Before information sessions and internships
Industry and company research
Company research is not copying website text — it is translating 'company fame' into an evidence chain you can verify item by item on official pages. Build the big picture with the industry map / Shikiho, then verify business, group relationships, issues, and risks against EDINET / the annual report and JPX. Commercial materials help you 'find the questions'; official primary sources help you 'draw the conclusions'.
Traps
Why people get stuck here
These misconceptions aren't rare scenarios — most people hit at least one of them at this step. Knowing in advance doesn't mean you won't stumble, but it can save you a few weeks of detours.
Using 'company fame' as motivation — fame reads shallow; know where the company sits in the value chain and what challenge it faces.
Answering fact questions with Shikiho / reviews, or answering role-fit only with a language skill—commercial materials are for questions, facts go to official disclosure, and language is an ability, not a motivation.
Skipping the EDINET annual-report fact-check — the easiest place to be exposed; 'what do you think our real challenge is?' instantly shows whether you read it.
Breakdown
How to break this task down
Follow the checklist below and you won't miss anything important. You don't have to finish it all at once, but every item should be clearly answered within this stage.
- Break the target industry into players, roles, products, and customers, and use the industry map to expand to upstream/downstream and competitors.
- Use JPX to check listing and group relationships — clarify 'which legal entity am I applying to and what does it do'.
- In EDINET, spot-extract the annual report's 'business content / issues to address / business risks' sections (do not read it all).
- Go back to the recruiting page and parse the posting item by item: duties, Japanese-level guide, foreign-hiring signals, fit with your major / residence status.
- Explain why this industry, this company, and this role fit your experience (tie it to concrete business, not just 'they are famous').