Japan establishes simplified visa track for skilled foreigners

if someoe satisfies any or all of those criteria, I imagine they'd be better off in various countries, both financially, and lifestyle-wise.

just out of interest.... anyone here know anyone who earns 20m or 40m yen? I used to earn 10m, and I thought that was pretty high.

Japan should have thought about this before they locked out all foreigners, (permanent residents included) at the beginning of Covid. If you are smart, Japan isn’t a choice for your career and family anymore.

A foreigner who has graduated a university ranked in the top 100 in two world rankings lists designated by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan will be granted a "designated activities" visa that will enable them to stay for up to two years for the purpose of job seeking.

That elite criteria would have prevented entry to many youths who later went on to distinguished themselves: filmmaker James Cameron, chef Wolfgang Puck, musician Sean Combs, innovator Steve Jobs, and designer Ralph Lauren, among many others.

Having a masters degree and earning 150K USD does not make a person "highly skilled"

Having lots of skills makes a person highly skilled.

This is elitist political theater.

If Japan wants skilled people to come here to live and work (and pay taxes), then let skilled people come here.

You can buy fake degrees in Bangkok and you can create a fake company and be hired for ¥20m. Once you got your visa, nobody will check.

Japan is fast catching up with Canada. People from any country who want to settle and work in the country have to be very qualified and, skilled and, very rich.

How rich? That is a good question!

The richer, the better.

Skilled people want to work in skilled jobs with skilled salaries while living in a skilled society with skilled rules

We live in an era of digital nomads where skilled talent goes with their laptops to countries that offer digital nomad visas and work for American USD. This scheme is badly outdated like the fax machine.

non sense, low salary yet requirements for residency is very high. Look at Canada or other nation it would only took a couple of years. Japan 10yrs? 1yr if you have 20m income? no way!

Just one question…do they need to speak Japanese and understand Japanese complicated culture and norms?

certain conditions such as having an annual income of 20 million yen and a master's degree

The former is so much harder to obtain than the latter that it makes this system a joke. It is clearly designed to attract high earners who will pay lots of tax money; the rest is window dressing.

a master's or a higher degree and an annual income of 20 million yen or more or an employment record of 10 years or more and an annual income of 20 million yen or more.

It's all about the money.

A foreigner who has graduated a university ranked in the top 100 in two world rankings lists designated by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan will be granted a "designated activities" visa that will enable them to stay for up to two years for the purpose of job seeking.

I'm not sure if it's a relevant criteria to fulfil the government goal. Many innovative talents start a career right after compulsory education or drop out of university.

Japan should be more concerned about brain drains. Young Japanese finishing 高専 vocational engineering schools are actually highly valued in global labor markets though they are categorized as high school graduate by Japanese education category (which does matter to recruits regarding their levels of salary and promotion at work).

@'diagonalslip

just out of interest.... anyone here know anyone who earns 20m or 40m yen? I used to earn 10m, and I thought that was pretty high.

This type of salary is quite common if you work for the Japanese subsidiary of a major foreign financial institution.

Japan has to have a reason or a skill that is scarce in their home country for a highly skilled professional to do their research here and want to stay here. For professionals who can do their research in Germany, France, United States, and other countries in which are attracting even Japanese has more of a chance in keeping highly skilled professionals for the long term.

You have to really have a purpose and reason to come here and stay. My reason was to get away from western culture. In my opinion I have always felt was flawed. I also detest materialism in and that form of life which is one of the reasons why I am not interested in what most people would consider a normal life. Japanese and eastern spirituality as well as eastern thought attracted me to come here and stay. My wife who is Japanese is also a spiritual practitioner works with aroma therapy and works with the vedias as do I. We live in a beautiful part of Japan in the country side and enjoy our lives.

Japan had a meaning and pupose for me to live here and stay here. For someone who wants to be on the cutting edge of research in most feilds Japan has to have a niche for this type of professional to stay and not go somewhere else.

