u/NoPlace6316

Has anyone lost a black bag tonight at emu station? If so let me know so I can return it :)

Hi everyone,

I’m a 28-year-old Australian and I’m seriously looking into moving to Japan with my partner, who is Japanese.

The biggest reason is honestly her. She misses her family a lot, and after seeing how hard it’s been on her living in Australia, I’d really like to make the move work if it’s realistic.

The problem is I’m finding it overwhelming figuring out where to start. Is there any kind of partner/spouse visa available for someone in my situation, or would I need to qualify through work first? (We’re not married at the moment if that changes anything.)

A bit about me:
Australian citizen
Bachelors degree in business with a major in HR
Several years of experience in HR, including recruitment
Currently working in HR in Australia
Japanese level is around JLPT N4 (definitely not business level yet)

A few questions I was hoping people with experience could answer:
Is HR/recruitment a field that’s in demand in Japan, or is it pretty difficult for foreigners to break into?
With only N4 Japanese, am I realistically employable anywhere outside of English teaching? (I imagine this is a definite no but am keen on studying at a language school if need be to get to N2)
Has anyone worked in an international company while continuing to study Japanese? Was it manageable?
If you were in my shoes, what path would you be looking at?

I’m not expecting this to happen overnight as I know it’ll probably take a fair bit of planning. I’m just trying to figure out what a realistic roadmap looks like rather than chasing a fantasy.

I’d really appreciate any advice, especially from people who’ve made a similar move or work in HR/recruitment in Japan.

Thanks in advance!