Almost every company in Japan has a probation period for new mid-career employees (versus college grads, who are tolerated more). For experienced people, this period represents nothing more than an opportunity to weigh up the new employer and decide whether to stay or not. However, for those new to the country and its culture, or switching careers, the probation period is...

One way to come to Japan, especially for younger readers, is on a global placement program. There are a number of such programs, such as AFS, Rotary, or AIESEC - all of which aim to foster international understanding by helping students and/or young adults study and/or work overseas. The programs are easy to find on the web and do a good job of explaining their raison...

I thought this week and next, it would be interesting to hear from someone who has overcome the odds, and found work not only outside Tokyo, but also in a Japanese company without having a degree in the language. Basically DP has come up with some great strategies for making progress in a very different business world than the one he...

Some regular readers will be getting sick of my message about the fact that ALL foreigners arriving in Japan need to take time to learn Japanese. But the reality is that the competition for jobs for foreigners has been heating up ever since the government opened up the country to Chinese students some years ago (peaking at 70,000+ students in 2003, but down in 2004 after the murders of a Fukuoka family...