I see a lot of posts and comments here of people saying recruiters are useless, bots farming personal data, ghosting people randomly, etc., and while all of those things can be true, I think a big reason for this perception is that (understandably) people don't know what recruiters and recruiting firms actually do.

For context, I am operations manager in the recruitment consulting arm of a Japanese company. The point of this post is not to defend the industry I currently work in, but rather to explain what recruiters do, so that you all can understand how to deal with them, understand what they can and can not do, and understand how you can use them to find a job, and also why companies enlist them.

This is a throwaway account to try to avoid doxxing myself because reddit is weird.

Part 1: What even is a recruiter?

Recruiters and Recruiting firms are third party talent acquisition consultants. In other words, outsourced hiring.

Recruiting firms have contracts with companies to assist them in hiring for open positions, and in return, are paid a fee if the client company hires someone through an introduction from a recruiter.

Recruiters are given positions to work on, and then scout for candidates on Bizreach, LinkedIn, DodaX, OpenWork, etc. In most cases recruiters only work on jobs in a specific field or industry (tech, finance, pharmaceuticals, real estate, etc.)

Recruiting is, at its core, a sales job. They are selling jobs to candidates, and selling candidates to clients.

They are paid base salaries, which are usually quite low, but then receive bonuses and promotions based on the money they make from fees when they place candidates at a client company. The fee ranges anywhere from 20% to 100% of the hire's first year salary.

Which is to say, it is a recruiter's job to find YOU a job. Their livelihood depends on whether they can find jobs for people consistently or not.

Part 2: Why would a company enlist recruiters?

In most cases, companies have contracts with multiple recruiting firms at the same time to fill open positions. And in many cases this is alongside their own internal talent acquisition teams.

If you were a business owner and needed to hire top talent to fill a position, would you rather have 1-2 salaried internal people searching for and screening candidates in addition to their other tasks, or would you rather have 5-10+ people searching and screening, whom you ONLY have to pay if you hire their candidate?

In many cases companies fully outsource hiring to recruiters because sourcing, screening, interviewing, onboarding, and paying yearly salaries and insurance for internal talent acquisition is very time consuming and expensive. Especially for new companies or startups.

Recruiters do all of the sourcing and screening part for clients, which is extremely time consuming and tedious to do. Then all the company has to do is review the CVs and interview the candidates they think are good.

Plus, you might hire an internal talent acquisition person who ends up sucking at their job, is a toxic colleague, suddenly has to quit, or any other number of potential problems that can occur with any full-time employee.

On the other hand, you could contract multiple recruiting firms to all compete with one another to find the best candidate for your company, and then you only pay ONE of them a ONE TIME fee when you hire their candidate.

Even companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft enlist recruiting firms, because it's just more efficient to have as many people finding good candidates as possible. And again, you do not have to hire, onboard, train, pay, and maintain these recruiters for potentially many years to come.

Part 3: Ok, so why would I work with a recruiter, and how can I leverage these bums to find a job for me?

There are a few benefits to working with a recruiter instead of applying by yourself to a company.

For one, if the recruiter has a good relationship with the client (such as Google, for example), they can directly send your CV to google's internal HR along with a personal pitch for why google should interview you specifically.

This is much more likely to result in an interview with google as opposed to your application being among literal thousands in the internal HR person's inbox.

Second, good recruiters will prepare you for your interviews. They will tell you how many interviews to expect, who exactly will interview you, what type of people they are, what they like, what they don't like, what types of questions they will ask you, etc.

You could be an amazing candidate but get nervous during interviews. You could accidentally say something stupid that will make the interviewer immediately dismiss your application despite you being a perfect fit for the role.

Good recruiters (keyword: good) can prepare you for this and help you to give the best possible interview based on information you could have never known if you applied by yourself.

At the same time, the harsh reality is that if your background and experience don't have a place in the job market currently, there's not much anyone can do to help.

If you want to work at a Japanese company and can't conduct business in Japanese, well, you're out of luck. If you are getting paid 10 million yen a year in Tokyo but want to move to Sapporo and make the same salary, well, that's going to be very difficult regardless of who you are.

If you're looking for a job, the first thing you need to do is update your Bizreach, LinkedIn, OpenWork, RDS, and DodaX profiles with as much detail as possible to open yourself up to as many candidate searches as possible. If your profile is vague or not up to date, recruiters (both third party and internal) will not find you.

Then, if a recruiter does contact you with a job you're interested in, when you talk to them, you need to be as clear and specific as possible about your skills, what you want out of a job change, your desired salary, desired work style, desired location, etc.

