How to immigrate and work in Japan as a sales director? 

Have work experience

Sales and management is a field that requires work experience more than any other one. But of course, every type of job requires work experience.

But you have to hold work experience as a sales director or a related position in your resume. There are two reasons why you need work experience. The first one is that you need a job offer from a Japanese employer to immigrate to Japan as a sales director. You have to persuade him/her to get the offer. They evaluate several factors and consider you as a whole, and decide whether to hire or not. Work experience is one of the items that will stand out and separates your resume from others.

The second reason is that the Japanese authorities want to issue the work visa, and need to ensure that your purpose of the visit is genuine. The work experience fills the gaps in your resume and proves you just want to work in the country.

Job offer from a Japanese employer/company

One of the essential requirements is to have a job offer from a Japanese employer/company. It’s the cornerstone of your application, and there is no other way to skip this part. In case you do not manage to get a job offer, you will not be able to move to Japan.

The below section explains the ways to get a job offer in Japan. You can use one or all of them to find a job offer.

The Japanese employer must receive the Certificate of Eligibility, so you can work in the country as a foreign person.

Certificate of Eligibility (COE)

After you find an employer who wants to hire you and needs your skill, he/she must apply for a Certificate of Eligibility. It’s permission to work as a foreign person in Japan. Without the issuance of the Certificate of Eligibility, you may not work in Japan.

It’s the Japanese employer’s task to apply for and receive the Certificate of Eligibility. You, as the employee or sales director, cannot apply for it.

There are some supporting documents that you, as the sales director, must send to the employer so he/she can apply for them. One of the requirements is an employment contract. Both sides have to sign it and explain the whole terms of employment.

Clean record certificate

You are likely to submit a clean record certificate in your COE and work visa application. It’s to ensure that you have obeyed the national law of your home country and are no threat to the public.

If you cannot submit a clean record certificate, your application gets complicated. It’s unlikely that it will get approved.

Have a valid passport

It’s inevitable that you must leave your country and move to Japan. You must have a passport, and it must be valid for at least 6 months to a year.

If you cannot renew your passport or even get one, there is no work visa.

Related educational documents

This is NOT one of the essentials, but the employer might ask you to have educational documents. You can fill this gap with related work experience or other certificates.

For instance, you can enroll in online courses like Udemy and get certificates. It will improve the chance of getting a job offer.

Japan visa options for immigrant sales directors

You might need these visa options in the process.

Japan work visa 

Every foreign person who wants to work in Japan needs a work visa. The first step is to find an employer who needs your skills. He/she applies for a work permit and then you can apply for a visa to enter Japan.

Japan student visa

If you want to study for an academic degree in Japan, you need a student visa. Every foreign person who wants to study in Japan needs a student visa. You must get admission to a Japanese university and then apply for a student visa.

Japan tourist visa

In the recognition process, you might have to visit Japan. If you are not among the visa-waived countries, you need a tourist visa to enter the country and complete the step.

Japan training visa for immigrant sales directors

Do you want to get work experience in Japan and get training? Japan training visa permits you to do it.

It permits you to work like an employee in the country and get work experience. The point is that if the Japanese company is satisfied with the quality of your work, they might be willing to hire you. This is an opportunity, and you would better consider it.

This is true if you do not manage to get a job offer as a sales director.

Even if the Japanese company that you get training with does not want to hire you, it’s still a good opportunity. You will get work experience in Japan, get fluent in the language, and get familiar with people in the country. It will be a remarkable point in your resume and improve the possibility of getting a job offer in the future.

Sales directors’ salaries in Japan.

Your salary as a sales director in Japan is up to various factors. But we can mention the average salary according to the available sources so you can get familiar with your income.

According to the Salary website. Your base salary as a sales director in japan is about ¥16,907,603 ($95.000). The salary range begins from ¥13,020,545 ($117.000) and goes up to ¥20,779,444 ($146.000).

According to Salary Expert, your average salary is about ¥18,224,201 ($131.656). The source indicates that work experience is a determining factor. A sales director with 1-3 years of work experience earns about ¥9,848,571 ($65.828), while a person with more than 8 years of work expertise gets about ¥23,344,075 ($168.227).

This is while the Salary Explorer mentions that your salary as a sales director is about 809,000 JPY per month. The salary range begins from JPY 429,000 ($3.137) and go up to JPY 1,230,000 ($8.996) per month.

Is Japan a good country to immigrate as a sales director?

A sales director has an essential position in the company. It’s the sales that bring all the income and profit to the company.

Japan is an industrialized company. Its products are one of the best quality in the world. But there is always a need for new customers and to take care of them.

It could be tough to manage the sales team and coordinate the new people. The company always needs new planning and strategy and ensure the implementation. So you can say the demand is good for sales directors.

How to immigrate to Japan as a sales director?

This section brings you the steps you have to follow to immigrate to Japan as a sales director. The below steps are to apply for and receive a general work visa.

