Bilingual Japanese/English-speaking Accounting and Finance Professionals are highly sought after in Japan, where demand for candidates with language abilities is far outstripping supply.

Japan’s candidate pool has always been small, and now the country has a rapidly ageing population. While employers are open to hiring more foreign workers, some clients require a JLPT N1 qualification, which is essentially almost native-level Japanese. At the same time, many accounting and finance roles are offered by multi-national companies headquartered outside Japan, so strong English language skills are equally important. Ultimately, a candidate’s language abilities can be the deciding factor.

It’s a real challenge for us as recruiters; we’re working from that already small pool of jobseekers who can tick the bilingual box and who also meet the employer’s other expectations around qualifications and experience.

My focus with Tardis Group is to fill finance roles within Manufacturing, Services and IT industries. We find people through various platforms, but suitable candidates can still fall through the cracks, so we love it when qualified candidates reach out to us. There are Japanese people working overseas who might be ready to return home – it’s always great to help these people, too.

For experienced employees looking for a change, Japan is a great place to work. It’s a beautiful, clean country, and the compensation packages are good. Japan is supportive of expatriates - usually helping them with accommodation, childcare benefits and nursery support. There is so much rich culture and tradition to experience when you immerse yourself in life here.

Due to the competition for good people, most of the roles I’m filling tend to be replacement positions, from Accountant to Head of Finance/CFO level. It certainly helps to be board-certified, to have a stable CV, and there is a tendency in Japan towards hiring professionals in the earlier stages of their careers.

I’m seeing companies increasingly introducing more advanced technology into their finance operations, and so candidates who have strong IT experience do have an advantage.

In my role with Tardis Group, I get to meet people from so many varied backgrounds. It’s certainly satisfying to help candidates achieve the roles and opportunities they’ve been striving to attain.

Twinkle Tabas is Tardis Group’s Specialist Accounting and Finance Consultant in Japan. She has worked in recruitment since 2016, prior to which she worked in banking and completed a Bachelor of Science in Commerce at Saint Louis University in the Philippines.

If you are looking for a new challenge and would be open to a confidential discussion about your career progression, please do not hesitate to contact Twinkle Tabas directly on twinkle.tabas@tardis-group.com / Mob: +81 70 3995 7384.