Recruiting bilingual professionals is a challenge many companies in Japan face. Businesses need talent with not just language proficiency, but also cross-cultural understanding, adaptability, specialized knowledge, and practical experience. Where and how can companies find suitable bilingual candidates? In this article, our specialized consultants share detailed insights and real-world examples on successfully recruiting professionals with both language skills and industry expertise.
Key Highlights:
"Language + Specialized Skills" Talent is Rare, Intensifying Competition
Professionals combining language skills with specialized expertise are scarce in Japan, especially for sales and technical roles, leading to higher costs and extended hiring periods. Unclear hiring criteria and priorities often result in mismatches and prolonged recruitment processes.
Clearly Define Requirements and Align Internally for Hiring Success
Clear alignment between hiring managers and HR on who needs language skills, in what context, and at what proficiency level is crucial. Clarifying these requirements and acceptable compromises prevents hiring mismatches.
Using Specialized Recruitment Agencies Bridges Market Understanding
Leveraging agencies experienced in the Japanese market helps align expectations between global headquarters and APAC branches, prioritize requirements effectively, and access skilled bilingual professionals not typically found through general job boards.
Table of Contents
Defining Your Ideal Bilingual Candidate
The Reality of Bilingual Talent in Japan
Pharmaceutical Industry Hiring Tips
Pharmaceutical Candidate English Proficiency by Age (Apex Data)
Medical Device Industry Hiring Tips
Medical Device Candidate English Proficiency by Age (Apex Data)
IT Industry Hiring Tips
IT Candidate English Proficiency by Age (Apex Data)
Scientific & Technical Industry Hiring Tips
Scientific & Technical Candidate English Proficiency by Age (Apex Data)
Legal & Compliance Industry Hiring Tips
Legal & Compliance Candidate English Proficiency by Age (Apex Data)
Back Office Hiring Tips
Back Office Candidate English Proficiency by Age (Apex Data)
Summary of Bilingual Recruitment Strategies
Apex Strengths: Healthcare, IT, Legal & Compliance Recruitment
Defining Your Ideal Bilingual Candidate
Bilingualism is More Than Just Language Skills
When hiring bilingual professionals, merely focusing on language skills is insufficient. Companies seek candidates who demonstrate:
Experience working with international managers or teams, exhibiting strong intercultural skills and teamwork.
Ability to provide a global perspective missing within the company.
Competence in daily communication with international branches or partners, actively contributing to international business operations.
Negotiation skills to effectively manage interactions between local and global stakeholders.
Deep knowledge of local market conditions, especially valuable for new market entrants.
Misconception: Bilingual ≠ Interpreter
A common misconception is equating bilingual skills strictly with interpreting. Businesses must clearly define their needs to avoid mismatches. Consider three key criteria when evaluating candidates:
Skills: Technical abilities and specialized knowledge
Experience: Industry-specific and project-based experience
Cultural Fit: Alignment with corporate culture
The Reality of Bilingual Talent in Japan
Bilingual professionals in Japan must exhibit more than linguistic proficiency—they must also possess intercultural competence, adaptability, and specialized industry experience. However, finding such talent in Japan remains challenging due to its scarcity.
According to Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI), over 70% of Japanese and foreign-affiliated firms acknowledge the strategic need to increase foreign professionals with specialized expertise and practical experience. Yet, only 25% successfully meet their recruitment goals.
Why is Recruiting Foreign Talent in Japan Difficult?
Challenges faced by companies recruiting foreign talent in Japan include:
Japanese Firms:
Difficulty matching skills, roles, and compensation (28%)
Challenges with Japanese business communication (27%)
High compensation expectations (19%)
Foreign Firms:
Challenges with Japanese business communication (31%)
Difficulty matching skills, roles, and compensation (15%)
High compensation expectations (9%)
Cultural acceptance of foreigners (9%)
These results highlight language barriers and differences between traditional Japanese employment models (membership-based) and Western job-specific hiring approaches.
How Foreign Companies Successfully Hire Bilingual Talent in Japan
Foreign companies in Japan often struggle to find professionals with high-level bilingual expertise. Examples of hard-to-fill positions include:
Bilingual talent (India, Pharmaceuticals/Medical Devices)
IT professionals (Taiwan, Services/Retail)
Bilingual engineering and communication specialists (Finland, ICT/Tech)
Senior executives like CEOs and CSOs (Germany, Pharmaceuticals/Medical Devices)
Sales professionals (Denmark, ICT/Tech)
Regulatory and compliance experts (France, ICT/Tech)
Foreign companies typically achieve successful hires by engaging specialized recruitment agencies. According to METI, 72% of these companies successfully recruited desired talent through agencies.
