just take spanish, its easy. im pretty sure you will only take the minimum amount of courses neccessary to get your degree (2 semesters prolly) and then bail so why make it harder than it has to be? i feel wall street firms would care if you are fluent in chinese or japanese but not even blink an eye if anything less.
I agree with Nana, Hong Kong. This is imo the worlds most vibrant city, the city of the moment and the near future. The mix of English and Chinese will lead you into Chinese. It's true Japan is the worlds 2nd largest economy at the moment. It's also true that the Chinese in general despise the Japanese. One never sees Chinese in Hawaii, there are too many Japanese there. The Chinese vacation in a Peruvian coastal city that I can't remember the name of offhand. The Chinese will cut the Japanese out of the economic picture as soon as they can. China has an emerging middle class, the key to internal consumptive growth. They want what the western world has, the growth will be exponential, not that it's a secret. Japan will platau. Shanghai will be the econ center of China. Bit of a limited rant here that requires much more explanation but my opinion with out the the pages of explanation.
I studied Japanese for two years. It's a nice language to learn. Much easier than Manderin and Cantonise. I also have a strong interest in Japanes culture so I think that makes it easier. China is the future of international trade though, so you'll have to weigh up the advantages. But if you want to cruise through the subject, stick with Spanish or Italian. If English is your first language, these are by far the easiest to pick up. Runnigbear
I don't know about the world, But i think Bangkok unarguably the most vibrant city in asia, with highest expate concentration settling down for much less earning back home or no earning