ISF NET Holds "Kishakai" Internal Event for Foreign IT Engineers: New Japanese Support Measures Announced
ISF NET held an internal event for foreign IT engineers on March 23, 2026. CEO Watanabe announced new support measures, such as N1 exam fee subsidies, to empower bilingual global talent.
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- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 19:00
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ISF NET Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo / CEO: Yoshiyuki Watanabe) held "Kishakai," an internal event for foreign nationals working as IT infrastructure engineers, on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Following events for Korean and Chinese employees in 2025, this was the third installment, with 74 participants attending both in-person and online. During the event, CEO Watanabe shared the latest company policies and announced the introduction of Japanese language learning support (including exam fee subsidies), a high-demand request from past surveys. He emphasized that foreign engineers could become "high-value-added" professionals by combining "advanced technical skills" with "multilingual" capabilities, expressing a commitment to actively supporting all participants in their skill development. Role models from senior employees were also introduced.
◆ Background and Objectives: Creating an Environment Where Global Talent Can Thrive
Kishakai provides an opportunity for the CEO to speak directly about the company's vision, future direction, and global expansion, helping each employee re-understand ISF NET's goals. It also aims to deepen mutual understanding by allowing employees to interact with colleagues from other departments they rarely engage with.
To further promote global expansion centered in Asia, ISF NET is actively recruiting bilingual foreign IT engineers with both IT skills and language proficiency. In this Kishakai for foreign employees, the company aims to provide a meaningful time for sharing daily concerns and challenges among peers with similar cultural backgrounds, fostering an easy-to-work environment and discussing career formation through frank opinion exchanges.
◆ Immediate Reflection of Employee Requests: New Japanese Support Measures Announced
In a post-event survey from the "Chinese Region Kishakai" held in December 2025, high needs were identified for "JLPT (*) exam fee subsidies (30.8%)" and "conversation training specialized in IT infrastructure terminology (26.9%)."
In rapid response to these voices, the following new support measures were announced at this event:
- Subsidy for N1 Exam Fees (starting in April)
- Launch of a Japanese Language Learning Support Site (scheduled for June)
Content: Features practice questions and mock tests for JLPT, fully supporting employees aiming to step up from N2 to N1 and N3 to N2.
*JLPT: The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is the world's largest test to objectively measure and certify the Japanese proficiency of non-native speakers, operated by the Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services.
◆ Learning from Senior Employees' Journeys: Role Model Introduction
In the second half of the event, a senior engineer who joined the company in 2016 and currently works on system construction projects in Tokyo shared his story.
Career Transition:
He shared the realistic trajectory from maintenance and testing tasks to learning data utilization, engaging in team-based outsourced projects, and eventually reaching his current design and construction projects.
Moments of Growth:
He recounted experiences of being entrusted with a site alone for the first time, solving problems independently, and being evaluated by clients as someone they can "rely on with peace of mind."
Message to Juniors:
He emphasized a challenging spirit toward new tasks and the importance of "Ho-Ren-So" (Report, Contact, Consult), the foundation of business.
◆ Participant Feedback and High Satisfaction
The post-event survey indicated that participants' motivation for growth was significantly stimulated.
Increase in Motivation for Growth: 83.8% (Total of "Increased significantly" and "Increased somewhat")
Overall Satisfaction: 4.24 (Out of 5.0)
[Selected Participant Voices]
"I felt deeply empathetic toward the company's strong backup system and speed in turning past survey results into specific support measures like N1 exam subsidies."
"My motivation was sparked to learn more about the roles and expectations required at each level of the career path, including specific examples."
ISF NET plans to respond to the newly received employee request to "know more details about the career path" through future activities.
The company will continue to strengthen its recruitment of bilingual talent who can play active roles globally and promote the strengthening of support systems and the improvement of working environments so that employees with diverse backgrounds can maximize their abilities.
◆ What is "Kishakai"?
Held periodically by the ISF NET Group, which operates IT and welfare businesses.
Following events for Korean and Chinese employees in 2025, this was the third installment, with 74 participants attending both in-person and online. During the event, CEO Watanabe shared the latest company policies and announced the introduction of Japanese language learning support (including exam fee subsidies), a high-demand request from past surveys. He emphasized that foreign engineers could become "high-value-added" professionals by combining "advanced technical skills" with "multilingual" capabilities, expressing a commitment to actively supporting all participants in their skill development. Role models from senior employees were also introduced.
◆ Background and Objectives: Creating an Environment Where Global Talent Can Thrive
Kishakai provides an opportunity for the CEO to speak directly about the company's vision, future direction, and global expansion, helping each employee re-understand ISF NET's goals. It also aims to deepen mutual understanding by allowing employees to interact with colleagues from other departments they rarely engage with.
To further promote global expansion centered in Asia, ISF NET is actively recruiting bilingual foreign IT engineers with both IT skills and language proficiency. In this Kishakai for foreign employees, the company aims to provide a meaningful time for sharing daily concerns and challenges among peers with similar cultural backgrounds, fostering an easy-to-work environment and discussing career formation through frank opinion exchanges.
◆ Immediate Reflection of Employee Requests: New Japanese Support Measures Announced
In a post-event survey from the "Chinese Region Kishakai" held in December 2025, high needs were identified for "JLPT (*) exam fee subsidies (30.8%)" and "conversation training specialized in IT infrastructure terminology (26.9%)."
In rapid response to these voices, the following new support measures were announced at this event:
- Subsidy for N1 Exam Fees (starting in April)
- Launch of a Japanese Language Learning Support Site (scheduled for June)
Content: Features practice questions and mock tests for JLPT, fully supporting employees aiming to step up from N2 to N1 and N3 to N2.
*JLPT: The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is the world's largest test to objectively measure and certify the Japanese proficiency of non-native speakers, operated by the Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services.
◆ Learning from Senior Employees' Journeys: Role Model Introduction
In the second half of the event, a senior engineer who joined the company in 2016 and currently works on system construction projects in Tokyo shared his story.
Career Transition:
He shared the realistic trajectory from maintenance and testing tasks to learning data utilization, engaging in team-based outsourced projects, and eventually reaching his current design and construction projects.
Moments of Growth:
He recounted experiences of being entrusted with a site alone for the first time, solving problems independently, and being evaluated by clients as someone they can "rely on with peace of mind."
Message to Juniors:
He emphasized a challenging spirit toward new tasks and the importance of "Ho-Ren-So" (Report, Contact, Consult), the foundation of business.
◆ Participant Feedback and High Satisfaction
The post-event survey indicated that participants' motivation for growth was significantly stimulated.
Increase in Motivation for Growth: 83.8% (Total of "Increased significantly" and "Increased somewhat")
Overall Satisfaction: 4.24 (Out of 5.0)
[Selected Participant Voices]
"I felt deeply empathetic toward the company's strong backup system and speed in turning past survey results into specific support measures like N1 exam subsidies."
"My motivation was sparked to learn more about the roles and expectations required at each level of the career path, including specific examples."
ISF NET plans to respond to the newly received employee request to "know more details about the career path" through future activities.
The company will continue to strengthen its recruitment of bilingual talent who can play active roles globally and promote the strengthening of support systems and the improvement of working environments so that employees with diverse backgrounds can maximize their abilities.
◆ What is "Kishakai"?
Held periodically by the ISF NET Group, which operates IT and welfare businesses.