting a customer
  4. Exchanging business cards
  5. Review
  6. Visiting a client
  7. Making small talk
  8. Accepting a request
  9. Declining a request
  10. Review

Part 3
Responding to basic tasks

  1. Reporting to someone
  2. Keeping someone informed
  3. Consulting someone
  4. Caring for the other person
  5. Review
  6. Avoiding bothering others
  7. Confirming instructions
  8. Being modest
  9. Dealing with requests from others
  10. Review

Part 4
How to pass the interview
Practical training

  1. Recruitment interview attitude
  2. Give a good first impression
  3. Talking about your work experience
  4. Talking about your motivation
  5. Promoting yourself
  6. Talking about workstyle
  7. Talking about your future career
  8. Dealing with difficult questions
  9. Asking questions
  10. Mock interview

❺Beginner to Intermediate Business Japanese

This course is designed for those who want to develop the ability to communicate their thoughts and experiences in Japanese through familiar themes related to daily life and work, and to gain confidence in workplace conversations.

Japanese Language Proficiency (JLPT)
About N3 to N4
subject
I want to increase my knowledge of Japanese for business purposes. I want to improve my speaking ability.
assignment
I've completed basic Japanese language studies, but my vocabulary and expressive abilities are still insufficient for business Japanese. I want to be able to express myself more freely.
Lesson Overview
A total of 45 sessions: 30 dedicated lessons, 10 interview preparation sessions, and 5 Assist Lessons.
Completion Requirements
Completed 30 dedicated lessons and at least 40 lessons in total.

Part 1
About myself and those close to me
Can speak

  1. Talking about your daily routine
  2. Talking about your work
  3. Talking about your acquaintance
  4. Talking about your future plans
  5. Review
  6. Talking about your strengths
  7. Talking about your weaknesses
  8. Talking about your memories
  9. Talking about yourself
  10. Review

Part 2
We can talk about the past and the future.

  1. Talking about your weekend schedule
  2. Talking about your schedule
  3. Talking about your commute to work
  4. Talking about timing
  5. Review
  6. Talking about why you came to Japan
  7. Talking about your experience
  8. Talking about your health
  9. Talking about what you admire
  10. Review

Part 3
I can talk about my feelings and thoughts.

  1. Talking about souvenirs
  2. Talking about sightseeing
  3. Talking about local history
  4. Talking about your impressions
  5. Review
  6. Talking about the news
  7. Talking about your thoughts
  8. Talking about your troubles
  9. Talking about your failure
  10. Review

Part 4
How to pass the interview
Practical training

  1. Recruitment interview attitude
  2. Give a good first impression
  3. Talking about your work experience
  4. Talking about your motivation
  5. Promoting yourself
  6. Talking about workstyle
  7. Talking about your future career
  8. Dealing with difficult questions
  9. Asking questions
  10. Mock interview