English-speaking opportunities in Tokyo

Greetings all ~

Long-time lurker, first time poster.

First of all, let me state the rationale for my exploration of Tokyo opportunities. My wife is Japanese and we just had our first child, currently living on the West coast. We both talk about wanting to relocate to the Tokyo area, but only under the right job circumstances.

I've read through all the old posts and would like to understand the existing job climate for English-speaking finance professionals in Tokyo... Preferably for non-Japanese companies.

I currently work in leveraged finance risk at a BB firm (associate), but wouldn't necessarily be opposed to working towards an S&T role or even PWM banker.

I would have est 4 years to prepare for this transition. Does anyone have any current knowledge of the employment environment and/or challenges English-speaking finance professionals face in Tokyo today?

Would also love to know est. comp for mid-level finance roles for foreigners working at foreign companies.

Couple notes: I will not be fluent in Japanese and possibly not at business-level either. My current company does have an office in Tokyo, but all the employees appear to be Japanese except the IT folks.

Thanks!

1 Comments
 

Culpa vitae distinctio quas ab reiciendis nostrum vitae cumque. Vitae animi a alias voluptatum esse et laborum. Sit deleniti cumque non nesciunt sequi aspernatur. Consectetur veniam tenetur ipsum quia.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”