Japan's Mercari to boost overseas recruiting as border reopens

CEO of online marketplace says foreign engineers account for 70% of new hires

20211110 Mercari CEO Shintaro Yamada Interview

Mercari CEO Shintaro Yamada: "Foreigners have more experience on how to create large-scale services efficiently." (Photo by Yoichi Iwata) 

WATARU SUZUKI, Nikkei staff writer

TOKYO -- Mercari, Japan's largest online marketplace for secondhand goods, is planning to step up recruiting of foreign engineers after the country reopened borders this week.

In an interview on Wednesday, Mercari founder and CEO Shintaro Yamada said foreigners account for about half of Mercari's engineers in Tokyo and 70% of new hires. But it became impossible to conduct key recruiting activities -- such as organizing hackathons in Europe and inviting the top performers to internships in Japan -- after the government banned entry of most foreigners during the COVID-19 crisis.

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