JPN-Journal.com News/Laws for Foreigners Working in Japan.

** Japan News **

Ex-Nova president pleads not guilty | The Yomiuri Shimbun - Nozomu Sahashi, the former president of the failed language school chain Nova Corp., admitted misusing employee reserve funds, but pleaded not guilty to professional embezzlement during his first hearing at the Osaka District Court on Monday. Full coverage



Still bumps in road to better economy | The Asahi Shimbun - Signs of a budding recovery in exports and production prompted the government on Monday to raise its assessment of the state of the economy, but concerns linger over deteriorating job conditions and the impact of the recent swine flu outbreak on business. Full coverage

Japan Exports Fall at Slower Pace as Recession Eases | Bloomberg - Japan’s export slump moderated in April, helping the country record an unexpected trade surplus and adding to signs the worst recession since World War II is easing. Full coverage

Japan's GDP seen to shrink by record 3.9% in fiscal 2009 | AP/Kyodo - Japan's economy is expected to contract by a record 3.9 percent in fiscal 2009 amid prolonged slumps in consumer and corporate spending, according to think-tank estimates released by Tuesday. Full coverage

New pension data, same grim outlook | The Asahi Shimbun - The average household that starts receiving public pension benefits this fiscal year will see the payment level drop to about 40 percent of average working household incomes in 20 years, the welfare ministry said. Full coverage

Job offers for students decline | The Asahi Shimbun - The percentage of university students who received job offers before graduation in March declined for the first time in nine years, according to a survey by the labor and education ministries released Friday. Full coverage

Japan's Nikon to cut 1,000 jobs | AFP - Japanese camera and precision equipment maker Nikon Corp. said Tuesday that it would cut about 1,000 jobs, mostly at its domestic plants, as it braces for a loss this year. Full coverage

Foreign residents rally against bills to revise immigration law | Kyodo - About 250 foreign residents in Japan and their supporters marched through downtown Tokyo on Sunday to protest against bills to revise the immigration law, claiming the revision is intended to tighten controls on them. Full coverage

Japan pays a price for lifetime jobs | Taipei Times - When the sheet metal orders coming into his small business, High Metal, fell by half in October, it never occurred to Masaaki Taruki to lay off his workers. Full coverage

Average income 5.56 million Yen in 2007 | The Asahi Shimbun - The nation's average annual household income slid to 5.562 million yen in 2007, down 106,000 yen from a year earlier, as retirements increased among the aging population, a labor ministry survey found. Full coverage

Vegging out at home new lifestyle trend | The Yomiuri Shimbun - Even amid the current recession, some products are selling well, including game consoles, home electric cooking appliances and easy-to-use vegetable gardening kits--essential goods for people who enjoy staying at home rather than going out, and who are creating a new lifestyle in the process. Full coverage

Japanese-Filipinos battle for homeland nationality | The Asahi Shimbun - Though she grew up in the Philippines, Constancia Masae Yoshimi knows the words to "Aikoku Koshinkyoku," a wartime song, by heart. She can write--in kanji--her Japanese name and also her father's name, Masahichi Yoshimi. Full coverage

Bonuses to plunge record 19.39% | The Asahi Shimbun - Summer bonuses at the nation's leading companies this year will drop 19.39 percent year on year to an average 754,009 yen, marking the steepest drop on record, according to a survey by Nippon Keidanren (Japan Business Federation). Full coverage

Companies manage to beat recession to post record profits | Mainichi Japan - While many companies have reported their dropping profits for fiscal 2008 amid the global recession, some firms have succeeded in posting record high profits. Full coverage

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Non-Japanese Nationals in Japan

Non-Japanese nationals in Japan are frequently referred to as "gai-jin," short for "gaikoku-jin" composed of "gaikoku" (foreign country) and "jin" (person). The word has often been the subject of debate as to its appropriateness, particularly in its shortened form.

In 2005, a United Nations report expressed concerns about the racism in Japan due to the government's lack of recognition and attention to the depth of the problem. The report, based on a nine-day investigation of several Japanese cities and meeting with minorities groups and tourism slums, concluded that racial discrimination and xenophobia in Japan primarily affects three groups: national minorities, descendants of former Japanese colonies and foreigners from other Asian countries.

