hi all, I'm just curious to understand how is the asian markets, in general, and the japanese one regarded concerning a career in quant finance.what are the career prospect over there, how are the salaries and bonuses, and how is the general working climat there.thanks for any answer.

hello anyone....

Hello,You will be signing up to a more restrictive set of markets than you will at any European or US bank, and should expect to spend some time in Asia. Nomura is regarded in most parts on a par with European banks. Obviously having most of the Japanese flow helps a lot. The rest of the Japanese banks are considered rather 3rd tier. [I am assuming you are not meaning HSBC here.]

I may be wrong here, but I thought Nomura runs its quant work out of NY? Mizuho has much of its direction coming out of London - if you can read Japanese, here is something that might interest you: Yield Curve Terminology in Nihongo. I know little about Daiwa, except that you will want to have some local language skills.As for the foreign banks, they often have quant members in Tokyo, less so in HK or Singapore. However, the centre of their universe is always going to be London or NY. Still, that's not to say there isn't opportunity here. Everybody is looking to China, India and a reviving Japan, particularly in the derivative/structured product space.Compensation wise, I don't think you will be underpaid, but there is big plus - low tax. Flat 15% in HK, in Tokyo the income tax is about 8%, but when you add compulsory contributions (social insurance, health insurance and the like), the total comes to about 20%. Conversely, living expenses are higher, but if you acclimatize (ie don't live in expat-ghettos), you will find that you can get by quite cheaply. You have to ask yourself - are you coming to Asia for career reasons, or for a lifestyle change?

I would have to agree with Boofta on many points he made below.In regards to Nomura, they are running the quants out of NY, although they do have several people of the ground here in Tokyo. Mizuho has a quants group here, and are looking to fill a few positions now. I know this because I am a HH working for them here in Tokyo. Any of these firms here in Tokyo are looking for Japanese fluency.The foreign firms here in Tokyo are always looking to upgrade, and there has been some expansion as well. A couple clients of mine are looking for English speaking IR quants, of course Japanese ability is a plus.What area exactly are you interested in? EQD, FID, quants trader, etc.? Salaries are dictated by not only experience/skill, but also the firm, position, and product. The whole ex-pat thing is also not very common here any more, so you need to manage your expectations. Also, what Boofta said about "...are you coming to Asia for career reasons, or for a lifestyle change? ", that is a very important question you need to ask yourself.Hope that helps.TokyoTyler

By the way, feel free to email me witrh any additional questions.TokyoTyler