MMoving to Japan

Planning a Move to Tokyo in 2026 – Should I Get a Second Passport for Japan?

  • March 26, 2025

Hi everyone,

I’ve been wanting to live in Tokyo for at least two years, and I think now is the perfect time — I’m young, don’t have many belongings, and want to experience life abroad before settling down. I had the chance to live in Japan for six months before, which gave me a good start in Japanese (though I’m still faaar from fluent). Now, I’m seriously considering making the move in spring 2026, but I’m not sure how realistic my plan is. I'm M26 and from Switzerland.

My Background:

  • Education: Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering (BSc).
  • Work Experience: 1 year full-time + 4 years of apprenticeship (total ~5 years in EE-related work).
  • Japanese Skills: Around JLPT N4 level (I'll do the test at the end of this year).
  • Visa Situation: My home country doesn’t have a Working Holiday Visa (WHV) agreement with Japan, but I might be able to get a passport from my mother’s country, which does. If a WHV would make things significantly easier, I could go that route. But at the moment I think securing a normal work visa with employer sponsorship is the way.

Goal:

Find a job in Tokyo in spring 2026 within my field (embedded systems, electrical engineering, or related). Since my Japanese isn’t fluent, I’m looking for roles that are English-friendly, but I’m committed to improving my language skills.

Biggest Questions / Concerns:

  1. Job Prospects with My Japanese Level:
    • Are there English-speaking engineering roles in Tokyo for someone with my background, or is N2/N1 basically mandatory?
    • Would having a WHV (if I can get one) make job hunting that much easier, or should I focus on direct work visa sponsorship?
  2. Timing & Process:
    • When should I start applying for jobs?
    • How long should I expect the job hunting to take?
    • What place would you recommend me for searching job? So far I've looked into Pasona, Tokyodev and LinkedIn.
  3. Salary Expectations:
    • I was thinking around ¥6M per year. Is this realistic for my experience level, or am I aiming too high?

Have I forgotten to take anything into consideration?

Maybe weird, but here’s my LinkedIn if it helps give a better picture.

Thank you for your comments!

by Moggla

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