I have my resume on [url]gaijinpot.com[/url] and have specifically stated that I'm now back in the states and would need visa sponsorship again for me to return to Japan. I received an email from a company in Tokyo wanting to know if I was still there and if I had a working visa as they don't sponsor visas. I had applied to their accounting position over two years ago and they're just now getting around to me. I told the person who contacted me that I had to come back to the states over a year ago and would need someone to sponsor a new visa. I also said that if they can't do it then please forward my resume onto someone else who can. Besides my visa was an instructor's visa and I highly doubt I could work in an accounting position with that one. They would have had to get permission or whatever before I could work with them.
The person retaliates that I need to do her a favor and remove all contact info from the website. Umm no I don't have to do anything she says. She's not even Japanese herself and possibly German! She's just one company of many that are in Japan. I'm under the impression that there is possibly some company out there that would want me and would take the necessary steps to get me to work for them.
Do all Japanese companies bully prospective employees? I've even had one here in the states assume that if I didn't come to work for them that I'd never get a job. I laughed my butt off at that absurd email since we're in the states and I'm eligible to work for any company since I'm a US citizen. Granted I may not get to use my Japanese skills, but at least I am employable!
For anyone thinking about working in Japan, please keep in mind that you can be let go for any reason, and you should keep your options open in your home country. You should also keep your skills up to date in case you need to prove that you're still employable in your home country. I've actually had to take accounting classes and get certified in Quickbooks just to prove to American employers that I am employable and can still work.
Moving to a foreign country like Japan is very expensive and I'm not going to do it again unless I either have a Japanese husband, or some guarantee for long term employment. Once was enough for me to do on my own.