The only way to become a permanent hire pilot for a Japanese airline is to get accepted in their ab initio cadet program. The only other option (which is getting very rare these days) is by joining the Japanese Air Self Defense Force and transferring to the airlines once your duty period is fulfilled. From my knowledge, they (JAL or ANA) have never hired foreigner permanent pilots. I applied for ANA’s cadetship a few years ago and unfortunately I wasn’t able to make it.

Not to discourage or scare you off, but path to getting into Japanese airlines is extremely difficult and limited. Although there is no requirement to be a Japanese citizen, they expect you to have native college level literacy and speaking ability. Remember, you are competing against thousands of natives thus you are expected to be at the same level. I am a Japanese American who is fortunate enough to be bilingual but the language barrier was still large for me when I applied. Also, the age requirement is extremely strict; you have to be a fresh 4 year college graduate with a minimum of bachelor’s degree (any field is fine). They won’t even consider you if you are over their age limit requirement.

There are usually five to six steps in the selection process not including the prerequisite exams (look up SPI exams on google) and initial screening process. The process involves two to three interviews, few aptitude tests, and a physical exam. ANA’s aptitude test was quite difficult and I was not able to pass it (if I had my instrument rating back then, it may have helped me a bit). As you may already know, passing the JCAB physical (AKA: astronaut physical) is much more difficult than the FAA’s, and majority of the applicants wash out because of it. You can search up on google about the JCAB flight physical criteria.

All of the interviews and testing are held in their main training facilities in Japan (Haneda and Tokyo training centers), which means you would have to fly across the Pacific every week if you live in the states. They do not provide transportation fees so you need to provide your own means of transportation (I was lucky to be able to get NRSA tickets through my family member). It was pretty cool experience for me to see their main flight ops center in Haneda airport, though.

If you are serious about the Japanese airlines, the first step would be to study the language and culture, and then get accepted/ attend a 4 year university in Japan. Having a PPL may or may not help you through the selection process, but being adept at flying the ILS to ATP level may help you pass ANA’s aptitude test.

Hope these information help!