|
Status of residence (term of residence) | Can Work | Activities authorized to engage in |
|---|---|---|
|
Professor (3 years or 1 year) |
Yes | Activities for research, research guidance, or education as professor, assistant professor, or assistant, etc. at universities, equivalent educational institutions, or technical colleges (koto senmon gakko). |
| Artist (3 years or 1 year) |
Yes | Activities for the arts that provide income, including those carried out by composers, songwriters, artists, sculptors, craftspeople, photographers, etc. |
| Religious Activities (3 years or 1 year) |
Yes | Missionary and other religious activities conducted by members of foreign religious organizations. |
| Journalist (3 years or 1 year) |
Yes | News coverage and other journalistic activities conducted on the basis of a contract with a foreign journalistic organization, such as a foreign newspaper company, news agency, broadcasting station, documentary movie company, etc. (Specifically, activities carried out by newspaper journalists, magazine journalists, report writers, editorial chiefs, editors, media photographers, television and radio announcers, etc., including freelancers.) |
| Investor / Business Manager* (3 years or 1 year) |
Yes | Activities to commence the operation of international trade or other business, to invest in international trade or other business and to operate or manage that business, or to operate or manage international trade or other business on behalf of foreign nationals (including foreign corporations) who have begun such an operation or have invested in such a business. The business in question must meet certain conditions of scale. Applicants who wish to engage in business management must fulfill certain conditions concerning work status and personal history. |
| Legal / Accounting Services* (3 years or 1 year) |
Yes | Activities to engage in legal or accounting business. Applicants must be attorneys or public accountants certified to perform their duties in Japan, or those with other legal qualifications recognized by Japan. |
| Medical Services* (3 years or 1 year) |
Yes | Activities to engage in medical treatment service. Applicants must be physicians, dentists, or those with other medical qualifications, and must be qualified under Japanese law and fulfill certain conditions concerning work status, etc. |
| Researcher* (3 years or 1 year) |
Yes | Activities to engage in examinations, surveys, research, etc. on the basis of a contract with a public or private organization in Japan. Applicants must fulfill certain conditions concerning personal history and work status. |
| Instructor* (3 years or 1 year) |
Yes | Activities to engage in language instruction and other education at elementary schools, junior high schools, senior high schools, schools for the blind, handicapped children’s schools, miscellaneous schools (kakushu gakko and senshu gakko), or other educational institutions equivalent to kakushu gakko in facilities and curriculum. |
| Engineer* (3 years or 1 year) |
Yes | Activities to engage in service that requires technological skill and/or knowledge pertinent to physical science, engineering, or other natural science fields, on the basis of a contract with a public or private organization in Japan. Applicants must fulfill certain conditions concerning personal history and work status. |
| Specialist in Humanities/ International Services* (3 years or 1 year) |
Yes | Activities to engage in service that requires knowledge pertinent to jurisprudence, economics, sociology, or other human science fields. Activities to engage in service that requires specific ways of thought or sensitivity based on experience with foreign culture, such as interpreting, translation, copywriting, fashion design, interior design, sales, overseas business, information processing, international finance, design, or public relations and advertising based on a contract with a public or private organization in Japan. Applicants must fulfill certain conditions concerning personal history and work status. |
| Intracompany Transferee* (3 years or 1 year) |
Yes | Activities on the part of personnel who are transferred to business offices in Japan for a limited period of time from business offices that are established in foreign countries by public or private organizations with head offices, branch offices, or other business offices in Japan and who engage at these business offices in the activities described in the "Engineer" or "Specialist in Humanities/International Services" sections of this table. Applicants must fulfill certain conditions concerning personal history and work status. |
| Entertainer* (1 year, 6 months, or 3 months) |
Yes | Activities to engage in theatrical performances, arts, song, dance, musical performances, sports, or any other show business. Applicants must fulfill certain conditions concerning personal history, work status, and form of entertainment. 縲\縲\Activities such as the production of television programs or movies, the photographing of models, etc. Applicants must fulfill certain conditions concerning work status. |
| Skilled Labor* (3 years or 1 year) |
Yes | Activities to engage in service that requires industrial techniques or skills belonging to special fields on the basis of a contract with a public or private organization in Japan. Applicants must fulfill certain conditions concerning personal history and work status. |
|
Temporary Visitor (90 days, 30 days, or 15 days) |
No | Sightseeing; recreation; sports; visiting relatives, friends, or acquaintances; visiting a sick person; attending a wedding or funeral ceremony; participating in athletic tournaments, contests, etc. as an amateur; business purposes (such as market research, business liaison, business consultations, signing a contract, or providing after-sale service for imported machinery); inspecting or visiting plants, trade fairs, etc.; attending lectures, explanatory meetings, etc.; academic surveys or research presentations; religious pilgrimages or visits; friendship visits to sister cities, sister schools, etc.; or other similar activities during a short period of stay in Japan. |
| GENERAL VISA Cultural Activities (1 year or 6 months) |
No | Academic or artistic activities that provide no income, activities for the purpose of pursuing specific studies on Japanese culture or arts, or activities for the purpose of learning and acquiring skills in Japanese culture or arts under the guidance of experts (for example, ikebana, tea ceremony, judo, etc.). |
| College Student* (2 years or 1 year) |
Maybe | Activities to receive education at colleges or equivalent educational institutions, specialized courses of study at miscellaneous schools (senshu gakko), educational institutions designated for preparing persons who have completed 12 years of education at schools in foreign countries to enter college, or technical colleges (koto senmon gakko). Applicants must fulfill certain conditions regarding ability to pay living expenses, etc. |
| Trainee* (1 year or 6 months) |
? | Activities to learn and acquire technology, skills, or knowledge at public or private organizations in Japan (including not only training in industrial techniques and skills but also administrative training in local governments and other public bodies and clerical training to acquire knowledge). |