Designated Activities Visa in Japan: A Guide to 50+ Categories

The “Designated Activities” (tokutei katsudo) status of residence, defined in Appended Table 1-5 of Japan’s Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (ICRRA), covers activities that the Minister of Justice specifically designates for individual foreign nationals. It encompasses a wide range of activities that do not fit other statuses, from Working Holiday and Digital Nomad to nurse and care worker candidates under Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). The public notice alone sets out more than 50 categories.

For an overview of all residence status categories, see our guide to residence status types in Japan.

What Are Designated Activities?

Designated Activities is a status of residence under which the Minister of Justice designates the permitted activities for each individual foreign national. This differs from statuses such as “Business Manager” or “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services,” where the permitted activities are defined in the appended tables of the Act itself.

The categories designated in advance are set out in a Ministry of Justice public notice (kokuji), so new categories are added without amending the Act. For example, the J-Find program was introduced in April 2023 (see below).

The period of stay is five years, three years, one year, six months, three months, or a period individually designated by the Minister of Justice (not exceeding five years) (Immigration Services Agency page on Designated Activities). The period granted depends on the category.

Legal Basis

ICRRA, Appended Table 1-5: Defines the “Designated Activities” status of residence
Designated Activities Public Notice (Ministry of Justice Public Notice No. 131 of 1990): Lists the categories of activities designated in advance
ICRRA Article 7, Paragraph 1, Item 2: As a condition for landing, limits the activities under Appended Table 1-5 to those designated in advance by the Minister of Justice in a public notice

Categories Listed and Not Listed in the Public Notice

Designated Activities are commonly divided into categories listed in the Public Notice (kokuji tokutei katsudo) and categories not listed in the Public Notice (kokujigai tokutei katsudo). The two differ in whether new entry from abroad is possible and in the procedures used.

Designated Activities Listed in the Public Notice

These are the activities listed in the Designated Activities Public Notice (Ministry of Justice Public Notice No. 131 of 1990). The notice has been amended repeatedly; as of the amendment of April 8, 2026, it runs to No. 58 (some items have been deleted).

Because activities listed in the Public Notice can satisfy the condition for landing in ICRRA Article 7, Paragraph 1, Item 2, a foreign national may enter Japan from abroad, typically after applying for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE). For some categories, such as Digital Nomad, applicants abroad are directed to apply for a visa at a Japanese embassy or consulate.

Designated Activities Not Listed in the Public Notice

These are activities that are not listed in the public notice but that the Minister of Justice designates based on individual circumstances.

ICRRA Article 7, Paragraph 1, Item 2 limits the Designated Activities that satisfy the condition for landing to those set out in the public notice. Activities not listed in the Public Notice are therefore designated for people who are already residing in Japan, through an application for change of status of residence or a similar procedure.

For the following activities that are not in the public notice, the Immigration Services Agency publishes the eligible persons and required documents:

Item	Listed in the Public Notice	Not listed
Basis	Listed in the Designated Activities Public Notice	Not in the notice; designated individually
Condition for landing (ICRRA Art. 7(1)(ii))	Can be satisfied	Not satisfied
Main procedures	COE application, change of status, etc.	Change of status, etc.

Overview of Major Categories

The main categories listed in the Public Notice are set out below by field. Item numbers and names follow the Immigration Services Agency’s list of Designated Activities Public Notice items (as of May 2025) and the text of the notice (last amended April 8, 2026).

Work and Training

Category	Public Notice No.	Summary
Working Holiday	5, 5-2	Spending a holiday, with work to supplement travel funds
Internship	9	Paid practical training by students of foreign universities as part of their curriculum
Summer Job	12	Work by students of foreign universities during a period without classes (up to three months)
EPA nurses and certified care workers	16–24, 27–31	Candidates under Economic Partnership Agreements and related arrangements, and family members of those who have qualified (Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam)
Designated research activities	36	Research, research guidance, or education at an institution designated by the Minister of Justice
Designated information processing activities	37	Information processing work at an institution designated by the Minister of Justice
Foreign employees in manufacturing	42	Staff of an overseas office engaging in manufacturing work at a production site in Japan
Graduates of Japanese universities	46	Full-time work, including work requiring smooth communication in Japanese
Ski instructors	50	Ski instruction
Digital Nomad	53	International remote work
Preparation for the motor vehicle transportation field	55	Preparation to become a “Specified Skilled Worker (i)” in the motor vehicle transportation field