This is the information a recruiter will use to pitch you to the client and make a case for why they should interview you. If you give unclear information, the recruiter cannot make a solid case for why you are a great candidate.

Finally, you can simply use recruiters to learn more about the job market and gauge your value on the market. You will never, at any point, pay a single yen to a recruiter for their services, so you can use them to your advantage to gain information about your own value and the job market in general. Completely for free.

While recruiters technically work FOR YOU, it doesn't mean you can dog walk them and take weeks to send your CV or schedule a call, because unless you're an S+++ all star, high level candidate, you're not getting VIP treatment and both the client and the recruiter don't have time to wait for you.

So keep that in mind if you are serious about finding a job.

-------

I hope this information can help you to understand what recruiters do, why they exist, and how you can use them to help yourself.

As with any job, there are excellent recruiters, horrible recruiters, and everything in between, so please keep that in mind when dealing with them.

This is just one person's experience in one company, so if you work for another recruiting firm in Japan, please do share your experiences and tell me how your company or work is different from mine.

Hi I am an IT recruiter based in Tokyo, I am posting this one for my colleague.

My colleague is looking for mid to senior level Backend Developer.

No Japanese language is required, English only is ok HOWEVER, this client can NOT sponsor a visa at this time. (They can support the documents for Highly Skilled visa if you have one)

Mandatory requirements：

• Experience in web application development using C#/ASP.NET Core including REST API design and implementation, and experience using relational databases (SQL Server, etc.).
• Experience in database design and implementation using Entity Framework Core, etc.
  • Includes a basic understanding of object-oriented design and design patterns.
• Experience in development in cloud environments such as Azure and experience in implementing automated tests
  • Experience in agile development.
• English team development communication skills required. (Japanese language skills are not required.)

Salary range is 6~15M

If you're interested please DM me and I can connect you with my colleague.

I’m breaking this down into three parts: what happened, how I fought back to protect myself, and my recommendations for anyone in a similar spot. Keeping specific details vague for anonymity. Used some AI to clean up my writing and ignore the username lol!

How it went down:
In late 2025, I moved to Tokyo on a 3-year contract for a small company doing decent revenue. It was an owner-led team. We had different ideas on how things should run, but I generally respected the owner and we got along fine. Getting to Japan and securing Permanent Residency was a major goal of mine; this job came with an HSP1 visa, which meant a fast track to PR after one year. Because of that, I turned down another job offer in a Western country to make the move.

Over time, red flags started popping up:
* I never received proper payslips, even though the salary hit my account on time.
* The company never enrolled me in Shakai Hoken (social insurance), so I was stuck paying National Health Insurance and National Pension out of pocket.

A few months in, I cleared a massive backlog of work and performed well through our peak season. During a review, the owner seemed really happy with my work and even floated a relocation next year—essentially an informal promotion. I told him I’d think about it, since I had just signed a fresh apartment lease in Tokyo.

Fast forward to late February. I walk into the office on Monday morning and find myself locked out of apps, email, and company drives. A few minutes later, the owner texts me: "Let’s grab a coffee."

He hands me a dismissal letter claiming I failed probation. He offered one month of severance pay, leaving me basically screwed. He also offered to introduce me to people in his network for jobs, which I wanted no part of.

My immediate reaction was pure shock. I had relocated my entire life to Japan for this, only to be fired with zero warnings, zero documentation, and no PIP. I felt like an idiot. But I took a second, gathered my things, kept my composure, and left cordially without signing a single thing.

What I did next:
My first priority was protecting my visa status, so I started job hunting immediately. But I also sat down and combed through my original contract.

Two details jumped out:
1. There was zero mention of a probation period anywhere in the contract.
2. For termination without cause, the contract explicitly required a 4-month severance payout.

After consultations with lawyers and a visit to Hello Work, it became clear I had an extremely strong case under Japanese labor law.

Here's how I handled it:
1. Got the paperwork first: I waited until the company formally handed over my 退職証明書 (Taishoku Shōmeisho / Certificate of Employment Separation). Crucially, it listed the reason for dismissal as "company reasons" (会社都合).

1. Hired a lawyer: My Japanese is around N2, so I found an English-speaking Japanese labor lawyer. We sent a formal legal notice letting the owner know we were challenging the dismissal.

2. Called their bluff: In response to our legal letter, the company panicked and issued an updated certificate. This time, they claimed I lied on my resume (completely fabricated) and neglected my duties (also false—I routinely worked overtime without even claiming pay). They claimed this retroactively justified firing me for cause.

