I am an Asian but I received an English medium education since young, went to top schools in my country and graduated with a BA. My English is of native level, with General Cambridge Examinations' results to prove. I have been applying for Japan ESL teaching jobs for 1 month and the typical responses I get usually are like "Sorry, you are an Asian. You have to be a citizen from US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa to qualify as a native speaker." I also speak fluent Mandarin and near fluent Japanese. However, when some schools see that I am an Asian, they either lose interest in me or disregard my English qualifications. Do I have to look non-Asian to teach English? Is the accent a problem? I might not have the US/UK accents but I do have clear pronunciation as well. I will keep on trying and I hope that I will be able to see some positive responses soon. >_<;