Who that’s making at least ~$200k/yr, would come to Japan to get paid approx half of the amount?

 in an effort to woo foreign talent.

but still pay laughable salaries and offer absurd working hours.

I'm sure them foreigners will be just rushing in line for that chance.

Rakuraku Today  10:19 am JST

@'diagonalslip

thank you for the response.... "This type of salary is quite common if you work for the Japanese subsidiary of a major foreign financial institution." amazing to me!

@diagonalslip: Amazing it may be, but totally correct. It's no more than a 'lower' starting salary in many financial institutions who get to choose exactly who they want to hire. Experienced back office staff can earn far in excess of this also, as its not a job you teach someone off the bat to do.

And @Rodney: Of course not, why? Not all of Japan, but Tokyo is becoming a truly international city (in fact Covid just slowed down the process) - I would hope that people would take the time to learn such things though.

Wonder how may of these visas will be granted in the next year, not a great deal for that criteria.

just out of interest.... anyone here know anyone who earns 20m or 40m yen? I used to earn 10m, and I thought that was pretty high.

Yes, I know some. A friend who works for a big consulting firm who was in Japan for a few years. He was a senior director and on 22M yen or so. He got his PR in 3 years. Some of his foreign friends in the same industry were also on similar salaries. They didn't necessarily speak good Japanese. They just came to Japan temporarily because of work.

And if you work for a gaishi IT company as a senior exec, 20M+ is not uncommon.

"Western foreigners" are less than 200,000 of the population.

So Japan wants the Jack Ma type foreigners. Good luck with that.

And Japanese banks are terrible or maybe just being a US citizen is terrible or both. If you’re American and have 20M JPY just sitting in a Japanese bank that you’re not touching anyway and want to take advantage of their “wealth management services,” well they tell you can’t invest in anything because of your citizenship, visa doesn’t matter, and all they can offer is a time deposit with a 4.7 or something % interest.

It makes no point to stay in Japan if you have money and nobody with money has any incentive to come to Japan. Japan offers nothing attractive for the wealthy, unlike Singapore. Japan is only attractive if you’re from the 3rd world and apparently those aren’t the kind of foreigners japan wants.

Why would skilled foreigners want to settle in Japan?

Japanese wages are too low to attract skilled foreigners.

Well @Samit Basu: That would depend on which industry you entered wouldn't it? Yes, Average wages are low here compared to other G7 countries, but that doesn't mean there isn't money to be made here. Your anti Japanese sentiment is well known so, it is actually quite hard to take your comments seriously.

To others here, who think this a futile exercise, I assume you are the same who constantly complain about the 'Elites' (whatever that even means) in Japanese Society.

The same month, the prime minister cited the examples of Britain, France and Singapore establishing

Yea right. Talking catch-up-with-world is real convenient. Only if there's loot to take. Never when its loot to pay.

Meanwhile same sex marriage law, examples Britain, France– crickets

This new policy is out of touch with reality that almost no one earning those high incomes would choose to move to Japan because of the super high tax rate you have to pay at those income levels.

The only people who want to live here at those income levels, despite paying the ridiculous tax, are those who have family here, the job itself requires it or the person loves living here as Japan is a very nice place to live.

I doubt this will help attract people to Japan. They need to drastically stop ripping off high income earners first.

having an annual income of 20 million yen

People who makes this much in a different country are not even senior level - if they come to Japan, expect hat salary to half. People in Japan with this salary are director level.

The only foreigner they will attract are anime-fan engineers and there are about seven of them who think moving to Japan is a good idea.

Given the population implosion, they might want to just get "healthy people of breeding age".

I have a PhD, but I'm not an 'employee' and don't bank enough cash each year, so I wouldn't qualify.

Japan is short of labourers, care workers and konbini staff, so it is making it easier for wealthy brain surgeons and hedge fund managers to go there. Genius.

I agree with Japan on this one. If you're going to have foreigners with no family or ties to the country, at least you should aim for the best.

