I don't have a reporting date yet but I was recently selected for a civil service position in Yokosuka. I was stationed there twice while on active duty and have nearly 10 years combined experience living in Japan.

I'd sure like to be an active part of the community and turn this new chapter in my life into a long term deal in Japan. So I'm looking for advice/mentoring on what it takes to make a career out of working on Yokosuka Naval base.

I'll give you a piece of advice provided to me by a VADM I used to work for when I was stationed on COMSIXTHFLT Staff twenty years ago. "Make the job of your boss easier, not harder." Good advice and it took me far in my naval and civilian career. Good luck.

If your job is with FISC or DDYJ as civilian there probably won't be any long term for you, both agencies enforce the five year rule. Other agencies are also being pressured to enforce the rule. The rules changes but it isn't anything I would lay a firm wager on.

Slickster is correct. The 5 year rule is in affect, but we all know that depends on:

1) Where you work
2) The clause that organization has with gov to waiver such rules
3) The quality of work you provide over your peers
* If your good at what you do, and you support a certain organization, they wont want to loose that expertise or rappor you have with the customer base.

Good luck...

Thanks for the advice fellas. I won't be working for either DDYJ or FISC. So, I'll just enjoy the 3-5 years I'll be there I guess and see what happens.

Mr Applegate ... please tell Mr "G" at Sullivans' that one of his favorite kids "Moeme" will be back soon.

If you're coming here as a DODDS employee there is no five year rule. Oh, yeah. Hayama is where quite a few of the teachers live (DODDS Ghetto)as well as Mabori Kaigan. G'luck.

Mr Beckwith thanks for the response.

One question I have is whether or not the 5 year rule is applied differently depending on whether somebody is a local versus stateside hire. The reason I'm asking is because I know there are people in civil service positions who have been in Yokosuka 5, 10 and 15 plus years.

I know several stateside hire GSCS guys that have been here a very long time. What Adam said hits the target... With all three points he made. There is one guy who has been here as a GSCS since the year after the war (yes over 60 years)...he has a neat certificate above his desk for his fiftieth year working for the DoD.

Yeah I don't know about the 5 year rule,its really troublesome to some people. My personal experience is that the extension is dangled like a carrot to make people work hard and then when the time comes they can say if they want to "sorry nothing we can do, the 5 year rule wont let us keep you". This is especially done if they don't like you and/or think you are a threat to take over their position ( because how they keep their own position beyond 5 years is by claiming no one can replace them, so its best that you are not around when their time comes up). But hey, should be working hard regardless of extension or not so no harm no foul. I don't want to be where I am not wanted anyway. If you want to come back to Japan after 5 years tour just go back to USA for a while and then come back again.

So to the original poster, just come back with a positive attitude and keep yourself and/or any dependents out of trouble and should be fine, just dont bank on being here more than 5 years at a time so that you don't get disappointed. I find it strange that the 5 year rule is applied to local hires, because they dont have anywhere in the USA to "be returned" to....? Anyway congratulations on getting the position and welcome back!

Been in Yokosuka for about 3 months ... loving life ! I love it even more as a civilian than I did the three times I was stationed here !

Welcome back! I bet you've got lots of fun stories, Storekeeper.