Where cultural heritage meets technology
and is elevated into an overwhelming experience.

Can new graduates apply for mid-career openings? Can I apply for several positions at once?

Yes to both. Mid-career hiring has no age or career-history requirements, so new graduates are welcome to apply. New graduate hiring and mid-career hiring follow separate selection processes, so please apply to whichever suits your situation. Even if you cannot join before graduating, we will take your aptitude into consideration. If you are applying for several positions at the same time, please note this in the applicant's notes section of your documents and in your application email.

I am a foreign national living outside Japan. Can I apply, and will you support my visa (status of residence) application?

Yes, you can apply. If we hire you as a COMPANY MEMBER (full-time employee) or PROJECT MEMBER (contract employee), we will support you in obtaining a status of residence that allows you to work in Japan. For applicants living outside Japan, the process is as follows.
1. Selection: After document screening, you can take your interviews online. All interviews are conducted in Japanese.
2. Offer and employment contract: After you accept our offer, we will sign an employment contract and ask you to submit the documents required for the application (such as a copy of your passport, an ID photo, your graduation certificate, your résumé, and proof of your Japanese ability).
3. Certificate of Eligibility (COE): We will apply for your COE at the Regional Immigration Services Bureau (there is no application fee). The review usually takes one to three months.
4. Receiving the COE: Once your COE is issued, we will send it to you by email.
5. Visa application: Apply for a visa at the Japanese embassy or consulate in your country or region, presenting your COE. With a COE, the visa review usually takes about five business days.
6. Entering Japan: Please enter Japan within three months of the date your COE was issued. At major airports, your residence card is issued when you enter Japan.
7. After arrival: Within 14 days of settling on your place of residence, register your address at your local municipal office. We will also help you find housing (recommended areas and properties, and introductions to real estate agents).
You can use the relocation allowance (JPY 200,000) for the costs of moving to Japan, such as your flight and the initial costs of renting a home. Please note that the status of residence is granted by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan after a review that considers factors such as how your education and work history relate to the job, so depending on your background and the position, it may not be granted. We will adjust your start date to the timing of the permission.
ASSOCIATE MEMBER (part-time staff) and INTERN MEMBER (intern) positions are open only to applicants who are already permitted to work in Japan (including those with permission to engage in activities other than those permitted under their status of residence).

How much Japanese do I need?

All work at HITOHATA, from communication inside and outside the company to writing proposals and descriptions, is done in Japanese. For applicants whose native language is not Japanese, we therefore require Japanese ability equivalent to N2 or above on the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT): roughly, being able to read and understand newspaper articles and work documents and follow the main points of conversations at close to natural speed. All interviews are conducted in Japanese, and we assess your Japanese ability during them.
If you live outside Japan and need to obtain a status of residence, the immigration review may require proof of your Japanese ability, so please submit a document certifying that you have passed JLPT N2 or higher, or a score report showing 400 points or more on the BJT Business Japanese Proficiency Test. If you have not yet obtained one, please let us know when you plan to take the test (the JLPT is held every July and December, and only once a year in some cities outside Japan).
After joining, we ask you to keep studying with the goal of reaching N1-equivalent Japanese: understanding logically complex writing and specialized content, and natural-speed conversation in a wide range of situations. This is because many tasks, such as explaining works to visitors and partners and writing proposals and descriptions, require more advanced Japanese.