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Working in Japan

Finding a job in Japan as a foreigner

By the Hanabuddies team · · 4 min read

Plenty of international candidates find work in Japan every year, but the process has its own logic: how jobs are advertised, what documents companies expect, and how your visa fits in. Here is an overview to help you plan.

Where to look

  • Job sites. There are large general job sites in Japanese and a smaller number of bilingual sites aimed at international candidates. Searching in Japanese usually shows far more openings, so it is worth learning a few search terms such as 中途採用 (chūto saiyō, mid-career hiring) and 外国籍歓迎 (gaikokuseki kangei, foreign nationals welcome).
  • Recruitment agencies. Agencies, often called 転職エージェント (tenshoku ējento), match candidates with companies and are usually paid by the employer, not by you. Some specialise in bilingual roles. A good recruiter can also tell you what a company really expects.
  • Company websites. Many companies post openings on their own careers pages (採用情報, saiyō jōhō). If you already know where you want to work, check there directly.
  • Networking. Referrals, alumni groups, industry meetups and professional networks such as LinkedIn can open doors, especially in IT and at foreign-affiliated companies.
  • Hello Work (ハローワーク), Japan’s public employment service, also lists jobs and offers support, including for foreign residents. It is mainly useful if you are already living in Japan.

New graduates and mid-career hiring

Japan has two quite different hiring tracks. New-graduate hiring (新卒採用, shinsotsu saiyō) follows a yearly cycle and often starts well over a year before graduation, with a set schedule of information sessions, tests and interviews. Mid-career hiring (中途採用) happens year-round and focuses on your experience and what you can do from day one. If you are a student, check the new-graduate schedule early; it is easy to miss.

How much Japanese you’ll need

This depends on the job more than anything else. Roles where you work mainly in Japanese, such as sales, customer support or most office jobs at Japanese companies, often ask for business-level Japanese, and job ads frequently mention JLPT N2 or N1. Some roles in IT, engineering, teaching and at foreign-affiliated companies work mainly in English and may ask for little or no Japanese.

Even when it isn’t required, Japanese widens your options a lot and makes daily life and teamwork easier. Being able to handle an interview in polite Japanese is often a real advantage.

Visas: plan around the job offer

To work in Japan you need a status of residence that allows the work you’ll be doing. A few points are worth knowing early:

  • A work visa usually requires a job offer first. You generally can’t get one just to look for work; the employer is part of the application.
  • The type of visa depends on the job, and often on your degree or work experience matching that job. Different statuses cover, for example, office and specialist roles, teaching and skilled trades.
  • Employers often handle much of the paperwork, especially when hiring from abroad, but processing takes time, so build it into your plans.
  • If you are already in Japan on another status, such as a student visa, you may need to change your status before starting work.

Rules and requirements change, so always check the Immigration Services Agency of Japan for current information, and confirm the details with your employer.

The documents you’ll need

  • 履歴書 (rirekisho): the standard Japanese résumé form.
  • 職務経歴書 (shokumu keirekisho): a summary of your work experience and achievements.
  • An English CV, for foreign-affiliated companies and bilingual roles.
  • Supporting documents later in the process, such as copies of degree certificates or your JLPT certificate. These are also often needed for the visa application.

What the process looks like

  1. Application and document screening (書類選考, shorui senkō).
  2. Sometimes a written aptitude or skills test, especially for new graduates.
  3. Usually two or three rounds of interviews.
  4. A job offer (内定, naitei), followed by the visa process if needed.

For mid-career roles, the time from application to offer is often somewhere between a few weeks and a few months, and visa processing can add more on top. Starting earlier than you think you need to is rarely a mistake.

Getting ready

The parts candidates find hardest are usually the Japanese documents and the interviews. Hanabuddies helps international candidates with rirekisho review, mock interviews in Japanese and lessons focused on business Japanese, so you can walk into the process prepared.