What jobs can I get in Japan with a Business degree & basic Japanese skills?

I have a degree in Economics/Finance but haven’t yet worked in a professional business setting (apart from a 3 month work placement). I also have very basic Japanese language skills (I took two Japanese language electives at Uni).
Can I get a decent job in Japan, preferably in Finance or similar?? Is there anything other than teaching English, working at a ski resort or restaurant.

Yes, it is possible. But it will be difficult.

I was sent to Tokyo about 5 years ago by my American company. I have an MBA and about 10 years work experience. I left that job for my current one, with hiring responsibilities, and I can tell you what I know about the job market here.

Being on the ground here and networking is key. Contact headhunters such as Robert Walters or Robert Half International to test the waters and see how marketable your current resume is in Japan. Japanese companies may hire some foreigners, but with a few exceptions (Sony, etc.) you do not want to work for them. As a foreigner and as a woman, you will never receive equal treatment or recognition for your skills and efforts as Japanese.

Multinational companies will hire you but you will have a much more difficult time filling a hiring need than you would in the USA. The few jobs available to foreigners just out of school like yourself are in high demand and often seem to go to people with connections. Without a firm business-level Japanese, you would have to have a genuinely marketable skill that a bi-lingual Japanese does not possess. I work now for an American company and for every position that becomes available, priority is given to bilingual Japanese candidates.

If you just want to live and work in Japan for a year or two, then go the teaching route, at least as a means to get settled here. If you end up planning to stay longer, you will over time gain the language skills and build the professional network you need to make the jump to the corporate sector.

Good luck!

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