# This English translation of the Ministerial Ordinance to Provide for Criteria Pursuant to Article 7, paragraph (1), item (ii) of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act has been prepared (up to the revisions of the Ordinance of the Ministry of Justice No. 43 of 2008 (Effective June 18, 2008)) in compliance with the Standard Bilingual Dictionary (March 2007 edition). This is an unofficial translation. Only the original Japanese texts of laws and regulations have legal effect, and translations are to be used solely as reference material to aid in the understanding of Japanese laws and regulations. The Government of Japan will not be responsible for the accuracy, reliability or currency of the legislative material provided on this website, or for any consequence resulting from use of the information on this website. For all purposes of interpreting and applying the law to any legal issue or dispute, users should consult the original Japanese texts published in the Official Gazette.
# (Note) Terms differing from those used in the Standard Bilingual Dictionary in the translation of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act are also used in the translation of this Ordinance of the Ministry of Justice.
Ministerial Ordinance to Provide for Criteria Pursuant to Article 7, paragraph (1), item (ii) of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (Ordinance of the Ministry of Justice No. 16 of May 24, 1990)
  The criteria prescribed in Article 7, paragraph (1), item (ii) of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (hereinafter referred to as the "Immigration Control Act") shall be as listed in the table below, corresponding to the status of residence listed in the left-hand column, for the activities in which the person who has made an application as set forth in Article 6, paragraph (2) of the Immigration Control Act (hereinafter referred to as "the applicant") is to engage in Japan.
|Activities|Criteria|
|Investor/Business Manager|(i) In cases where the applicant is to commence the operation of international trade or other business, all of the following requirements are to be fulfilled.|
||  (a) The facilities to be used as an office for the business concerned must be located in Japan.|
||  (b) The business concerned must have the capacity to employ at least 2 full-time employees in Japan (except for aliens residing under a status of residence listed in the left-hand column of Appended Table 1 of the Immigration Control Act) in addition to those who operate and/or manage the business.|
||(ii) In cases where the applicant is to invest in international trade or other business in Japan and to operate or manage that business, or in cases where the applicant is to operate or manage international trade or other business on behalf of an alien (including a foreign juridical person; hereinafter the same shall apply in this section) who has begun such an operation in Japan or has invested in such a business in Japan, all of the following requirements are to be fulfilled.|
||(a) The office for the business concerned must be located in Japan.|
||  (b) The business concerned must have the capacity to employ at least 2 full-time employees in Japan (except for aliens residing under a status of residence listed in the left-hand column of Appended Table I of the Immigration Control Act) in addition to those who operate and/or manage the business.|
||(iii) In cases where the applicant is to engage in the management of international trade or other business in Japan, he/she must have at least 3 years' experience in the operation and/or management of business (including the period during which the applicant majored in business operation and/or management at a graduate school) and must receive no less reward than a Japanese national would receive for comparable work.|
|Legal/Accounting Services| The applicant must engage in the profession of an attorney (bengoshi), judicial scrivener (shihoushoshi), land and house investigator (tochikaokuchousashi), registered foreign lawyer (gaikokuhou-jimu-bengoshi), certified public accountant (koninkaikeishi), foreign certified public accountant registered in Japan (gaikoku-kouninkaikeishi), certified tax accountant (zeirishi), publiccosultant on social and labor insurance (shakaihokenroumushi), certified patent specialist (benrishi), maritime procedure agent (kaijidairishi) or certified administrative procedures specialist (gyouseishoshi).|
|Medical Services|(i) The applicant who is to engage in the profession of a physician, dentist, pharmacist, public health nurse, birthing assistant, registered nurse, assistant nurse, dental hygienist (shikaeiseishi), X-ray technician for medical examinations, physical therapist (rigakuryouhoushi), occupational therapist (sagyouryouhoushi), eye specialist (shinoukunrenshi), clinical technician (rinshoukougakugishi) or artificial limb technician (gishisougushi) must receive no less reward than a Japanese national would receive for comparable work.|
||(ii) In cases where the applicant is to practice as a dentist, he/she must fall under any of the following categories.|
||(a) A person who is to practice as a trainee at a hospital attached to a college or to the faculty of medical science, faculty of dentistry or a research institute of the faculty of medical science of a college, or at a hospital designated by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare pursuant to the provisions of Article 16-2, paragraph (1) of the Dentists Act (Act No. 202 of 1948), or at a hospital designated by the Minister of Justice in a public notice as equivalent thereto, within a period not exceeding 6 years from the date of receipt of a license valid in Japan to practice as a dentist.|
