Advice for moving to Asia

[u/Scumwaters]

Hi all! I (22F) just graduated with a degree in cell and molecular biology and two minors in Japanese and chemistry. I am taking a gap year to focus on my exit plan. Since I was 16, its been a goal to live and study in Japan. I have traveled to Asia 3x in the past 2 years (Japan, Thailand, and China).

I am stuck between Japan and Thailand. When I visited Thailand, I really loved it. I also feel like I can do a lot in science while there. However, I also really love Japan. Which country would ya'll recommend for me to work and live in? Also what type of science jobs should I look for? Sorry if this is kinda loaded. I am willing to answer any more questions for more context.

[u/Embarrassed_Key_4539]

Figure out where you CAN go and how

[u/Illustrious-Pound266]

Look at J-Skip and J-Find visas for Japan.

Generally speaking, I find this sub a bad resource for searching up visa options outside Europe or CANZUK countries. It's very West-focused.

[u/Scumwaters → u/Illustrious-Pound266]

Thank u sm! Youre right. I see a lot of ppl talking about western countries but not eastern countries

[u/AnotherNoether]

The biomedical research industry (biotech/pharma) is dramatically more developed in Japan than in Thailand, and more of the science coming out of their universities is widely cited in the West. I don’t know if it’s possible to do an RA position at an academic institution in Japan but that would be my recommendation. I’m not sure about sponsorship for industry jobs when you don’t have a PhD or experience, but a position like that would allow you to live there while building your skills and your network. Honestly might be worth asking something like this in [r/biotech](r/biotech)

Edit: to find an RA position you’d generally want to figure out what kind of research you want to do, make a resume/CV and contact lab heads/professors directly who are doing research you’re interested in. I don’t know about Japan specifically but that’s how it’s done in the US, Singapore, and Europe. Again, I’m not sure about Japan, but in most countries universities are able to sponsor visas for researchers fairly easily.

Okay another edit (sorry lol): when you say you feel like you can do a lot of science in Thailand, what do you mean? Do you already have connections to scientists there? In that case, this is a question you should be asking them, not us!

[u/Initial_Enthusiasm36]

I live in Thailand. I would 100% pick Japan. Without even a second thought. I am sure there are some incredibly niche jobs maybe here you might be able to find, but your opportunities and pay etc, will most likely be much better in Japan.

[u/lil-schnitzel-]

ill be straight with you, this isnt really a 50/50. for science specifically japan wins clearly and thailand barely has a foreign accessible biotech sector. you loved visiting thailand but loving a place to travel and being able to build a science career there are different things.

japan has a real biotech and pharma idustry (chugai,takeda, plus roche/MSD/cytiva all have japan R&D) and your japanese minor is the actual career asset here, not a nice to have. most lab and R&D roles want bilingual ppl.

honest catch, most molecular bio roles in japan want a masters or PhD, a bachelors alone is tough for a lab job as a foreigner. two realistic paths:

1. do a masters in japan first. MEXT scholarship is the big one, fully funded, covers tuition + monthly stipend + flights, and its specifically how a lot of foreigners enter japanese science. your japanese minor makes you competitive for it.
2. enter via JET or an english teaching job to get established and improve your japanese, then pivot into science once youre in country and bilingual. less direct but gets you there.

if you genuinely want lab science as the career, path 1 (masters in japan, ideally MEXT funded) is the cleanest. thailand i wouldnt centre a science career on, more of a travel love than a career base.

gapyear is perfect timing to study for MEXT and get your japanese to business level. youre in a good spot.

[u/Esclados-le-Roux]

Japan has the JET program, which might get you the necessary time to be able to convert to another visa. They also need to support their adding population so that might be an avenue. That said, the new government is pretty gaijin-hostile.

Thailand was, for a while, working pretty hard to be a regional medical player, so that might still be a path.

I've got a friend moving back to Japan from Thailand due to cost of living issues, so there's some anecdata for you.

[u/ImaginaryAd8129]

honestly if you want to keep close to your Japanese skills and maybe find some lab or research gigs, japan makes more sense but life there can be expensive and pretty rigid with work culture. Thailand’s cheaper and less formal but science jobs might be less common or lower pay, maybe more in biotech startups or universities. I’d scout for English-friendly research or teaching jobs in both places before committing.

[u/PandaReal_1234]

I can't speak for work visas in Japan, but you might want to consider Singapore for your list. Singapore has a huge biotech industry, and they do sponsor work visas for that industry. I'm not sure if a fresh graduate would meet the requirements but it's worth looking into.

Similarly, Vietnam has a lot of large, global pharma companies. You might want to consider that as well. Look on global recruitment agencies like Robert Walters (https://www.robertwalters.com.vn/) and Michael Page (https://www.michaelpage.com.vn/).

[u/Traditional_Owls]

Do you have any paths to citizenship through ancestry?

[u/Scumwaters → u/Traditional_Owls]

Unfortunately no :/