On Sunday, 28th October, 2018, MSA Kansai co-organized a career event with the Consortium of Universities in Hyogo and Kansai Economic Federation. Around 30 international students from many different countries participated. The event was designed entirely in English to help international students understand the nitty-gritties of the job-hunting process in Japan.
In the first half, the company representatives introduced their respective companies. We had representatives from three companies with the headquarters in Kansai region – namely, Asics in Kobe; Kubota in Osaka; and Horiba in Kyoto. Special focus was on the current number of international employers and the expectations of Japanese language requirement each company has.
Ms. Minami Kanazashi, Talent Acquisition Team, Asics interacting with the students
Mr. Sungmin Ban, Human Resources, Kubota during a group discussion
Mr. Takaharu Matsuo, Department Manager, Horiba interacting with the students
In the second half, a group discussion was organized with each of the company representatives. It gave a unique opportunity to the international students to interact and clear the doubts they have regarding their employability in Japan.
Group Discussion (in English) with International students
Based on the interactions of that day, it was quite clear that high-level of Japanese language ability is a prerequisite for many of the companies in Japan. However, if the international students are aware of the hurdles since their arrival in Japan, they will at least have some time to prepare themselves for it.
MSA Kansai plans to continue organizing events like this to make the international students be aware of the requirements for getting a job in Japan. We look forward to your participation in the next event!
Written by Anirban Chakraborty.