Tag - visas

 
 

VISAS

There are currently over 35 million digital nomads around the world, with a collective economic value of $787 billion.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 2, 2024
Japan's digital nomad visas to require ¥10 million in income
People from 49 countries and territories will be able to stay in Japan under the “specified activities” visa category.
To help alleviate labor shortages, positions such as taxi, bus and truck drivers are expected to become eligible for the Specified Skilled Worker No. 1 visa.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2024
Japan preparing to add transport roles to skilled visa amid shortages
The move would bring the eligible industries under the Specified Skilled Worker No. 1 visa to 16 with railway, forestry and timber sectors under review.
Jumpei Yasuda (second from left) was taken captive by an armed group for about three years and four months after entering Syria from Turkey for news coverage in 2015.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 26, 2024
Japan's passport denial for ex-captive journalist ruled illegal
The presiding judge ruled that the denial of a passport for Jumpei Yasuda was illegal, as it represented an abuse of the government's discretionary power.
A Brazilian of Japanese descent teaches Japanese to foreign nationals in July 2020 at the Homi housing complex in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, which is home to many foreign nationals, mainly of Brazilian heritage.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2023
Some foreign fourth generation descendants of Japanese to be given long-term residency
The Immigration Services Agency will revise the residency status system to allow such people to effectively stay in Japan indefinitely.
Japan’s passport gives visa-free entry to 192 global destinations, according to the latest Henley Passport Index. The country lost the top spot to Singapore earlier this year, after leading the list for five straight years.
BUSINESS
Dec 19, 2023
Japan’s travel industry urges people to get their mighty passports
Japan’s passport gives visa-free entry to 192 global destinations, according to the latest Henley Passport Index.
Akihiko Tanaka (center) attends a meeting on the foreign technical trainee and skilled workers program at the Justice Ministry on Friday.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 30, 2023
Panel submits final report on Japan's foreign trainee program
After roughly a year of meetings, the cumulative report contains recommendations on a newly designed policy.
Akina Shu has visited around 50 countries as a speaker and ambassador on the digital nomad lifestyle since 2020.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Nov 27, 2023
Japan is enticing for digital nomads, but visa hurdles remain
While the country does not offer a digital nomad visa, the government is working on introducing one sometime in 2024.
Technical trainees from Vietnam work at a knitwear factory in Mitsuke, Niigata Prefecture.
JAPAN
Nov 25, 2023
Japan's new foreign trainee program to enhance rights protection
Originally designed to transfer skills to developing countries, the program has long been criticized as a cover for firms to import inexpensive labor.
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa meet on the sidelines of a Group of Seven meeting in Tokyo on Nov. 7.
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2023
Japan and Britain to expand working holiday opportunities
Japan's quota will be expanded sixfold from the current 1,000, while the British quota will be increased fourfold from the current 1,500.
Currently, if foreign nationals hope to obtain a residence status enabling them to start a business, they must secure a place of business and have two or more full-time employees or a capital fund of at least ¥5 million ($33,000).
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2023
Japan mulls eased residency requirements for foreign entrepreneurs
Foreign nationals may be allowed to stay for two years if they have certified business plans and even if they do not have a place of business or capital.
A government expert panel meeting on foreign technical trainee and skilled workers Wednesday at the Justice Ministry
JAPAN / Society
Oct 18, 2023
Japan panel compiles new system for foreign technical interns
The report clearly states that the new system is aimed at “securing and developing human resources in fields facing labor shortages.”
Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Tetsuo Saito
JAPAN / Society
Oct 10, 2023
Japan to add driving to specified foreign worker skills
"We'll make various efforts to ensure that local residents and tourists have access to necessary means of transportation," minister Tetsuo Saito said.
Japan began issuing short-term stay visas online in March in 11 countries and regions, with China added to the system in June.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 24, 2023
Japan looks to promote electronic visas amid tourism recovery
The Foreign Ministry began the online service in March in 11 countries and regions, with China added to the system in June.
Delivery trucks at a parking area along the highway in Chiba Prefecture in April
JAPAN / Society
Sep 14, 2023
Japan set to expand visa framework to tackle driver shortage
The planned expansion of the visa framework is to attract foreign nationals to the logistics industries and to address the driver shortage problem.
The Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau in Tokyo
JAPAN / Society
Aug 21, 2023
Japan plans to move some residency applications online by 2025
The expansion of online services is part of the Immigration Agency's efforts to meet the Digital Agency’s plan of achieving a “digital society” by 2025.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have agreed on Japan's visa exemption for Brazilian visitors during their summit in May.
JAPAN
Aug 10, 2023
Japan to give Brazilians visa-free entry for short stays
Japan will allow Brazilian tourists to visit the country on short stays without visas starting Sept. 30, the government said Thursday, creating a reciprocal entry exemption between the two nations following a summit earlier this year.
Foreign entertainers are now permitted to work in event venues with a capacity of more than 100 people — including standing-only establishments — that sell food and drinks.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 1, 2023
Japan loosens requirements for entertainer visas
Entertainers earning more than ¥500,000 or more per day are now able to stay for up to 30 days, an increase from 15 days.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2023
Japan loses No. 1 spot in powerful passport rankings
Japan, which had occupied the No. 1 position for five straight years, fell to third place in the latest quarterly report of the Henley Passport Index.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 17, 2023
Japan issued 1.3 million visas in 2022, up fourteenfold as COVID curbs eased
While last year's total is still far from the pre-pandemic record high of 8.28 million in 2019, the number is expected to continue to rise.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 14, 2023
Japan's business world welcomes foreign worker status expansion
It remains unclear whether the visa expansion will lead to an increase in foreign workers who plan stay in Japan for the long term.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals