Non-ESL jobs for non-Japanese speakers

I am considering moving to Japan to live and work and would like to ask if there are any significant job opportunities for a non-Japanese speaker in Japan other than an English teacher.
I currently am a partner at in international trading company (import/export and distribution) and am quite familiar with sourcing, international logistics and regulations (particularly as they apply to China and the U.S.) Additionally, I am quite experienced in marketing, as I am intimately involved with the sales process for the products that we import and export.
I speak fluent English and Mandarin and have a BA in International Studies.
I would most likely be applying for the job from outside of Japan and would need to be sponsored for a work visa.
Based on the above, is it likely that I would be able to find employment in Japan with no Japanese language ability; or am I pretty much out of luck (especially considering the current state of economic affairs)?
If there is the possibility that I might be able to find employment, what fields would likely offer the best prospects? Obviously, international trade and import/export related jobs would be the best fit. However; there do not seem to be a lot of opening s for this type of position on the job sites I have visited. Perhaps finance or management?

Thanks!

If you would like to work in Japan, it's important to be able to speak Japanese. Reguardless of your language abilities in other areas, you will still need to function in a primarily Japanese-speaking workplace and be of use to your Japanese-speaking employers.

Unless you are conversational in Japanese, the prospects of getting a non-entertainment/non-education job are very slim.

Sorry you're probably outta luck on this one. The lack of Japanese ability and the current economic situation really hurts your chances. Also, the fact that bilingual/trilingual Japanese speakers are really a dime a dozen now in big cities pretty much makes you an unattractive option as an employee. Unless you've got plenty of experience in high level management along with a strong resume and educational background, you probably won't find much.

What if the OP had done his university education in Japan, would that have increased his chances of finding a good job?

I have seen some companies advertising positions in finance companies in which they require no Japanese language ability or even prior finance experience. Obviously this would be entry level, but that these companies are saying that you need no Japanese language ability or prior finance experience to work for them smells wrong. Does anyone have any experience with these companies? Are they legit?

I don't know about the companies asking for no finance experience, but not requiring Japanese skills is quite normal. I know people working at finance companies in Tokyo including JP Morgan, AmEx, Ernst and Young and Citi Group as well as some of the German banks. The working language of these companies is English- people seem to find this hard to believe but it is the case.

My husband who is Japanese works for a French company where the working language is also English- the majority of the foreign staff (lots of Indians among others) don't speak any Japanese at all. Lots of the foreign IT companies with HQs in Tokyo are the same.

The above posters were mistaken, probably because they are not that familiar with these industries- it's a common assumption that it's not possible to get a job other than teaching in Japan if you don't speak Japanese, but that's not true at all.

Of course the timing right now is bad as many of those companies have hiring freezes on, and the positions actually tend not to be entry-level, they require a year or two of experience in the industry at least.

I only know two non-Japanese working in trading companies and they do speak Japanese well. That in particular seems like an industry that wouldn't be hiring right now.

Oh, there is also head-hunting, but as you can imagine the pay is very unstable and it's another industry I wouldn't want to be trying to survive in in the current economic climate.

Really not a good time to be looking for jobs in a country you don't know well- unemployment is soaring here and we haven't seen half of it yet.

Thanks to everyone for all of their insight and advice! This is a really great forum, and it is great that the ex-pat community is Japan is so supportive on one another here!

Actually, I do have experience with Japan. I have visited several times as I am often in Asia on business. I have several Japanese friends and we try to get together whenever I am in Japan. When I am there I am often functioning independently; getting by with a combination of survival Japanese, Chinese characters (since I can speak Chinese and there is some crossover w/ writing) and English.

The idea of working and living in Japan has always been attractive to me; however the circumstances of my life never allowed the possibility. Those circumstances have recently changed and so I am now looking into pursuing this unfulfilled goal before I get too much older. I'm 32 so I'm not exactly a spring chick ;)

Obviously, if I were to move to Japan then learning Japanese would be a priority. It seems the only route open to me at this time would be the English teacher one with the aim of picking up Japanese and looking into better job/business opportunities in the future. It is just that I have done the English teacher thing before in China and Taiwan (at the bushibans) and am in no rush to do that again. Also, considering where I am now in my life, it seems like it would be a step backward for me. Still, perhaps sometimes one must take 3 steps back in order to jump ahead 10?

If you are considering doing the ESL thing in Japan, you really ought to try getting into the JET Program. It is the best ESL job in Japan. The pay is the highest, and you are treated extremely well since you work for the prefecture (High School) or a city (Elementary, JHS). You also work Mon-Friday from 8:30-4:15 or so. And you pretty much have job security for five years. The cut of, in terms of age, for applying is 40. If you regard it as a means to an end, it might not feel so much like a step backward.