Could a US runner be successful on a Japanese Corporate Running Team?

spokompton wrote:

I loved the one training log of a Japanese runner who had tremendous range. His volume was insane, often three runs per day. On easy days he even spent hours walking! What made him a powerhouse was just the raw amount of time on his feet each day.

Do you mean Inubushi if so, take a look at the link of his log.

What would you consider reasonably promising talent?

Is 15:37 for 5k after 1st serious year, 17:58 the year before, reasonably talented?

The actual "time" is only a part of it. How old are you? What kind of training have you been doing? What are the times for other distances? What is your running style (good Japanese coaches check on this more than others)? And most importantly, your attitude. If you're wondering the advantage and disadvantage of this choice, most likely this is not for you.

Although times are not everything, just FYI, the 100th for high school 5000m last years was 14:49:00; 14:59:88 made it to the 186th. Some would move on to college teams; some quit or burn out; I don't know exactly how many (men's) teams there are in Japan, perhaps 60? As I stated, they would take you under their wings, take care of you; develop your potential; and pay for you...if you're a host (corporate team), how much do YOU think you'd want to invest? But this is the cold fact. Remember, coach Koide turned down Naoko Takahashi at first. She pursisted. And in the end, it showed.

Yes, of course a US runner can be successful on a Japanese corporate team but...

Due all respect to the self professed experts on the issue Americans aren't wimps as you seem to be implying. And I surmise this incorrect assumption of the US runner stems from your turning the myth of Japanese running into reality. In particular the person writing under the moniker "Nobby", you're dead wrong about both sides of the Pacific. Christine MacNamara a full blooded American excelled in Japan. She went even further than running for herself - she helped the coach build a newly established company team (Tenmaya) into becoming a household name in Japan in less than two years. Chris is a legend in woman's running teams out here. Her example is the benchmark by which athletes are measured. She was the ultimate team player, mentor and go-to girl. In short, Miss MacNamara was no slacker.

And on the other point - African runners in Japan, I wish the truth about us was one percent closer to what Nobby believes. Douglas Waikuhuri wrote no letter to Nakamura. If Nobby really knew him he would have also known that Douglas is the nephew of the great Wilson Waigwa (ex-UTEP). And Wilson through the Kenya based Japanese 'agent', MR. Japan (Not his real name) arrainged for Douglas to go to Japan. MR. Japan is the single most important figure in Japanese corporate team recruitment. He has single handedly funelled east African runners - Ikangaa, Waikuhuri, Osano, Wainaina, Esther Wanjiru et al - to Japan for marathons and Ekidens. He is their unregistered agent. He fixes company contracts for them - and I do mean fix, arranges to have them repatriated when injuries cut their careers short... I was warned about him by Filburt Bayi back in '82 when I met him as a junior runner in my home country. "That man is interested in taking you to Japan," Filburt said, "go to America instead. He is not a very honest man. Ask all the Kenyans and Tanzanians that he has taken over there and abused..."

The point is I am in Japan now - sorry Filburt, I should have listened to you, and I am still waiting to be paid my fee which was clearly an annual up-front fee. The company Mazda Motor Corporation has yet to pay me a single dime of my running fees for seven years. Telling one lie after another about how and when they'd pay. Today 14 years later I'm still waiting for more than $700 thousand in fees. And what does Mazda tell me? "The chairman was part of the scam so we can't really ask him..." Mazda HR.

And I am not the only foreign runner in this predicament. American runners to be fair to you, you should be taking this topic as an insult. You are not very welcome in Japan because they (Japanese corporations) are afraid of you so they won't try to recruit you. They believe that they can't cheat you as easily as they can cheat us Africans and as many top coaches have said to me, Americans call their embassy...

There is nothing you can't handle out here, except perhaps the running lifespan. Corporate runners on average have a three year running life span. One injury and it's off to the knackers. No such thing as rehab out here. Injured athletes walking instead of jogging are admonished publically and sent home while the rest of the team is at training camp. We usually got back to find young 'Joe' was no more - sacked. Explanation? Heck no! Ask, "where's Joe?" and you might as well be speaking to the bonsai shrub in front of you. The local runners are treated worse than they treat us Africans. It's really no place to be holding in such esteem. I believe it's about time somebody set the record straight.

