About visas

As stipulated by the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (Immigration Act) and subject to directives (ordinances for enforcement), status of residence, among other things, specifies the type of activities that foreign nationals who enter and live in Japan can undertake.

Currently, 27 types of residence status are listed, each having its own specific requirements and granted conditions concerning things such as period of stay. Final decisions, however, are considered actually at the discretion of the Minister of Justice, who has ultimate administrative jurisdiction over the Immigration Bureau and regional immigration bureaus.