Japan’s population is rapidly shrinking and ageing. To maintain its labor force at a viable 87.2 million, Japan will have to admit a total of 33.5 million immigrants by 2050.  However, there is strong resistance from one out of every three Japanese at the idea that more foreign workers be allowed inside the country. 

Jobs in Japan

They want to maintain the present system, where foreign workers can only stay in Japan for three years as trainees with a possible extension of two years more.  They would rather resort to recruiting older people and women to fill jobs and take steps to increase the birth rate. Powerful business groups, however, want a more liberal treatment so as to encourage foreign workers to accept jobs in Japan and stay for longer periods of time. Otherwise they believe that production will suffer greatly.

Moving in Japan    

Hong Kong has overtaken Tokyo as the most expensive city in the world. Tokyo now rates only as number four in the list of cities with the highest cost of living index.    However there are ways of cutting down on your expenses.  One is by getting a house or apartment in the suburbs of Tokyo or housing in other regions and cities. It is also better to eat Japanese food, which is cheaper and actually healthier. If you commute you can get commuter passes, which are cheaper and save on the cost of maintaining a car.

Typical Job Prospects in Japan

By 2005 Japan had two million foreign residents, with 180,000 foreign workers and 220,000 “illegals.” Many foreign workers are Chinese who are considered as foreign trainees and paid only US$500 a month.  The biggest number of foreign workers in Japan is composed of entertainers. In addition, in one year’s time about 6,600 relocated to Japan and worked in international services.  Some 3,180 were teachers and 3,506 were engineers; 2,339 were professors  and 2,211 were skilled laborers.

At present, only 1000+ engineers are employed in Japan every year from India and China,  a sharp contrast to the US Silicon Valley where fully 33% of engineers were recruited from these two countries. Also engineers are limited to a three-year stay in Japan while engineers based in the US are allowed a six year-stay. Engineering positions or jobs will probably increase in number with the snail paced relaxation of requirements for foreign workers.

The influential business group Nippon Keidanren also cites the acute shortage of trained nurses and caregivers, especially for the already large and still growing number of Japanese who need members of these professions. The Philippine government has said that the Japanese caregiver system will not work without the requisite number of trained health workers.

Japan also needs factory workers and some garments manufacturers have declared that without labor from China they will have to close down since local people do not apply for such jobs.  This shortage in addition refers to textile, metal processing, fisheries and agricultural sectors. The Nippon Keidanren cited the need for foreigners in the fields of law, medicine and accounting who will stay in Japan permanently and not only for a fixed number of  years. 

Typical Salaries and Benefits in Japan

The minimum salary of a full time teacher is US$1,925 per month. A teacher with an M.A. and employed in a university can get US$40,000 a year while one with a PhD can get  more than US$60,000. Many Japanese companies give bonuses in June and December that range from one month to three months salary. Some companies provide housing and educational subsidies, and pay the utility bills of their employees.  These benefits are usually taxed. However the transportation provided for the employee’s annual vacations is usually not taxed. There has been a lot of criticism from human rights groups about the trainee system in which companies are allowed to pay lower salaries to the workers because of their classification as “on the job trainees.”

Basic Taxes in Japan

Salaried workers pay income tax on their wages and even on some of their benefits such as rent subsidies. An employer pays the withholding income tax to the local national tax office. Employers also have to do a year-end adjustment of income tax each year. If a person’s total taxable income is more than 20 million year  he must file his tax return and make the necessary adjustments.  Individual inhabitant tax is a form of local tax, imposed on a Japanese resident who lives in Japan as of January 1 of each year.

High Demand Jobs in Japan

As in other Asian countries, native English speakers are in demand as English teachers.  It is relatively easy for them to get a job either at public or private schools.

Visa and Immigration Issues in Japan

To work in Japan, foreigners have to get a work visa. You can do this if you are married to a Japanese citizen, or you can get a working holiday visa, or be sponsored by a company. A dependent of a work visa holder usually is not allowed to work unless he or she applies for and gets a work permit. You can get more help from the Immigration Information Center on immigration issues including procedures for alien registration processes. You can see if you are eligible for a Japanese visa at a Japanese embassy if you are still in your own country. If you are already in Japan, you can visit your own embassy for data on visa and immigration issues. If you succeed in getting to Japan you are automatically given a 90 days temporary visitor visa. Normally all other visas should be obtained before coming to Japan. However, it is now usually possible to change a temporary visa into a working, cultural or spouse visa, by applying at an immigration office in Japan.

Online Job Sources in Japan

MOFA’s Web Server Network is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan’s official list of embassies and consulates around the world. Embassy Avenue is the official website list of foreign embassies in Japan. Almost three fourths of help wanted ads in Japan ca be found in the Japan Times (Monday) plus the Daily Yomiuri (Wednesday).    The Tokyo Classifieds, a free weekly-classified magazine available at most foreign bookstores, also has some help wanted ads, but these tend to be for smaller schools, companies and bars. Since its rates are cheaper, you will see many smaller organizations advertising there that are not normally in The Japan Times.