Working in Tokyo

Apr 4, 08 Comments

Being Japan's capital and one of the largest cities of the world, Tokyo offers plenty job opportunities for both foreigners and locals.

There are many industries to work for in Tokyo, but there are fewer options for foreigners, unless, of course, they speak Japanese. Let's take a closer look at Japan's economy and work environment, as well as the kind of jobs foreigners do here.

Foreigners

Many foreign residents from English speaking countries, work in Japan as language instructors. The demand for native language instructors remains high, with some major language schools even operating recruitment offices overseas (Berlitz recruits foreign teachers, but from Japan).

Other professional fields, in which qualified foreign residents work, include translation, IT, modeling, gastronomy and entertainment. Two keys to finding these jobs in Japan are being here and speaking Japanese.

Foreigners require a visa to work in Japan. It is not permitted to engage in any paid activities on a tourist visa.

There are about a dozen types of working visas, each allowing the holder to engage in paid activities only within a defined professional field, e.g. as an engineer, instructor or entertainer. A job offer in Japan is required to successfully apply for most types of working visas.

Japan's Economy

Japan is the second largest economy in the world, after the United States, at around US$4.5 trillion in terms of nominal GDP.

Banking, insurance, real estate, retailing, transportation and telecommunications are all major industries. Japan has a large industrial capacity and is home to some of the largest, leading and most technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, ships, chemicals, textiles and processed foods. Construction has long been one of Japan's largest industries, with the help of multi-billion dollar government contracts in the civil sector.

Japan is also home to some of the largest financial services companies, business groups and bank such as Sony, Sumitomo, Mitsubishi and Toyota. It is also home to the world's largest bank by asset, Japan Post Bank and others such as Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Mizuho Financial Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group. The Tokyo Stock Exchange with a market capitalization of over 549.7 trillion Yen stands as the second largest in the world.

Japan's main export partners are the United States 22.8%, the European Union 14.5%, China 14.3%, South Korea 7.8%, Taiwan 6.8% and Hong Kong 5.6%. Japan's main exports are transport equipment, motor vehicles, electronics, electrical machinery and chemicals.

Its main import partners are China 20.5%, U.S. 12.0%, the European Union 10.3%, Saudi Arabia 6.4%, UAE 5.5%, Australia 4.8%, South Korea 4.7% and Indonesia 4.2%. Japan's main imports are machinery and equipment, fossil fuels, foodstuffs (in particular beef), chemicals, textiles and raw materials for its industries. Overall, Japan's largest trading partners are China and the United States.

Japan's Work Environment

The Japanese work environment is based on a lifetime-employment model used by large companies as well as a reputation of long work-hours and unusually strong devotion to one's company. The most prestigious companies would recruit and retain the best workers by offering better benefits and truly life-time job security.

Employees are expected to work hard and demonstrate loyalty to the firm, in exchange for some degree of job security and benefits, such as housing subsidies, good insurance, the use of recreational facilities, and bonuses and pensions. Wages begin low, but seniority is rewarded, with promotions based on a combination of seniority and ability.

Karoshi is a term that refers to death by overworking in the Japanese workplace. It can be a very common problem among Japanese workers, and is brought on by high amounts of stress from working 46-hour weeks.

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