Pharmaceutical Industry Bilingual Hiring Insights
Consultant Spotlight:Satoru Kudo, Manager, Pharmaceuticals Team
Key Challenges in Recruiting Bilingual Pharmaceutical Talent
The pharmaceutical industry's global expansion demands professionals with high-level English and specialized knowledge (e.g., regulatory affairs, pharmacovigilance, clinical, medical).
High Competition for Scarce Talent
Candidates with strong English and industry expertise are rare, making competition fierce. Ideal candidates must also match salary ranges, age groups, and corporate cultures.
The Pharmaceutical Language-Expertise Barrier
Balancing language study with demanding professional workloads is particularly challenging for mid-senior level professionals. Pharmaceutical English requires mastery of complex industry-specific terminology and regulations.
Effective Bilingual Recruitment Strategies
Differentiate Hiring Criteria to Stand Out
Clarifying critical versus flexible criteria internally among HR, hiring managers, and executives is essential. Offering attractive, differentiated hiring conditions can set your company apart:
Adjust age limits (including reviewing retirement policies)
Expand locations beyond Tokyo (consider Kansai)
Increase salary ranges strategically
Such flexibility can secure top bilingual talent.
English Proficiency Distribution of Pharmaceutical Candidates by Age (Apex Data)
Apex offers a diverse range of bilingual pharmaceutical talent across various proficiency levels and age groups, helping companies efficiently match specific hiring needs.
Case Study: Successful Bilingual Hiring
Apex successfully recruited an APAC Market Access Associate Director for a global specialty pharma company facing rare candidate criteria. Despite stringent requirements, Apex introduced three qualified candidates within 61 days, resulting in a successful hire.
Hiring Bilingual Talent in the Medical Device Industry
![Consultant Photo][image2]
Hinako Yamamura
Manager of the Medical Device Team specializing in commercial positions. Recognized as one of the top consultants within the company in 2023 and honored in Recruit Direct Scout’s "Headhunter Ranking 2022."
Common Challenges in Hiring Bilingual Talent
Balancing Sales Expertise with English Proficiency
In the medical device industry, especially within commercial roles, frequent client requests include hiring "sales leaders with strong English skills" or "business directors with sales management experience and fluent English." However, in Japan's medical device industry, sales professionals rarely use English daily, except for reading product-related materials. Therefore, professionals with both sales management expertise and high-level English proficiency are very limited.
Japanese subsidiaries often prefer to relax English proficiency requirements in favor of sales experience or product knowledge, but APAC and global offices typically maintain stringent language standards. Consequently, hiring from a small pool of candidates who meet these requirements is inevitable. This scarcity typically raises recruitment costs.
Divergent English Skill Expectations Between APAC/Global and Japan
For roles across various functions, APAC or global entities often expect a higher level of English proficiency compared to Japanese standards. For example, while Japanese offices might deem a candidate who can pass a one-on-one English interview as having business-level proficiency, global offices typically expect candidates who can engage in deeper, nuanced discussions in English.
This gap frequently results in candidates who clear local screenings being rejected in final interviews by APAC or global offices, highlighting the difficulty of sourcing talent with global-standard English skills in the Japanese market.
Effective Strategies for Recruiting Bilingual Talent
Prioritize Clearly: Sales Experience, English Proficiency, and Product Knowledge
Given the rarity of candidates possessing sales management experience, product expertise, and English proficiency, it is crucial to establish clear priorities early. Clearly defining language requirements and adjusting them realistically can prevent prolonged recruitment periods. A flexible strategy—like searching under ideal conditions for a set period, then reconsidering certain requirements—can be effective.
Align Expectations Using Recruitment Agencies
Educating APAC or global offices about Japan’s market conditions can significantly ease the recruitment process. Apex often supports HR teams by directly briefing global or APAC stakeholders on Japan’s hiring challenges and associated costs for bilingual talent.
Specialized agencies provide precise market insights, such as expected salaries for bilingual professionals and talent availability within specific roles, making this a highly practical and effective approach.
English Proficiency Distribution of Medical Device Candidates by Age Group
Apex specializes in bilingual talent for the medical device industry, providing a diverse selection based on English proficiency levels and age, enabling optimal candidate selection to meet corporate needs. The following chart details Apex's candidate distribution by English proficiency across different age groups.
Bilingual Talent Recruitment Success Story
Below is a successful case study from Apex:
Position filled: Business Director for a global medical device manufacturer
Client Needs & Challenges:
Experienced in new product business development
Ambitious leader for a newly established position
Strong business English to collaborate with the global HQ
Search Duration: 63 days
Candidates Screened: 57
Candidates Presented to Client: 6
Candidates Interviewed: 3
Hiring Bilingual Talent in the IT Industry
![Consultant Photo][image3]
Jumpei Shimamoto
Principal Consultant for the Tech & Digital Team, specializing in consulting firms and cloud vendors. Recognized as a top internal consultant for three consecutive years and awarded Top Sales in 2024.
