Once I get to Japan to work for my masters there, I could build contacts too. Would this be a good idea? Would a Masters Degree from a Japanese University eb recognized in the US?

Haha. I've thought about this before and would like to know peoples' thoughts, too.

In general degrees from Japan don't count as much in the US as US degrees, but I can't speak to that specific field. (And there's no universal definition of "recognized"; it depends on what you want to do with the degree.)

Obviously the biggest problem in doing that is language ability; you need to be able to handle the language well enough to do graduate-level work -- this doesn't necessarily mean the exact equivalent of a native college graduate, but it's certainly a much higher level than a typical 4-year college course will give you.

I would say that unless there's something specific about the Computer Science field in Japan that I don't know, you will not be able to go directly from US college straight into a JP masters' program unless you have some unusual background in Japanese.

Any school worth attending (Tokyo Uni, Kyoto Uni, Osaka Uni, Waseda, Keio, etc). are generally going to have English programs for stuff like STE(M maybe not). But yudantaiteki is right, a degree for Japan won't mean much unless its a renowned program.

At best, a degree might help you get a job in Japan, but you'll have to rely on networking for that. Most Japanese don't pursue graduate degrees for a career expansion.

My professor told me that masters in Japan are for research, so if you get a masters you're going back into research in Japan and not into the private sector.

It also doesn't really make sense to go to Japan for CS, because all the big CS companies (and universities and therefore research) are here...

Only exception being if you are aiming for a Western CS company. I know Google (and maybe Apple, M$, etc) prefers to only hire people with MS/Ph.Ds in science.

Honestly, Japan/US, I still think it will come down to what kind of person you are. If you are just aiming for code monkey status, you'll always be disposable. There will probably always be some room somewhere for a foreign person to fit in an IT dept. here in Japan. Just depends how much you want to bend over backwards + networking (again).

Like someone said in your other thread, I think your best bet would be to work for a big tech company in the US and then transfer to their Japan office. My intern host at Google did just that, although it required switching to the YouTube team (in San Bruno, CA) first and then after a few months going to Google Tokyo. He doesn't even speak Japanese! It turns out that he didn't really like Japan that much so he's coming back after only a year (which is great for him too), but I imagine if you like it you could stay there as long as you like...and by being there it'd be much easier to get another job if you don't like whatever big company you end up with.

It depends a lot on what you want to do with a computer science degree. Computer science used to cover anything that had to do with making computers do stuff. The last decade has really seen a split between pure computer science and software engineering. Software companies want people that have a solid foundation in the principles of building large, complex systems. Many universities actually offer software engineering degrees that focus less on theory of computation, and more on practical application of theory and solid engineering practices. The problem is that, unlike mature engineering fields, software engineering doesn't have one solid set of practices. There are actually competing philosophies (agile vs. traditional, etc.) with most of the research and innovation coming from American universities and American companies. So, in my opinion, a computer science degree from outside the United States is not going to help you get a good job as a software engineer. That being said, if you're interested more in theory or research, then a pure computer science degree outside the US is probably going to be judged by the strength of your master's thesis. So access to helpful and knowledgeable faculty (with whom you can communicate effectively) is going to be the biggest factor in your success.

Can someone give me the basic system or process of transfers in a company?

So so far, the best option is to get a great education in the US along with a Master's degree from a reputed program while also learning 日本語 then applying for a transfer (I'm guessing that's how it's done) then move to Japan and live a Japanese life, get money, get a home, get a wife, etc.

Permanent transfers like that are almost unheard of. Basically, any kind of transfer from country X to Japan will be on a temporary basis. If you want a permanent transfer you would have to quit your job at country X subsidiary and then get rehired on a permanent basis with the home office in Japan. It's actually a very complicated HR trick because multinational companies are incorporated in multiple countries and you typically "technically" remain an employee of the office that sent you to Japan.

And no one wants to do the permanent switch because it usually entails a significant cut in pay. Looking at around 40% drop if you came to Japan on an expat package. No joke.

Ouch. What sort of pay would you expect after transfer in your case? Is it still enough to live fairly well and not be struggling to survive in Japan on only cup noodles every day. Assuming the company is a foreign one, are working conditions better then native Japanese companies as I've heard? If so, then the best option would be considering the transfer while considering the pay drop.