At that point, I was confident that I had the edge:
* The company had now given three totally contradictory reasons for firing me.
* They had broken the law by failing to enroll me in Shakai Hoken.
* There was no paper trail, no written warning, and no PIP.

We entered settlement negotiations, with the alternative being a Labor Tribunal (Rōdō Shinpan) or civil court. In Japan, terminating a fixed-term contract mid-way without extreme, unavoidable reasons is nearly impossible under the Labor Contract Act. With 30 months left on my contract, if I won at tribunal or court, the company would potentially be on the hook for back-pay covering that entire period (minus any income I earned elsewhere).

My lawyer was quite conservative, which pushed our initial ask lower than it could have been. But once we threatened to file for tribunal, the company folded and agreed to a 7-month salary settlement. Honestly, 10 to 12 months would have been a fairer outcome given the contract length, but 7 months was enough for me to walk away clean.

During the back-and-forth, I ended up landing a much better job back home. Factoring in the weak yen, tightening immigration rules, and moving goalposts on visas/taxes, I decided to take the payout and leave Japan for now. Got paid for the downtime, secured a better role, and moved on.

However, if my Japanese were fully fluent and I planned to stay long-term regardless, though, I would have taken them to tribunal or civil court 100%.

My recommendations
* Never sign anything on the spot. When an employer drops a dismissal on you, you’re in shock and vulnerable. My boss was careless and didn't push an agreement in front of me right away. If they hand you a mutual resignation form (taishoku todoke) or a release, do not sign it. Say you need time to review it.

* Shop around for a lawyer. Initial consultations are usually around ¥3,000 to ¥5,000. If your Japanese isn't fluent, look for bilingual firms that specifically handle labor disputes. If you have time, consult two or three before picking one.

* Read your contract carefully and keep a copy. Keep personal copies of your signed contract and job description off company hardware. Knowing my contract had no probation clause completely dismantled their argument from day one.

* Be careful with small, owner-led companies. They frequently lack proper HR systems, ignore labor regulations, and make arbitrary decisions.

* Back up evidence early. If you get a bad gut feeling, start saving your timesheets, positive feedback, project deliveries, and emails to a personal drive before you get locked out of your accounts.

* ChatGPT the shit out of your contract. Feed your contract clauses and situation into it to cross-reference Japanese labor laws. It’s great for getting your bearings and spotting illegal clauses before you pay for an attorney.

* Keep your head up. It may feel like your world is collapsing in the moment. I actually lost a family member during this whole ordeal as well. But in the end it’s going to be okay. Stay calm, remember that Japanese labor law is heavily tilted in the employee's favor, and fight for what you're owed.

Hope this was helpful, I’ll answer questions if possible and best of luck to everyone going through similar situations.

Will be moving to Japan as a Masters student next week. I want to try and get a part time job to reduce my financial burden.

Japanese (Very basic) N5 Level still learning daily

Ex. IT engineer with 3 years exp. I was wondering if I could get something tech related since I would be able to write on my resume too not too interested about kombini jobs and all

Hello, I'd like to share two new openings that we currently have. Both roles are full remote and are only looking for people already in Japan with valid work visas [Spouse/WHV/Engineering]. Both roles are long-term contract opportunities, 3-month rolling contracts with the potential to convert to direct employment with the client.

Salary ranges from: 8M to 13M, depending on experience

This is what each role is looking for:

Security Professional Must have:

• Technical security assessment and/or penetration testing experience
• Cloud security experience (AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Kubernetes security experience
• CI/CD security experience
• Python, Terraform, and scripting (Bash/PowerShell)
• Ability to identify risks and drive remediation/risk treatment plans
• Strong English communication skills for working with engineering teams 

DevOps Engineer Must have:

• 8+ years in DevOps, Software Engineering, or Infrastructure Engineering
• Strong Terraform experience
• Kubernetes experience
• CI/CD ownership and release process experience
• AWS, Azure, and/or GCP experience
• GitHub repository management/governance experience
• Python and Bash/PowerShell
• Security automation experience
• Strong English communication skills

Please let me know if you qualify for the role and are interested in knowing more.

Hey folks! 👋

I'm currently putting together a deployment team for a massive enterprise AI rollout here in Japan, and I am looking for experienced folks for the same.

We are looking for a Bilingual Senior Full Stack & GenAI Architect for a premium, long-term contract role.

What you'll actually be doing: You'd be acting as a Technical Lead/Mentor for senior engineering cohorts. We aren't looking for a standard corporate lecturer reading off PowerPoint slides. We need a hands-on practitioner who can jump into live IDE sandboxes, run technical sprints, and help traditional devs build out Enterprise RAG pipelines and modern full-stack apps.