Entrepreneurship and Highly Skilled Professionals

Category	Public Notice No.	Summary
Working spouse of a Highly Skilled Professional	33, 33-2	Work by a spouse living with a Highly Skilled Professional
Foreign entrepreneurs	44	Start-up preparation under the government program for promoting start-up activities by foreign entrepreneurs (the so-called Startup Visa)
J-Find	51	Job hunting and start-up preparation by graduates of eligible universities

Family

Category	Public Notice No.	Summary
Parent of a Highly Skilled Professional or of the spouse	34	Caring for a child under seven, supporting a person who is pregnant, etc.
Fourth-generation Japanese descendants	43	Activities to understand Japanese culture and the Japanese way of life
Spouses and children under each category	7, 38, 45, 47, 52, 54, etc.	Activities as the spouse or child of a person residing under the main category

Other

Category	Public Notice No.	Summary
Domestic workers	1, 2, 2-2 to 2-4	Domestic workers employed by diplomats and others, or by Highly Skilled Professionals and others
Staff of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association and their families	3	Staff of the Association’s offices in Japan and their families
Staff of the Permanent General Mission of Palestine in Japan and their families	4	Staff of the Mission and their families
Amateur athletes	6	Activities as an amateur athlete employed by an organization in Japan
International arbitration representation	8	Representation by foreign lawyers in international arbitration and mediation proceedings
Medical stay and accompanying persons	25, 26	Receiving medical treatment as an inpatient, and caring for that person
Long-term stay for sightseeing and recreation	40, 41	Sightseeing and recreation for up to one year (the so-called Long Stay), and the accompanying spouse

These are the main categories. Items 11, 32, 35, 48, and 49 have been deleted. Please refer to the text of the notice for the full and current list.

Digital Nomad (Public Notice No. 53)

Digital Nomad (Designated Activities Public Notice No. 53) is a category for people who stay in Japan for a period not exceeding six months for international remote work. The requirements are published on the Immigration Services Agency’s Digital Nomad page.

Requirements

Applicants must meet all of the following.

Nationality of an eligible country or region: Be a national or citizen of a country or region listed in Appended Table 14 of the notice, that is, one of the countries and regions with which Japan has a tax convention and which are covered by the visa exemption arrangements for Temporary Visitors. The list changes with amendments; please check the list of eligible countries and regions
Annual income of at least 10 million yen: The applicant’s own annual income must be at least 10 million yen at the time of application
Length of stay: The period of stay in Japan under this category must not exceed six months in any 12-month period
Medical insurance: Hold medical insurance, such as overseas travel accident insurance, covering death, injury, and illness for the planned period of stay (coverage for treatment of injury and illness must be 10 million yen or more)

Permitted Activities

Either of the following (excluding activities that cannot be provided or sold without entering Japan):

Using information and communication technology in Japan to engage in the business of an overseas office of a foreign corporation or other foreign organization, based on an employment contract with that organization
Providing services for a fee, or selling goods and the like, to persons located in a foreign country using information and communication technology

Work based on an employment contract or similar contract with a public or private organization in Japan is not permitted. Permission to engage in activities outside the status is not granted in principle.

Period of Stay and Residence Card

Period of stay: Six months (no extension)
A person may stay in Japan under this category again once six months have passed after departure
Residence card: Not issued

Accompanying Family

A spouse or child supported by the Digital Nomad may accompany them under the same “Designated Activities” status (Public Notice No. 54). There is no income requirement for the spouse or child, but they must be nationals or citizens of a visa-exempt country or region (Appended Table 15 of the notice, whose scope differs from the list for the principal applicant) and must meet the same medical insurance requirement.

How to Apply

Applicants who are outside Japan are directed to apply for a visa directly at the Japanese embassy or consulate in the country where they are staying (Q&A on the Digital Nomad status of residence, Q11, as of July 2024).

J-Find (Future Creation Individual)

J-Find (Japan System for Future Creation Individual Visa) is a program, introduced in April 2023, under which graduates of eligible overseas universities carry out job hunting or start-up preparation in Japan (Designated Activities Public Notice No. 51; No. 52 for the spouse and children). The requirements are published on the Immigration Services Agency’s J-Find page.

Eligibility Requirements

In addition to being 18 or older (Public Notice No. 51), applicants must meet all three of the following.

