15 Japanese Major Jobs for College Graduates

Updated June 24, 2022

Foreign language majors have many benefits for college students. If you're interested in pursuing a foreign language major, the Japanese language can provide many opportunities for careers after you graduate. From business to education to political science, your bilingual skills can give you the qualifications you need for success in a range of career fields. In this article, we discuss the benefits of choosing a Japanese major and the types of Japanese major jobs your education can prepare you for.

Benefits of choosing a Japanese major

Majoring in a foreign language and Japanese specifically can give you an advantage when you enter your career. In addition, you can develop your understanding of linguistics and translation. Consider the following benefits of choosing a Japanese major:

International career opportunities

One advantage of majoring in Japanese is the opportunity for employment overseas. The knowledge and fluency you gain in the Japanese language can increase your chances of finding jobs in a variety of career fields, including business, technology, the sciences, politics, education and health care. Fluency in a second language can also be a requirement of many international job roles and choosing to study Japanese as your major prepares you for roles where the language is a requirement.

Deeper understanding of linguistics

Majoring in the Japanese language can give you a deeper understanding of the intricacies of linguistics, including formal and informal language forms and variations. If you plan to live and work in Japan, or you plan to work for an international company where staff speaks Japanese regularly, the fluency you develop in your studies can support your career goals.

Earning potential boost

Some employers offer higher compensation for employees who speak multiple languages. For instance, multilingual customer service agents, sales and marketing professionals and other client- and customer-facing professionals may sometimes earn more than professionals who speak only one language.

Types of Japanese major jobs

Majoring in Japanese can give you many diverse job opportunities across multiple industries. The following jobs include roles where your Japanese major can be an advantage. For the most up-to-date salary information from Indeed, click on the salary link by each job title below:

1. Journalist

National average salary: $35,505 per year

Primary duties: Journalists can work in a variety of environments, from media and news organizations to freelance roles where they take on contract work. These professionals write and publish articles, reports and papers to inform the public on current events in politics, science, technology and many other fields. With a Japanese major, you can work as a journalist internationally to cover important events and their effects between Japan and other nations.

Related: Learn About Being a Journalist

2. Flight attendant

National average salary: $36,382 per year

Primary duties: Flight attendants work for airline companies and ensure the comfort of passengers during flights. They also educate passengers on safety procedures and serve beverages, snacks and meals on longer flights. Flight attendants who work internationally often benefit from second language skills, so your Japanese major can be an advantage if you're interested in a fast-paced career where you can interact and work with people from all over the world.

3. Customer service manager

National average salary: $46,496 per year

Primary duties: Customer service managers direct and lead customer service teams and address client and customer questions, concerns or disputes. These professionals can work for companies that serve clients internationally, where second language skills can be an advantage. If you're interested in sales, customer service and managing client accounts for an international organization, your Japanese language skills can help you succeed in this career field.

4. Translator

National average salary: $47,634 per year

Primary duties: Translators convert written communications from one language to another so businesses and individuals can read the materials. As a Japanese translator, your language skills can support the communication efforts of international organizations.

5. Interpreter

National average salary: $47,794 per year

Primary duties: Interpreters translate spoken communication between languages. These professionals commonly work for organizations to translate conversations, conferences, public speeches, announcements, urgent news updates and other forms of spoken communication. You can apply your fluency in the Japanese language to interpreter roles where collaboration and communication between international organizations can benefit from your skills.

6. Purchasing agent

National average salary: $52,826 per year

Primary duties: Purchasing agents choose the merchandise, vendors and suppliers that their organizations use for operations. They purchase products and services for their companies to use in production or to resell for profit. With fluency in Japanese, a purchasing agent can communicate with other Japanese speakers during contract negotiations, product reviews and transactions.

7. English as a second language teacher

National average salary: $54,480 per year

Primary duties: English as a second language (ESOL) teachers work with students who speak primary languages other than English. These educational professionals typically work in public schools across elementary, middle and high school grades to instruct students in the English language. With fluency in Japanese, you can work with ESOL students who speak Japanese and are learning to speak English.

Related: Learn About Being a Teacher

8. Foreign language teacher

National average salary: $56,589 per year

Primary duties: Foreign language teachers and instructors can work with school-aged students and in organizations where they instruct staff members in a second language. Your Japanese major can prepare you for a career as a foreign language teacher, where you can choose to work abroad in primary and secondary schools or as an instructor for businesses ad professionals learning the Japanese language.

9. Political consultant

National average salary: $58,046 per year

Primary duties: Political consultants can serve as managers and public relations specialists for candidates running for political office. They typically create promotional materials and media to educate and inform voters about their candidates and respective parties. A Japanese major can prepare you for overseas work in roles where you consult with, advise and promote Japanese political candidates.

10. Social worker

National average salary: $59,977 per year

Primary duties: Social workers work in clinical, nonprofit and government services to protect vulnerable children and families and support community members needing assistance to solve and cope with life issues. As a bilingual social worker, you can communicate, work with and support families and children who speak Japanese in both clinical and community environments.

11. International partnerships manager

National average salary: $61,777 per year

Primary duties: An international partnership manager supports and directs the processes of building and maintaining business and affiliate partnerships across a range of international markets. As a Japanese major, you can work in organizations to establish and foster ongoing relationships between international companies and manage the onboarding processes of new partners.

12. International tax consultant

National average salary: $64,508 per year

Primary duties: International tax consultants advise and support multinational businesses and organizations on meeting all foreign and domestic tax requirements. They provide planning, compliance advice and consultation to ensure international companies comply with all tax obligations. In this type of role, your Japanese language skills can give you an advantage when consulting with international companies that must adhere to both Japanese and local tax regulations.

13. Political analyst

National average salary: $68,186 per year

Primary duties: A political analyst researches and evaluates various governments, policies, political trends, foreign relations and political ideas. They commonly present their research and findings through reports, document briefs and presentations with legislators, business executives and other professionals to support various objectives, including selling products on international markets, communicating with foreign nationals and other activities that require an understanding of foreign political environments.

14. Diplomatic agent

National average salary: $74,127 per year

Primary duties: Diplomatic agents, diplomats and government representatives all take on similar roles to travel to foreign countries as representatives and intermediaries between their native countries and the nations where they travel. They commonly support negotiations between nations, and as a Japanese major your language skills can help you succeed in a diplomatic role, especially if you travel to Japan for your work.

15. Political affairs officer

National average salary: $117,472 per year

Primary duties: A political affairs officer evaluates and analyzes the developments in foreign policy, politics and other matters. They also monitor foreign conflicts and act as mediators to consult with foreign officials on strategies and other measures of conflict resolution. As a Japanese-speaking political affairs officer, you can work across Japanese-speaking organizations and governmental bodies to support policy development and implementation.