Conditions in the banking industry are good and are expected to remain so. The financial industry's restructuring is now taking effect plus overseas banks and securities firms are expanding aggressively in Japan. As a result, 58.1 percent of respondents to the Hudson survey of executives in the banking and professional services sector indicated plans to increase headcount this year.

Banks, which are largely in the final stage of cleaning up bad loans, are willing to expand their staffs, mainly for retail banking operations. Analysts are seeing offers at levels 34 to 42 percent above previous years. The major banks are shifting gears in their hiring plans by offering more jobs to new graduates this spring. The hiring spree also appears to be spreading to other age groups such as midcareer employees. The banks are still reducing their overall work forces in line with the business revitalization plans they submitted in exchange for public fund infusions. But with an increasing number of baby boomers nearing retirement age, the banks are concerned that limiting the number of new graduate hires could create stark age imbalances among employees in the future.

This is just a sample of what you'll find in the complete Japan guide.