IT Jobs in Japan for Indians: From Student to Software Engineer

Dr. Jayanthy Ramakrishnan

06/11/2026

8 min read

Japan’s IT employers hire international graduates every year, and the most common route for an Indian engineer is not a job application sent from Bengaluru. It is a degree in Japan, a job search that starts while you are still a student, and a change of status of residence once an offer arrives. This guide follows that route step by step, from the Japanese hiring calendar to the visa, the language level employers expect, and what IT jobs pay.

Every figure below comes from a Japanese government source: the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO). We read each one on 5 November 2026, and salaries are given in yen exactly as published. Several sources are in Japanese, and we link to the original each time.

How many Indians work in IT in Japan?

More than you might expect, and the share is unusually high. According to MHLW’s report on the employment of foreign workers (Japanese; figures as of the end of October 2025, released January 2026), Japan had 2,571,037 foreign workers. Of these, 31,636 were Indian nationals, and 5,680 of them worked in the information and communications industry, about 18% of all Indian workers in Japan. Across all nationalities, the same industry employed 97,924 foreign workers, under 4% of the total.

Demand for IT skills is a long-running policy concern in Japan. A 2019 study commissioned by METI (Japanese) projected a gap between IT talent supply and demand in 2030 of about 450,000 people in its middle scenario, with 790,000 in the high-demand scenario and 160,000 in the low one, assuming productivity grows 0.7% a year. These are projections under stated assumptions, not a count of open jobs, but they explain why employers recruit outside Japan.

How do international students move from study to an IT job in Japan?

International graduates who start work in Japan change their status of residence from Student to a work status. The ISA’s 2025 report on international students joining Japanese companies (Japanese, published November 2026) counts these changes:

• 40,501 students were granted a change to a work status in 2025.
• 343 of them were Indian, and 264 of those moved to Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services.
• 8.9% joined information and communications companies, second among non-manufacturing industries after retail, and 8.9% took jobs in information processing and communications technology.
• 43.2% of the employers were in Tokyo.

From the university side, JASSO’s survey of international graduates’ career paths (Japanese, published May 2026) found that 24,353 international students who graduated in the 2024 academic year took jobs in Japan, out of 62,838 whose next step was known. Among those leaving a master’s programme, 4,408 of 12,515 found work in Japan.

A degree in Japan matters for more than the visa. It gives you a university careers office, access to Japanese recruiting events, and the right to stay on and keep job-hunting after graduation. Our guide to choosing an IT university in Japan covers the study side of this route.

When does job-hunting season start in Japan?

Earlier than most Indian students expect. Japanese companies hire graduates on a shared calendar, known as shukatsu. JASSO’s Job Hunting Guide for International Students 2027 sets out the rules the government asks business groups to follow for students graduating in 2027:

The guide adds that contact between students and companies begins much earlier, often through internships, and that many companies also recruit all year round. It notes that international students tend to start job-hunting later than Japanese students. For a two-year master’s programme starting in April or September, that means preparing your applications in your first year. If you can work part-time while studying, our guide to part-time jobs in Japan explains the rules.

Which visa do IT jobs in Japan use?

For most IT roles it is Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (gijutsu, jinbun chishiki, kokusai gyomu). The ISA’s page for this status (Japanese) lists periods of stay of five years, three years, one year or three months. What matters for an IT job seeker:

• A related degree. Your degree subject should relate to the job, so a computer science or engineering degree supports a software role.
• IT exams can replace the degree, but no Indian exam is on the list. The ISA’s notice on qualifying IT exams (Japanese) accepts Japan’s national Information Technology Engineers Examinations and named exams from several Asian countries, including China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore and Bangladesh. It names no Indian exam or certification.
• When to apply. An ISA leaflet for graduating students (Japanese) asks students who will start work on 1 April to apply between 1 December and the end of January before. The same leaflet says that from 1 December 2025, some applicants, including graduates of Japanese universities, can submit fewer documents.

If you graduate without an offer, you can usually change to a Designated Activities status and keep looking. Study in Japan’s employment page gives the period as six months, with one further six-month extension, and says a second year may be possible if you meet certain requirements. You need a recommendation letter from your university (ISA, Japanese).

How much Japanese do IT employers in Japan expect?

More than many English-language job adverts suggest. The JLPT has five levels, and the Japan Foundation’s level summary describes the top three this way:

• N1: “The ability to understand Japanese used in a variety of circumstances.”
• N2: “The ability to understand Japanese used in everyday situations, and in a variety of circumstances to a certain degree.”
• N3: “The ability to understand Japanese used in everyday situations to a certain degree.”

JASSO’s 2027 job-hunting guide quotes a December 2024 survey by a private recruitment company: about 70% of companies looked for business-intermediate or higher Japanese at the job-offer stage, and about 90% after the person joined. Treat that as a guide to employer expectations, not a rule.

The visa rules use JLPT levels in two places:

• Language-based client roles. From 15 April 2026, the ISA asks some employers (categories 3 and 4) to show CEFR B2 for jobs that mainly use language with clients, such as translation, interpreting or hotel front desks. JLPT N2 or higher counts, and so does graduating from a Japanese university. A typical programming role is not one of the ISA’s examples.
• Highly Skilled Professional points. The ISA’s points table gives 15 points for JLPT N1 and 10 for N2. This status uses a points total, and Japanese is one way to reach it.

Our JLPT guide for India covers test dates and centres.

What do IT jobs in Japan pay?

The official figures come from MHLW’s 2025 Basic Survey on Wage Structure (Japanese, published March 2026). For new graduates of all subjects, scheduled monthly pay averaged ¥262,300 for a bachelor’s degree and ¥299,000 for a graduate degree.

For working IT staff, the survey’s occupation table (Japanese, companies with 10 or more employees, men and women combined) gives:

These are averages for staff in their late thirties, not starting salaries. Size of employer matters: software creators at companies with 1,000 or more employees averaged ¥418,600 a month. For graduates moving from Student status, the ISA’s 2025 report found that 47.0% were offered ¥200,000 to ¥250,000 a month, 22.3% were offered ¥250,000 to ¥300,000, and 18.7% under ¥200,000.

The visa itself sets a floor: the ISA’s landing criteria (Japanese) require pay at least equal to what a Japanese employee would receive for the same work.

How should an Indian engineer plan an IT career in Japan?

• Choose a degree in Japan that fits the job. A related degree supports the work visa, and a Japanese degree also counts for the CEFR B2 rule and the job-hunting status.
• Start Japanese before you leave India. Aim for N2 by the time job-hunting begins, a year before graduation.
• Work back from the calendar. Publicity opens on 1 March and interviews on 1 June of the year before you graduate, so internships in your first year count.
• Apply for the change of status on time. For an April start, the ISA window is 1 December to the end of January.
• Have a plan if the offer comes late. Ask your university about the recommendation letter for the job-hunting status before you graduate.

For the wider job market, including part-time work and roles outside IT, see our guide to jobs in Japan for international students.

If you want a Japanese degree that leads to an IT career there, talk to our Japan admissions team about universities, scholarships and applications.