Job Skills Foreigner's Possess that Japanese Don't?

My question is this: is there a "list" so to speak, of job skills that would be unique to foreigners? Or is it just a case-by-case situation that the person must explain to the work visa official? I've been reading around this board and have often read that to get a job in Japan, one often needs to possess skills that no Japanese citizen has. For example, somebody from America who wants to design manga or anime in Japan would have a hard time because the Japanese would have no need, as they already could do it "110%" better and would rather not hire a foreigner in that case. As for me, I wish to major in physics in college and *possibly* get a PhD. I'm probably looking at eight years of schooling (four in undergrad, four in graduate) which would give me a good chunk of time to study the language. Also, if things wouldn't turn out right in Japan, it would easily allow me to get a job here in the States. Could this be a viable "unique skill"? Thanks.

Your bonus is that you can speak english. Of course Japan as a country only want foriegnors that can contribute to Japan. So for example if all of a sudden Japan had a lack of doctors then they would welcome doctors with Japanese language skills very openly. It will probably be case by case in that sense but its hard to tell what will and wont be needed next year not to mention 8 years time. But i think with more and more Japanese students heading abroad to get their degrees the competition will be as stiff as always but i think your doing OK to aim for Japan while also always having that option to work in the US. Just do your best and see how things work out, you have alot of time to try in that direction and to improve in order to increase your chances.

frostyg02uk said:

Your bonus is that you can speak english.

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I'm sorry but I didn't understand what you meant by this . My mother tongue is english and I am monolingual, in case you thought I was bilingual. Thanks for the reply!

haha what i meant is if you want to work in japan like that your need good Japanese (to speak with your co-workers and such) but also your have english. If your dreaming of living in Japan and have 8 years to practice your Japanese should be better by then.

There is no list, other than being able to speak a foreign language fluently. Many English teachers are hired here solely on the basis of being a native English speaker and holding a bachelor's degree.

You want to come here and study physics? Fine. Can you do it in Japanese? There are few schools that cater to non-Japanese speakers, darned few, and I don't think they have physics majors. You will need to pass a language requirement and/or take several months of intensive Japanese classes in some cases, too.

How do you propose to use a PhD in physics here? You could try a JSPS fellowship to get short-term work, or get transferred from your home country after you have spent a year working in the home office. Otherwise, I really don't see the potential.

Also, if things wouldn't turn out right in Japan, it would easily allow me to get a job here in the States. Could this be a viable "unique skill"?

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What skill? Bringing Japanese language ability back to your home country? It better be darned good if you plan to make a living out of it, but just how would you plan to market yourself with a PhD in physics and some high level Japanese? Translator for visiting physicists?

As stated before, the only "real" thing you can do that Japanese can't is speak natively. So, English really has to fit into the equation when applying for a visa.

When applying for a job though, all sorts of other things come in to play. The main reason you will see foreigners hired by foreign companies in Japan is the lack of necessity to break through a cultural fortress. They exist in 95% of cases, even if someone went to University and lived abroad for X years. That's a bit of a generalization, but in my experience, it is a painfully apparent one.

Half-n-Half, in my opinion, your plan is not that unrealistic. Maybe many or most foreigners get hired for their English skills. But professionals who are very skilled in their field, whatever it is, have good chances of finding a job in it here in Japan, too. I know many examples, one of them is a researcher in physics. For taking this kind of path for getting into a company in Japan, you should develop much better skills than average Japanese have. Also you should use these 8 years to built up relationships with possible employers in Japan. Not easy to do, but not impossible. For example, you could go to a Japanese university or some other institution as a research student for a year while you are enrolled in the US. A great way to establishing yourself in Japan after you finished your PhD studies, would be to come here with a sponsor or scholarship. Anyway, you should continue to study what you are most interested in. That's the best condition of becoming successful in it and increasing your job chances.

Thank you all for your valuable input! Glenski, sorry if my original post was a little vague, hopefully this post will correct that.

I wish to study physics for the entire eight years here in the U.S. while at the same time studying the Japanese language.
The PhD in Physics would be to do Physics research at say a university just like in America. Hopefully, after eight years and maybe a year of research here in the States to establish myself I can start looking for jobs in Japan.
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"Also, if things wouldn't turn out right in Japan, it would easily allow me to get a job here in the States. Could this be a viable 'unique skill'? "
I think you misunderstood a little what I was saying here. Basically, if I could not work in Japan or if Japan just wasn't for me, I could always come back and get a job doing physics research back here in the States, regardless of any high level Japanese I may possess at the time. I hope this cleared some things up. Again, thank you all!