Q. What level of Japanese language ability is required?
A.The level of Japanese language proficiency required of foreigners for work is different depending on the company, and varies from "a level at which you can prepare reports and documents," "a level at which you can communicate in business," "a level at which you can have simple daily conversations," etc., but many companies do require Japanese language proficiency. Recently, however, there are an increasing number of jobs that do not require Japanese language skills, such as IT engineers. In addition, by utilizing Japanese language study support provided by public institutions and volunteers, you can acquire Japanese language skills without spending a lot of money.
We asked 100
non-Japanese
people working in Tokyo
How proficient are you
at Japanese?
(Answers are based on the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) Levels N1–N5
(with N1 being most difficult and N5 easiest)
Level N1
Level N2
Level N3
Level N4
Level N5
What level of Japanese
do you think is
required for your job?
Ability to prepare reports and documents
Ability to interact in a business context
Ability to carry on simple daily conversations
Japanese rarely needed
Other
Are you taking steps or making
efforts to
improve your
Japanese language ability?
Service industry
Commercial company
IT & Communications
service