Hello, I’m a first time poster but grateful for the advice people have commented on previous posts. I’ve read through many of the threads here before posting, but I still have a few questions. For context I’m Chinese American (US passport only), 26, with a Bachelors & 6 years of experience working in corporate finance, currently at a tech company (but with no Japan office currently).
Obvious goal is to move to Japan, and I still want to advance my career/gain valuable experience. I think this can be achieved a few ways, and that it will take a few years + patience and hard work. Here are my plans so far:
1. Learn Japanese: I’m just starting out, but I’m hoping this will go smoothly since I’m bilingual in Chinese. I think I should try to get to minimum N1 level before trying to move since I look Japanese enough that people definitely already speak to me expecting me to know it, and I assume more might be expected of me in a work setting if I don’t look like a foreigner, is that a correct assumption?
2. Visit as much as possible over the next few years to confirm that this makes sense for me personally. For those who have moved already, what are some things you would look for to confirm that moving was the right choice for you?
3. Apply to MEXT as a research student next year for 2025 and hopefully transition to a masters program: I think this timeline should work out with the Japanese learning + grad student reqs. I’ve already read through some of the research of various business/econ professors and found the topics pretty interesting. Quite a few are relevant to my work experience, and I enjoy research (I did some for my finance professor in undergrad). Would a masters from a Japanese university make me more hireable in Japan?
Alternatively, I could get a masters in the US, I was thinking if I were to study here I would do data science (additional software skills + adds benefit to my current role), but this is significantly more expensive and takes away some time I could spend learning Japanese. I understand universities here have a better reputation though and the payoff could be worth it. I do think if I could work for a few years after the degree in the US before moving and save up more money it could be worth it, but I would also need to pay off student loans. A more tech oriented role might also give me more leeway with language/help me land a role at a more international company. Could this be too inconsistent in a japanese company’s eyes or is it seen as a benefit because I’ve skilled up?
4. Once I’m N1 I want to apply to jobs in Japan. If I’m able to achieve #3 first that works too, but I’ll get to the applying to jobs stage either way. I also think I should probably brush up on business Chinese if I intend to put it on my resume. I’ve interned a summer in China but rusty on some of the terms for sure.
5. My distant dream is to start a business that intersects across Japanese, US, and Chinese markets, but I think step one is all of the above while I work on a viable business plan and saving money.
I understand this whole process will take years and I may have missed some considerations. Am I being crazy unrealistic or am I thinking about the right things overall? Any advice is appreciated.
3 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Reality check me? mid 20s Chinese American looking to move to Japan**
Hello, I’m a first time poster but grateful for the advice people have commented on previous posts. I’ve read through many of the threads here before posting, but I still have a few questions. For context I’m Chinese American (US passport only), 26, with a Bachelors & 6 years of experience working in corporate finance, currently at a tech company (but with no Japan office currently).
Obvious goal is to move to Japan, and I still want to advance my career/gain valuable experience. I think this can be achieved a few ways, and that it will take a few years + patience and hard work. Here are my plans so far:
1. Learn Japanese: I’m just starting out, but I’m hoping this will go smoothly since I’m bilingual in Chinese. I think I should try to get to minimum N1 level before trying to move since I look Japanese enough that people definitely already speak to me expecting me to know it, and I assume more might be expected of me in a work setting if I don’t look like a foreigner, is that a correct assumption?
2. Visit as much as possible over the next few years to confirm that this makes sense for me personally. For those who have moved already, what are some things you would look for to confirm that moving was the right choice for you?
3. Apply to MEXT as a research student next year for 2025 and hopefully transition to a masters program: I think this timeline should work out with the Japanese learning + grad student reqs. I’ve already read through some of the research of various business/econ professors and found the topics pretty interesting. Quite a few are relevant to my work experience, and I enjoy research (I did some for my finance professor in undergrad). Would a masters from a Japanese university make me more hireable in Japan?
Alternatively, I could get a masters in the US, I was thinking if I were to study here I would do data science (additional software skills + adds benefit to my current role), but this is significantly more expensive and takes away some time I could spend learning Japanese. I understand universities here have a better reputation though and the payoff could be worth it. I do think if I could work for a few years after the degree in the US before moving and save up more money it could be worth it, but I would also need to pay off student loans. A more tech oriented role might also give me more leeway with language/help me land a role at a more international company. Could this be too inconsistent in a japanese company’s eyes or is it seen as a benefit because I’ve skilled up?
4. Once I’m N1 I want to apply to jobs in Japan. If I’m able to achieve #3 first that works too, but I’ll get to the applying to jobs stage either way. I also think I should probably brush up on business Chinese if I intend to put it on my resume. I’ve interned a summer in China but rusty on some of the terms for sure.
5. My distant dream is to start a business that intersects across Japanese, US, and Chinese markets, but I think step one is all of the above while I work on a viable business plan and saving money.
I understand this whole process will take years and I may have missed some considerations. Am I being crazy unrealistic or am I thinking about the right things overall? Any advice is appreciated.
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You’re probably right the US masters carries more weight but at the same time the key blocker for you is choosing a visa and getting it. Seems like youre planning on a work visa, and that means getting a company in japan to sponsor you.
Applying to positions in a japanese half of a US company is possible but not as easy as it sounds. I certainly tried and didn’t even hear back. Why would they import from overseas when they have local talent, you know?
So I think there is definitely a premium on doing your graduate work in Japan where you can be connected to the hiring process organically just like your classmates, and a company that knows you (and maybe you’ve already been an intern there during study) will be much much much more comfortable sponsoring your visa to work for them.
I studied Japanese for a few years and did 6 months exchange in university, now I live here, but I wouldn’t say my Japanese is N1. I’m sure you already know this but N1 is a lot of work and might take longer than you anticipate – plus, most companies only require N2 as long as you can communicate effectively.
Since I was late to enter university I didn’t really want to wait even longer to obtain a masters degree (despite enjoying studying), so I just took the leap and came here as an English teacher and used my pre-university experience in programming to switch to a small tech company. I use Japanese daily but it’s not critical that I’m totally fluent (although I’m aiming to improve). I feel somewhat lucky to have transitioned into my current job because my programming experience was years ago.
It seems like you’re trying to cover all bases and eliminate risks, gain a stable footing in Japan. Being in my late 20’s, I wanted to get here ASAP. But if you feel like you’ve got the time, I think everything you’ve laid out seems very reasonable – starting with learning Japanese of course.