How To Apply for Foreign-Based Manufacturing Companies in Japan: Salary, Employment and More!
When you start thinking about starting your career at a manufacturing company in Japan, Japanese domestic manufacturing companies such as Toyota and Nintendo are not the only options you have. Adding foreign-based manufacturing companies in Japan to your list will be a good idea to broaden your career options, so this article will introduce basic information about foreign-based manufacturing companies in Japan such as salaries, selection schedules and different categories of the manufacturing industry.
Author: Eiru Haneda │Published date: 26th December, 2019
Categories in the Manufacturing Industry
Manufacturing company (メーカー) is a commercial business that converts raw materials and components into products that meet consumers’ demands. Which means, basically any company that produces finished products are categorized as manufacturing company, therefore, it is essential to understand the different types of categorization in manufacturing industry based on the types of product when you are choosing a company. 5 main categories of manufacturing industry are below;
1. Consumable Manufacture (消費財メーカー)
2. Chemical Manufacture（化学メーカー)
3. Electrical and Heavy Industrial Manufacture（電機・重工メーカー)
4. Pharmacutical Manufacture（製薬メーカー）
5. Automobile-Related Manufacture（自動車メーカー）
And, here are the top foreign-based manufacturing companies that are hiring new graduates in Japan that fit into each category.
As the map above shows, many internationally-known companies offer job hiring for new graduates in Japan. To give you a better image of these companies above, here are some examples of iconic products produced by some of the companies on the map. For example, P&G produces famously known detergent in Japan, “アリエール” and “ボールド”, and Du Pont produces sticky-note, “Post-It”.
What are the Popular Manufacturing Companies in Japan?
Now, let’s take a look at the top 3 most popular companies in category 1 to 4 above according to the survey. You can visit the companies’ recruitment information page by clicking each name of the company. You can also take a look at the popular companies rankings in different industries here.
Consumable Manufacture
1. P&G（P&Gジャパン）
2. Unilever（ユニリーバジャパン）
3. Loreal （日本ロレアル）
Chemical Manufacture
1. Du Pont（デュポン）
2. The Dow Chemical Company （ダウ・ケミカル）
3. BASF（BASFジャパン）
Electrical and Heavy Industrial Manufacture
1. GE（GEジャパン）
2. ABB（ABBジャパン）
3. Hewlett Packard Enterprise（日本ヒューレット・パッカード）
Pharmaceutical Manufacturer
1. Johnson & Johnson（ジョンソン・エンド・ジョンソン）
2. Pfizer（ファイザー）
3. AstraZeneca（アストラゼネカ）
These companies above are not only popular in Japan but also they are the leading companies in the manufacturing industry in the world.
How Many New-Graduates Do the Foreign-Based Manufacturing Companies Hire in Japan?
It is essential to be aware of the number of employees, the company you are interested in hires each year. Now, let’s take a look at the numbers of new-graduates that were hired at some of the companies from the list above. The number of employees to be hired in 2020 is also on the table below.
*P&G is starting to hire new-graduates in 2020
As you can tell from the numbers above, foreign-based manufacturing companies are actively offering jobs for new-graduates in Japan.
Where to Find Job Hunting Information about Foreign-Based Manufacturing Companies in Japan?
In fact, there is less information such as internship and selection schedules for foreign-based manufacturing companies in Japan compared to Japanese domestic manufacturing companies. Participating in Tokyo Career Forum is a good idea to gather information about foreign-based manufacturing companies. Here is the list of the foreign-based manufacturing companies that participated in Tokyo Career Forum in 2018-2019.
CFN (Career Forum Net) holds this event every summer and winter in Tokyo and only summer in Osaka. To learn more about how to ace a career forum, click here for another JPort article. Also, if you want to know about useful apps for job hunting in Japan, click here for a JPort article about it.
Average Salary Difference between Japanese Manufacturing Companies and Foreign-Based Manufacturing Companies
Now, let’s take a look at salary differences between top Japanese manufacturing companies and foreign-based manufacturing companies that are hiring new graduates in Japan. Consumable Manufacture (消費財メーカー）
- Consumable Manufacture (消費財メーカー）
- Electrical and Heavy Industrial Manufacture (電機・重工メーカー）
- Pharmaceutical Manufacture (製薬メーカー)
Of course, it is essential not to choose the companies you apply for only based on salaries; however, it is one of the important factors when you choose where to start your career. The information above should give you a good sense of difference in salary between Japanese manufacturing companies and foreign-based manufacturing companies.
What are the Applicable Occupations in the Foreign-Based Manufacturing Industry?
One of the most significant differences between Japanese manufacturing companies and foreign-based manufacturing companies is that foreign-based manufacturing companies offer recruitment for new-graduates by occupation. Here is the list of occupations at foreign-based manufacturing companies.
- Marketing（マーケティング）
- Sales（営業）
- Finance（ファイナンス）
- R&D（Research and Development)（研究開発）
- Supply Chain（物流管理）
- Human Resources（人事）
Unlike most of the Japanese manufacturing companies, you can apply specifically for the occupation you want to work at. It is a strong point of foreign-based manufacturing companies because you can only apply for a regular position (総合職), and once you are accepted, the company assigns you to occupation at most of the Japanese companies. However, you will not need to worry about not being assigned to your first choice of occupation because of this system.
Selection Process for Foreign-Based Manufacturing Company in Japan
In closing, let’s take a look at the selection processes for some of the foreign-based manufacturing companies in Japan.
Of course, there are some differences in the selection process for each company, however, the schedule for foreign-based manufacturing companies in Japan normally looks like this:
*GD: Group Discussion ES: Entry Sheet
Now, let’s take a look at two examples of selection process:
These two companies have a slight difference in the selection process, however, it can be said that generally, foreign-based manufacturing companies have similar selection processes like the two examples above.
Word of Advice:
When the manufacturing industry is one of the top choices on your job hunting list in Japan, Japanese manufacturing companies are not only the choices you have but also the foreign-based manufacturing companies. Hopefully, this article gives you a good image of the foreign-based manufacturing companies in Japan.
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