There are not many countries in Europe that can boast having large Japanese communities – among those where Japanese companies and consequently communities thrive, Germany certainly takes one of the top spots. There are plenty of reasons as to why that is the case, from such obvious factors as the country’s geographical location, to its work life and work environment in general.
Geographical advantage
Germany is a big country in both size and population – it is actually the 6th largest in Europe, with the second largest population. Furthermore, while still bordering Scandinavia, Germany is also located on the continent, and borders a staggering total of 9 different countries, making it the country that borders the most different states in all of Europe. These neighboring countries are: the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg, Switzerland, Austria and Poland.
Subsequently, Germany is a country where one could reach most of Europe from – making it a great starting point for both private holidays and business trips. On top of bordering a whole load of states – Germany, and mostly its big cities, itself is also multicultural. Out of its many different communities, the Japanese one is one of the absolute largest Japanese communities in Europe, and perhaps even one of the larger ones in the world – making it a great location for anyone looking to work in an environment which demands Japanese skills.
Düsseldorf is the center of Japanese companies
Germany’s sizable Japanese community is a natural outcome of the fact that Germany has the most Japanese companies in Europe, namely a total of 1896. Out of these 1896 companies, a whopping 500 are based in Düsseldorf (which happens to house the largest Japanese community, or Japantown, in Germany, too). Düsseldorf is a university city and a center for art and fashion, with a population of around 600 000 people.
https://career-management.de/en/blog/business-life-in-dusseldorf/2409/
Out of these 600 000, approximately 8000 are Japanese. Düsseldorf is thus an example of a great site where the right candidates could find job interviews and/or opportunities easily. Career Management has its office in Dusseldorf and other cities in Germany and can support candidates in their pursuit of such opportunities.
Finally, one could say that Germany, in general, is a great place to work solely based on work-life therein; in terms of work-life balance, Germany is one of the better places to be in Europe. Working hours, salaries, and work stability all score high in most surveys, and people, especially expats, tend to be happy with their jobs.
Germany vs. the UK
Another city in Europe which boasts a large Japanese community is London. This has been, and will continue to be, affected by Brexit though, and has led to many companies leaving or considering doing so. When comparing these two countries in The Better Life Index 2020 by the OECD, Germany ranks at number 15 out of 40 – whereas the UK lands at 14. However, when it comes to work, Germany ranks at 8, whereas the UK ranks all the way down at 15.
| OECD Better Life Index in 2020 | ||
| Country | Overall | Jobs |
| Germany | 15 | 8 |
| UK | 14 | 15 |
These rankings are obviously affected by the coronavirus, as much has happened and changed in the last 2 years or so, as a lot of people in plenty of different situations have been working from home or around certain restrictions.
Also, according to statistics from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, in 2020, there are 957 Japanese companies in the UK which are the second biggest in Europe. However, as we have discussed above, Germany has 1896 companies which are close to double the size of the United Kingdom. The more Japanese companies in a country, the higher job opportunities there are.
All in all, working at a Japanese company in Germany can be for anyone (that has the accurate language skills for the positions in question, that is), and since there are quite a lot of companies, they are covering a fairly large variety of fields – one can find positions within anything from trade to traveling. Hence, Germany is relevant for anyone looking for a job that has appropriate language skills and/or interests.
References:
Brexit triggers exodus of Japanese firms from UK to EU
Third of Japan companies fear Brexit will hurt business: survey