||(b) A person who is to practice at a hospital or a medical clinic designated by the Minister of Justice in a public notice in an area where it is difficult to secure the services of a dentist.|
||(iii) In cases where the applicant is to practice as a public health nurse, birthing assistant or assistant nurse, he/she must practice as a trainee within a period not exceeding 4 years from the date of receipt of a license valid in Japan to practice as a public health nurse, birthing assistanat or assistant nurse.|
||(iv) In cases where the applicant is to practice as a registered nurse, he/she must practice as a trainee within a period not exceeding 7 years from the date of receipt of a license valid in Japan to practice as a registered nurse.|
||(v) In cases where the applicant is to practice as a pharmacist, dental hygienist, X-ray technician for medical examinations, physical therapist (rigakuryouhoushi), occupational therapist (sagyouryouhoushi), eye specialist (shinoukunrenshi), clinical technician (rinshoukougakugishi) or artificial limb technician (gishisougushi), he/she must be invited by a medical institution or pharmacy.|
|Researcher|  All of the following requirements are to be fulfilled, however, this shall not apply to cases where the applicant is to engage in research based on a contract with the national government; a local government; a corporation established directly pursuant to the provisions of Japanese laws; a corporation established pursuant to the provisions of a special Japanese law through special acts of establishment; a corporation which is established pursuant to the provisions of a special Japanese law and which requires approval from the administrative authorities with respect to its establishment; an incorporated administrative agency (meaning the incorporated administrative agency prescribed in Article 2, paragraph (1) of the Act on General Rules for Incorporated Administrative Agencies (Act No. 103, 1999); the same shall apply hereinafter) or a corporation designated by the Minister of Justice in a public notice, which is managed by funds granted by the national government, a local government or an incorporated administrative agency.|
||(i) The applicant must have a master's degree or at least 3 years' experience in an area of related research (including research conducted at a graduate school) after graduation from college (except for graduation from a junior college) or an equivalent institution or at least 10 years' experience in an area of related research (including research conducted at a college).|
||(ii) The applicant must receive no less reward than a Japanese national would receive for comparable work.|
|Instructor|(i) In cases where the applicant is to engage in instruction at a vocational school (kakushugakkou) or an educational institution equivalent to it in facilities and curriculum or in cases where the applicant is to engage in instruction at another school in a capacity other than that of a teacher, all of the following requirements are to be fulfilled. In cases where the applicant is to engage in instruction at a vocational school or an educational institution equivalent to it in facilities and curriculum which has been established to provide primary or secondary education in a foreign language to the children of those with the status of residence "Diplomat" or "Official" listed in Appended Table I (1) of the Immigration Control Act or "Dependent" listed in Appended Table I (4) of the Immigration Control Act, only requirement (a) need be fulfilled.|
||(a) The applicant must have graduated from or have completed a course at a college or acquired equivalent education, or must hold a license to teach the subject that he/she intends to teach in Japan.|
||(b) When the applicant is to teach a foreign language, he/she must have acquired education in that language for at least 12 years. When the applicant is to teach other subjects, he/she must have at least 5 years' teaching experience in that subject.|
||(ii) The applicant must receive no less reward than a Japanese national would receive for comparable work.|
|Engineer|  All of the following requirements are to be fulfilled; however, this shall not apply to cases where the applicant is to engage in services that require skills and/or knowledge pertaining to information processing, and has passed the examination on information processing skills that is designated by the Minister of Justice in a public notice or has obtained the qualification on information processing skills that is designated by the Minister of Justice in a public notice, in which case the requirement provided in item (i) need not be fulfilled.|
||(i) The applicant must have graduated from or have completed a course at a college or acquired equivalent education majoring in a subject pertaining to the skills and/or knowledge necessary for performing the services concerned, or the applicant must have at least 10 years' experience (including the period of time spent majoring in the subject pertaining to the skills and/or knowledge at a college, college of technology (koutousenmongakkou), upper secondary school, the latter course of a secondary educational school (chutoukyouikugakkou) or during a specialized course of study at an advanced vocational school (senshugakkou)).|
||(ii) The applicant must receive no less reward than a Japanese national would receive for comparable work.|
