I know it's been discussed a little in other threads, but my situation is a LITTLE different in that I'm apparently able to obtain a working visa if one of my relatives will sponsor me (my grandmother is a Japanese who migrated to Australia half a century ago).

What I'd like to know is whether or not discrimination against foreigners is MOSTLY due to language issues (in which case choosing a Japanese name and showing skill in Japanese in an inteview could convince some of the employers) or whether it's a situation where 99/100 cases the Japanese national will always get selected over a foreigner.

It seems to me that a lot of people try to go into Japan having only done some sort of Advanced Japanese course at university and having only visited a couple of times without all of the necessary exposure and so I wonder whether this is the real reason it is hard to find employment (people who treat English similarly are rarely given jobs in Australia, too). I mean they can be incredibly intelligent but learning a language to a near-native level is difficult for anyone.

Is there anyone with experience working in businesses (even if it's the typical office job as opposed to an engineering firm) confirm whether or not this is the real problem?