what is minimum wage in Tokyo, Japan?

hello!
does anyone know the current minimum wage in Tokyo? (as of june 2009) Also, I heard it is very hard to get a job even for something simple like a waiter unless you have at least a 2 year degree... dude, just curious, is that true?

It is between 766 and 832 yen per hour, depending on the industry:
http://www.roudoukyoku.go.jp/wnew/t-toukyo.htm

It is not the job that is difficult to get, it is a visa permitting you to work in Japan that requires a degree- and it is actually a 4-year degree that is needed for most positions (or many years experience in that job).

The reason is that Japan is not a country with a long history of immigration, so they tend not to let people work here unless they are skilled/educated to some extent.

You can't just come over and work here as a waiter unless you are also studying, or married to a Japanese. (The exception is the one year working holiday visa, but I'm guessing you are American, and the US has no working holiday agreement with Japan.)

Anyway, do some Googling and look around this site for "Japanese work visas", "jobs in Japan" etc and you will find a lot of information has already been written on this topic.