For Westerners getting a working visa in Japan, the terms are getting sweeter. It is now possible to get a 5-year visa, with an automatic multiple re-entry....well I'm assuming that is only if you have a job, but I'm not sure about that. What I can tell you is before that many people struggled to even get a 3-year visa. I had no problem, but that might be because my first visas to Japan were sponsored by two of the largest corporations in Japan - Sumitomo Group and Mitsubishi Materials. I've spoken to Americans who've said that they were only ever given 1-year visas, and that they had to go to Immigration to update them each year.
The new system will be much appreciated. Read about the revision of policy in this
Japan Times article.
I fully recommend taking the opportunity to work in Japan - the most popular areas are English teaching, finance and recruitment. It is relatively hard to get a business visa. You need to set up a business, prepare a business plan, etc. Sounds reasonable, but for some the process will be too onerous.
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