JJapan Finance

Seeking Advice on Choosing Between Finance Job in Tokyo vs. Business Development Role in US

  • June 3, 2025

Hello everyone,
I recently graduated in May 2024 and have received two job offers: one for a finance role in Tokyo and another for a business development position at an electronics engineering R&D firm in the US Bay Area.

Background:

  • Born in Japan, but raised mostly in the US; fluent in both Japanese and English.
  • Completed two internships each in the US and Japan.
  • My family plans to relocate from California to Tokyo within the next 1–2 years.
  • I also plan to work part-time remotely supporting my father’s consulting business.

Job offers:

  • Tokyo finance role: ~650万円 plus bonus, reportedly little to no overtime, aligned with my long-term career goals.
  • US business development role: $80k–95k, possibly more relaxed but less aligned with my future plans.

Considerations:

  • Initially, I favored the US job for cost-saving and proximity to family, but with their planned move to Tokyo, commuting is less feasible.
  • I hold Japanese citizenship and US permanent residency (green card), and I’m considering the implications of a re-entry permit to maintain US residency while working in Japan temporarily.
  • I have a social and extended family network in Tokyo, including a girlfriend, though I want to avoid biasing my decision.
  • The US (and especially Bay Area) job market feels challenging currently, with many peers moving away.

I’m seeking advice on:

  • Experiences working in finance in Japan, especially regarding work culture, career progression, and work-life balance.
  • Managing the challenges around visa, green card status, and long-term career planning when working across Japan and the US.
  • Insights on how to weigh staying in Japan long-term versus keeping US options open.

Any advice or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated!

by AmbitiousBoi7

6 comments

  1. Bay area as in SF?
    If so your 80-90k will make you lower middle class there, not kidding.
    Anything under 150k in SF is a struggle without some sort of family or friend support

  2. Let me summarize what I heard you say:

    Japan: aligned with your long-term career goals, reportedly little overtime, family in 1-2 years, extended family, social network, girlfriend, citizenship convenience.

    U.S.: not aligned with your long-term career goals, challenging job market, no social network, no family after 1-2 years, peers moving away.

    The salary of the U.S. job is higher, but presumably the cost of living is also higher.

    In summary, I only heard positive things about Japan and negative things about the U.S. in your opinion. Am I wrong?

  3. Is the Tokyo role with a Japanese company or US / international company? 外資系 vs 日本企業 will likely be quite different in company culture / employee development

    I’ve worked in the Tokyo office of a US company in Finance for the last 10+ years, but have interviewed at Japanese companies here and there. This is only my personal impression, but I would not work at a Japanese company (my coworkers also say I would suffocate haha). Since you have spent most of your life in the US, you may want to keep cultural fit in mind.

  4. It would be nearly impossible to keep your GC with a full time job in Japan. You would be hard pressed to meet residency requirements without remote work.

    Also, I’ve never heard of a finance job with no overtime anywhere in the world. But if that’s your field I’m sure you’re already aware of the demands of the job so I don’t preach.

  5. You’ll probably get slightly biased answers here since I’m guessing most of us have zero desire to leave Japan, especially for the US.

    If the Japan job is with a big famous company/firm then you will be on an elite career path more or less guaranteed. Work life balance is hugely variable but if you’re going into corporate back office then their claim of no overtime could be true. I’m in an adjacent field (risk/compliance legal) but my friends in FP&A, internal audit etc. work very reasonable hours.

    It sounds like you have your dad’s company as a fall back anyway so probably just pick where you want to live lol.

  6. I think the key is to look 5 to 10 yrs ahead and see where u want/will to be. Tax is very heavy in Japan for mid to higher income. Not so for US.

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