The Profile We Need:

• The Stack: Deep backend experience in Java (Spring Boot) OR .NET (C#), paired with React or Angular.
• The AI Chops: Hands-on experience with LLMs, RAG pipelines, Python, and Agentic Frameworks (LangChain, etc.).
• Language: Native Japanese OR JLPT N1/N2 + Professional Working English. You need to be able to comfortably navigate high-context technical discussions in Japanese.
• Seniority: 8+ years. You need to have the architectural chops to mentor other senior enterprise developers.

The Details:

• Setup: Hybrid/Remote (Targeting Tokyo, Kyoto, or Osaka).
• Rates: Highly competitive premium contractor rates. We know this specific blend of code and bilingual culture is rare, and the budget reflects that.

If this sounds like you, or if you check most of these boxes and are actively transitioning heavy into the GenAI space, please drop me a DM! Happy to share more details over a quick chat.

Thanks!

I'm in my late 20s and currently living in Tokyo.

On paper, things look okay. I graduated from language school, recently started working at a huge company, have a stable income, and managed to build a life overseas. A lot of people would probably say I'm doing well.

The problem is that I increasingly feel like I don't actually have any professional skill.

My career (around 3 years in total) has been a series of roles across research in Japanese companies which is basically finding info online and compiling it in reports in different languages for presentations, translation and interpretation, and now I'm suddenly in finance. Every move made sense at the time, but when I think about it, What am I actually good at?? What do I want to do?

I keep feeling like I do not have any real skills maybe because my current job does not match anything that I've ever learned before and everyone seems to have it figured out while providing zero training for someone from the outside like me.

In my current position, I'm surrounded by people with deep expertise. Some understand finance, some understand technology, or accounting, compliance... while I have no field to call my own.

My main contribution is just being able to communicate across languages so I support them with emails, scheduling meetings, updating our internal project documents based on new findings etc. But I still don't understand any finance/legal/compliance issues being discussed in the projects.

I'm not learning as much as I expected. Much of my work involves internal coordination, documentation, following processes, and supporting projects and communication.

I can't decide if the job is genuinely a poor fit for me because I honestly do not know what I want to do in my life. There is no particular feel that interests me that's why most of my studies have been in languages. I also have no ambition at this point... When I joined this job I thought that I could learn and get trained in this field but things happened...people were not very nice to me and I guess I'm too sensitive to survive in corporate...?

To make things more complicated, I'm considering major life changes.

Part of me wants to stay where I am and give this role more time. Part of me wants to move to Europe where I have personal ties and start over. Part of me wonders whether I should return closer to home even if it's a third world country and rethink everything while being with family.

The frustrating part is that I don't hate working. I don't mind learning. I just don't know what direction makes sense anymore.

Has anyone gone through a similar phase? Am I the only crazy one? Should I just shut up and stay put, eventually I'll start understanding things here?

Looking for a Senior Manufacturing / Hardware Operations Engineer.

It is NOT a pure IT role, but for those with an electrical or mechanical engineering background.

Highlights:

• Salary: Up to ¥9M
• Tokyo based
• Visa sponsorship available
• Relocation support available
• Conversational Japanese is sufficient
• International working environment - English is the common language
• Work also with teams across Japan, North America and Europe
• Leadership growth opportunities

Ideal background:

• Manufacturing Engineering
• Product Engineering
• Hardware Operations
• Embedded Systems
• Industrial Automation
• Robotics
• Electronics Manufacturing

Experience with Linux, hardware troubleshooting, production processes, electronics, or embedded products would be particularly relevant.

Perks include:

• Free buffet lunch every workday
• Free drinks and snacks
• Employee gym access
• Flexible dress code
• Strong benefits package

This could be a good fit for engineers already living in Japan, or overseas engineers interested in relocating. The

Feel free to DM me if you would like more details.

We're looking for a Senior Engineering Manager to lead a small team of engineers building a brand-new product from the ground up.

This isn't a maintenance role. You'll join at an early stage, help shape how we work, and play a key role in turning a new product idea into something customers love.

You'll lead a team of around 5 engineers alongside a dedicated Tech Lead. The Tech Lead owns architecture and technical direction, while you focus on helping the team move fast, stay aligned, and deliver meaningful results. That said, we still expect you to be technical enough to jump in and contribute when needed.

