Top 10 Companies Hiring Foreigners in Japan Right Now

Japan's labor shortage, especially in IT, engineering, education, and healthcare, has opened up excellent opportunities for skilled foreigners to start their careers in Japan. Here are 10 well-known companies actively hiring non-Japanese professionals in 2025, complete with their hiring process and application links.

Thanks to government-backed initiatives like the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) visa and increasing global collaboration, Japanese firms are now more open than ever to hiring international talent. Whether you're a software developer, teacher, designer, or operations specialist, there's a growing demand for multilingual professionals with international perspectives. Companies are not only offering competitive salaries but also support with relocation, housing, and visa sponsorship.

Many of these organizations have restructured their internal cultures to become more foreigner-friendly — offering English-speaking work environments, onboarding programs, and flexible work setups including hybrid or remote options. This shift marks a significant opportunity for foreign professionals who’ve previously found Japan’s work culture hard to navigate. The key is finding companies that understand international hiring and align with your career goals.

1. Rakuten Group

Often called “Japan’s Amazon,” Rakuten is more than just an e-commerce platform, it’s a tech-driven company that operates across e-commerce, digital banking, mobile networks, cloud services, and even professional sports (they own the Rakuten Eagles baseball team). Rakuten is also one of the first major Japanese companies to adopt English as its official workplace language across departments, which makes it especially attractive to global professionals.

Rakuten actively hires foreign nationals for roles in software engineering, data science, cybersecurity, UX/UI design, project management, digital marketing, and product strategy. The company values diversity and encourages innovation through cross-border collaboration. Teams are typically multicultural, and many positions do not require Japanese language fluency. For tech roles, Rakuten's tech stack includes Java, Kotlin, Python, AWS, Kubernetes, and React.

Hiring Process: Online application → Initial HR screening → Technical or case assessment (for applicable roles) → Two to three interviews with hiring managers and team leads → Offer → Visa sponsorship and relocation support. Interviews are usually conducted in English via Zoom or in-person at their Tokyo HQ.

Hiring Locations: Tokyo (HQ in Futako-Tamagawa), Osaka, Sendai, Fukuoka (remote or hybrid options available depending on department).

Foreigner Support: Full visa sponsorship, onboarding in English, relocation assistance, and opportunities to grow into leadership roles in global telecom projects.

Apply: rakuten.careers

2. Mercari

Mercari is Japan’s first unicorn startup and the country’s most popular peer-to-peer marketplace app. With over 20 million monthly users, the platform allows people to easily buy and sell used items online — similar to eBay or Facebook Marketplace. What sets Mercari apart in Japan’s corporate world is its progressive culture and its adoption of English as the primary language within engineering and product teams.

Mercari actively hires international professionals for roles in backend and frontend development, security engineering, machine learning, mobile development (iOS/Android), SRE (Site Reliability Engineering), and product design. The company emphasizes modern development practices such as microservices architecture, CI/CD, and cross-functional collaboration. Their stack includes Go, Kotlin, TypeScript, React, and Google Cloud Platform.
Hiring Process: Online resume submission → Coding test (HackerRank-style or technical assignment) → Two to three video interviews covering technical depth and communication → Final cultural fit discussion with HR or leadership → Offer, followed by visa and relocation assistance. All interviews can be conducted remotely and in English.
Hiring Locations: Tokyo (Roppongi HQ), Fukuoka Engineering Hub (especially for platform roles), with hybrid and full-remote options for select positions.
Foreigner Support: Full visa sponsorship, relocation support (including temporary housing), English-speaking onboarding, and Japanese language learning incentives.
Apply: careers.mercari.com

3. LINE Corporation

LINE is Japan’s most widely used messaging platform — often referred to as a “super app” because it combines chat, payments, news, shopping, and even job search into a single ecosystem. With over 90 million users in Japan alone, LINE is not just a communications company but a major tech player in mobile services, AI, and digital innovation. The company has embraced a multicultural engineering team and actively recruits international professionals to drive their next-generation services.

Foreign talent is especially welcomed for roles in backend development (Java, Kotlin, Go), mobile engineering (Swift, Kotlin), AI/ML research, infrastructure security, UX/UI design, and DevOps. LINE’s development culture is heavily influenced by agile methodologies and open-source practices. Internal communication is increasingly bilingual, and many engineering teams operate in English — especially in global or R&D roles.