Japanese Olympians are nothing after the games and especially after injury. A gold medal is everything, the rest simply scrap. Life in company teams makes sweat shops look like garden parties. A life of human rights abuses is definitely not a standard by which US runners should be judged.

I take it very personally when they say US runners lack the stuff to make it out here. Nobody makes it out here! This is a gulag. Leaving Japan or the team with your wits and dignity like Miss MacNamara did is the only success you can think about. And apologese to Chris for personal pains and losses she did not talk about.

Running in Japan as a measure of success? Phrrrr...

But a message to any American friend, success for you will come through finding an appropriate coach. Keep your focus on the advice of that one person. Don't divide you loyalties!!!! However, consult with the great American runners of the past (read, watch old films, talk to veterans etc.) and that means going past Ralph Cunningham's era. You need roots upon which to grow your running pride. Pedigree is seriously lacking among many of you - your emmotional foundations could be stronger. Trust me, if you've got pride you've got half the goods to lead you through training and competition. If I could improve in your great country heck there's nothing to stop you. And you've got home track advantage!

Wow. Thanks a lot for sharing that info with us. I, for one, had no idea what the corporate running scene in Japan was really like. I'm sorry to hear about your predicament and I wish you the best. Thanks a lot for sharing your situation with us.

To beta - believe me I have struggled to find an iota of anger in me but what would that bring me? Anger only begets anger...

Besides I could do a lot more good by doing something for the Japanese runners who definitely are on their own out here - without a voice. It's not about me but about our beloved sport. Take my fellow runners (past and present) away from me and what does that leave me? I'd really hate to imagine life without runners - oh coaches and trainers and sponsors and fans and everybody that has ever cared about us, them too. Know what? The one thing I miss most about running in the US is that motorists actually gave me more respect than I deserved. They went out of their way to let me use a bit of the road even when they didn't have to. That made training in America a good thing. I really appreciate your kind words. Thank you most kindly sir. (You've got to be a sir because a lady would have said to me let's get 'em!) If you're running, stay injury free and if you're coaching, don't let the little critters off lightly - coach'em hard.

I am sorry that this had happened to you. However, I was in that system myself as a corporate team coach; have known many foreign runners, not only from Kenya but other countries as well. Sure, it's not the perfect world ("I can't eat raw fish!"), they have some complaints; but never as gad as your story. To take that and make that as a norm is a bit too extreme. If that's what's happening all the time and all those foreign runners keep going to Japan, it's either they are absolute idiot or it may not be THAT bad.

Send me an e-mail; I'll be meeting with one of the federation's representatives as well as a magazine guy next week in Japan. I'll be more than happy to see if there's anything I can do to help your situation.

Are you in your 7th year and still not getting paid? Why are you still there? This doesn't make sense. I must be missing something because you've got a lot of detail and knowledge in your post.

Sorry for your situation. I remember watching you kick ass on Road Race of the Month back around '89-early '90's. I hope things work out for you.

"Stuck" Thanks for the truth.

There is no "magic" place to train. You can be "all you can be" any place if you train.

Seems that I remember you running a 28:07 +/- at Prefontaine! Correct?

Where were you training in the U.S. when you did that?

You remember Prefontaine in '87? Congratulations sir, you've blown my cover. I was training in Levelland, West Texas - altitude 3000 feet (coach Morris is that correct?), no hills, no trees, average wind speed 14 mph, regular dust storms (teeth gritty after most road runs), rattle snakes, razor sharp tumble weed, occasional hydrogen sulphide gas leaks from oil fields, fall through winter temperatures that drop 45 degrees in 15 minutes, blazing hot summers, foreign language (Texan - with an accent), track made of pulverized car tyres - could actually peel tread off the rock hard track (they've since added a state of the art beauty of a surface, a gift from the good lord to athletes that never whined I assume) and cafeterias that classify macaroni and cheese as a vegetable. But...

