ICT in Japan related FAQ

Background

I have been working in ICT field in Japan for quite a period now. People generally show their interest on this field as well as Japan. I would like to thank those people as it motivated me to write about this subject of interest. The purpose of this blog is to address the questions related to this subject.

About ICT of Japan

The term ICT here is used for Information and Communication Technology also commonly known as IT. Japan has big market on this sector. ICT has many fields inside it like web related, software related, android app, iPhone app, AI, Data-science etc. Recently, most commonly found jobs on the market of Japan are Web related applications, android app, iPhone app. Apart from those, many companies are focusing on RPA, AWS, DeepLearning etc. Taking certifications of these proves to the company and it is highly valued in Japan. Blockchain is another keyword. The origin of this technology is said to be in Japan. The technology is widely used on Cryptocurrency and it is now evolving and finding new uses to it. AI is another keyword, but this is still considered as high skills. So, maybe in the higher level there might be jobs related to this, but this is not yet commonly available jobs in Japan.

What is the salary in ICT field in Japan?

Usually initial salary for Freshers in Japan ranges from 180,000 yen to 220,000 yen per month including tax. Most of the company has yearly increase in payment while some has two times increase in salary in a year. Bonus is payed usually twice a year, but it also depends on the company.

For experienced ones, depending upon the skill and experience of person (also depends upon the bargaining skills sometime) it goes up. For example, 600,000 yen per month and above.

What are the things that helps Students after their graduation/post-graduation in Nepal?

Having higher education always helps. But I recommend students in Nepal to join university/school in Japan for smooth job hunting. It is quite easier for a person who has attended university/school in Japan to get jobs. This is simply because Japanese companies gives more priority to Japanese institutions. In most of the cases, the companies itself visits the educational institutions to look for the brighter students. Some hires even when the student haven’t completed their studies, if the student prove themselves to be an asset.

However due to many reasons, if a Nepalese student directly wants to start working in Japan after completing their studies in Nepal, they should consider learning Japanese language first. Japan holds Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) every year. Most of the company looks for N2 (proficiency level of JLPT) and above. Apart from that, certifications are helpful if one is looking for job in Japan.

What are the Certifications that Japanese companies look for in ICT sector?

Certification are highly valued in Japan when searching jobs in ICT sectors. Depending upon the company, they pay extra amount as well as all the amount invested during acquisition is payed back if certification is acquired while working in that company. If the certification is already acquired before joining the company, the initial salary will be set on that amount. Therefore, no extra money will be paid later. This might seem a little unfair but this is how it is.

The certification that are highly valued in Japan in the field of ICT are as follows:

• Fundamental Information Technology Engineer Examination
• Applied Information Technology Engineer Examination
• Information Technology Strategist Examination
• Systems Architect Examination
• Project Manager Examination
• Network Specialist Examination
• Database Specialist Examination
• Embedded Systems Specialist Examination
• Information Technology Service Manager Examination
• Systems Auditor Examination

The above certifications are IPA (Information-technology Promotion Agency, Japan) based certification and most probably only attended in Japan but these certificates are highly valued by Japanese company and if a person acquires the above certifications, they are almost guaranteed to get good jobs in Japan.

The other vendor-based certificates that can be thought of are:

• LPIC (Linux Professional Institute Certification)
• Oracle Database
• Oracle Certified Professional, Java SE 8 Programmer
• Microsoft certified certifications
• Amazon certified certifications etc.

But since these certifications are certain skill specific and they cover narrow but deeper knowledge of certain fields in ICT, the job opportunities are narrowed down to only those companies where there is vacancy for such skill specific jobs. Nevertheless, it is always good to have certifications in addition to College certificates. Only having Nepalese college certificates might not be much attractive to Japanese companies. It is simply because companies here are not familiar with the education system of Nepal.

Most importantly, I would like to recommend the person whoever is coming to Japan to go for TOIEC organized by IIBC (The Institute for International Business Communication) before/after coming to Japan. Japan prioritizes English language for its international business however, the people here use Japanese language in their day to day communication. As a result, English speaking people are rarely available. If anyone who can communicate smoothly in both Japanese and English are highly valued by the international companies of Japan.

Is it possible to outsource ICT related projects from Japan to Nepal?

Yes, it is. As Japan is saying that it needs many ICT engineers which is absolutely not enough with its own country’s population. Therefore, the recent trend has following two patterns:

Outsource to foreign countries

Japan has already been doing this. But the outsource destination was The Philippines, Vietnam, China etc. Recently Japan is including Nepal as one of the outsource destination due to its low labor cost and skilled manpower. However, as there is language barrier the number is quite low.

Hire skilled manpower

It is now child’s knowledge that Japan is considering bringing skilled manpower from abroad. That includes ICT engineers. So, this is the chances for whoever wants to work in Japan, though they might have to think of sharpening their language skills first before coming to Japan.

In the End

This sums up to the queries that I had received in the last few days. If anyone has further queries, please feel free to contact me. I will be more than happy to guide you on this subject.

In the next blog, I will write on ways to request visa in Japan. Please be updated.