Graduation from an eligible university: Have graduated from a university ranked in the top 100 in two or more of the following three world university rankings, or have been conferred a degree or professional degree after completing a graduate course at such a university
- QS World University Rankings
- THE World University Rankings
- Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai Ranking)
Within five years of graduation: Be within five years of the date the degree or professional degree was conferred
Savings of at least 200,000 yen: Have savings equivalent to at least 200,000 yen at the time of application

The list of eligible universities is published on the Immigration Services Agency’s page. Because the list is based on the rankings as of January 2026, applicants are asked to check the latest three rankings as well.

Period of Stay and Permitted Activities

Period of stay: Up to two years (renewal required every one year or six months). The program can be used within a cumulative total of two years together with similar programs, such as continued job-hunting, post-graduation start-up activities, and the program for promoting start-up activities by foreign entrepreneurs (program outline)
Permitted activities: Job hunting, start-up preparation, and employment to supplement the funds necessary for those activities

Accompanying Family

A spouse or child supported by the J-Find holder may accompany them under “Designated Activities (spouse of J-Find, etc.)” (Public Notice No. 52). Permission to engage in activities outside the status is required for the spouse or child to work.

Working Holiday

The working holiday programs, based on bilateral arrangements, allow young people from partner countries and regions to enter Japan primarily to spend a holiday, and to work as an incidental activity to supplement their travel funds (Designated Activities Public Notice Nos. 5 and 5-2).

Partner Countries and Regions

Partner countries and regions have been added over time. Please check the current list on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs page, The Working Holiday Programmes in Japan. The main partners include Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and European countries such as the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.

Key Requirements and Features

Visa requirements differ by country and region. The main requirements indicated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are as follows.

Age: Be between 18 and 30 at the time of the visa application (between 18 and 25 for Australia, Canada, South Korea, and Ireland, although applications are possible up to age 30 where the respective authorities so agree)
Purpose: Intend primarily to spend a holiday for a certain period
Dependents: Not be accompanied by children or dependents
Number of participations: Not have been issued a working holiday visa before; nationals of some countries and regions may participate twice
Work: Incidental work to supplement travel funds is permitted. Work in the adult entertainment business and similar businesses is not permitted
Where to apply: Apply for the visa at the nearest Japanese embassy or consulate in the partner country or region (for Taiwan, the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association)

EPA Nurses and Certified Care Workers

Nurse and certified care worker candidates under EPAs and related arrangements work and train at host facilities under the “Designated Activities” status while aiming to obtain Japan’s national qualifications.

Partner Countries

Candidates are accepted under arrangements with the following three countries (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare page on accepting nurse and care worker candidates).

Indonesia (since fiscal year 2008)
The Philippines (since fiscal year 2009)
Vietnam (since fiscal year 2014)

Program Overview

Stay as a candidate: Candidates work and train at host facilities during the stay allowed under the agreements (three years for nursing, four years for care work). For Indonesia, the maximum period of stay has been extended to five years for both nursing and care work following, among other things, the entry into force of the amended agreement in August 2026 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, page above)
Stay after qualifying: After obtaining the qualification, a person may stay and work as a nurse or certified care worker, with no limit on the number of renewals of the period of stay
Coordinating body: Japan International Corporation of Welfare Services (JICWELS) is the sole coordinating body for acceptance
Procedures: Required documents, such as for the change from candidate to nurse or certified care worker, are published on the Immigration Services Agency’s page on EPA nurses and certified care workers

Separately, the “Nursing Care” status of residence, for people who have obtained the certified care worker qualification, took effect on September 1, 2017 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare page on the “Nursing Care” status). The Ministry lists four schemes for accepting foreign care workers: EPA, the “Nursing Care” status, Technical Intern Training, and Specified Skilled Worker (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare page on accepting foreign care workers).

How We Can Help

AEGIS International Administrative Firm, as a registered immigration specialist (certified by the Immigration Services Agency to file visa applications on behalf of clients), provides the following support for Designated Activities.

Identifying the applicable category: We sort out whether your planned activities fall under a category in the Designated Activities Public Notice or under another status of residence
Checking the requirements: We review your current situation against the requirements of the category (nationality, annual income, education, insurance, and so on)
Preparing and filing applications: We handle applications for a Certificate of Eligibility, change of status of residence, and extension of period of stay
Support in English: We explain the procedures clearly in English

If you are unsure which status of residence applies to you, or want to know whether an application is possible for an activity that is not in the public notice, please feel free to contact us.

This article is based on laws and official information as of October 16, 2026. Rules and practice may change, so please check the latest information before applying.