Common Challenges in Hiring Bilingual Talent
Highly Competitive Candidate Pool
Many companies targeting bilingual talent often seek highly specialized professionals who possess both superior practical skills and strong language capabilities. English proficiency frequently remains an added advantage rather than a negotiable requirement, resulting in fierce competition for candidates who excel in both areas.
Misalignment Between Job Appeal and Candidate Interests
Job postings often emphasize language skill usage (e.g., “engage in global projects,” “use your English skills”), appealing primarily to candidates not fully utilizing their language capabilities in their current roles. For those already leveraging their language skills, the appeal needs to shift toward career growth, job autonomy, and long-term opportunities.
Effective Strategies for Recruiting Bilingual Talent
Share Long-term Career Vision with Candidates
Clearly articulating the reason for hiring bilingual talent and tying it to long-term global strategies and growth opportunities helps candidates visualize their career development and increases retention. Early transparency regarding the company's global strategies also reduces mismatches post-hire.
English Proficiency Distribution of IT Candidates by Age Group
Apex specializes in bilingual IT talent, offering diverse candidate options based on language skills and age, helping companies efficiently meet their recruitment needs. Below is a chart illustrating Apex’s IT candidate distribution by English proficiency and age.
Bilingual Talent Recruitment Success Story
Position filled: Customer Success Director at a US-based SaaS startup
Client Needs & Challenges:
Budget constraints for director-level salary
Fluent in Japanese and English
Experienced in customer support within SaaS companies
Search Duration: 22 days
Candidates Screened: 37
Candidates Presented: 7
Candidates Interviewed: 5
Hiring Bilingual Talent in Science & Technology
![Consultant Photo][image4]
Chihiro Hirai
Principal Consultant for the Science & Technology Team specializing in life sciences, biotechnology, and diagnostics. Recognized as a top internal consultant for three consecutive years and awarded the New Client Acquisition Prize in 2024.
Common Challenges in Hiring Bilingual Talent
Conducting English Interviews for Sales Roles
A primary challenge is the limited pool of English-speaking candidates. While technical or marketing professionals frequently use English in their daily work, sales professionals typically face more difficulties due to limited practical English usage. Occasionally, companies accommodate sales candidates by having team members participate in English interviews for translation and support.
Defining Specific English Proficiency Requirements
Clarifying precisely when, where, and how frequently English skills will be utilized helps avoid recruitment mismatches. Communication between hiring managers and HR about the exact requirements is critical.
Effective Strategies for Recruiting Bilingual Talent
Clearly define the required English proficiency level.
Implement brief initial English screenings.
Evaluate and prioritize practical skills over English proficiency, offering support for language development post-hire.
English Proficiency Distribution of Science & Technology Candidates by Age Group
Apex specializes in bilingual science and technology talent, providing candidates tailored to different English proficiency levels and ages, as shown in the following chart.
Bilingual Talent Recruitment Success Story
Position filled: Field Application Scientist for a global life science firm
Client Needs & Challenges:
Young PhD holder in biology
Experienced in cell culture, cellular biology, or molecular biology
Existing Japanese subsidiary
Search Duration: 76 days
Candidates Screened: 81
Candidates Presented: 9
Candidates Interviewed: 2
Hiring Bilingual Professionals in Legal and Compliance
![Consultant Photo][image5]
Hiroyuki Fukuhara
Principal Consultant, Legal & Compliance Team. Covers all aspects of legal and compliance recruitment. Selected as one of Apex’s top consultants in 2024.
Common Challenges in Hiring Bilingual Talent
Securing Budget for Legal Hires
Even large multinational corporations often maintain minimal legal teams in Japan, frequently consisting of just one person who reports directly to APAC or global headquarters. English proficiency becomes essential in these roles. Recently, professionals capable of independently handling all corporate legal matters while being fluent in English—regardless of holding a law license—have become extremely rare and thus highly sought after. This scarcity has driven salary expectations upward, making budgeting a significant challenge.
Defining English Requirements Clearly
For positions that don’t demand comprehensive legal capabilities, it’s vital to specify precisely when and how English will be utilized (e.g., drafting and reviewing English contracts versus handling cross-border negotiations). Vague requirements can lead to mismatches between expectations and available budgets, complicating the hiring process.