There was absolutely nothing I can recall that could have prevented an aspiring athlete from becoming what he or she wanted to be. The community was second to none. Billy Konchella, Yobes Ondeki, Philimon Hanneck, Mbarack Hussein... excelled there. Thank you sir for reminding me of how blessed I've been. And good health to you sir.

Gee I'm not very good at this cloak n' dagger stuff am I? You've unmasked me. And thank you for tuning into the program, the sponsors (the people that paid my bills)appreciate that. "Road Race of the Month" - if it weren't for that show our sport would have been M.I.A. Just imagine it, if I entered a televised Bass Fishing tournament only once, I'd probably get more recognition in a typical American city than if I'd won the New York Marathon. Bass Fishermen are characters young runners can learn a lot from. You (corporate America) want to associate with people like that. "Whiners need not apply," you could say is their motto. And they sure know how to do what they need to do to get the sponsors interested. Thank you indeed sir for your very uplifting words.

Sir, I was recruited out of Boulder in May '91 by a Boulder based Japanese acquaintance, Mr. Tadaaki Hayano. After consulting with Mr. Glen Latimer, my agent and Mr. Mark Bossardet of Reebok I decided to look into the offer, (future business career opportunity as offered in the Mazda pitch being my chief priority). I was flown to Hiroshima by Mazda and interviewed over three days by a Senior Managing Director for Human Resources, Mr. Joe Goya and his HR general manager, Mr. Kazuhide Watanabe (now chairman of Mazda). They asked me to run for Mazda for three years - specifically ten races per year and coming out of Boulder but I'd have to spend the first 6 months of the contract in Japan to qualify for the corporate league.

They asked for my terms. I said $100 thousand net per annum for name rights and paid in advance into Bank of Boulder, a luxery furnished apartment for the Hiroshima stay, a $3000 per race fee paid at the end of each year and race performance incentives to be paid like the race fee and set on a scale Mazda could decide. This I reiterated was non-negotiable. "I am contracted to Reebok International Ltd. and have discussed the Mazda offer with Mr. Mark Bossardet - Mazda, as a requirement of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts law on Contracts Entered Into/Rights of First Refusal, must draw up a bona fide offer for my services, laying out clearly all that Mazda Motor Corporation is willing to provide in exchange for my services and present it to Reebok for Reebok to make a counter offer to me. The bona fide offer if unmatched or bettered by Reebok will then be signed unchanged as the agreement between Mazda and I. Under strict penalty of law (Massachusetts) Mazda can not change any terms ofthe agreement after I have signed..."

Mazda sent the bona fide offer drawn up by a Mr. Ito (then Mazda HR assistant manager, today Mazda legal department) to me in Boulder on Agust 15 '91. The Mazda running team manager Mr. Miyamoto phoned and asked me to carry the offer to Boston to give it to Reebok. I read it - it said exactly what I asked Mazda to provide, including the phrase, "Mazda shall pay to Mr. Sheriff the annual sum of \10 million within ten days of his arrival in Japan by transferring the money into his account in the Bank of Boulder..."

To cut a long story short, Reebok surrendered their rights to my services and name on Aug.17 '91, gave me their blessings and sent me off with the following words by Mr. Mark Bossardet, "don't let them cheat you, be careful..."

I sent a copy of the yet unsigned document to the Zimbabwean embassy in D.C to ask for permission to accept the job - I was using a Zimbabwean passport though I'd been officially stripped of my citizenship three years earlier for accepting a track scholarship in the U.S. The embassy kept a copy and gave me the OK. I took another copy to Bank of Boulder and discussed the large sum transfers that would come in three lots - uncle Sam needed to know. Fearing career ending injury I asked Mazda for a clause to be added - a guaranteed extra four years under the same conditions whether running or not. Mazda agreed and asked me to sign. I did so on August 19th '91 and sent it back to Japan. Mazda then applied for a work permit. But...

