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?

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Thanks, Qunli. Life is too short to let dreams slip away like this, you'd be surprised how much of an effect your post had on convincing me that this is the way to go. It'll be a long and hard road, but I think I'll go for it.

We have a rapidly aging population here in Australia, too, and so the only reason we've really managed to keep our growth up is by accepting immigrants. I've read that in a country like Japan which is in continual recession, innovative minds can make their fortunes. Assuming you're in Japan or hoping to move into Japan, good luck to both of us .

I graduated with BS Civil/Structural engineering in the US. Now working on my MS Civil/Structural engineering. I really think it has less to do with the cultural issue rather more to do with the language issue. You must know that engineering is a field that does involve a lot of writing/communication (technical reports and communicating with project managers and other design professionals). Imagine if you tried to do this job in the US or any other English speaking country with no solid grasp of the language? Imagine writing a technical report with only 7 year old level English? My thought is, if you want to go to Japan to work as an engineer, finish your schooling, start learning Japanese ASAP, get some work experience so you have something to offer them. After that maybe get a job in Japan teaching English while making it your top priority to master the language. I know it is possible, I have a few friends from Korea and China that moved here and are now highly proficient in English as well as completely competent engineers.