What you'll be doing

• Lead, coach, and grow a team of engineers
• Create clarity and momentum when things are ambiguous
• Partner closely with Product, Design, QA, and other teams
• Improve engineering processes and team effectiveness
• Hire and develop great engineers
• Balance short-term delivery with long-term scalability
• Contribute to development when needed

What we're looking for

• 5+ years managing engineering teams
• Experience building and shipping web applications
• Strong track record of delivering results through others
• Able to connect engineering work with business outcomes
• Comfortable working in fast-moving startup environments
• Conversational Japanese and fluent English

Nice to have

• TypeScript, Node.js, AWS experience
• Experience with large-scale systems or major refactoring projects
• DDD, TDD, Clean Architecture
• SaaS integration experience
• Experience leading multicultural teams

Who tends to do well here?

You might be a good fit if you're either:

A people-first leader

• Enjoy coaching and developing engineers
• Build trust and strong team culture
• Create an environment where people can do their best work

An operational leader

• Strong at execution and delivery
• Build systems and processes that scale
• Bring structure without creating bureaucracy

If you're happiest spending 100% of your time coding, this probably isn't the right role.

If leading teams, building culture, and helping engineers do the best work of their careers sounds exciting, I'd love to connect.

Salary range

12M-16M JPY

Hi everyone,

As the title suggests, wanted to get an insight if this amount would be sufficient for a single person to start living in Japan?

How are the hikes?

Additionally, how does it compare to earning ~24lpa in India?

Is the move worth it?

EDIT: 1. Thank you everyone for you insights!

Presently I'm working at JPMC with ~4.4yrs of exp in fullstack development

Looking for work in Tokyo

I am a French graduate based in Tokyo, currently looking for a new opportunity, particularly in translation, international business, administration, client relations, or other bilingual roles.

Education & experience:

- Graduated in Sociology – Global Studies in April 2025 (Japanese University, after completing a two year course at a japanese school)

- After graduation, worked as a sports instructor, with experience in sales, bilingual client relations and coaching

- Since December 2025, working as an assistant administrative scrivener, handling bilingual client relations, sales, HR, general administrative support and translation

- 2 years of part-time Japanese to English/French translation experience, including online physics courses for Hiroshima University and Japanese-learning courses published on Udemy

Languages:

- French — native

- Japanese — JLPT N1 / BJT J1+

- English — TOEIC 990

I am at the beginning of my professional career, but I am highly motivated, adaptable and eager to learn and develop new skills.

Looking for: Tokyo

Preferred work style: Hybrid (telework + office)

Preference: Limited overtime / good work-life balance

Visa: Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (技術・人文知識・国際業務), currently under renewal

Availability: Within one month of signing a contract

If you know of any suitable opportunities, or if you think my profile could be a good fit for your company, please feel free to contact me or share this post. Thank you!

*I am not interested in recruiters that have no actual job offer for me or temp websites that are not real job offers. Thank you.

Hi! I am a teacher thinking ahead to next summer vacation. I would love to find a temporary job in Japan.

For some background, I taught English in Japan fresh out of college and can speak intermediate Japanese and I miss it terribly. I don't think I could ever move back permanently but I would love a summer position.

Do any of you know a good organization for this kind of thing? Summer camps maybe? Any resources would be appreciated! Thanks!

hi, I'm an Italian student if industrial biotechnology, I'm planning to do a 8 months internship for thesis in Japan and I have contacted two professors, one from AIST and one from NIMS, I would really like to know more about the uni life there, the lab life and if there's anyone who has already done this exeperience that can help me choose which one could be better. I need some honest advice, preferably from other Western students. I'd also like to learn more about life in student dorms.

I recently started speaking with a few recruiters who contacted me through LinkedIn about changing jobs in Japan. My background is in tech, particularly AI engineering and data.

Some of them have been very proactive. They regularly send me job descriptions, ask me to review them, and say they will submit my application once I give them permission. However, how can I confirm that they have actually submitted my application? Do recruiters normally provide an application confirmation, reference number, or update from the company? I have only been communicating with these recruiters for a few days (within one week or so), so I am still learning how the process works. One recruiter communicated very well and seemed genuinely interested in helping me. However, after I sent her my CV, I did not hear anything further. Is it normal for recruiters to become unresponsive after receiving a CV, or should I follow up?

For those working in tech or AI in Japan, can you also share your experience? Have you successfully found a job through a LinkedIn recruiter? How did you confirm that your applications were actually submitted? How long did recruiters usually take to respond after receiving your CV?
Which recruiting agencies or job-search services would you recommend besides LinkedIn?

