Japanese Interview Questions and Answers: What Companies Ask Foreigners Who Use Japanese at Work
The standard Japanese interview questions are well documented: introduce yourself, why this company, why you left the last one. You will get those, and we cover them below. But if you are a foreigner interviewing in Japanese for a mid-career role, you will also get a second set of questions that Japanese candidates never hear, about your Japanese, your residence status, and how long you plan to stay. Those are the ones that decide the interview, and they are the ones this guide spends the most time on.
This guide is for people already in Japan who use Japanese at work and are interviewing for their next job. If you are preparing documents first, our rirekisho and career history sheet guide comes before this one.
Most companies run two or three rounds. The first is with HR or the hiring manager, the second with a department head, and the final round with a director or executive. Each round is typically 30 to 60 minutes, and the questions follow a fairly fixed order: self-introduction, career history, reason for leaving, reason for applying, then questions about the role itself, and finally your questions for them.
Two things about answer length. First, keep most answers to 30 seconds to a minute. The interviewer will ask a follow-up if they want more, and a long first answer in a second language gives them more to probe. Second, Japanese explanations tend to build up background before the conclusion. That is natural in conversation, but in an interview it can sound like you are avoiding the question. Our recommendation is to put the conclusion in the first sentence, then give the background. "I left because I wanted to move into planning. Here is what led to that." It sounds slightly more direct than a Japanese candidate might be, and that is fine.
These are the questions you will almost certainly be asked. The right column is what the interviewer is actually listening for.
Question in Japanese
In English
What they are checking
自己紹介をお願いします
Please introduce yourself
Can you summarize yourself in a minute, in clear Japanese
これまでの職務経歴を教えてください
Tell us about your career so far
Whether your experience matches the posting
転職を考えた理由は何ですか
Why are you looking to change jobs
Whether you will leave them for the same reason
志望動機を教えてください
Why do you want to work here
Whether you researched them, and whether the role fits your plan
長所と短所を教えてください
Your strengths and weaknesses
Self-awareness, and whether the weakness matters for this job
5年後はどうなっていたいですか
Where do you want to be in five years
Whether your plan can happen inside their company
何か質問はありますか
Do you have any questions
Whether you are serious about the role
Two of these deserve a worked example.
Self-introduction. One minute, four pieces: name, where you are from and when you came to Japan, what you do now, and what you do in Japanese day to day. The last piece is the one Japanese candidates skip, and the one your interviewer is waiting for.
My name is Alex Smith. I am from Canada and came to Japan in 2021. I currently work in customer success at a SaaS company in Tokyo, handling corporate clients. I prepare proposals and run client meetings entirely in Japanese. Thank you for your time today.
Reason for leaving. Never a complaint about the current employer, even a fair one. State what you want next, and connect it to the company in front of you.
In my current role I have supported corporate sales for three years, from proposals through to post-contract support. I now want to be involved further upstream, in planning, and I applied because I believe that experience would be useful in your new business.
A small language point: the company you are speaking to is 御社 when you say it and 貴社 when you write it. Mixing them up is one of the most common slips we hear from non-native candidates.
These rarely appear in Japanese-language interview guides, because Japanese candidates are not asked them. Prepare them as carefully as the seven above.
日本語はどのくらいできますか (How good is your Japanese?)
Do not answer with a test score. The interviewer has your resume and has already heard you speak for ten minutes. What they want to know is which tasks you have done in Japanese, because that tells them what they can hand you in week one. Our guide to business-level Japanese explains how postings define the level; in the interview, answer with the tasks.
In my current job I take a few client calls a week. The phrasing was hard at first, but I now handle them without checking with colleagues.
日本にはどのくらいいる予定ですか (How long do you plan to stay in Japan?)
Behind this question is a real cost: the company will invest in training you, and a departure after two years hurts. Answer with concrete plans rather than a promise. Plans sound true; promises sound rehearsed.
I intend to work in Japan long term. My current status is due for renewal next year, and I am considering applying for permanent residence in the future.
なぜ日本で働いているのですか (Why do you work in Japan?)