Look for a job offer.

For the first step, you have to look for a job offer as a sales director. It’s a must to find a job or employer willing to hire you in Japan.

Why is it so necessary to find a job offer? Because the employer must apply for a Certificate of Eligibility. It’s the official authorization that a foreign person can work in Japan. It’s the employer who can apply for a Certificate of Eligibility. The employee or sales director, in this case, cannot apply for this certificate.

Are you wondering how to find a job in Japan as a sales director? These are the ways you can use to find a job in Japan;

Websites that advertise job positions in Japan.

The first way to find a job in Japan is to look for a position on websites that offer jobs in Japan. There are some of these websites in every country, and you can find a list of them here;

• Indeed
• en world
• NINJA
• Wantedly
• MyNavi
• Career Cross
• Career Engine

You have to update your resume and look for a position as a sales director on these websites.

Employment agencies.

There are various employment agencies in Japan that can help you find a job. They provide positions to foreign people as well. You have to reach them and determine if they have a position for you as a sales director or not. If you are wondering where to find these recruiters, here is a list of them;

• FAIR Inc.
• ROBERT WALTERS.
• Nippon Shigoto.
• Pasona Global
• RGF Professional Recruitment Japan
• Daijob
• Disco International Inc. (DI)

It’s your responsibility to learn about them and determine whether they can help you or not. Also, determine if you can afford the cost or their conditions to find a job for you.

You can read online reviews or watch testimonials about them to learn if they are good or not.

Visiting Japan to find a job.

Yes, you can travel to Japan to find a job in the country. If you are among the visa-waived countries, you do not need a visa. Your passport allows you to enter the country and stay for up to 90 days.

This period could be enough to send resumes for job positions and have face-to-face interviews with employers. It could raise the possibility of getting the job offer with in-person meetings.

What if you need a visa to enter Japan and you are not among the visa-waived countries?

Well, in this case, you can apply for a Japan tourist visa.

After you receive a tourist visa, you have no permission to work under it. You can just visit the country attractions or visit a friend or family member. But you can take interviews and hold meetings. After you get the job offer, you would better leave the country and then apply for a work visa.

Reach people and companies.

You can find the list of companies that need sales directors on employment agencies on the above list or by one Google search. Reach them on social media or LinkedIn and try to find out if they have a job position for you or not.

You could also reach the people working in these companies and gather information from them.

If there is an event or exhibition, you can take part in it to meet new people. You can introduce yourself to people and provide them with your resume.

Sign a contract with the Japanese employer.

Whatever way you use to find a job in Japan, you have to get it. After you persuade the employer to hire you, the two sides have to sign an employment contract. It’s one of the requirements to apply for the Certificate of Eligibility.

The contract must explain every aspect or terms of your employment. It’s your responsibility to research the contract and find out tips about it.

Read every line of the contract and determine the obligations you have to obey. You would better do it a few times and ensure every line.

Some items must be covered in the contract as well. A few items are necessary, and some are optional and depend on your conditions. These are some of the required items;

• Employment
• Position
• Compensation
• Benefits
• Probationary Period.
• Paid Time Off
• Termination
• Etc.

You can find samples of the employment contract on the internet and read to get familiar with the structure.

The employer applies for a Certificate of Eligibility.

The next stage is that the Japanese employer applies for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE). Every foreign person who wants to work in Japan needs the COE. It’s illegal to work without it in the country.

It is the employer’s responsibility to apply for the COE, and you, as the employee or sales director, cannot apply for it.

Only after the COE is issued can you apply for a Japan work visa.

Gather the visa supporting documents.

At this stage, you have to gather the work visa supporting documents. They prove that you are eligible to work as a sales director in Japan.

The Japanese authorities want to ensure that your genuine purpose for a visit is to work in the country. So they check your background, documents, and the job offer.

This is a sample list of the documents you have to gather;

• The Eligibility Certificate
• The Japan work visa application form must be completed and signed by the applicant.
• A valid passport with a copy of it
• The photo of the applicant should be 3 * 4 cm in size and should be on a white background. It must have been taken in the last three months. The applicant’s face in the photo must be completely visible.
• Details of the job position, company name, salary, and length of work must be provided.
• Previous academic and work experiences
• Documents related to the company, including company registration, profit, and loss statement
• Artists must show documents that confirm their achievements.
• Religious workers must provide details of their religious organization. Documents related to your religious position must also be provided.
• Researchers must provide academic evidence.
• Researchers, instructors, and teachers must also provide their academic evidence and professional qualifications.

But, you’d better visit the work visa article on the menu of our website to learn more about the work visa requirements.

The other essential point to remember is that the Japanese embassy or consulate might ask for further supporting documents. You have to prepare yourself to submit whatever they require.

After you are done collecting the documents, find the nearest Japanese embassy or consulate responsible for visa processing in your home country. Then schedule a meeting with them.

