Country guide · Japan

Getting a job in Japan, 2026

Japan's main white collar work visa asks for no Japanese and sets no salary figure, only that your degree subject matches the job, which is what sinks most applications. Meanwhile the bottom half of the system is being rebuilt: on 1 April 2027 the Technical Intern Training Programme is abolished and replaced by Employment for Skill Development. Here is the points table in full, the Certificate of Eligibility process, and why the rirekisho is a form and not a CV.

Country guidePublished 20 September 2026·Every figure checked 20 September 2026·19 min read
1,177 yen
National weighted average minimum wage an hour from October 2026, up 56 yen
MHLW, 3 September 2026
1 Apr 2027
Technical Intern Training ends, Employment for Skill Development begins
ISA and MHLW, July 2026
2.57m
Foreign workers in Japan at end October 2025, up 11.7 per cent in a year
MHLW foreign employment returns
No JLPT
Japanese level the main white collar work visa requires by law
Ministerial Ordinance on Criteria
Section 01

The routes in, the points, and the one rule that decides your case

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Japan's main white collar work visa asks you for no Japanese at all and sets no salary figure. What it does ask is that the subject you studied matches the work you will do, and that is the requirement that sinks most applications.

The status of residence is called Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services, in Japanese gijutsu, jinbun chishiki, kokusai gyomu, usually shortened to gijinkoku. It covers software engineers, accountants, marketers, designers, translators, analysts and most office work. The Ministerial Ordinance on Criteria sets three limbs and you have to satisfy all of them.

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Section 02

The Certificate of Eligibility, permanent residence, and the 2027 rebuild

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Section 03

Licences, pay and hours, and the rirekisho

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