Keep this one short and specific. One sentence about what brought you here and one about why you stayed is enough. A long story about Japanese culture takes time away from questions that move you forward.
Questions about your residence status are not a sign of suspicion. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare asks employers to confirm that a foreign hire is permitted to work before hiring, and every employer must report a foreign national's hiring and departure to Hello Work. So expect to be asked which status you hold, when it expires, and whether the new role falls within it, usually by HR in the first round.
Have the answers ready as facts: the status name as it appears on your residence card, the expiry date, and whether you have a 資格外活動許可 if relevant. Bring your residence card; mid- to long-term residents are required to carry it anyway. If you hold a status with no work restrictions, such as permanent resident or spouse of a Japanese national, say so early, because it removes a whole category of questions.
If you are changing jobs to a different kind of work, there is one document worth knowing about. A 就労資格証明書 (Certificate of Authorized Employment) from the Immigration Services Agency states that your current status covers the activities of your new job. It is optional, costs 2,000 yen (1,600 yen online), and when the workplace has changed, processing typically takes one to three months. Some employers ask for it; most do not. If the new job clearly falls outside your current status, you will need a change of status instead, and that is a question for Immigration, not for the interview.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare publishes guidelines on fair hiring that ask employers not to collect information unrelated to a candidate's aptitude and ability. The list includes your registered domicile and birthplace, your family's occupations, income, health or assets, your housing situation, religion, political support, personal philosophy, people you respect, union activity, and the newspapers and magazines you read. The guidelines also discourage background checks and medical examinations that are not objectively necessary for the job.
These are guidelines, not a ban, and in a small company the interviewer may simply be making conversation. You do not need to object. The better move is to answer the concern underneath the question and leave the rest. If asked about your family, for example, the concern is usually availability:
家族のことはプライベートなことなので詳しくは控えますが、勤務時間や出張については問題ありません。
I would rather not go into family details, but working hours and business travel are not a problem for me.
That answers what they needed to know and moves on. If a company keeps pressing on topics from that list, that is information about the company.
Bring printed copies of your rirekisho and career history sheet even if you submitted them online, your residence card, a pen, and a printout of the posting. Interviewers sometimes ask about a line in the posting, and having it in front of you is better than remembering it.
On dress, the industry decides. A dark suit is still the default for client-facing roles and traditional companies. Tech companies and foreign-affiliated firms are more relaxed, but relaxed means a collared shirt, not a hoodie. When the invitation does not say, ask HR directly: 服装の指定はありますか. It is a normal question and nobody will think less of you for asking.
For online interviews, set your display name to the name on your resume, in the same script, so the interviewer can match you to the documents. Join five minutes early, keep the camera at eye level, and open with 本日はよろしくお願いいたします once everyone is on. At the end, say ありがとうございました。失礼いたします and let the interviewer leave the call first. If you miss a question because of audio, say so immediately rather than guessing: 恐れ入ります、音声が途切れたのでもう一度お願いできますか.
A thank-you email is not expected in Japan the way it is in the United States, and not sending one will not count against you. If you send one, send it the same day, keep it to five lines, and do not restate your pitch. Subject line: 面接のお礼（氏名）.
Ask first: 英語で説明してもよろしいでしょうか. If the role needs Japanese, one switch is forgivable and several are not. Better than switching is asking for a repeat: もう一度お願いできますか costs you nothing, and guessing at a question you did not understand costs you the answer.
How do I find out how much Japanese the job really needs?
Use your question time. Ask what share of meetings and documents are in Japanese, and who the Japanese-speaking counterparts are: 日本語を使う業務はどのくらいの割合ですか. The answer tells you more than the level written in the posting.
Who do I look at when there are three interviewers?
Answer the person who asked, then include the others with a glance before you finish. The most senior person usually speaks least and watches most.
Want jobs that need your Japanese, every other week? Subscribe to immit jobs. Each posting is written up in English, with the Japanese level it actually asks for and whether visa support is offered.
This article is general information, not legal advice. For questions about your own residence status or a change of status, contact the Immigration Services Agency or a certified administrative scrivener (行政書士). Interview practices vary by company and industry.