In recent years as the term gai-jin has become somewhat politically incorrect, it has become common to refer to non-East Asians non-Japanese nationals as gaikoku-jin while more culturally similar Chinese are referred to as "Chugoku-jin" (Chinese person), Koreans as "Kankoku-jin" (South Korean person), Taiwanese as "Taiwan-jin" (Taiwan person), and North Koreans as "Chosen-jin" (North Korean person).

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Work in Japan

The number of foreign nationals working in Japan has been increasing year after year due to the combination of aging society and lack of skilled workers.

Japan's employment market is sufferring shortages of workers in manual/low skill workers, biotechnology specialists, entrepreneurs, IT engineers, accountants, lawyers barred in Japan and lawyers with a technical background, insurance specialists, and bi-linguals capable of working in international operations of Japanese companies or within foreign affiliated companies.

Despite many challenges, working in Japan can be both rewarding and exciting and many forigners reap the benefits of working in Japan. To get yourself started you should first settle your social infrastructures: employment, visa, and tax.

Foreign nationals wishing to engage in paid activities in Japan must first obtain a visa allowing them to work in Japan. It is illegal to engage in any paid activities on a tourist visa and those arrested are subject to deportation.

Having a job offer in Japan is often a prerequisite for successfully applying for most types of working visa. There are several routes to obtaining a working visa in Japan.


Employment


Corporate Internal Transfer

For those already building a career with a multi-national company, working in Japan may be as simple as requesting an internal transfer. Many global firms such as Citi Group, American Express, Deloitte, KPMG, General Electric, Philips Electronics, have significant operations in Japan and internal transfers are available for qualified professionals.


Public Employment Security Office

Public Employment Security Office (PESO) provides foreign nationals job opening information, vocational counseling, and other employment services.

There are 601 PESO offices located in major municipalities throughout Japan. "Employment Service Corner for Foreign Workers" provides intertreters and is available in some PESOs for those not comfortable with the Japanese language.

"Employment Service Center for Foreigners" in Tokyo and Osaka offer foreign university graduates and foreigners with special knowledge and techniques with various employment services.

Further, Japanese descent foreigners can visit "NIKKEIS" in Tochigi Labour Bureau PESO Utsunomiya, Gunma Labour Bureau PESO Oota, Chiba Labour Bureau PESO Chiba, Tokyo Labour Bureau Tokyo Employment Service Center for Foreigners, Shizuoka Labour Bureau PESO Hamamatsu, Aichi Labour Bureau Nagoya Gaikokujin job Center, and Osaka Labour Bureau Osaka Employment Service Center for Foreigners, and the Center of Information and Support for Foreign Workers (CIATE) In Sao Paulo, Brazil for employment services in Japan.


Private Employment Agencies

Many private employment service agencies dedicate to serving foreign nationals in Japan. These private employment service agencies are in no way related to PESO or any other government agencies.

When looking for a job in Japan through private employment service agencies, it is important to use full caution not to fall prey to illegal employment brokers. Dispatching workers to employers or providing placement service without authorization is illegal in Japan.

Links to several private employment service agencies are posted to the right.


New Hire after Graduation from a Japanese College/University

Each year usually beginning in fall, many Japanese companies conduct recruiting events on campuses, at corporate headquarters, and at hotels and conference centers. Students graduating in the near months and often a year ahead are eligible to participate. Those interested in the company submit their resume to enroll in the formal recruiting process. Foreign nationals are not barred from the process.

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Visa

There are three general categories of working visas in Japan: Diplomat Visa, Official Visa, and Working Visa. The Working Visa is divided into sub-categories depending on the field of profession.

Holders of working visa are not permitted to work outside of the fields defined by their visa.

Permanent Resident, Spouse/Child of Japanese National, Spouse/Child of Permanent Resident, and Long Term Resident of Japan are allowed to engage in any paid activity regardless of the professional field.

Student visa holders are not allowed to engage in paid activities, unless they obtain the permission of their school and the immigration office. However, students may only work for a preset maximum number of hours per week.

Citizens of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Korea, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Ireland between the ages of 18 and 30 may also apply for a working holiday visa to work in Japan for up to a year.

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Tax

On November 19, 2007, Mercer, a global consulting firm, released its 2007 Worldwide Individual Tax Comparator Report ranking 32 countries focusing on personal tax structures, average salaries, and marital status.