|Specialist in Humanities/International Services|All of the following requirements are to be fulfilled, however, this shall not apply to cases where the applicant is to engage in services pertaining to representation associated with the procedures for an international arbitration case provided for in Article 58-2 of the Special Measures Act on the Handling of Legal Business by Foreign Lawyers (Act No. 66 of 1986).|
||(i) In cases where the applicant is to engage in services that require knowledge in the humanities, he/she must have graduated from or have completed a course at a college or acquired equivalent education majoring in a subject pertaining to the knowledge necessary for performing the services concerned, or have at least 10 years' experience (including the period of time spent majoring in the subject pertaining to the knowledge at a college, college of technology (koutousenmongakkou), upper secondary school, the latter course of a secondary educational school (chutokyouikugakkou) or during a specialized course of study at an advanced vocational school (senshyugakkou)).|
||(ii) In cases where the applicant is to engage in services that require specific ways of thought or sensitivity based on experience with a foreign culture, all of the following requirements are to be fulfilled.|
||(a) The applicant must engage in translation, interpretation, instruction in languages, public relations, overseas transactions, fashion or interior design, product development or other similar work.|
||(b) The applicant must have at least 3 years' experience in the relevant services, however, this shall not apply to cases where the applicant who has graduated from college is to engage in translation, interpretation or instruction in languages.|
||(iii) The applicant must receive no less reward than a Japanese national would receive for comparable work.|
|Intra-company Transferee|  All of the following requirements are to be fulfilled.|
||(i) The applicant must have been employed at the main office, a branch office or other office outside of Japan for at least 1 year immediately prior to the transfer to Japan while engaging in services which fall under the categories of "Engineer" or "Specialist in Humanities/International Services" listed in the right-hand column of Appended Table I (2) of the Immigration Control Act.|
||(ii) The applicant must receive no less reward than a Japanese national would receive for comparable work.|
|Entertainer|(i) In cases where the applicant is to engage in public entertainment consisting of theatrical performances or musical performances, all of the following requirements are to be fulfilled, except for the cases prescribed in item (ii).|
||(a) The applicant must fulfill any of the following requirements for the type of performance in which he/she is to engage, however, this shall not apply to cases where the total reward for the applicant's performances (in the case of a group performance, the total reward for the group) amounts to 5 million yen or more a day.|
||    1. Deleted|
||    2. The applicant must have spent a minimum of 2 years at a foreign educational institution majoring in subjects pertaining to the type of performance in which he/she is to engage.|
||    3. The applicant must have a minimum of 2 years' experience outside Japan in the type of performance in which he/she is to engage.|
||  (b) The applicant must engage in theatrical or musical performances based on a contract (limited to one that clearly specifies that the organization concerned bears the obligation of making a payment of at least 200,000 yen per month to the applicant; hereinafter referred to as "performance contract" in this item) with an organization in Japan which fulfills all of the following requirements. However, this shall not apply to cases where the applicant is to engage in musical performances of ethnic music at an ethnic restaurant other than the restaurants classified as places operating an entertainment business prescribed in Article 2, paragraph (1), item (i) or (ii) of the Act on Control and Improvement of Amusement and Entertainment Business (Act No. 122 of 1948) (hereinafter referred to as "Entertainment Business Law") with receipt of reward of at least 200,000 yen per month based on a contract with an organization which manages the restaurant concerned.|
||    1. The operator or the manager of the organization must have at least 3 years' experience in public entertainment involving aliens.|
||    2. The organization must employ at least 5 full-time employees in Japan.|
||    3. The operator or the regular employees of the organization must not fall under any of the following categories.|
||       i. A person who has committed trafficking in persons or incited or aided another to commit it.|
||       ii. A person who has committed the act set forth in Article 73-2, paragraph (1), item (i) or (ii) of the Immigration Control Act or the act of arranging set forth in item (iii) of the same paragraph in the past 5 years.|
||       iii. A person who has forged or altered a document or drawing, has prepared a false document or drawing, or has used, possessed, transferred or lent a forged or altered document or drawing or false document or drawing, or has arranged the transfer or lending thereof with the intent of helping an alien illegally receive issuance of a certificate, a seal of verification for landing (including the recording of the prescribed data pursuant to the provision of Article 9, paragraph (4) of the Immigration Control Act; the same shall apply hereinafter) or special permission pursuant to the provisions of Chapter III, Section I or II of the Immigration Control Act, permission for landing pursuant to the provisions of Section IV of the same chapter or permission pursuant to the provisions of Chapter IV, Section I or Chapter V, Section III of the Immigration Control Act, in connection with the business activities of the organization concerned, in the past 5 years.|