Submit the documents to the Japanese embassy.

Visit the Japanese embassy on the scheduled date and bring all the supporting documents. Submit the documents and answer their questions.

You have to follow their instructions and complete the procedures. Also, you might have to submit your biometrics, digital photo, and fingerprint.

After you are done with the embassy, you have to wait for processing time. It’s different for each applicant and depends on the embassy’s workload.

When your visa is ready, the embassy informs you to pick it up. Now you can move to Japan and begin working as a sales director.

Japan highly-skilled professional visa for immigrant sales directors

If you want to immigrate to Japan as a sales director, there is another visa option besides the general work visa; a highly-skilled professional visa.

As the name suggests, this visa is for highly skilled people whose skills are in-demand in Japan. The Japanese government has introduced this platform to bring highly skilled people to the country. They want to answer the lack of skilled people and improve the skills of locals by bringing in skilled foreign workers.

Who is eligible for a highly-skilled professional visa?

The highly-skilled professional visa has so many benefits. But there are eligibility principles with this program as well. It’s a point-based system, and you have to get the required points to become eligible;

• Academic background
• Years of professional experience
• Annual salary
• Certifications
• Japanese language ability

There are 3 categories with the highly-skilled professional visa. If you want to work as a sales director, you are likely to fall under the third category;

Category 3

You can undertake advanced business management activities. For instance, you can take responsibility for the operation or management of a public or private organization.

You might want to know about the first and second categories for your information. You might fall into one of them.

Category 1.

The applicants who fall under this group can take part in advanced academic research projects. By the contract they have with a Japanese public or private section, they can take education or help with research projects.

Category 2.

The applicants have a contract with a Japanese public or private section and can take advanced specialized or technical activities. The work they will do requires specialized knowledge or skills.

How should you apply for a highly-skilled professional visa?

The highly-skilled professional visa has two levels;

1. Highly-Skilled Foreign Professional (i)
2. Highly-Skilled Foreign Professional (ii)

If you are eligible to receive this visa, you will receive the (i) visa. After 3 years of working in Japan under a highly-skilled professional visa, and meeting the eligibility principles, you will receive the (ii) level. There are other benefits with the 9ii) level as well.

The useful feature of the highly-skilled professional visa is that you can apply for it from inside or outside of Japan. If you are inside the country under a tourist visa or a visa waiver program and meet the eligibility principles, then you can apply for this program.

Follow these steps to apply for and receive a highly-skilled professional visa;

Step 1. Determine if you are eligible or not. 

Japanese authorities are strict about eligibility principles. But if you are qualified, you can apply for it easily. Before anything else, determine if you are qualified for a Highly-Skilled Foreign Professional to save time and effort.

Step 2. Like a general work visa, you have to look for a job offer with a Japanese employer/company. You can use the ways we explained in the above section to find a job in Japan. 

Step 3.  Sign an employment contract. 

Like a general work visa, you need to sign an employment contract with a Japanese employer.

Step 4. The employer applies for a Certificate of Eligibility. 

The COE is needed if you want to apply for a highly skilled professional visa. It’s the employer’s responsibility to apply and receive it. So you have to find an employer willing to hire you.

Step 5. Gathering the supporting documents. 

After the COE is issued, you have to gather the supporting documents. They prove you are eligible to receive a highly skilled professional visa. This is a list of documents you have to gather;

• Your valid passport, along with copies
• Passport-size pictures. They must be 4 by 3cm, taken in the last three months, with a white background. It is crucial that you maintain a neutral facial expression and a fully visible face while staring straight ahead.
• Documents explaining your position in the company, your salary, and the duration of the work
• Proof of your academic qualifications
• Proof of previous professional background
• You’ll need your current Residence Card and proof of previous Tax Payments. If you are applying for a “Change of Status of Residence”:
  • Documents related to the organization hiring you, such as company registration, statement of profit and loss, etc.
  • And any additional documents supporting your application.

Step 6. Submit documents to the officials. 

If you are in your home country, you have to submit the documents to the Japanese embassy/consulate in your home country. If you are in Japan, you have to submit them to the immigration officials.

Then they evaluate your application and issue a visa for you; then, you can begin working in Japan as a sales director.

Let’s sum up…

You learned how to immigrate to Japan as a sales director through this Visa Library page. The article brought you the list of requirements and explained the procedure you have to follow. The entire process is covered in detail, and you know what to do.

If you have questions, write them in the comment section. The Visa Library team will answer them.

Also, you can find out more about Japan visa types on the menu of the Visa Library or on our YouTube channel.

Frequently asked questions about immigration to to Iapan as a sales director?

What is the first step to immigrating to Japan as a sales director?

You need a job offer from an employer.

Do I need Japanese language proficiency?

English is common, but this requirement is with the employer.

Do I need a visa to work in Japan as a sales director?

Yes, you need a visa, and there are two options for you: General work visa, Highly skilled professional visa.