Pros
Amazing benefits. Very understanding (if somewhat incompetent) management. The company is doing well and it feels wonderful to be on a winning team. Everyone is moderately friendly. It is a relatively stress-free environment. As AWA is very successful company that is growing at a great pace, the usual worry of losing one's job is nowhere to be seen. The Japanese generally don't fire people, they just won't promote you and shun you in the hope that you'll leave on your own. It is a very lean company, so you get to know everyone and work with almost every department no matter what you do. The Japanese element (most of the employees are Japanese) is interesting, if a little hard to get used to. The Japanese are reserved but usually pretty friendly once you break the ice. Their disposition is usually cheery and some of them are downright hysterical. Some of the younger ones are especially great to talk to despite their somewhat flawed English (or Jaenglish as it is sometimes called in the office).
Cons
The higher level Japanese management are somewhat frustrating. They favor Japanese employees for promotion regardless of actual output. Most of them are on-loan from Japan and you sometimes wonder whether or not they actually want to be in America. Some of their tactics make no sense, but it might be because I am biased (as an American), but as we are dealing with the American market, it would seem as though some of their steps are a little faulty. You are expected to do a good job and when you do, it is taken very stoically without much praise. Conversely, when you do something bad, it is not confronted or addressed, so sometimes people don't even know they've done poorly until much later. It takes a LONG time to get anything done. The Japanese are VERY VERY cautious and slow when it comes to decision-making. Due to this, promotions are usually few and far between and if any higher-level positions do open up, it is likely they'll yank someone from Japan long before they'll hire an American. The Japanese also HATE taking responsibility for something without some sort of collective decision making committee. The politics of the company are extremely hard to pick up on. Everything is very subtle, beneath the surface and cloak-and-dagger-esque. No one makes bold power-plays and the Japanese especially use ridiculously subversive tactics to achieve their different agendas. Oh, and they hate change. Any aberration from the norm is discouraged. Sadly, there is some odd segregation within the company in an American vs. Japanese sort of way. Some of the Americans are less inclined to be friendly with the Japanese and form this "us versus them" mentality and visa-versa. The cliquey-ness of the different cultures isn't too bad, but it gets obnoxious from time to time. And, on a completely shallow note: unfortunately, the people are Aisin aren't very attractive. There are a couple handsome younger guys out of college and a few attractive women (who are in the mid 30s or so), but that's. Everyone else is old, fat, or extremely obnoxious.