Hiring Process: Submit your application online → Technical coding test (for engineering/design roles) → One or two technical interviews with engineers or team leads → Panel or product-specific interview (for culture/team fit) → Final HR interview to discuss expectations, relocation, and visa → Job offer. Interviews are typically conducted over Zoom and are available in English or Japanese.
Hiring Locations: Tokyo (main HQ in Shinjuku), Kyoto (R&D and design), with occasional remote/hybrid options for global engineering teams. Foreigner Support: Visa sponsorship, housing assistance, bilingual HR and onboarding teams, relocation package, and language training support.
Apply: careers.linecorp.com

4. Google Japan

Google’s Tokyo office, located in the iconic Shibuya Stream building, plays a critical role in the company’s global engineering and product development. While smaller than its U.S. or European counterparts, Google Japan is deeply involved in projects across Android, YouTube, Google Ads, Google Cloud, and AI research. With a growing demand for international talent, Google actively hires foreign professionals in Japan for both engineering and non-engineering roles.

Popular positions include software engineers (front-end, back-end, machine learning), product managers, UX researchers/designers, data analysts, and site reliability engineers. The working language is English in most technical teams, and Japanese fluency is not required for most roles. Teams collaborate globally, and Google Japan offers the same employee experience and perks as its international offices — including flexible work schedules, personal development budgets, and generous parental leave.

Hiring Process: Submit your resume and portfolio (if applicable) online → Remote technical interviews (data structures, algorithms, system design, or case questions depending on role) → "Googleyness" and leadership assessments → Final virtual onsite loop (typically 3–5 rounds) → Hiring committee review → Offer. Google provides interview coaching resources and relocation support for selected candidates.
Hiring Locations: Tokyo (Shibuya Stream). Some roles are also open to remote or hybrid work arrangements depending on team.
Foreigner Support: Full visa sponsorship, relocation assistance, English-first teams, onboarding support, and access to international mobility programs.
Apply: careers.google.com/locations/tokyo

5. IBM Japan

IBM Japan is the Japanese arm of the global tech powerhouse IBM, known for its enterprise software, AI solutions (like Watson ), hybrid cloud platforms, and advanced consulting services. With a strong presence in digital transformation projects for both private corporations and public sector agencies, IBM Japan offers excellent career paths for experienced foreign professionals looking to work in a global yet local environment.

The company is especially active in hiring IT consultants, cloud solution architects, cybersecurity engineers, AI/ML specialists, SAP consultants, and full-stack developers. English is commonly used in technical and client-facing roles, particularly for multinational clients or global development teams. While Japanese skills can be helpful in some roles, they are not always required — especially in international project units or for R&D-focused positions.

Hiring Process: Submit your resume and relevant project portfolio → Initial HR screening → One or more technical interviews (depending on the role — can include case studies, cloud architecture discussions, or behavioral scenarios) → Final cultural fit/team compatibility discussion → Offer with relocation and visa support.
Hiring Locations: Tokyo (main HQ), Osaka, and Nagoya — with hybrid work models and remote options depending on department.
Foreigner Support: IBM provides full visa sponsorship, support for relocation and housing, English-speaking team environments, and career development support through IBM’s internal learning portals.
Apply: ibm.com/jp-ja/employment

6. Rakuten Mobile

While Rakuten Group is known for its broad e-commerce and fintech empire, Rakuten Mobile is its fast-growing telecommunications division, aiming to disrupt Japan’s mobile carrier market. Launched in 2020, Rakuten Mobile is Japan’s first cloud-native mobile network, using virtualization and open-source technologies to deliver 4G and 5G services. It’s structured independently within the Rakuten ecosystem, with its own technical and hiring roadmap.

The company is especially attractive to foreign engineers with experience in telecom infrastructure, cloud computing, DevOps, or wireless technology (Open RAN, 5G Core, OSS/BSS, etc.). Rakuten Mobile also hires international professionals for QA/testing, network operations, AI/automation, and backend systems — often collaborating with overseas vendors and partners. Many of its engineering teams use English as their working language, and the culture is more startup-like compared to traditional Japanese telcos.

Hiring Process: Submit application via Rakuten Careers portal → Online coding or logic test (for tech roles) → HR screening → One or two technical interviews (can include architecture discussion, telecom case study, or problem-solving tasks) → Final interview → Offer. Most foreign hires receive full relocation and visa sponsorship, with assistance for settling in Japan.
Hiring Locations: Tokyo (Shinagawa), with some teams working from Rakuten’s Futako-Tamagawa campus. Foreigner Support: Full visa sponsorship, onboarding in English, relocation assistance, and opportunities to grow into leadership roles in global telecom projects.
Apply: rakuten.careers

7. Peatix

Peatix is a Japan-founded but globally-minded event management and ticketing platform used by communities, artists, startups, and organizers around the world. With a presence in Japan, the U.S., Singapore, and Malaysia, it blends Silicon Valley-style product thinking with Japan's user-first sensibility. The company operates with a flat hierarchy and places strong emphasis on creativity, agility, and user experience.

