A Japanese company asks for your documents, and you send your CV. Then they ask for a rirekisho. And a shokumu-keirekisho. Most countries have one document. Japan has two, and they do different jobs. Sending the wrong one — or putting your best material in the wrong place — costs you at the stage where … Read more
Your visa is approved and you’ve landed (how the engineer visa works). Now comes the part nobody prepares you for: a chain of paperwork where each step needs the one before it. Do it in the wrong order and you’ll spend weeks stuck — you can’t rent without a phone number, can’t get a phone … Read more
Most applications in Japan don’t fail at the interview. They fail before anyone speaks to you. In a 2025 survey of 500 people who changed jobs in Japan, the average person applied to 13.6 companies and passed document screening at 5.1 of them — a pass rate of 37.3%. (Mynavi Job Change Activity Survey 2025) … Read more
You found a job in Japan. The company sponsors your visa, the salary looks okay, and the interview was surprisingly easy. Then you arrive, and on day one you’re sent to work at another company’s office. Your manager is someone you’ve never met. Your “team” doesn’t know your name. Three months later, the project ends … Read more
In most countries, a “tech company” builds technology. In Japan, the phrase “IT company” covers several very different businesses — and the one you join shapes your salary, your skills, and your daily life far more than the job title does. Japanese engineers sort companies into these types almost automatically. People applying from overseas usually … Read more
Short answer: no, you don’t need it to get hired. But it decides how many doors are open to you — and how far you can go once you’re inside. English-only engineering jobs in Japan are real. But the data says they’re a small part of the market — and they’re concentrated in specific kinds … Read more
You got an offer from a Japanese company. Now what? Most software engineers come to Japan on a residence status with a long name: Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services (技術・人文知識・国際業務). Japanese people shorten it to gijinkoku (技人国). The good news: your employer does most of the work. The process is predictable once … Read more