Foreign talent doesn’t seem anxious to head for Japan anytime soon. Because the country has yet to develop the socioeconomic conditions and cultural mindset that will allow foreign talented individual

That is so true.

Yup, spot on. Who wants to hitch their wagon to an economy that will shrink in the coming years, and where the population will be among the oldest in the industrialized world anyway? Plus, since Japan is truly a victim of the Galapagos effect, any skills you learn in Japan won't readily transfer to another market if you decide to bail out. Not even the language.

It is very true. Either you are a drudge or a dancing bear. To escape that you really have to fight.

Yes nobody with skills wants to come to Japan these days. And those skilled foreigners who actually are in Japan are trying to get out ASAP.

Yep, spot on.

Yet another 'expert' spouting off with no statistical numbers or evidence to back up his claims of foreign 'talent' refusing to go to Japan or leaving en masse compared to other nations.

Such is how things go with these things, no evidence needed when it comes to negative aspects of Japanese society or culture.

I've been in Japan for eight years. Learned the language, passed N1, have started translating, married a Japanese, have 2 children, also started translating from Chinese to Japanese and interpreting for my city hall. My skill level has gone through the roof, but my annual salary has decreased by around 100 man per month. No one will let me work other than contract employment with no future. I'm only sticking around for my kids and my wife. This country is a pitfall for foreigners no matter how hard you try to adapt. I still do enjoy the food and the scenery though.

Your salary has DECREASED by almost $10,000 per month? Is that a misprint?

What about Rola? what about all of the other foreign "tarento's" i see doing their thing on weekend telly? what about the myriad foreigners who work for large corporations or run their own businesses in Japan?

Point being?

I think plenty wopuld like to come but government makes it difficult to stay.

@AKBFan I think he was talking about the plan to bring in "foreigners with abilities" (research scientists, skilled engineers, etc.). The plan fell short due to very low numbers of visa applications.

Salaries on the Careers ads tab for tech workers in Japan seem tiny. Why would foreigners go there for that? Especially if no relocation?

The article which this comes from is interesting, but nothing new.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/panosmourdoukoutas/2014/08/03/foreign-talent-needs-a-career-can-japan-provide-it/

I think the unique factor driving lower Japanese salaries and lack of career development is that Japanese companies are very willing to hire fresh graduates and train them up from scratch. Skills and experience are not valued as highly. Western companies on the other hand refuse to do this because of the high costs involved. They instead take that money and pay higher salaries to those who already have the exact skills they are looking for.

I suppose if you are a young worker, Japan is a good place to start, but if you have experience, there are better places to go.

Left Japan just over two years ago. I was making around 10M yen a year and had a good life in Tokyo, however I knew redundancy was imminent, and my attempts to find another role were going nowhere. When the redundancy came, I packed up the family (J-wife) and headed back home where things are going fine. Heading back to Japan seems like a major risk to me at this stage of my life.

The llfe-work balance here certainly blows. Few foreigners, including ones from India, would be happy living the life of Joe Salaryman in a Saitama tower block. IT salaries for young people are absurdly low.

The Vietnamese, etc. will largely have the goal of working here a few years, gaining experience and saving up some money and then repatriating themselves after about 10 years.

I think he was talking about the plan to bring in "foreigners with abilities" (research scientists, skilled engineers, etc.). The plan fell short due to very low numbers of visa applications.

That visa system is stupid. It's only for people newly coming to Japan (people here can apply, but you get no "credit for time served" for PR. It doesn't really give you normal PR status, either.

They just need to make it easier for professionals to get a real permanent status.

They don't want us - except as window dressing or as cheap labor. The Woodford/Olympus case shows this as true at the top as it is for struggling eikaiwa teachers or for Brazilian auto workers. Any foreigner who can take a hint is making plans to leave. Opportunities exist for those who try elsewhere in the world, here they are dwindling.

Wonderful country to start your own business, very little red tape and starting up is so easy with little outlay. People are stuck in this mindset of school - University (debt) - career (paying off debt and being in the rat race).

I know plenty of self motivated foreigners doing well here, seems the whiney self centred ones struggle.

If you have determination and a drive to succeed Japan has lots to offer, if you think having a degree is all you need then you are badly mistaken.

A bit of nowse goes along way amongst a group of people who conform to stereotypical ways easily.

A bit of nous goes a long way, too.

Perhaps even further.... ; )

Wonderful country to start your own business, very little red tape and starting up is so easy with little outlay.

What country is that? :-P

I know plenty of self motivated foreigners doing well here, seems the whiney self centred ones struggle

StormR -- really? Name me even three non-Japanese who are heads of major Japanese companies? "Doing well" is nothing to write home about. Having an opportunity for a real career and potential to rise as high as your talents may take you is. And Japan cannot offer that.

Old news. Any professional who has worked in Tokyo is acutely aware of the domestic firm/gaishikei divide, and ambitious Japanese women are well-known for strongly preferring careers in the latter group for all sorts of reasons--less gender discrimination and less hierarchical BS and obsession with protocol and so forth. I'm not exactly a huge fan of companies like JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs, but I do give them some credit for expecting female employees in their Tokyo offices to do substantive work or else.

Japanese firms, for the most part, appear content to lose the "global talent' search to Hong Kong, Singapore, even coastal China and Kuala Lumpur and the Philippines. I think Japanese attempt to rationalize this situation by arguing that globalization is a sham and eventually "ethno-economics" (a good term to describe the entire trajectory of Japan's rise to economic superpower status) will return. Examples like the recent revelation that shareholders at Takeda Pharmaceuticals were extremely unhappy with the hiring of high-profile foreign employees within Japan (including Christophe Weber, its COO) are the norm and not the exception.

@oldman - evidence abounds. Just how many foreigners took the bait since that special special fast track come to japan took effect a few years ago. I suggest you do some research.

@jersey boy

You don't need to be head ofa major comnpany to be successful and even if you do get that job your are not your own man.

@scipamtheist

The country to which i refer to is Japan where i reside and i started my own business from 115,000 Yen .Compare starting any business in Japan to where i come from (UK) and there is no comparison. There are so many ways to make money in Japan if you are an English speaker, you don't even have to be fluent in Japanese. maybe the big business rat race route aint to great for foreigners, then go down another one.

jerseyboy you do not need to be the head of a large Japanese company to do well.

Look up a company called pacific associates limited (owner came here and was teaching English and selling silver jewellery on the street in the early days ) . you will see an example of a foreigner thriving in japan, you need to think outside the box and most definitely look outside the box.

Ever heard of a guy called Ghosen, ( Glaringly obvious foreigner doing well ) and a third one is, well, I don't want to put others names in print but theres a few around doing well.

Having a degree and expecting to climb to the top of a corporation is no guarantee of anything, you don't need the corporate environment to succeed in this world.

I myself came here with nothing but a suitcase and a tourist visa over 20 years ago, now own a company , property, travelled the world, have financial freedom to do what ever I choose, all done in this "negative environment" as you call it, and I had a blast doing it, I could never have achieved this if I stayed in my home land.

jerseyboy maybe you should read the side bars on here sometimes they feature foreigners who have come to japan and made a success of themselves, strange though don't you think they should do that,? I mean I am sure some of you would rather read the stories of failures about foreigners who came here and blamed abe or the govt or some other thing for there failure.

They don't want us - except as window dressing or as cheap labor.

Speak for yourself, Budgie. Those of us with actual skills are valued and in demand.