A recruiter in Tokyo put me forward, I had an interview via Skype as I lived near Nagoya at the time. Interview was with two developers, one an American, the other Japanese. I was asked a series of odd syntax trivia type questions especially around the .NET framework. Also some very strange broad questions about how the internet works. Some questions I answered I was told I was wrong - I must've looked confused because I was sure I was right. I was also tested in Japanese language, even though it was not a requirement for the job. The Japanese guy seemed disappointed with my level, even though it apparently was not a requirement. They didn't seem too interested in my past experience, or the organisations I had worked for - it was all practically ignored. They were interested in why I was living in Japan and what my situation was, visa and whatnot.
This was by far one of the weirdest interviews I'd ever had. When I asked them questions about the office culture, are there social events etc, is it team work orientated or individually competitive - they seemed a little defensive and cagey I thought. It was hard to get information about the workplace, which I found odd.
There was no mention of salary, even the recruiter would not give me a range. If no one is saying anything about it, I always think it would definitely be on the low side. Looking at other reviews, it seems I was right in my assumption.
So glad they didn't offer me anything, I don't think I was the right fit for them and they certainly were not the right fit for me. The problem is, being in Japan, as a foreigner you really have to take what you can get (which is not much at the best of times). If offered, I probably would've felt I needed to take it and accept the low salary, which could explain why they are so "keen" to interview / hire foreign nationals whereas a lot of other Japanese companies are not.
After my recruiter told me they were not going to continue the process, though the feedback was apparently positive - I asked if they could elaborate why for my own progression. He told me it all comes through some opaque HR rep and we will likely never find out a reason. Reading other people's reviews and interviews, it looks like this is a common pattern.
