I’d like to work in the chip industry in Japan; could you please give me some advice?

Hello everyone,

I am 30 years old, from China, with a master's degree from a 211 university, and 5 years of work experience in US-based companies focusing on chip design verification. I currently hold an N2 level in Japanese. Recently, I have been exploring job opportunities in Japan. I have a few questions and would appreciate any guidance from those with experience:

1. My main concern is not having a Japanese degree. Is it possible that companies will not hire me because of this, even if I have solid work experience and good Japanese/English speaking skills?
2. I am aiming for the Permanent Residency (PR) highly skilled professional (HSP) visa. Are semiconductor/chip companies recognized as "innovative high-tech enterprises" for the purpose of the HSP points calculation?
3. Regarding the points for published papers (for the HSP visa), my current papers are only indexed in the JST (Japan Science and Technology Agency) database. Is the JST database accepted and recognized in Japan for the visa application process?

Thank you all very much for your help!