Nintendo has secured the third spot as one of the most sought-after workplaces for Japanese graduates and job seekers. The ‘2026 Graduate Job Popularity Ranking’ survey via Japanese media Otakusoken, which polled over 5,400 students, shows that entertainment companies dominate the leaderboard this year. Nintendo sits comfortably in third place, with Oriental Land owner of Tokyo Disney Resort, and the Godzilla movie studio Toho following behind.
The Mario maker reportedly is able to keep its turnover rate impressively low, retaining an average of 99 out of every 100 new hires. It earned praise for its stability and possibly increased its employment attractiveness. Meanwhile, other video game companies are scattered across the top 50s:
- #26: Konami.
- #34: Bandai Namco Entertainment.
- #38: SEGA.
- #47: Capcom.
The number one company on the list, Itochu Corporation, is known for dabbling in textile and machinery industries. Nevertheless, the company is currently going through massive diversification — one of them is increasing focus on producing animated works.
Nintendo’s top-three ranking and other gaming companies filling up the top 50 workplaces exemplify the appeal of creative jobs for new graduates in Japan. In contrast, US job seekers gravitate toward tech companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Meta, and Oracle, with Netflix in the lead according to Resume.io. If you’re interested in the whole Japanese Job Popularity Ranking list, check the table below:
| Company | Market | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Itochu Corporation | General company |
| 2 | Ajinomoto | Food and drinks |
| 3 | Nintendo | Sports, games, and miscellaneous products |
| 4 | Oriental Land | Leisure and amusement |
| 5 | Toho | Mass media and entertainment |
| 6 | Shueisha | Mass media and entertainment |
| 7 | Dai Nihon Printing (DNP) | Printing |
| 8 | Kadokawa | Mass media and entertainment |
| 9 | Kodansha | Mass media and entertainment |
| 10 | Asahi | Food and drinks |
| 11 | Sky | IT company |
| 12 | Bandai | Sports, games, and miscellaneous products |
| 13 | Iris Ohyama | Electrical products |
| 14 | Sony Music Group | Sports, games, and miscellaneous products |
| 15 | Shiseido | Medicines and cosmetics |
| 16 | Suntory Group | Food and drinks |
| 17 | Hoshino Resort Management | Travel and weddings |
| 18 | Shogakukan | Mass media and entertainment |
| 19 | JTB Group | Travel and weddings |
| 20 | Hakudo DY Media Partners | Mass media and entertainment |
| 21 | Lotte | Food and drinks |
| 22 | NTT Group | Information and consultation company |
| 23 | Mitsubishi | General company |
| 24 | Nissin | Food and drinks |
| 25 | Toyota | Transportation company |
| 26 | Konami | Sports, games, and miscellaneous products |
| 27 | AEON | Supermarket and department store |
| 28 | Toppan | Printing |
| 29 | All Nippon Airways | Travel and weddings |
| 30 | Sony | Electrical products |
| 31 | Morinaga | Food and drinks |
| 32 | Kikkoman | Food and drinks |
| 33 | Meiji | Food and drinks |
| 34 | Bandai Namco Entertainment | Sports, games, and miscellaneous products |
| 35 | KAO | Medicines and cosmetics |
| 36 | TBS Television | Mass media and entertainment |
| 37 | Nitori | Apparel and specialty store |
| 38 | SEGA | Sports, games, and miscellaneous products |
| 39 | KOSE | Medicines and cosmetics |
| 40 | Tokio Marine and Nichido Fire Insurance | Insurance |
| 41 | Accenture | Information and consultation company |
| 42 | ASICS | Sports, games, and miscellaneous products |
| 43 | Ryohin Keikaku | Apparel and specialty store |
| 44 | Tokyo-to | Government |
| 45 | Japan Airlines | Travel and weddings |
| 46 | Horipro | Mass media and entertainment |
| 47 | Capcom | Sports, games, and miscellaneous products |
| 48 | Kagome | Food and Drinks |
| 49 | Mitsui Fudousan | Real estate |
| 50 | Amazon Japan | IT company |
