Management and Japanese
Management and Japanese is a combination that takes seriously the reality of Japan's position in the global economy, as a major industrial and technological power, a significant destination for investment and tourism, and a culture with a distinctive approach to business organisation and management. Japanese is one of the most demanding languages for English speakers to learn, with its three writing systems and its elaborate levels of politeness and formality, but it is also one of the most professionally valuable, with relatively few non-native speakers achieving genuine fluency. Combining language study with management means you graduate with both the commercial knowledge to operate in business contexts and the linguistic and cultural competence to engage with Japan on its own terms.
At the School of Oriental and African Studies, which has unparalleled expertise in the languages, cultures, and societies of Asia and Africa, this four-year full-time programme includes a foundation year and gives you access to teaching in Japanese language and culture within an institution that has specialised in exactly this kind of study for over a century. You will develop your Japanese language skills alongside a thorough grounding in management principles, studying organisational behaviour, strategy, marketing, finance, and the other core disciplines of business management. The combination situates management knowledge within a specific cultural and regional context in a way that generic business degrees cannot provide.
Management and Japanese graduates are well placed for careers in international business, diplomacy, trade, and organisations with interests in Japan or the broader Asia-Pacific region. Roles in financial services, trading companies, technology firms, consulting, journalism, and government departments with Asian portfolios are all open to graduates with this combination. The cultural knowledge and language skills developed at SOAS are particularly valued by employers who need people who can genuinely navigate Japanese business culture and communicate with Japanese counterparts.
Postgraduate study in Japanese studies, international management, Asian business, or translation is a natural next step.