Q:What inspired your career change?

The job contents and working style that allowed me to be deeply involved in the business was attractive to me that I wanted to change.

I joined a major tax accounting firm as a new graduate. I was involved in the preparation of tax returns and tax-related consulting work for large companies, which was extremely hard work, but I found it rewarding. On the other hand, I also wanted to be directly involved in the business and tackle taxation more closely, so I requested to be dispatched to business company. As a result, I was temporarily dispatched to AFS. During my year at AFS, where I worked as a dispatched employee, I was able to experience work-life balance as well as a way of working that allowed me to be deeply involved with the business, both of which were very attractive and fulfilling.

At the end of my dispatch period, I returned to the tax accounting firm and continued working. However, because of Covid-19, I began to question my own work style, wondering if I could continue to live a work-centered life. At that time, I was told that AFS was looking for a tax professional, hence I have decided to change my job.

Q:Tell us about your new job.

Stress-free. A team that gives and takes to boost each other up.

The average age of employees within the tax industry is relatively high, and there are very few young people like myself who have been in the tax industry since graduation. Perhaps for this reason, I was fortunate to be able to rely on everyone at AFS from the very beginning. Since the company has an established system to accept new employees regardless of whether they are new graduates or mid-career entries, I did not feel stressed when changing job, and I felt that AFS has a good corporate culture in that no one denies others or is overbearing.

The members of our current Tax Accounting Department come from a variety of backgrounds. We have members with different career backgrounds, such as those who came from tax accounting and auditing firms, those who transferred over after working in other departments of AFS such as cost accounting and non-consolidated financial settlement operations, and those who have returned from overseas group companies. Due to this, I find it appealing that we can give each other advice based on our individual strengths and work together to improve each other in a give-and-take relationship, regardless of our age or years of work experience.

Q:What makes AFS attractive?

The scope of my work has expanded dramatically and exciting to work with.

There are a number of specialized fields in taxation, and generally at a major tax accounting firm, the division of labor meant that I was only in charge of a part of these fields, but at a business corporation, I am involved in all aspects of taxation, so the scope of my work has broadened dramatically. I have been able to acquire knowledge of transfer price taxation and international taxation, which I had never been involved in before, through practical experience, and this makes taxation more interesting to me since joining AFS.

One of the most challenging aspects of work to me was organizational restructuring, such as mergers and acquisitions (M&A). At AFS, I was very excited to be able to be involved in M&A operations from the very beginning to the very end, which was different from the way I had been involved in my previous job.

A company that is actively pursuing progressive initiatives.

One of the great things about AFS, I feel, is its willingness to be innovative. For example, in the area of taxation, the Ajinomoto Group is ahead of other companies in voluntarily disclosing tax payments by country and in disclosing its standard effective tax rate. The corporate culture of trying to implement such advanced initiatives is very stimulating, and I have gained a lot from it, leading to my own personal growth.

The work style rules are also a step ahead, one of which is a system that allows a hybrid of work from home and coming in to office, generally two days a week, a system that is appreciated by employees for the freedom it provides. Another is the flexibility of dress code at work. With a desire to make each employee's job easier and more satisfying, as long as they are clean and respect of TPO, there is no need to wear a long-sleeved white shirt on a hot midsummer day, with some employees even coming to work in a T-shirt. This is makes it an attractive company as it pays attention to social circumstances while continuing to evolve both its work and its way of working in a flexible manner.

Q:In your words, what is AFS to you?

A company that can take on the challenges of progressive initiatives