Based on the talent I have met in Japan the hurdle is already very low. You need a pulse and an offer letter. I have lived in Tokyo 15 years and know many recruiters and I have rarely seen any jobs offered for over 20 million yen. Even presidents of listed companies here make less than 40 million yen. The problem is not getting a visa, it is finding a highly skilled person who tolerates being underpaid to live in Japan.

IT recruiter here. Were those IT recruiters or were they in other industries? Most IT software sales jobs will easily pay 20M if you include on target earnings. Sales managers and or directors can get double that if they have sales targets too.

Agree with previous comment that this is just political theatre. Anyone with that salary and savings should leave Japan within 10 years before the Japanese inheritance tax takes hold. Double taxation on Australian and Canadian citizens... Shameless theft by the Japanese government.

"Japan is only attractive if you’re from the 3rd world and apparently those aren’t the kind of foreigners japan wants."

An excellent comment.

I really like visiting Japan, but wouldn't want live there full time. Plus, I don't qualify - no Masters. When I'm working in Japan, I get paid in USD and after a few weeks, really miss home, the food and quiet there. I suspect that's because my clients are always in Japanese cities where people live on top of each other or where a 3 hr train commute each way is acceptable, which I can't imagine.

The "digital nomads" that I know usually live relatively cheap. They fall into 3 types:

1) Some live in campers and travel a few times every month to a new place. These people mostly avoid cities.

2) Others live REALLY cheap and live in northern Thailand for the lower cost of living there and tolerant culture.

3) Then there's the more wealthy group that use monthly apartment swaps or AirBnB rentals for their needs. They get stability, a home environment, but also get to be in a different area every month to feed their need for change. When I've traveled for months, we'd follow this model, but usually between contracts, so only emergency contracts would need to be handled. There's something satisfying about working in a relatively nice place, where the USD is strong, so a penthouse suite is only about $110/night. Spending $250/night to be near clients in Tokyo isn't exactly a great deal, but that what the "plus expenses" part of a contract is all about. For Japanese companies, I had to add a daily hour limit to our contracts after being asked worked too long day after day on one engagement. No thanks.

Agree with previous comment that this is just political theatre. Anyone with that salary and savings should leave Japan within 10 years before the Japanese inheritance tax takes hold. Double taxation on Australian and Canadian citizens... Shameless theft by the Japanese government.

Very original. I haven't been hearing people saying this since the '80s. No really, I swear I haven't!

"Japan is only attractive if you’re from the 3rd world and apparently those aren’t the kind of foreigners japan wants."

And yet, in back in reality, there are thousands and thouands and thousands of first-world people in the world who want to live in Japan. Countless numbers.

And yet, in back in reality, there are thousands and thouands and thousands of first-world people in the world who want to live in Japan. Countless numbers.

Most definitely. There is much to love about Japan. That can be said about many countries, even not fully developed countries. Finding the right fit for the individual is key. Research, living their a few months, bring your language skills up to minimal local levels, then get a job there, Perhaps a 1 yr contract would be a good plan. If you love it, then start figuring out how to relocate long term. If not, time to seek a different location.

Treat ALL people better and you will grow the skill of your existing foreign talent!

The above changes will do almost nothing to make Japan more attractive to foreign talent, especially young entrepreneurial people.

I arrived in Tokyo 10 years ago as a teacher and over several years moved into the highly skilled category- I'm now more than paying my fair share in taxes and yet this career change was made incredibly difficult by the poor treatment non-highly skilled people get.

You can't change jobs or take time to skill up without a ton of admin and fear of losing your residency. It should not be this difficult for people with jobs, paying taxes, of any age or income level to live in a society on this steep of a decline.

Immigration should:

Relax the strict-ass standards of constant employment and near-indentured servitude to employers.

People with a clean record should not be getting constant 1-year renewals for residency.

The 10-year requirement for PR for non-highly-skilled people should be more like 5 years.

Keep the existing point system, just lower the cutoff from 70 pts to 50 pts.