A very long and tedious process (as with most Japanese companies) but you do have the option to do the whole thing in English. 1st Step: Online entry sheet submission. You answer basic questions about your educational background and you write a short passage on which of the Rakuten principles you can relate to the most. 2nd Step: Group Interview. For me, this was conducted entirely in Japanese. My interviewer asked about an experience during school where I put a lot of effort into doing something, what I gained from that experience, and if I had any regrets about it. At the end, there is a brief Q&A session. Generally, I think it would be better to have a question to ask, but then again, you don't want to ask a question the interviewer has been asked many times before (such as "What is the hardest part about your job" etc) 3rd Step: 1-to-1 interview. I had the choice to do this in English or Japanese, and I chose English, my native language. The interviewer asked me quite a few different but expected questions: - Why I want to work for Rakuten / Why Rakuten interests me - Why Japan, - Which division of Rakuten I would like to work in and why. At the end, my interviewer also tested my Japanese abilities by asking simple questions: - How long have you been studying Japanese - Is Japanese hard - Have you taken any aptitude tests - If you were to be hired, do you mind moving to Japan 4th Step: 1-to-1 interview with someone from HR. This was the most confusing interview for me, because the questions were pretty much the exact same, if not the exact same and the questions I was asked in the previous interview. Again, I had the option between Japanese and English. I honestly have no idea why I did not pass this round, as my answers were consistent and though my Japanese is not perfect, but I'm somewhere close to business level Japanese (I can use "Keigo"). But I guess what is considered good for one staff member might not be good for another *shrugs* Also, I was informed that before my final interview (if you ever get there), you would have to read "The Principles of Success" written by the Rakuten CEO and write a 1000 word essay on the principles of Rakuten.