It’s an excellent fit for foreign professionals who enjoy the energy of a small, fast-moving team. Roles often available include frontend and backend developers (React, Node.js), UX/UI designers, marketing managers (especially for global or Southeast Asian markets), and customer experience professionals. The working language across most roles is English, with team members from various countries collaborating remotely or from Tokyo.

Hiring Process: You’ll usually start by submitting a resume and portfolio → followed by a screening interview (video call) → technical or task-based assessment (for developers/designers) → team-fit interview → and finally, a discussion with founders or management. While the company is smaller than others on this list, they provide a highly personalized onboarding experience and flexible work options.
Hiring Locations: Tokyo (HQ), remote positions often available. Foreigner Support: English-first work environment, visa sponsorship depending on role, and a culturally open startup team.
Apply:peatix.com/about/jobs

8. Fujitsu

Fujitsu is one of Japan’s largest and most respected tech companies, offering end-to-end IT solutions, infrastructure services, and business consulting to clients worldwide. With over 120,000 employees globally and operations in more than 100 countries, Fujitsu is at the forefront of digital transformation — with a strong focus on cloud computing, AI, cybersecurity, and sustainability-driven innovation.

The company is increasingly opening doors to foreign professionals, especially in areas where global expertise is essential. If you’re a specialist in cybersecurity, cloud engineering, AI/machine learning, or IoT systems integration, Fujitsu offers a wide variety of roles in project management, software architecture, and research & development. Many of their international-facing departments operate in English, and they actively hire bilinguals or English speakers who are open to learning Japanese over time.

Hiring Process: Submit resume and cover letter via their global careers portal → Online HR screening → Technical interviews or domain-specific assessments → Panel interviews with hiring managers → Offer with relocation support. Some positions may involve collaboration with Fujitsu’s overseas branches, so remote hiring is occasionally available.
Hiring Locations: Tokyo, Kawasaki, Osaka, Nagoya, and international offices.
Foreigner Support: Visa sponsorship for highly skilled roles, English-speaking teams in tech and R&D divisions, Japanese language support programs, and hybrid/remote work flexibility.
Apply: fujitsu.com/careers

9. Riken Research Institute

RIKEN is Japan’s most prestigious scientific research institution, with a legacy of over 100 years in pushing the boundaries of advanced science and technology. Backed by the Japanese government, RIKEN conducts cutting-edge research in fields like physics, chemistry, computational science, bioengineering, and quantum computing — and is often compared to institutions like MIT or CERN in its influence and prestige.

RIKEN offers a highly collaborative, multinational environment where English is commonly used in most research divisions. The organization frequently invites foreign postdocs, researchers, and technical staff from all over the world, often in partnership with international universities and labs. Whether you're working on supercomputing, regenerative medicine, or artificial intelligence, RIKEN’s facilities — including the renowned RIKEN Center for Computational Science — provide world-class infrastructure and mentorship.

Hiring Process: Candidates usually apply directly via job calls on the RIKEN careers site → Required documents include research proposals, recommendation letters, and CV → Selection committee reviews and interviews → Offer with visa sponsorship and relocation assistance. Some positions are fixed-term research contracts, while others lead to tenure-track opportunities.
Hiring Locations: Tokyo (Wako campus), Kobe (computational science), Osaka, Yokohama, and other satellite labs.
Foreigner Support: RIKEN has long-standing systems for onboarding international researchers, including visa support, housing assistance, multilingual admin staff, and English-speaking labs.
Apply: riken.jp/en/careers

10. GLOBIS Corporation

GLOBIS is Japan’s largest business graduate school and a fast-expanding player in the global edtech space. Headquartered in Tokyo, GLOBIS offers an MBA program (in both Japanese and English), online business courses, and corporate training — blending traditional education with innovative technology. The company is committed to developing global business leaders, and its growing international presence has opened up several roles suited for foreign professionals.

GLOBIS hires international faculty, marketing strategists, content creators, and engineers to build its expanding online education platforms and multilingual services. As a company that values diversity and entrepreneurship, it welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds who are passionate about education, innovation, and international business. The work culture is professional but creative, and many teams operate bilingually or in English-first environments.

Hiring Process: Online application via careers page → CV + writing samples or teaching portfolio (for education roles) → Online interviews (usually 2–3 rounds) → Cultural fit and final decision → Work visa support and onboarding. Tech and marketing roles may include task-based assessments.
Hiring Locations: Tokyo (head office), some remote roles available.
Foreigner Support: GLOBIS provides visa sponsorship, Japanese language learning support, flexible work arrangements, and smooth onboarding for non-Japanese staff.
Apply: globis.ac.jp/about/careers