MMoving to Japan

Considering Japan for Biomedical Engineering R&D Career (MedTech, Surgical Robotics, Artificial Organs) – Advice?

  • August 21, 2025

Hi everyone,

I’m from India and looking at Japan as a potential place to build a career in biomedical engineering R&D, especially in:

Medical devices

Surgical robotics

Artificial organ development

I know Japan is strong in robotics and has a growing medical technology sector, but I’d love to hear from people who’ve lived or worked there about what it’s really like.

A few things about me:

I’m ready to learn Japanese (and actually looking forward to it).

I don’t have any dietary restrictions (I eat all kinds of meat, so food won’t be a problem).

I’m open to both graduate studies and direct industry roles in Japan.

My main questions are:

  1. Work environment for foreigners – How welcoming are Japanese research labs and MedTech companies to international engineers?

  2. Visa & career pathway – Is it easier to come via a graduate program (like a master’s/PhD) or to apply directly for industry R&D jobs?

  3. Long-term prospects – How realistic is it to settle in Japan as a foreigner in a highly specialized field like biomedical engineering?

  4. Day-to-day life – Beyond work, how do foreign professionals adapt socially and culturally (any common challenges)?

If anyone has firsthand experience (or knows someone working in biomedical engineering/MedTech in Japan), I’d really appreciate your insights.

Thanks so much!

by Meinov