Environmental Science/Project Controls opportunities in Japan?

Hi, I’m interested in moving to Japan sometime in the next few years but haven’t been able to find stories of people with my particular background and experience. I am 31 with a Bachelors and Masters in Environmental Sciences from reputable universities, and about 8 years of environmental consulting experience: 1 year in sustainability, 4 years in contaminated site cleanup (analyzing data, modelling contaminate flow in the subsurface, organizing cleanups etc) and 3 years in project controls role supporting large environmental projects (financial forecasting, reporting, etc).

I am familiar with kanji because of mandarin but will still need to learn Japanese. Assuming I am able to get to N1 level, what are my chances in finding a job in Japan? A majority of the jobs I see are for IT, software development and teaching so I’m not too sure. Are a majority of these roles in Japan completed by government agencies?

If you have any tips that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

2 comments
  1. This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.

    **Environmental Science/Project Controls opportunities in Japan?**

    Hi, I’m interested in moving to Japan sometime in the next few years but haven’t been able to find stories of people with my particular background and experience. I am 31 with a Bachelors and Masters in Environmental Sciences from reputable universities, and about 8 years of environmental consulting experience: 1 year in sustainability, 4 years in contaminated site cleanup (analyzing data, modelling contaminate flow in the subsurface, organizing cleanups etc) and 3 years in project controls role supporting large environmental projects (financial forecasting, reporting, etc).

    I am familiar with kanji because of mandarin but will still need to learn Japanese. Assuming I am able to get to N1 level, what are my chances in finding a job in Japan? A majority of the jobs I see are for IT, software development and teaching so I’m not too sure. Are a majority of these roles in Japan completed by government agencies?

    If you have any tips that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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  2. A lot of Japanese companies these days are very into ESG and so are investing in things like traceability and sustainable supply chains and FPIC, so I think that a consultant role is within the realm of possibility, even without stellar Japanese (you would be consulting Japanese companies about their overseas projects unless you have expertise in Japanese environmental law).

    I think that your main obstacle is that you would almost certainly be making less than what you are in your current role, though that could change with a stronger Yen…

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