The latest trend of working in Japan or Japanese companies

Today, NIKKEI reported the number of 2009's new "specialty" visa in Japan was 8,905. More than half of its peak: 27,792 in 2007.

They expect the number of 2010 to be the same number. This is not simple reflection of recession. It's rather the reflection of the globalization.

On November 17, 2010, NHK reported the more Japanese companies tend to hire their international employee in the developing countries which is expanding market. AJINOMOTO started the training program only for foreign employees to become the company executive. Ajinomoto felt urgency that they only have few non-Japanese executive even thought they have been conducting the business all over the world.

Since Japanese market is not growing as before, they want to focus on growing countries especially in Southeast Asian countries, such as Thailand, India, Indonesia, Vietnam and etc.

If you want to work with big Japanese companies, you may want to consider finding the jobs in your own countries. More companies are trying to hire the employees who understand the local market. Unlike 20 years ago, you never had a chance to become the company executives at Japanese companies. But due to high demand of new perspectives, you now have the better chance to become the executives

For those of who want to find a job in Japan, try to look for a small business.

On November 10, 2010, TV Tokyo's World Business Satellite was introducing a small motor company, Iguchi Kiko Seisakusho, who recently hired a Chinese who studied in Japanese university and Japanese American sales person in their Tokyo office. Thanks to them, the foreign sales has increased by 43%.

Many small business companies used to have strong ties to certain Japanese big companies. But their ties has been loosen and small businesses now need to expand the activities outside Japanese companies.

If you want to find a job at the big Japanese companies, consider finding the job position in your countries. But you now have more chances to find the job at Japanese small businesses.

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Photos by Hideo Ishida, 工藤隆蔵, & Yahhoo