Effective Hiring Strategies for Bilingual Talent
Prioritize Speed and Use Specialized Recruitment Agencies
Bilingual legal and compliance professionals are in high demand, often leading to intense competition among companies when such talent enters the job market. A swift and adaptable hiring approach is essential. Because of the specialized nature of legal roles, general recruiters might find it challenging to accurately assess and compare market value. Engaging specialized recruitment agencies provides access to top-tier candidates who often avoid platforms like LinkedIn or BizReach, as legal professionals tend to be more conservative in their job-seeking behavior. Utilizing agency networks can significantly improve recruitment efficiency and reduce overall costs.
Apex’s Candidate Pool: English Proficiency by Age Group (Legal & Compliance)
Apex offers an extensive pool of bilingual candidates specifically in the legal and compliance sectors. Our candidates cover a diverse range of English proficiency and age groups, ensuring companies can select professionals ideally suited to their specific needs. Below is the distribution of English proficiency by age group within Apex’s legal and compliance talent.
Success Story in Hiring Bilingual Talent
Below is an example of a successful bilingual talent search by Apex, for a Legal Counsel position at a global healthcare company.
Client Requirements and Challenges:
Desired a senior female candidate with extensive legal experience suitable for a leadership role.
Candidates were initially concerned about the limited scope due to the company’s status as a subsidiary of a prominent global firm.
Time to Fill: 25 days
Candidates Identified: 53
Candidates Submitted to Client: 3
Candidates Interviewed: 2
Hiring Bilingual Back Office Professionals (HR, General Affairs, Finance & Accounting)
![Consultant Photo][image6]
Sirikul Siripiyavatana
Senior Consultant, Professional Services Team. Specializes in HR, finance, and accounting recruitment across pharmaceutical, IT & technology, energy, legal, finance, and consumer industries. Selected as one of Apex’s top consultants in 2024.
Common Challenges in Hiring Bilingual Talent
Shortage of Senior Positions
Due to Japan’s aging population, there is an increasing number of senior-level bilingual professionals, yet the market lacks sufficient managerial roles. This imbalance is particularly pronounced in finance management positions. Certain large healthcare firms proactively transfer bilingual staff to global positions, opening vacancies domestically that create new hiring opportunities.
Intensified Competition in Specialized Fields
In specialized sectors such as finance, the demand for bilingual professionals is particularly high, escalating competition among employers. Companies need to act quickly and flexibly, possibly reducing interview rounds to secure top candidates efficiently.
Effective Hiring Strategies for Bilingual Talent
Oral Interviews in Both Languages
For bilingual roles, conducting oral interviews in both English and Japanese is crucial. Skipping online assessments and directly evaluating language skills through live conversation can provide a more accurate measure of candidates' true language proficiency.
Apex’s Candidate Pool: English Proficiency by Age Group (Back Office)
Apex maintains a robust database of bilingual candidates specialized in back-office roles, categorized by English proficiency and age. Companies can effectively match their specific requirements with Apex’s diverse talent pool. Below is the English proficiency distribution for Apex’s back-office talent by age group.
Success Story in Hiring Bilingual Talent
An example of a successful bilingual talent search by Apex involved hiring a Finance Head for a global biotechnology firm.
Client Requirements and Challenges:
A native Japanese speaker fluent in English.
Candidates must exhibit strong teamwork abilities and self-driven initiative.
Time to Fill: 34 days
Candidates Identified: 27
Candidates Submitted to Client: 10
Candidates Interviewed: 2
Key Takeaways for Successful Bilingual Recruitment
Clearly understand the intense competition for professionals possessing both high technical skills and language proficiency.
Clarify essential versus negotiable requirements, and consider flexible criteria such as age, location, and salary ranges to attract candidates.
Educate APAC/global stakeholders about Japan’s hiring challenges, salary expectations, and market conditions through specialized recruitment agencies.
Highlight position-specific attractions such as career path and responsibilities rather than merely language-use opportunities.
Clearly communicate why bilingual skills are essential, aligning them with your company’s long-term global strategies.
Precisely define "bilingual" and "business-level English" by clarifying contexts, frequency, and specific communication requirements.
Implement swift, flexible recruitment processes to win over high-demand candidates.
Leverage specialized recruitment agency networks for niche industries.
Apex’s Strengths in Bilingual and Global Talent Recruitment
Apex excels in recruiting bilingual and global talent with specialized knowledge and industry experience, particularly in healthcare, IT, and legal & compliance sectors. Apex consultants offer comprehensive support, from clarifying role requirements to post-placement follow-up.
Professionals with specialized technical skills (e.g., IT professionals, engineers, healthcare specialists).
Professionals with advanced academic credentials or certifications (MBA, PhD, JD, CPA, MD, pharmacist).
Multilingual candidates with international and multicultural experience.
Executives and leaders capable of strategic management and leadership roles.
