About
Arnaud Raulet, Data Scientist · Tokyo
I am a data scientist based in Tokyo for nearly 10 years. I work within a France-Japan commercial representation firm and run a parallel independent practice in data analysis and consulting.
My profile is hybrid: quantitative rigour on one side, hands-on Japan expertise on the other. Most data scientists don’t read Japanese patents. Most Japan experts don’t do quantitative analysis. I do both.
From translation to data science
I started as a patent translator, Japanese to French, for the automotive and aerospace industries. That work taught me something most data scientists never learn: raw data is worthless without context.
A Japanese patent is technical text. But knowing why IHI files 15 patents on space propulsion in a single year, what that means in the context of METI budgets and Japanese industrial alliances, and how it affects a European competitor: that is intelligence. This dual reading, technical and contextual, is at the core of my approach.
I applied the same logic to marketing and business data. Companies have data. Rarely answers. My work is to bridge the two.
What I bring
Trilingual, not translated. I read Japanese patents in the original language, I understand the nuances of Japanese business culture, and I deliver in French or English. There is no intermediary distorting the signals.
Analytical rigour. I don’t confuse correlation with causation. I use causal inference methods and Bayesian modelling to produce recommendations with an explicit quantification of uncertainty.
Field experience. Nearly 10 years in demanding industrial sectors in Japan: automotive, aerospace, defence, energy. I understand business realities as well as statistical methods.
Independent. I work as an independent consultant. My recommendations are not influenced by firm interests, upselling objectives, or local partnerships that would create conflicts of interest.
Sector experience
My work is concentrated in technology-intensive sectors where understanding Japanese innovation gives a direct competitive advantage:
- Automotive and mobility: tier-1 and tier-2 suppliers, new mobility
- Aerospace and defence: propulsion, materials, embedded systems
- Energy: renewables, storage, energy efficiency
- Advanced materials: composites, nanomaterials, surface treatment
Education
- UC Berkeley: Marketing Analytics (certificate)
- Harvard: Data Science (certificate)
- Specialisations: Marketing Mix Modeling (Robyn), causal inference, Bayesian methods
- Technical Japanese translation: automotive, mechanical, aerospace
Beyond work
I also run japanorama.fr, a site on contemporary Japanese culture. A sign that the immersion doesn’t stop at work.
Let’s talk about your situation
Based in Tokyo, working with clients in France, Japan and internationally.