||       iv. A person who has been punished for violation of the provisions of Article 74 to 74-8 of the Immigration Control Act, or Articles 6 to 13 of the Anti-Prostitution Act (Act No. 118 of 1956) and for whom 5 years have not yet passed following completion of the sentence or since the date of remission of the execution of the sentence.|
||       v. A person who is a member of an organized crime group prescribed in Article 2, item (vi) of the Act on Prevention of Unjust Acts by Organized Crime Group Members (Act No. 77 of 1991) or for whom 5 years have not yet passed since leaving an organized crime group.|
||4. The organization must make payment of the entire amount of the reward, which it has the obligation to pay to the aliens residing in Japan under the status of residence of "Entertainer" based on a performance contract concluded by the organization in the past 3 years.|
||(c) The facility at which the theatrical or musical performances stated in the application are to take place must fulfill the following requirements. However, this shall not apply to cases where there are no aliens at the facility with the status of residence of "Entertainer" engaging in entertainment activities other than the applicant, in which case the facility must fulfill the requirement in (6).|
||    1. The audience for the performance must not be limited to any specific groups or individuals.|
||2. In cases where the facility is classified as a place operating an entertainment business prescribed in Article 2, paragraph (1), item (i) or (ii) of the Entertainment Business Act, all the following requirements are to be fulfilled.|
||      i. There must be a minimum of 5 employees whose duties are primarily serving customers (the definition of "serving customers" as prescribed in Article 2, paragraph (3) of the Entertainment Business Act; the same shall apply hereinafter).|
||ii. It must be clear that the foreign performers holding the status of residence of "Entertainer" are not required to take part in serving customers.|
||3. There must be a stage of at least 13 square meters.|
||4. There must be a waiting room for the entertainers of at least 9 square meters. If the number of entertainers is greater than 5, there must be an additional 1.6 square meters for every additional entertainer.|
||5. There must be at least 5 employees at the facility.|
||6. The operator of the organization which manages the facility concerned or the regular employees who engage in the operations of the facility concerned must not fall under any of the following categories.|
||i. A person who has committed trafficking in persons or incited or aided another to commit it.|
||      ii. A person who has committed the act set forth in Article 73-2, paragraph (1), item (i) or (ii) of the Immigration Control Act or the act of arranging set forth in item (iii) of the same paragraph in the past 5 years.|
||      iii. A person who has forged or altered a document or drawing, has prepared a false document or drawing, or has used, possessed, transferred or lent a forged or altered document or drawing or false document or drawing, or has arranged the transfer or lending thereof with the intent of helping an alien illegally receive issuance of a certificate, a seal of verification for landing or special permission pursuant to the provisions of Chapter III, Section I or II of the Immigration Control Act, permission for landing pursuant to the provisions of Section IV of the same chapter or permission pursuant to the provisions of Chapter IV, Section I or Chapter V, Section III of the Immigration Control Act, in connection with the business activities of the organization concerned, in the past 5 years.|
||      iv. A person who has been punished for violation of the provisions of Articles 74 to 74-8 of the Immigration Control Act, or Articles 6 to 13 of the Anti-Prostitution Act and for whom 5 years have not yet passed following completion of the sentence or since the date of remission of the execution of the sentence.|
||      v. A person who is a member of an organized crime group or for whom 5 years have not yet passed since leaving an organized crime group.|
||(ii) When the applicant is to engage in theatrical or musical performances, he/she must fall under any of the following categories.|
||  (a) The applicant is to engage in theatrical or musical performances organized by the national government, a local government or a corporation established directly pursuant to the provisions of Japanese laws or a corporation established pursuant to the provisions of a special Japanese law through special acts of establishment, or in theatrical or musical performances conducted at a school, an advanced vocational school or a vocational school provided for by the Schools Act (Act No. 26 of 1947).|
||(b) The applicant is to engage in theatrical or musical performances organized by a public or private organization in Japan which has been established with funds from the national government, a local government or an incorporated administrative agency for the purpose of cultural exchange between Japan and foreign countries.|
||(c) The applicant is to engage in theatrical or musical performances at a facility of 100,000 square meters or more where theatrical or musical performances by aliens are regularly shown in order to attract potential tourists with the theme of foreign settings or culture.|
||  (d) The applicant is to engage in theatrical or musical performances at a facility where food and drink are not served for profit to the seated audience and where serving customers does not take place (limited to one managed by a public or private non-profit organization in Japan or one with a seating capacity of 100 or more).|