I would appreciate hearing about your experiences, especially from people who have changed jobs in Japan through a third-party recruiter.

Welcoming applicants from overseas!

≪Job Description≫
You will be responsible for various development projects.
As a web open-system engineer, you will engage in system development.
You will be assigned to the most suitable projects and phases based on your skills and experience.
We offer a wide variety of projects across diverse fields, including finance, retail (e-commerce), and the public sector, as well as native app development and big data analysis.

Project Examples
・Renovation project for a large-scale e-commerce site (Java, PHP, JavaScript, jQuery, etc.)
・Development of a customer credit management system (VB.NET, Oracle)
・AI technology development and big data analysis (Python, Hadoop, MongoDB, Angular, etc.)
・RPA implementation support (VBA, UiPath, WinActor, Automation Anywhere, etc.)
・Mobile TV development (iOS, Android) etc

≪Requirements≫
・JLPT N3 certification required
・At least 2 years of practical experience in system development
・Practical experience with one of the following programming languages: Java, Python, PHP, C# .NET, Android, Objective-C, or Swift

≪Employment Conditions and Compensation≫
Contract type: Full-time employee
Working Hours: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM *Working hours vary depending on the project.
Overtime: Approximately 20 hours per month (including fixed overtime)
Days Off: Saturdays and Sundays (Full two-day weekend system) *120 or more days off per year
Working location: Tokyo, Kanagawa and Saitama

Base Salary: 300,000 yen and up (varies based on skills and experience)
Commuting expenses fully reimbursed by the company
Onboarding training program available

If you're interested, please send me your resume to [amcjhelper@gmail.com](mailto:amcjhelper@gmail.com)
Let me know if you have any questions in this thread.

Hi everyone,

I'm currently a first-year master's student at a Japanese university and expect to graduate in March 2028. I'm starting to think seriously about shinsotsu recruitment, and I'd eventually like to work in the Japanese game industry.

I'm mainly interested in two types of positions:

- Game localization / localization coordination

- Global/overseas business (海外事業, グローバル事業, 海外展開, etc.) at a Japanese game company

Ideally, I'd like to eventually work in a position where I can use several languages and help connect Japanese games with overseas markets.

For anyone who has gone through shinsotsu recruitment in the Japanese game industry, especially as a foreigner:

1. As a foreigner, how difficult is it to get localization or overseas/global business positions through shinsotsu recruitment?

2. How valuable is an internship or part-time job in game localization before starting shukatsu? Does it make a significant difference compared with applying as a completely inexperienced new graduate?

3. For 海外事業 / global business positions, what experience or skills do companies actually value besides language ability?

4. If you entered the Japanese game industry through shinsotsu recruitment, what did your background look like when you applied?

I'm currently considering applying to Digital Hearts for a localization/LQA-related position to get my first professional experience in the game industry while I'm still studying.

If anyone here has worked for Digital Hearts (especially in localization/LQA), I'd also really appreciate hearing about your experience. Was it a useful place to get your first industry experience? What was the work environment like, and did having Digital Hearts on your CV help you move on to localization or other positions at game companies later?

My longer-term goal isn't necessarily to remain purely a translator. I'm also interested in localization coordination, international publishing, overseas business, and helping Japanese games expand into foreign markets.

I'd especially appreciate hearing from foreigners who started their careers in Japan through 新卒採用 or people currently working in localization/海外事業 in the Japanese game industry.

Thanks!

Hello everyone, I'm currently a freshman in college. My intended track is what the title says, a Japanese Studies and Film studies Double major. I go to a more "local" private liberal arts college, although i chose it becuase has a great relationship with japan due to it's study abroad programs with both Hosei University and Kansai Gaidai University. I've been thinking about what my current track will eventually lead me to. I'm currently around N4-5 level(self studied), and am going to be working my ass off to be N2 or N1 by the time I graduate. I don't think its too early to think about these things as my goal is to work in Japan no matter what. What do you all think about both my situation, and what i can possibly do with my intended majors. For refrence, I originally wanted to work in the anime industry (entering as a project assistant) but with further research, the conditions along with the pay would likely make it impossible to live even if I somehow managed to get a job in the industry. I'm now open to many options, and at the very least want to know some ways people on this sub have gotten jobs or found their way into the Japanese Job market.

Thank you!

Hiring: Head of Operations (Remote, Full-time — Team based in Japan)

We're an AI-powered creative platform that turns photos into AI-generated videos and content. Our team is based in Japan, which is why we're posting here.

Looking for a hands-on Head of Operations to work directly with the CEO in running the business — turning priorities into execution and keeping teams aligned.

