To work in Japan, you must have a visa status that allows you to do so. Broadly speaking, there are three classes of visas:
Note: Foreign residents with a student visa who have received permission from the local Immigration Bureau to engage in activities not permitted under the original visa status are able to work up to 28 hours per week provided certain conditions are met.
Hello Work is an employment counseling/assistance institution with offices located throughout Japan. Some Hello Work offices have staff fluent in foreign languages. The Hello Work staff will ascertain if employment is allowable based on your visa and resident card and will not assist those not legally authorized to work.
Public Employment Security Office (Hello Work)This office offers job counseling and job placement as well as counseling regarding visa status to:
1) foreign students in Japan who wish to work and
2) persons with work visas in specialist or technical fields. It also collects job offers targeting foreign exchange students or graduates.
Note: English and Chinese translators are available, but if you require a translator, please confirm by phone in advance.
Foreign residents are allowed to engage in the sphere of activities prescribed by their visa status, but they must receive permission from the Immigration Bureau before engaging in activities prescribed under other visa statuses that involve receiving a salary or compensation. Foreign exchange students who apply for permission from the Immigration Bureau may be allowed to work to a prescribed degree, as long as the work does not interfere with their studies.
Immigration Bureau website▲To the Top of the Page
Overstaying one’s visa period is illegal and will result in deportation.
Illegal employment is the employment of illegal residents (those who enter Japan illegally or overstay their visas) or the employment of residents who do not have a visa permitting work (temporary visitors, exchange students, etc.).
In principle, Japan’s Labor Standards Act, Minimum Wages Act, Industrial Safety and Health Act and Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act protect all workers in Japan—regardless of nationality, sex or legality of immigration status. Employers are required to present the worker with the details of the major terms of employment in writing.
Based on the Labor Standards Act, when concluding a labor contract, the following points must be stated in writing:
▲To the Top of the Page
The following organizations provide counseling regarding work conditions and worker’s compensation insurance:
| Tokyo Metropolitan Labor Consultation Center |
Tokyo Labor Bureau | |
| Address | Tokyo Shigoto Center 9F, 3-10-3 Idabashi, Chiyoda-ku |
1-2-1 Kudan-Minami, Chiyoda-ku |
|---|---|---|
| Telephone | 03-3265-6110 | 03-3512-1612 |
| Hours | English: Monday through Friday 2 to 4 p.m. Chinese: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 2 to 4 p.m. |
English: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed from 12 to 1 p.m.) Chinese: Tuesday, Thursday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed from 12 to 1 p.m.) |
▲To the Top of the Page