||  (e) The applicant is to receive reward of 500,000 yen or more a day for performances concerned (in the case of a group performance, the total reward for the group) and is to reside in Japan for a period not exceeding 15 days to engage in theatrical or musical performances.|
||(iii) In cases where the applicant is to engage in public entertainment other than theatrical or musical performances, he/she must receive no less reward than a Japanese national would receive for comparable work.|
||(iv) In cases where the applicant is to engage in show business other than public entertainment, he/she must engage in any of the following activities and must receive no less reward than a Japanese national would receive for comparable work.|
||  (a) Activities pertaining to the advertisement of goods or business|
||  (b) Activities pertaining to the production of broadcast programs (including cable broadcast programs) or movies|
||  (c) Activities pertaining to the taking of commercial-use photographs|
||  (d) Activities for recording sound or images on commercial-use records, videotapes or other recording media|
|Skilled Laborer|  The applicant must fall under any of the following categories and must receive no less reward than a Japanese national would receive for comparable work.|
||(i) A person who is to engage in the service of preparing cuisine or producing food that requires skills which were devised overseas and are foreign to Japan, and who falls under any of the following categories (except for the aliens listed in item (ix)).|
||  (a) A person with at least 10 years' experience in such skills (including the period of time spent studying at an educational institution in a foreign country while majoring in the skills concerned)|
||  (b) A person to whom the provision of subparagraph 1 (c) of Section 5 of A of Part 1 of Annex 7 of the Agreement between Japan and the Kingdom of Thailand for an Economic Partnership is applied.|
||(ii) A person with at least 10 years' experience in architecture or civil engineering characteristic to a foreign country (including the period of time spent studying at an educational institution in a foreign country while majoring in the skills concerned) who is to engage in services that require such skills. (If the person concerned is to engage in services under the guidance of a person who has at least 10 years' experience, experience of 5 years will be accepted in lieu of 10 years.)|
||(iii) A person with at least 10 years' experience in the manufacture or repair of products special to a foreign country (including the period of time spent studying at an educational institution in a foreign country while majoring in the skills concerned) who is to engage in services that require such skills.|
||(iv) A person with at least 10 years' experience in the processing of gems, precious stones or fur (including the period of time spent studying at an educational institution in a foreign country while majoring in the skills concerned) who is to engage in services that require such skills.|
||(v) A person with at least 10 years' experience in training animals (including the period of time spent studying at an educational institution in a foreign country while majoring in the skills concerned) who is to engage in services that require such skills.|
||(vi) A person with at least 10 years' experience in seabed digging for oil exploration or digging for development of terrestrial heat or a study of the seabed for minerals exploration (including the period of time spent studying at an educational institution in a foreign country while majoring in the skills concerned) who is to engage in services that require such skills.|
||(vii) A person with at least 1,000 hours' experience in piloting an aircraft who is to engage in services as a pilot of an aircraft used for air transport prescribed in Article 2, paragraph (18) of the Civil Aeronautics Act (Act No. 231 of 1952).|
||(viii) A person with at least 3 years' experience in instructing sport (including the period of time spent studying at an educational institution in a foreign country while majoring in the skills concerned and engaging in the sport with reward) who is to engage in services that require such skills or a person who has competed in an international event such as the Olympics or World Championships and is to engage in services that require such skills pertaining to instruction in the sport.|
||(ix) A person with at least 5 years' experience in appraising, evaluating and maintaining the quality of wine, and providing wine (hereinafter referred to as "wine appraisal") (including the period of time spent studying at an educational institution in a foreign country while majoring in the skills concerned) who falls under any of the following categories and is to engage in services that require such skills.|
||  (a) A person who has achieved excellence in a contest pertaining to skills for wine appraisal held on an international scale (hereinafter referred to as "international sommelier contest").|
||  (b) A person who has entered an international sommelier contest (limited to those that restrict the number of contestants to one per country).|
||  (c) A person who has the qualification for skills pertaining to wine appraisal that is certified by a national or local government (including a foreign government), or a public or private organization equivalent thereto and is designated by the Minister of Justice in a public notice.|
|College Student|(i) The applicant must fall under any of the following categories.|
