Japanese Studies (MA) (120EC)

Career prospects

What do our graduates work?

Our alumni can be found working at international organizations and Japanese companies, whilst others have followed paths into consulting, media, PR and marketing, tourism, education, and more.

Examples of the diverse roles of our graduates include:

• Account Manager at Asahi Intecc, a Japanese company that develops metal wire for medical applications
• Analytics Assistant at Reed Elsevier, a provider of information services
• Area Manager Asia at the Netherlands Council for Trade Promotion
• Marketing Trainee at Wakibi microcredit, a provider of microcredit
• Service Management Consultant at a company developing software
• Junior Project Manager at Concorde Group BV, a translation agency
• Coordinator, International Relations at Mima City Hall
• Consular Officer at the Dutch Embassy in Japan
• Translator and Product Developer at Kobe Bussan, a business supermarket
• Corporate Banking Assistant at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ

Research Master

If you have ambitions to pursue a PhD position or career as a researcher outside of academia, you can apply for the two-year Research Master in Asian Studies on completion of the programme.

Christiaan Raaijmakers

Senior sales manager

"I work as an international sales manager for a French company that manufactures seats for theatres, cinemas, auditoriums, and conference halls worldwide. I travel around Northern Europe and Japan, where I meet with architects and owners of such venues and offer the company’s top-quality products. The French company is part of a Japanese-owned company group. The head company of this group is Japanese and I attended an internship there in 2014. "

Becoming a link between Japan and Europe

"A few months ago, they offered me to come and work for their French company. Now, I act as a link between the French company and Japanese company due to my knowledge of the Japanese language and culture that I gained during my Master Asian Studies. At the time, I chose the two-year Master Asian Studies – Japanese Studies to be able to study more about the country I grew to love. It also provided me with an exchange program to study the language and culture at one of Japan’s top universities for one full year. With help from this Master programme, I have achieved my goal of becoming a link between Japan and Europe."

In which sector do students find jobs?

• 14 % Art and culture
• 14 % Healthcare and wellbeing
• 14 % IT
• 14 % Industrial
• 14 % Government and semi-government
• 14 % Wholesale and retail
• 14 % Education

This graph is based on alumni data from the MA Japanese Studies 2020 through 2024.

Career preparation

Find out how this programme exactly prepares you for your future career and check our career preparation activities.

Our staff can help you identify both the career that is right for you, and the necessary steps to get you there. Our team at the Humanities Career Service provides all Leiden University Humanities students with professional advice and guidance on everything from internships and career planning to job applications. The Humanities Career Service also organises regular workshops on topics such as effective interview skills and creating a successful CV. Check our video and hear from our alumni how they have benefited from our services!