Running being classified as a non-professional sport in Japan meant that no work permit could be issued. Instead Japanese immigration issued a temporary visa (11 months) available only to people that have excelled in non-professional sport and cultural activeties. On November 17th '91 Mazda called me in Boulder and asked me to send my passport and contract copy to the Japanese consulate in San Fransisco for a visa and to book a Nov. 22 flight out of Denver for Tokyo (Mazda had wired $3ooo plus into Bank of Boulder for the move two months before - and guess what? Mazda claims to have done no such thing, yet the bank records clearly show it).

The visa came and I left Denver for Japan arriving on the afternoon of Nov. 23 '91. The head coach met me. "I'll take you back to Hiroshima and check you into the worker's dormitory for a couple of days while we prepare your apartment. Please remember that you are costing the team 80% of its budget so things may be a little tight, but you'll get everything we promised." But upon entering Hiroshima the story changed. They explained that I would be staying in the factory workers dormitory for 10 days for a crash course in Japanese. The next day they took me into the HQ to get a permit to pass through the company grounds. A Mr. Hamana came to me and told me that he was the administrater of my contract. "I will send your money to Bank of Boulder this week. Can we confirm your account number and name of the private banker there?"

I checked the number they showed me, it was correct. And I said address the transfer to Miss Susan Montano. He then told me there was some additional money coming to me. The Immigration department it turns out had told Mazda that my type of visa required Mazda as the visa sponsor to provide a cost of living expense of not less than \300,000 per month. "This is from the law, it is not part of your contract but we must provide it to you as long as you are in the country," Mr. Hamana explained.

December 12 '91 I was taken to the Mazda offices by Mr. Goya and asked to choose a place that I wanted to study or research in. And he added, "we apologize for not sending your money to Boulder yet. It seems HR is having some trouble with your account number..."

December went and the money was not sent. January came and the explanation changed, "we are worried that the union may complain about your fees being so high."

Of course I told them to pull the other leg. "Send it now!" I insisted. And placed a call to Mr. Tadaaki Hayano (the Mazda recruiter) in Boulder. He called Mr. Abe (deceased 2000) the team administrator. Mr. Abe faxed back a cryptic response. Mr. Hayano probably sensed trouble and came to Japan in Feb. '92. He complained to Mazda about the money and was told, "so sorry we'll send it a.s.a.p". Before he left Hiroshima he said to me, "Mr. Abe is having a hard time trying to tell me something. I think Mazda is playing games with you..."

In March the money still hadn't been sent and Mazda was giving me the government mandated \300,000 per month. Guess what? I was still in the dormitory. The apartment was history! And yet they continued to lie about it. In March I recieved a bunch of pay slips from some one. By now Mazda had me in the position of, you won't believe this, company survival strategist albeit unannounced to the world. I studied, advised Mazda senior executives and trained as if there was no tomorrow. In July of '92 a legal department manager met with Mr. Miyamoto, a Mr. Funahashi and myslf to discuss the payment for the next contract year. The legal department gentleman said, "we're extremely sorry for not sending your fee. Mazda is in heavy debt and other financial trouble. Please allow us to pay you in one lum sum with interest at the 7.23% rate Bank of Boulder would give you now on CD's when you finish your contract in July 1998. That seemed okay to me and besides he was the first Mazda person that didn't seem to be speaking with a forked tongue. In January '92 I got the shock of my life. Mazda gave me an annual pay advisory for tax purposes. It was \4 million ($40,000.) more than Mazda gave me as living allowance. And Mazda had actually filed it with the tax authorites. They'd clearly committed tax fraud. And I was forced to pay about $17,000. tax on money not paid to me! I didn't speak the langauge, I was up the creek with two left hand paddles! To add insult to injury, Mazda was illegally deducting about $400 per month for state social security payments in my name. I was on a visitor's visa remember. And I was supposed to have been back in Boulder after six months. But they came to me in dark corridors and said, "we want you to work or else you don't get your money."

I was enslaved. And believe it or not but they were calling the government of Zimbabwe to ask for my services at a rate they could negotiate between them. I had no where to turn.

