Working for Startups in Japan in 2022

There has been a growth in the number of Japanese startups, particularly in technology and an ecosystem of companies to support them with funding and expertise until they list on a public exchange, like the Mothers exchange.  Here are some links to articles on startups and the startup ecosystem in Japan.

JETRO - link to article

DisruptingJapan - English-language startup news in Japan and links

The pandemic's impact from 2020 until the present have been keenly felt by companies looking to hire foreign talent to work in Japan as the shutdowns, restrictions and other barriers to entry into Japan had an effect on jobseekers coming to Japan, including the many foreign students who later choose to work in Japan after graduation.

However, if you are bilingual, and have the right to work in Japan already, due to the need for expertise in IT and technology among other fields, there are more opportunities for people to join startups if they are willing to make the trade offs of working for small, growing companies. Cities like Fukuoka in Southern Japan have established programs to foster startups so there can be companies you can join there.

Depending on your Japanese ability, you can try to improve your resume with an internship before you apply a full-time job. And it is good to keep in mind that your Japanese ability can continue to improve so that jobs you might not have qualified for before can be possible in the future as you get better in the language.

If you are interested in Startups, you can check out job boards like Justa.io,  or an e-Commerce startup like White Rabbit Express. Some overseas sites that have companies listed are angel.co and crunchbase.

There is also a Japanese job board, Wantedly 

Looking at Newspapers in Japanese like the Nikkei shimbun and Magazines like President  can still be a good place to find leads. There is also specialized blogs and news websites like thebridge.jp and techinasia.

Please look at our website for past links to subjects, recruiters and let me know if you have any questions.