Hey everyone,

A few things shifted in Japan's hiring market this week worth knowing about.

PR applications are getting more expensive. Tech companies can't fill roles fast enough. And there's a new travel authorization system coming that everyone's talking about, but doesn't actually affect your work visa situation the way people think.

Let's get into it.

Japan's immigration system just got noticeably stricter in some areas and stayed wide open in others. Here's where the real opportunity sits depending on your background.

If you're in tech (engineering, AI, cloud, cybersecurity): The Engineer / Specialist in Humanities visa remains the clearest path in. Japanese companies are struggling to fill tech roles at a level that's almost hard to believe — 85% of employers say they can't find qualified candidates, the highest rate globally. Your leverage as a foreign tech worker has never been higher. Most large companies and startups will sponsor the visa and many will cover relocation.

If you're in business, consulting, or finance: The Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) visa is underused by most foreigners who would qualify for it. It awards points for age, salary, education, and Japanese ability — hit 70 points and you can get permanent residency in just 3 years instead of 10. If you're in your late 20s or 30s with a university degree and a decent offer, run your numbers at the HSP point calculator.

If you're a designer, creative, or in a non-traditional role: Designated Activities Visa 46-3 is specifically designed for graduates with no Japanese language requirement who can demonstrate their work has "creativity and complexity." UX designers, brand strategists, and content leads have successfully used this route. It doesn't get talked about enough.

If you're still outside Japan and need sponsorship from abroad: Companies that consistently hire from overseas include Mercari, Rakuten, Monex, and most global consulting firms with Tokyo offices (see this week's Company Spotlight below). The key: apply directly through company career pages, not aggregator boards. Most overseas hires happen through direct applications.

Searching for roles that actually fit your visa situation? Most job boards don't tell you whether a company sponsors visas or hires from abroad. Japan Job Scan searches company career pages directly so you can filter by what actually applies to you — English-friendly, open to overseas candidates, and actively hiring.

There's one question Japanese interviewers ask in almost every interview for a foreign candidate. Most people give the wrong answer without realizing it.

"Why do you want to work in Japan?"

The natural response is honest: you love the culture, you've visited before, you want the experience. And in a Western interview, that's fine, it's personal and relatable.

In a Japanese interview, it signals short-term thinking. The interviewer hears: "This person will leave in two years."

Japanese companies invest heavily in onboarding, especially for foreign hires. They want to see that you've thought through the long game, that Japan fits your career trajectory, not just your travel bucket list.

A stronger answer follows this structure:

"I've [specific experience with Japan or Japanese business]. My background in [X] is well-suited to [specific industry/sector dynamic in Japan], and I want to build my career in an environment where [something specific about how Japanese companies operate that genuinely appeals to you]. Long-term, I'm committed to [X years / growing with the company / learning the language]."

The word "long-term" does a lot of work in this answer.

🇯🇵 今日の面接フレーズ (Today's Interview Phrase)

日本で長期的なキャリアを築きたいと考えています。 Nihon de chōkiteki na kyaria wo kizukitai to kangaete imasu. "I am looking to build a long-term career in Japan."

Use this early in the interview, ideally when introducing yourself. It signals commitment before they even have to ask.

Common mistake: Giving a STAR story that highlights your individual achievement. Japanese interviewers are listening for team dynamics. Frame the same story around how you supported your team, what the group accomplished, and what your role in that group was. "We" before "I."

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Learn more

Japan runs on a fiscal calendar that starts April 1. That makes right now, the final week of March and first weeks of April, one of the highest-activity hiring periods of the year.

Here's what's actually happening in the market:

Traditional companies are wrapping up their spring hiring cycles. Most April 1 start dates are locked. But rolling pipelines for Q2 (April–June) starts are actively open, especially in manufacturing, finance, and healthcare. If you're applying now, frame your availability around "April or May start" it fits naturally into their planning.

Tech companies are hiring year-round and increasingly desperate. Japan is projected to be short 220,000 IT engineers by the end of this year. Companies that previously required business-level Japanese are quietly dropping that requirement for technical roles because they simply can't fill seats otherwise. If you have cloud, AI, or cybersecurity experience, the market is genuinely in your favour.

The "high-ownership" shift is real. Across sectors, more Japanese companies are creating roles that don't fit the traditional seniority-based structure: project leads, product owners, and specialist roles that come with actual responsibility from day one. These are the roles foreigners tend to thrive in and the roles where not speaking Japanese is least of a barrier. They're also harder to find because they're newer. Searching company career pages directly (rather than aggregators) tends to surface them faster.

Startups are the fastest-growing segment. Japan's government has committed to a 5-year plan targeting 100,000 new startups by 2027. Many of these operate in English by default and are actively recruiting internationally. The trade-off: smaller salaries upfront, but faster progression and more visibility than you'd get at a traditional company.

The headline: Japan's Cabinet approved a bill this month to establish JESTA — a new electronic travel authorization system modeled on the US ESTA. Citizens from ~75 visa-exempt countries (US, UK, Canada, Australia, and most of Western Europe) will need to apply online before arriving in Japan.

What this actually means for you: Almost nothing if you're on a work visa or planning to apply for one. JESTA only affects short-term, visa-exempt travel, the tourist or business trip category. Long-term residents, work visa holders, and anyone on the permanent residency track are not affected.

JESTA launches in fiscal 2028 (April 2028 at the earliest). It'll cost around ¥3,000 (~$20) and involves submitting passport and itinerary data online before you board.

The framing in news coverage has confused a lot of people, this isn't a tightening of work visa policy. It's closer to a security screening layer for tourists.

The one that does matter: PR application fees are going up.

Starting this fiscal year (April 2026), the fee for a Permanent Residency application is moving toward a cap of ¥300,000, a significant jump from previous rates. If you're eligible to apply now, or close to eligibility, there's a real financial case for not waiting. Check your points if you're on the HSP visa track, or confirm your 10-year timeline if you're on a standard work visa.

Company: Mercari, Inc. HQ: Tokyo (Roppongi) Category: Tech / Consumer Marketplace English-Friendly: Yes — English is an official working language company-wide Hiring from Abroad: Yes — full relocation package + visa sponsorship

Mercari is Japan's largest consumer-to-consumer marketplace, used by over 20 million people monthly. They went public in 2018 and have been expanding internationally, which is part of why they made English a company-wide working language, not just a perk for certain teams.

What makes them worth watching:

Current open areas include software engineering, data science, product, and design. Roles with salary ranges and language requirements are listed directly on their careers site.

Application tip: Mercari's hiring process is more portfolio- and take-home-assessment-driven than interview-heavy. Lead with demonstrated work, not credentials. If you're applying for an engineering role, a visible GitHub presence or shipped product matters more than your CV header.

Careers page: careers.mercari.com/en/work-in-japan

If your goal is to actually start applying, this is the approach I’d recommend.

Instead of relying on fixed job lists or jumping between job boards, you can search across company career pages directly and focus only on the roles that actually fit your situation. You can also set alerts, so new opportunities come to you instead of constantly checking.

You can start here

If you’re still figuring out your strategy or trying to understand how the market works, that’s what this newsletter is for.