Is the cultural difference between the United States' more cutthroat form of employment and the "salaryman" idea in Japan an issue in the transition? Does it apply to our industry?
I'd say its in transition on the whole, but especially in IT. Massive companies like Sony, Toyota, Nissan, etc. still have a lifetime employment structure, but once you get hired to any company here, it's still real hard to get fired.
Answering your question would really take a small essay because the answer is yes and no for SO many reasons.
EDIT: I think I misread your question the first time. It can be difficult mostly because firms here are used to having employees who are generalists, work in every part of the company through the years, and become upper management who have a much needed knowledge of the whole company. In the west in general, we focus on one area and change companies to grow our skills in that field. This is a problem because its really hard to change companies in Japan and Japanese employers often want you to learn new skills to work in different areas of the company. In short, it's difficult to become a specialist in Japan without sacrifice (usually salary). But there are many new technology companies that are trying to change that pattern.
Ive read that as well, and it's pretty spot on/thorough. I don't usually agree with people when they talk about Japanese firms, but Patrick knows his shit. But everyone has different experiences here. It's nearly a mono-culture as far as business is concerned, unless you work for a foreign company that operates in Japan.
So even if I take my full 30 days (or whatever it is) of vacations. Be in the office only 9-5 and encouraging co-workers to do the same, to get a life, etc... I still won't be fired? :)
Also a difficult question. Getting fired is possible here, but there are major repercussions for the business. If your hours were 9-5 and you had 30 days of vacation time you could take a year, no one would say anything if you did what are your rights as an employee. But if someone asks you to stay late and you don't have a good excuse, or if you take vacation days during times that are known to be busy periods, the repercussions are much more social rather than financial. The office gets dark, and they might move your desk into an undesirable area (they used to call it the window seat for some very grim reasons). There are worse things than getting fired.
But, also because of this system, if you do lose your job, it's extremely difficult to get another one.
That's what it was referred to because that's what many people did in the 90s. A lot has changed since then. Although still high, the suicide rate is much lower now than it used to be [1].
Its actually the opposite. It is completely unnecessary for every day life. I know plenty of people here that don't speak any Japanese and get by just fine.
As far as working goes, it depends on the type of job you want. Most of the people I know with low Japanese skills are English teachers. Most engineering jobs require business level reading/writing/speaking since you often work in teams.
Recruitment firms are really picky here, most won't even consider you if you don't have JLPT N2 or above. They search for their candidates similar to the way US firms do (from what I've heard). Having key words on your linkedIn profile showing that either your interested in moving here, have a background working with Japanese people, or have the language abilities plus (nearly any) software skills, there's a good chance you'll get contacted.
