Job interviews in Japan for foreigners: what employers may ask and what to show

A job interview in Japan is meant to test your aptitude and ability (適性・能力) for the job, and nothing else. The labor ministry (厚生労働省) tells employers not to probe your family, birthplace, religion or politics. If you are a foreign resident, your residence status is checked during selection, and the employer confirms your residence card (在留カード) after the job offer. Once you accept, wages and hours must be stated in writing. All as of October 2026.

This guide covers the official rules. It does not cover dress, bowing or typical questions, because we found no official source for them.

What should an employer not ask in a Japanese job interview?

The ministry’s “fair recruitment” guidance (公正な採用選考) says selection should respect your basic human rights and use criteria based on aptitude and ability. Knowing unrelated facts can affect a decision even when the employer doesn’t mean it to, so the guidance says not to collect them on forms or in interviews.

It also says employers should not exclude people for origin, disability, serious illness or sexual minority status. This is guidance for employers, not a list of offenses, so you may still meet these questions. You can decide how much to answer.

Can they ask about my nationality or visa?

Visa status: yes, in a limited way. The ministry’s Q&A says residence status should be confirmed orally or in writing during selection. It says asking applicants to show a residence card or special permanent resident certificate at that stage is not desirable, because the card shows details unrelated to aptitude. The employer then confirms you can work, using the card, after the job offer (採用内定).

Employers also have a duty here. The ministry’s guideline for foreign workers says they should confirm in advance that your residence status allows the work, and must not hire people who aren’t permitted to do it.

Nationality: it depends. The Q&A says capturing nationality may lead to discrimination, but is not necessarily improper where there is an individual, reasonable and necessary professional reason. After you’re hired, the Labor Standards Act (労働基準法), Article 3, bars unequal wages, hours or conditions because of nationality.

So be ready to say three things clearly: your status of residence, its expiry date, and whether it allows the job. Whether it does is a real question for work visas. See the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa, and changing jobs on a work visa. If you are a graduate still searching, see the job-hunting visa guide.

What about my résumé?

Outside new graduates, the ministry recommends its own résumé template (厚生労働省履歴書様式例). Employers that design their own form or online entry sheet are told to leave out items unrelated to aptitude. The ministry also advises employers to set interview questions and scoring criteria beforehand.

What happens after the job offer?

Under Article 15 of the Labor Standards Act, the employer must state wages, working hours and other conditions when the contract is made. If the stated conditions differ from the facts, you may cancel the contract immediately. If you moved home for the job and return within 14 days of cancelling, the employer must pay necessary travel costs.

The ministry’s guideline also says the document should be in a form you can understand, and that employers should not hold your passport. For benchmarks to check an offer against, see salary negotiation in Japan and the minimum wage guide.

If a job goes wrong later, see labor rights for foreign workers and quitting a job in Japan.