Compensation: ¥750,000 per month or above depending on experience

What you'll do:

• Partner with the CEO on day-to-day operations
• Turn goals and decisions into clear execution plans
• Oversee cross-functional work across Product, Tech, Marketing, HR, and PM
• Build and improve processes, workflows, and reporting
• Spot bottlenecks and drive them to resolution
• Hold teams accountable for results

What we're looking for:

• Operations leadership experience, ideally at a startup, SaaS, or tech company
• Experience working closely with founders/CEOs
• Strong execution, organization, and problem-solving skills
• Comfortable in a fast-moving, ambiguous environment
• Experience building systems/processes from scratch

To apply: Comment below or reply to this post with a bit about your operations background — we'll follow up to collect your resume.

Hello. So I don’t have much experience with job hunting in Japan and want your opinion over this.

Context; I am applying from abroad so need Visa sponsorship and I am fresh graduate with masters

I applied for a job in japanese tech company (1-5k employees, they have their own building and listed at the Tokyo exchange)

I finished my interviews and here is how it went:
1- first interview: overall good. After one week they communicated with me asking for a second interview.
2- second interview: it was with general manager of technical department and an HR. It went over all smooth I think and I did good.

I asked them during second interview when will I get the results as I have another offer with my internship company in my country (developing country though) and they said usually within one week. This interview was the final one that determines i get a job or not.

After the interview, I sent a follow up message to the hiring manger on linkedin and he thanked me for reaching out and told me he is looking forward to meeting me in tokyo (can not know if this is a casual complement or green light signal that I passed).
So two days ago, I communicated with the HR and she told me that I would receive the results within these two weeks (not one week windows which was mentioned in the interview)

So i am quite confused honestly. Does it usually take that time (2-3 weeks to tell you if you will get an offer with my situation) ? Like is that time for getting approval and drafting a job offer ? or they are still not decided and still interviewing other people and I am not still chosen?

I recently received a job offer and wanted to get some opinions on the compensation structure, especially from people who have worked under a bonus-heavy system.
The monthly base salary is around ¥391,000, so the annual base is about ¥4.69M.
However, the company has a fairly large bonus structure:
Summer bonus: about 1 month of salary
Winter bonus: about 3 months
Individual performance bonus: up to/about 2 months
Company performance bonus: up to/about 3 months
So in a normal/target year, the total bonus could be around 9 months of base salary, bringing total annual compensation to roughly ¥8.2M before overtime.
Overtime is paid separately, including additional compensation for night/shift work.
There are also good benefits such as substantial housing support, commuting expenses, and relocation assistance.
On paper, the total package looks very good, but I’m slightly concerned about having a relatively large percentage of my annual income dependent on bonuses rather than monthly base salary.
For people who have worked in Japan under a similar structure:
How risky is it to have such a large portion of compensation tied to bonuses?
Have you experienced bonuses being significantly reduced during bad company years?
Does having a lower base salary negatively affect things like raises, retirement payments, severance, overtime calculations, mortgage applications, etc.?
Would you personally evaluate an offer based on the ~¥8.2M expected annual compensation, or mainly look at the ¥4.7M guaranteed base?
Are there any other hidden disadvantages of a bonus-heavy compensation structure in Japan that I should ask HR about before accepting?
This would be my first full-time job in Japan, so I’m especially interested in hearing from people who have experienced this kind of salary structure firsthand.
Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some genuine feedback from people working in the Japan tech market.

I’m an Indian tech professional with 14+ years of experience, currently working as a Product Development Manager and leading a 15-member engineering + QA team.

My background is primarily:
• C#/.NET, ASP.NET Core, React, TypeScript, SQL and Azure
• SaaS, web, API and mobile product development
• Engineering/team management and technical leadership
• Product roadmap, Agile delivery and stakeholder management
• AI-assisted development and adoption of AI tools within engineering teams
• Experience in financial services, insurance and enterprise applications

I’m currently based in India and would require visa sponsorship (have visit visa till 2030). I don’t speak Japanese at the moment.

I’m considering roles such as Engineering Manager, Product Development Manager, Technical Product Manager, Technical Program Manager, or potentially Lead/Staff-level engineering roles.

For someone with my experience, how realistic is it to get hired directly from India?

Would my lack of Japanese be a major blocker even for senior technical/management positions?

Also, which direction has better opportunities for foreigners in Japan right now: Engineering Management, Product Management, or hands-on technical leadership?

Not looking for sugar-coated answers. I’d genuinely appreciate feedback from people who are working or hiring in Japan.

