Anyone who worked as a New Grad in Accenture Japan?

Hi everyone,

I’m currently studying at a Japanese university (non-business, non-engineering major — honestly pretty unrelated to consulting). I’ve been told by my career counselor that in Japan, your major doesn’t matter that much for new grad hiring because companies train you from scratch.

However, I’ve also heard from a senpai working at Accenture that for Business Consulting / Strategy Consulting departments, it’s better (or almost necessary?) to come from a relevant background like business, economics, engineering, etc. So now I’m confused.

Some context:

• My Japanese level is around N3. I can function, but I’m not very confident, especially in fast or formal discussions.
• I’ve been job hunting and already received a naitei from a company in my relevant field.
• I have less than a year before graduation.
• Applications for consulting close this March.

I’m wondering:

1. Is it actually unrealistic to apply to consulting (especially business/strategy) with an unrelated major in Japan?
2. How big of a disadvantage is N3-level Japanese for consulting interviews?
3. Am I too late to seriously prepare for web tests and case interviews if the deadline is in March?
4. If I already have a naitei in my field, is it risky to try pivoting into consulting at this stage?

I’m genuinely interested in trying consulting, but I don’t have a strong business academic background and I’ve never done case interviews before. I’m not sure if this is something I can realistically prepare for in time, or if I’m underestimating how competitive it is.