The Atarashift Blog
Insights for working in Japan
Guides, interviews, and honest advice for international talent building a career in Japan.
The Atarashift Blog
Guides, interviews, and honest advice for international talent building a career in Japan.
Japan's most common work visa covers most office and technical jobs. Here is who qualifies, what counts as relevant work, and how the application runs.
If you land an office or technical job in Japan, this is almost certainly the visa you will get. The Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa covers most white-collar roles, from software engineering to marketing to translation. As of June 2025, 458,109 people held it, making it the second-largest residence status in Japan after permanent residency (Immigration Services Agency of Japan, 2025).
Its full name is a mouthful, and in Japanese it is even longer: 技術・人文知識・国際業務. So most people never get a plain explanation of what it actually requires. This guide gives you one.
Key Takeaways
- This single visa covers three job families: engineering, humanities, and international services.
- It held 458,109 residents as of June 2025, second only to permanent residency (ISA, 2025).
- You generally need a bachelor's degree (or relevant experience) that matches the job.
- Periods of stay are 5, 3, or 1 year, or 3 months, and renewals are unlimited.
- There is no legal Japanese language requirement, though many employers expect it.
It is Japan's main work visa for professional, non-manual jobs. One status of residence bundles three categories that used to be separate. The Immigration Services Agency recorded 458,109 holders as of June 2025, up from 418,706 at the end of 2024 (ISA, 2025).
The three categories are simple once you see them side by side:
Most candidates fit one category cleanly. The growth has been steep. This category roughly tripled over the past decade as Japan opened more white-collar roles to foreign talent.
| Period | Visa holders |
|---|---|
| 2013 | 115,357 |
| End 2024 | 418,706 |
| June 2025 | 458,109 |
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, 2025
For a broader view of which companies sponsor foreign staff, see our guide on which companies offer Japan work visa sponsorship.
You qualify if you have a job offer that matches your education or experience, and your pay matches what a Japanese national would earn in the same role. Immigration checks for a clear link between what you studied and what you will do.
There are three common routes to meet the requirement:
The pay rule matters more than people expect. Your salary must be equal to or higher than a Japanese employee doing the same job. A lowball offer can sink the whole application, so check the range before you sign. Our breakdown of foreigner salaries in Japan can help you judge an offer.
Almost any professional role at a Japanese company fits one of the three categories. The catch is that the work must be skilled and office-based, not manual labor. Here is how real jobs map to each category.
Engineer covers technical roles grounded in science and math:
Specialist in Humanities covers business and social-science roles:
International Services covers work that draws on your background as a foreigner:
What does not qualify? Pure manual or service jobs, like factory line work or waiting tables, fall under other statuses. The line is whether the role needs your education or specialized skill.
Most applicants get a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) first, then convert it to a visa. Your employer in Japan files for the COE on your behalf with the Immigration Services Agency. This is the step that proves your job, pay, and background all line up.
The process runs in a clear order:
If you are already in Japan on another status, such as a student visa, you can apply to change your status directly without leaving. Graduating students moving into full-time work take this route every spring.
Want the full job-search picture before you reach the visa stage? Start with our guide on how to get a job in Japan as a foreigner.
The visa is granted for 5 years, 3 years, 1 year, or 3 months, and you can renew it as many times as you like. First-timers often receive one year, then longer periods as their record builds. There is no cap on renewals while you keep meeting the requirements.
This visa is also a real path to permanent residency. Time spent on it counts toward the usual requirement of ten years in Japan, including five years of work. High earners and skilled professionals can sometimes qualify faster through the points-based system. So the job that gets you here can also keep you here for good.
Your family can join you too. A spouse and children can apply for a Dependent visa tied to your status, which lets them live in Japan while you work.
For most applicants, no. The immigration rules have not historically listed a JLPT level you must pass, and plenty of engineers work in English-first teams and hold this exact status.
2026 rule change: from April 15, 2026, overseas applicants sponsored by smaller (Category 3 or 4) companies must prove CEFR B2-level Japanese, roughly JLPT N2, when the role itself involves significant Japanese-language interaction (Fragomen, 2026). English-language technical roles and hires at large established companies are unaffected.
That said, the market is a different story. Many employers, especially for sales, HR, or customer-facing roles, expect business-level Japanese around JLPT N2. This is a hiring preference, not a visa rule, but it shapes which jobs you can realistically get. We cover the full picture in whether you need to speak Japanese to work in Japan.
You can change employers on the same visa, as long as your new job stays within the categories your visa covers. A developer moving to a new software firm is fine. The visa belongs to the work type, not to one company.
There are two things you must do. First, notify the Immigration Services Agency of the change within 14 days. Second, if your new role looks different from your old one, it is wise to request a Certificate of Authorized Employment. This document confirms your new job still qualifies, which protects you at your next renewal.
If you move into a completely different field, for example from engineering into a job that needs a separate status, you may need to change your status of residence rather than just notify a job change.
If you are weighing where verified employers are actually hiring foreign professionals, platforms like Atarashift that filter roles by visa sponsorship and language level can save you a lot of guesswork.
As of June 2025, 458,109 people held the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services status. That makes it the second-largest residence status in Japan, behind permanent residency at 932,090 (Immigration Services Agency of Japan, 2025).
Yes, in some cases. For engineering and humanities work, ten years of relevant experience can replace a degree. International services roles like translation usually need three years of experience instead. The key is proving your background matches the job.
The Certificate of Eligibility is the slow part, usually one to three months. Once you have it, the visa stamp at a Japanese embassy often takes under a week. Processing times vary by immigration bureau and season, so apply early.
Yes. Years on this visa count toward the standard ten-year residency requirement for permanent residency, which includes five years of work. Skilled professionals may qualify faster through the points-based Highly Skilled Professional route.
A spouse on a Dependent visa can work up to 28 hours per week with permission to engage in activity outside their status. For full-time work, they would need their own work visa that matches their own job and qualifications.
The Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa is the default work visa for foreign professionals in Japan, and the numbers show it: 458,109 holders as of June 2025. If your job is skilled, office-based, and matches your education or experience, this is almost certainly your route in.
Focus your energy on two things: a job offer that clearly fits one of the three categories, and pay that matches the local market. Get those right, and the paperwork tends to follow.
Ready to look for roles that already match this visa? See our full job-search playbook for landing a job in Japan as a foreigner.
Sources: Immigration Services Agency of Japan (出入国在留管理庁), Number of foreign residents as of the end of June 2025, https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/publications/press/13_00057.html; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Working visa, https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/long/visa1.html
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