The purpose of this study is to explore key aspects of the personal, educational, and professional characteristics of international faculty and their work roles at Japanese universities based on findings from a national survey of international faculty in 2017. Main findings include the following: first the demographic profile of international faculty differs from their Japanese colleagues in terms of their highest degree awarded, academic rank, and between disciplines; second, three broad types of international faculty could be practically identified, and which differ according to their size and professional roles within their institutions; third, in addition to both teaching and research, international faculty are also strongly expected to undertake any activities which cannot be accomplished by Japanese colleagues, especially help enhance the international reputation of their current universities.