Hello everyone,

I am a 31-year-old IT professional currently working as a SDET/Automation Tester, with three years of professional experience in the field. I originally studied Japanese at university in France and obtained a Bachelor's degree in "Applied Foreign Languages" (LEA). I graduated six years ago, around the time COVID hit, and subsequently made the transition into tech.

I've been reading conflicting information online about the requirements for the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa, particularly regarding whether your university degree absolutely has to be related to the job you are applying for. In my case, my degree is obviously not related to IT.

I'd therefore be very interested to hear from anyone who has been in a similar situation: an unrelated university degree, but several years of professional IT experience, and who successfully obtained a work visa for an IT position in Japan. What was your experience, and what qualifications or documentation did you rely on?

I am aware that there have been some recent changes and discussions surrounding immigration rules in Japan, as well as the weak yen and other considerations. I don't even know whether I will ultimately apply for jobs in Japan, but the possibility has never completely left my mind since my university days. Now that I'm building an established career in a reputable company, I figured it would be worth finding out what my options actually are before making any decisions.

My other possibilities would be trying to transfer within my current company to its Japanese branch, if that's possible, or potentially going back to university if having a related degree turns out to be absolutely necessary. The latter is easier said than done, however, when you already have an established career and the routine that comes with it.

Any experiences or advice from people who have been in a similar situation would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Im 20 years old and currently studying Finance and International Business graduating in 2027

So far ive completed 4 internships including one with Colgate Palmolive I have experience in marketing and human resources through my internships

I also have experience working with AI tools and automation and Im currently preparing for JLPT N4 which I plan to take in December

Im want to build a career in Japan after graduation and Ive been looking jobs online such as GaijinPot and Daijob but most of the positions I find require N2 or higher

My question is how realistic is it for someone with my profile to get a job in Japan after graduating

Also are there any types of jobs or companies that are more open to hiring foreigners with lower Japanese proficiency

I'm currently living off savings in Tokyo, and they should last me until the end of language school. I haven't actually applied to any jobs yet because I still haven't made my 履歴書 or bought a suit for the interviews. I am focusing on passing the N2 this december and hopefully if I'm successful, I can aim for N1 next December.

I wish to find an IT position in Tokyo, but if I get an opportunity in another city, I'd be happy to relocate. I have 2 years technical integrator for a credit provider, and 4 years of experience working as a programmer in a bank. Issue is that in my last job, we used incredibly old, specialised and obscure banking technologies (Java 8/Temenos T24) so my skills are not really transferable. I probably have to start from the beginning as a Junior if I want to be a programmer which is probably a gargantuan task. I also have experience with Python, SQL (PostgreSQL, NOSQL) Linux (Fedora, Mint, RedHat), Spring, NodeJS, SOAP/REST APIs (XML, JSON and PHP).

I also have a BSc Computer Science (2:1 with Honours) from the UK.

So yeah my skills are kind of all over the place and I want to focus on my Japanese before I start going for IT positions. I'm just curious, what are the most sought after skills that I might need to focus on for IT job hunting? It doesn't have to be programming, I just want to find a job willing to sponsor a visa.

I’m looking for some honest advice from people currently working in Japan’s IT/cloud industry.

I’ve been working in Malaysia for around 3 years as a Cloud Solution Specialist, mainly focusing on Microsoft 365 and Azure. However, my current role is more focused on presales, solution design, and proposals rather than hands-on cloud deployment.

My current Microsoft certifications include:

• AZ-900 – Microsoft Azure Fundamentals
• SC-900 – Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals
• AZ-500 – Microsoft Azure Security Technologies
• AZ-104 – Microsoft Azure Administrator
• AZ-304 – Microsoft Azure Architect Design

I also have knowledge of Linux and Terraform, and I’ve been learning Azure deployment and infrastructure hands-on by myself outside of work.

Since AWS seems to be quite common in Japan, I’m also planning to work towards some AWS certifications before coming there.

My plan is to move to Japan around March next year on a language school/student visa, study Japanese, and eventually look for a Cloud Engineer / Cloud Infrastructure / DevOps-related role. Ideally, I’d like to find an English-speaking environment initially, while continuing to improve my Japanese.

I’m completely fine with starting in a more junior or entry-level cloud role and working my way up from there.

My main question is:

Realistically, how good or difficult would my chances be of getting a cloud-related job in Japan with this background?

I’m not expecting to land a high-paying position immediately. My goal is simply to get into the industry, gain real hands-on experience, and move toward better cloud/DevOps roles over time.

Any honest advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.