[Hatredcopter]

First of all, MMM was commenting about the guy above him (I think), not your remark.

Second, it's not really possible to gauge your "chances" on landing a job that doesn't involve English. It's not like there's a percent or something.

Here's the dilemma: while Japanese are not close-minded or anti-foreigner, if a Japanese employer has two job candidates with the same skills, one being a foreigner, and one being a Japanese person, they're likely to hire the Japanese person. That way there's no unknown expectations, no cultural differences to deal with, and is generally more worry-free for them.

So in order to have better chances to land a job, you need to go above and beyond with what skills and expertises you have. You have to have something that the Japanese candidate does not.

It also comes down to individual people. The HR guy at one company might be more open to foreigners than the HR guy at another company. The employer at one company might like the idea of making their company a little more 'diverse', while the employer at another company doesn't want to risk having to deal with any hassles.

Let it be said that it is indeed very possible for a foreigner to get into a job that doesn't involve English (or anything else "foreigner related) in Japan. I ran into several guys from the US, UK, and Australia who were working IT jobs in Japan (who made good salary and were happy with their jobs). I even met a Canadian truck driver in Japan. There's also a Finnish politician who is on the Diet (the Japanese government) - google Marutei Tsurunen if you want more information on that guy. I think its possible to do be hired for just about any job in Japan, but the odds are just a little bit tougher than they are in other countries.

I think the two most important things to work on to up your chances is to expand your skill set as much as possible, and to make networks and connections in Japan. The more people you know, the better chance you might have of finding a job opportunity. Though this probably isn't the definitive answer you're looking for, I think ultimately the chances of finding a good job all comes down to luck and being in the right place at the right time.

Hope that helps.