Thinking of studying in Japan or eventually coming to work after graduation?
Then, you’re probably also wondering which major(s) would facilitate securing a job.
In fact, globally, which major to choose has become one of the hottest topics — albeit in the age of automation and the fear (real or not) of mass job losses.
[If you are interested in learning about a holistic way to go about picking a major, please check this post]
Considering the worldwide low engagement at work, I believe that picking a major goes beyond choosing among the highest-paying occupations [to which such major(s) lead], or another similar approach, but let’s skip this “philosophical” rethoric for now.
Without beating around the bush, the reality is that a STEM-related major will give you a good advantage, for the following reasons:

• There are not enough Japanese students (particularly women) enrolled in STEM-related majors, despite the growing need.
• The number of jobs in STEM-related occupations is projected to increase.

If I had to recommend some specific majors, the list would go as follows, starting with any major conducive to building AI/ML expertise down the road:

Major(s)	Connected Occupation(s)	Job Offers/Applicants Ratio	Average salary
Mathematics, Statistics, Physic, and computer science	Data Scientist/AI-ML Engineer	2.8 (DS) ~ 1.9 (AI/ML)	¥5,5 (DS) ~ ¥5,58 (AI/ML)
Systems Engineering	Systems Engineer (various types such as IT infrastructure, Embedded, IoT)	2.3 (infrastructure)~5.8 (IoT/embedded)	￥5.5 million (IoT)~￥6.8 million (infrastructure)
Telecommunications Engineering	Telecommunications Engineer	3.5	￥5.5 million
Cybersecurity Engineering	Cybersecurity Expert	2.8	￥5.5 million (￥10 million for level 5, out of 5)
Electrical/Civil Engineering (or similar)	Solar Power Generation Design and Construction	10.5	￥6 million
Mechatronics, robotics (or Mechanical, Electrical-Electronics) Engineering	Industrial Robot Development Engineer	2.9	￥6 million
Manufacturing, Industrial Design,Mechanical Engineering	Mechanical Design Engineer	2.9	￥6 million
Biomedical (or Mechanical, Electrical-Electronics) Engineering, or even Computer Science (considering the growth of IoT and AI integrated to medical devices)	Medical Device Development Engineer	2.6	￥6.8 million
Chemistry	Pharmacist (or occupations in a variety of idustries, such as the strong Japanese pharmaceutical industry)	3.4	￥5.7 million
Architecture	Architectural Design Engineer	2.9	￥6.3 million

• A figure increasingly higher than 1 indicates more jobs available per applicant.
• Table based on official information.
• For information about the Japanese language requirement, please see this post.
• Some of the above occupations, such as pharmacists and architects require special license (after taking exams in Japanese)

One important thing to notice is that majoring in a STEM-related field can lead you to a variety of occupations in Japan, in industries that have not only been historically solid — such as manufacturing and robotics — but also in emerging industries.
One such emerging industry is space. The number of space startups in Japan has increased, which has driven up the demand for professionals in the field. Based on official data, the job offers/applicants ratio for the occupation Space Development Engineer (宇宙開発技術者) is 2.83, with an average annual salary of 5.5 million yen.

Some consider it a STEM major, while others don’t. Regardless, medicine is another alternative, for the following reasons:

• There is a combination of factors that has made it less attractive among young Japanese people (one commonly mentioned reason is overtime work).
• The shortage of medical doctors in Japan is expected to worsen, with aging and the increasing need for health services at the core.

The caveat is that acquiring the license is not an easy endeavor. It’s not only about passing the highest level of the Japanese proficiency test, but also about taking a specific (medical) exam in Japanese. The good news is that there are foreigners who have made it — and this isn’t just about Chinese candidates, who arguably have the advantage of similar language/characters.

The strong demand for STEM graduates and medical doctors doesn’t mean there’s no future beyond them. Comparatively, the demand might not be as high, but there is either a steady or slightly increasing demand for a variety of other professionals from the non-STEM stream.

In fact, I’m a strong believer that there is still (and will continue to be) a good future beyond STEM — whether in the traditional independent professions (besides medicine) or business-related majors.
The big condition: getting away from the middle.

What does this mean?

Have you heard of the hollowing out of the middle? In its simplest meaning, it is the decline of middle-class jobs and income. That trend began even before ChatGPT, as automation (and outsourcing) gained ground. The occupations in the middle — typically white-collar, routine-type of jobs — have been decreasing and will continue to do so, giving way to what, in Japanese we’d call “専門知識が高度化” (Senmon chishiki ga kōdo-ka), or advanced expertise.

In concrete terms: for instance, if you decide to study economics, do so. But be aware that the skills the labor market is demanding from economists are becoming more analytical. If you are mindful about it, you might even end up landing a job as a data scientist, backed by a strong foundation in economics.

Having said all the above, I have to acknowledge that, in terms of uncertainty — mostly due to GenAI — people, particularly the young, are beginning to distrust almost everything. What guarantees that any of the majors above, such as programming-focused computer science, won’t eventually perish in the face of GenAI? It can code, after all.
[In another post, I’ve shared my position on this — mostly based on insights from experts in the field (as I’m not one of them)]

Then, you could approach choosing a major differently, for instance, by selecting one that leads directly to occupations with the lowest likelihood of automation. Or, you could make yourself a first mover and choose one of those promising emerging majors.

The point I’m trying to make is that, ultimately, the “best” prospect depends on your priorities as a person brought into this world, along with a variety of circumstances — both within and beyond our control. For example, picking the “best” major might not guarantee landing the “best” job later on, especially if you don’t spend your time at university strategically.