I suffered in silent agony while at the same time I initiated probably eight out of ten of the business policies that saved the firm. They farmed me out to Sumitomo corporation, to Mitsubishi, to the Japanese government and a multitude of other organizations, and never paid me. Fortunately for me when Mazda HR hired gangsters to plant pornography in my desk, perhaps to sting me, my guardian angel brought me to the office 40 minutes earlier than usual - on two occassions in spring '98 (2 months before payment was due), I caught them in the act. On the second occassion Mr. Murakami the manager I was working for filed an angry protest with Mr. Hamana of Mazda HR. By now I realized that Mazda was rotten to its core.

July came and Mr. Murakami took me to HR to close out the contract and get my money. Mazda asked, "what money?" Ithreatened to expose dirty dealings I'd witnessed over the years including the porno plant attempt. Mr. Ogi the manager who oversaw the payment for foreign workers and boss to Mr. Hamana asked Mr. Murakami to keep me quiet by extending my contract. He asked me to wait until a certain gentleman returned to the office. I waited but nothing happened. Then in 2002 Mr. Hamana paid me a surprise visit. Talk about my god being greater than his. He said, "I'm very sorry about Mazda cheating you. It was Mr. Watanabe and Mr. Ogi that decided to cheat you. Here is a paper that shows the real payment Mazda has given you. The annual payment advisories that you have are false. You were paid $40,000. less per year than Mazda told the tax department. You paid taxes on money you never recieved. And Mr. Ogi was the one who directed me not to provide an apartment for you. I'm very sorry for the trouble I have caused you. I wish I could clear the issue for you..."

I spoke to the legal department's Mr. Ito about Mr. Hamana. To which I got another surprise of my life. "I warned Mazda about twelve years ago not to cheat you. I told them that it was a bad thing to do, contracts need to be honored."

I asked him how he knew about my contract and he told me, "I wrote the contract. Yes Mazda cheated you and they planned to do it before you'd even signed the document. But I'm sorry I can't help you since my duty is to protect Mazda."

Flabbergasted I said to him, "correcting it would be protecting Mazda. These criminals are bringing down Japan." But that was to no avail. He simply asked me to talk with Mr. Miyamoto the since retired team manager. And I talked to him. He cried and said he was threatened by Mr. Ogi and Mr. Watanabe and asked for my forgiveness.

What do I do? What could I have done? What would you do? There is no recourse for me. I'm a stateless being in a country that is yet to undertstand the viture of honor. Immigration is fully empathetic. I secured the services of one of Hiroshima's top lawyers. He simply sat on the claim. The Mazda worker's union is shocked but 'softly' said no lawyers. My experiance must be a lesson for all - sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. What's important is you hold on to your dignity. There is always another tomorrow. Thanks a million for your concern.

I'm amazed and shocked with your story.

I'm not a lawyer but deal with contracts in my job. From what you have said, it seems like you need to find a Japanese lawyer who is willing (yes, a HUGE undertaking) to take on your case. Does such a firm or person exist in Japan, or is there an "overseas" attorney who is versed in Japanese law and licensed to practice in Japan?

Also, what are the risks? I think you know them.

You seem to have a positive attitude and I salute you for this, and sincerely hope you are able to resolve an unfortunate dilemma and move on with your life.

Best wishes.

I think I will be cancelling that order I have on a new mazda..

1. Try to hire a Japanese lawyer and instruct him to try to close the deal and negotiate. If this doesn't work within 4 weeks, file a civil action against Mazda and claim also damages- at any height you want. Also make a visit to police department and supply them with all the evidence about criminal acts of Mazda and it's management (don't forget to instruct your lawyer that you'll share your knowledge of accounting and other fraud with police, if the negotiation won't work).

2. If you fail to reach justice within a year of hiring a lawyer and filing an action- proceed to the International Court of Justice and THAT would be a shame for Japan as a country, because you would be suing the whole country for not protecting your rights... but I believe it won't go that far.

Good luck.

I guess now my people are officially criminal because of one case...

So you're survivng on that 300,000 per month? Are you still doing any sort of work for Mazda and running at all?

300,000.00 JPN

Japan Yen = 2,589.13 USD

United States Dollars