According to the report, Japan ranked 14th place with 24.3 percent taxes and 75.7 percent of gross pay to take home for singles, 11th place with 22.9 percent taxes and 77.1 percent of gross pay to take home for married couple with no children, and 9th with 20.1 percent taxes and 79.9 percent of gross pay to take home for married couple with two children.

Japan's tax structures in terms of its attractiveness to individuals ranked nearly equal to that of the United States and ahead of many European countries.

Withheld from gross pay are national income tax, local inhabitant tax, health insurance premium, long-term care insurance premium, unemployment insurance premium, and pension insurance premium.

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Private Employment Service Agencies


Job site for Bilingual professionals and International-minded individuals.


Information on bilingual employment in Japan for bilingual Japanese and English speakers, plus an invaluable resource for foreigners Living and Working in Japan.


Exclusively for people who want to work in Japan. Job seekers can also register from outside Japan.


Going Global includes world-wide job openings, internship listing, industry profiles and country-specific career and employment information.


Whether you're searching for your dream job or looking to recruit the ideal person for your business, then we can help. At Michael Page we've been bringing job seekers and employers together for more than 30 years.


Recruitment agency with 19 years of trust in Japan. A network linking seven domestic branch offices and six countries worldwide.


The programme offers university graduates the opportunity to serve in local government organizations as well as public and private primary, junior high and senior high schools.


Many foreign students choose to do part-time work to help pay their tuition or living expenses. In fact, seven out of ten foreign students are engaged in some type of part-time work in Japan.


New overseas jobs listings arriving daily - Our listings are updated 24/7/365 - Overseas jobs available in nations around the world.


Short to medium term language and cultural exchange programs for tertiary and secondary educational institutions throughout Asia, predominantly Japan and Hong Kong.


Job Seek Japan's full-featured job site is the Web's most-visited free source of Japan-based employment information.


HOTJOBSJAPAN is a staffing agency in Japan, placing foreign workers in Japanese companies. Currently we are seeking candidates for the positions of language teachers, translators, and IT engineers.


KOPRA strives for improving mutual understanding between Europe and the region of East Asia through international internship exchange.
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Special Review

1 year on, Nova's failure leaves scars | Even though it has been a year since Nova applied for court protection under the Corporate Rehabilitation Law, the central government has done little to ensure the private language school industry improves its operations. The failure of Nova, which was the largest language school in the nation, has sowed public distrust in the industry.

Japan to accept 1,000 nurses, care workers from Indonesia: report | Japan will accept 1,000 nurses and health care workers from Indonesia from as early as next year under a free trade pact to help ease the country's shortage of such staff, a report said Saturday.

Nova: Road to Destruction | In the autumn of 2004, executives of Nova Corp., Japan's largest English-language school chain, gathered at the company's general headquarters in a high-rise building near JR Namba Station, to hear Nova's cofounder and president, Nozomu Sahashi's strategy for overcoming the problems the company faced.

Insular Japan Needs, but Resists, Immigration | With their tidy suburban home here, a late-model Toyota in the driveway and two school-age children whose Japanese is indistinguishable from any native's, Akio Nakashima and his wife, Yoshie, are the perfect immigrants.
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What some have to say about Japan

>Japan without the sugar
"There ain't no samurai, there are few geisha, Japanese are not the most polite people in the world. In practice, there is no special love nor care for nature, nor are they uniquely unique. Sorry, but the sugar-coated Japan of Edwin O. Reischauer does not now, and never has existed."

>Observing Japan
Observations of Japanese and international politics by a (newly) former aide to a member of the Japanese Diet.

>One Life Japan
Partners-in-life Kevin and Tomoe have been bike-touring Japan together since 2001, with a passion for finding ways to live a healthy, fulfilling, fun, learningful, and sustainable lifestyle with a close connection to community, and the environment. Their story, about real-life experiences of the natural, cultural, and historical beauty - not to mention incredible hospitality - that Japan has to offer, is told from a seat of a 18 km/hr bycicle.

>thE qUirKY jaPan HomEPage
Are you tired of shrines and temples, reconstructed ferro-concrete castles and tea ceremonies? Do you like to get off the beaten track? Would you like to meet Japanese people who do not meet the conformist stereotype? Japan, behind the conservative grey suits and formal bows, is a country quirkier than you can ever imagine.

>What Japan Thinks
From kimono to keitai; research Japanese facts and figures through translated opinion polls and surveys.
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