||  (a) The applicant must study at a college or an equivalent educational institution, a specialized course of study at an advanced vocational school (senshugakkou), an educational institution designated for preparing persons who have completed 12 years of education at a school in a foreign county to enter a college, or a college of technology (koutousenmongakkou), except for cases where the applicant is to study solely at a night school or through correspondence courses.|
||  (b) The applicant must enter a college in Japan and study solely at a night school for a course offered by a graduate school which holds classes at the college concerned at night (limited to cases where the college concerned has an adequate system to manage the attendance of aliens who study at the graduate school and their compliance with the provisions of Article 19, paragraph (1) of the Immigration Control Act).|
||(ii) The applicant must have sufficient assets, a scholarship or other means of support to meet his/her expenses while in Japan, however, this shall not apply to cases where someone else is to pay the applicant's expenses.|
||(iii) In cases where the applicant is to attend courses as a research student or auditor who is to study solely by auditing, he/she must be enrolled as such based on some form of examination by the authorities of the educational institution concerned and must attend at least 10 hours a week.|
||(iv) In cases where the applicant is to enroll in a specialized course of study at an advanced vocational school (senshyugakkou) (except for study solely of the Japanese language), both of the following requirements are to be fulfilled.|
||  (a) The applicant must have studied the Japanese language for at least 6 months at one of the Japanese language institutions designated by the Minister of Justice in a public notice, have proved through some form of examination that he/she has the ability to sufficiently understand the Japanese language to pursue a course of study at an advanced vocational school, or have studied for at least 1 year at one of the schools (except for kindergartens) provided for in Article 1 of the Schools Act (Act No. 26 of 1947).|
||  (b) The advanced vocational school concerned must have a full-time foreign student adviser assisting foreign students with living in Japan.|
||(v) In cases where the applicant is to study solely the Japanese language in a specialized course of study at an advanced vocational school, the school concerned must be one of the Japanese language institutions designated by the Minister of Justice in a public notice.|
||(vi) In cases where the applicant is to study at an educational institution specializing in preparing persons who have completed 12 years of education at a school in a foreign country to enter a Japanese college, the educational institution concerned must be one designated as such by the Minister of Justice in a public notice.|
|Pre-college Student|(i) The applicant must study at an upper secondary school (except for an evening high school and including the latter course of a secondary educational school (chutoukyouikugakkou); hereinafter the same shall apply in this section), a school for special needs education, a higher or general course of an advanced vocational school (senshyugakkou) or a vocational school (kakushugakkou) or any other educational institution which is equivalent to a vocational school in its facilities and curriculum, except for cases where the applicant studies solely at a night school or through correspondence courses.|
||(ii) The applicant must have sufficient assets, a scholarship or other means of support to meet his/her expenses while in Japan, however, this shall not apply to cases where someone else is to pay the applicant's expenses.|
||(iii) In cases where the applicant is to study at an upper secondary school, he/she must be 20 years of age or under and must have studied the Japanese language or have studied in the Japanese language for at least 1 year at an educational institution, however, this shall not apply to cases where he/she is accepted for study based on a student exchange program or other equivalent international exchange program of the national government, a local government, incorporated administrative agency, educational foundation or public interest corporation.|
||(iv) In cases where the applicant is to study at a higher or general course of study at an advanced vocational school, or at a vocational school (except for study solely of the Japanese language), both of the following requirements are to be fulfilled, however, this shall not apply to cases where the applicant is to engage in study at an educational institution that has been established for enrollment of a considerable number of aliens from foreign countries and provides primary or secondary education in a foreign language, in which case the requirement in a) need not be fulfilled.|
||  (a) The applicant must have studied the Japanese language for at least 6 months at one of the Japanese language institutions designated by the Minister of Justice in a public notice, have proved through some form of examination that he/she has the ability to sufficiently understand the Japanese language to pursue a course of study at an advanced vocational school or other vocational school or have studied for at least 1 year at one of the schools (except for kindergartens) provided for in Article 1 of the Schools Act (Act No. 26 of 1947).|
||  (b) The advanced vocational school or the vocational school concerned must have a full-time adviser assisting foreign students with living in Japan.|
||(v) In cases where the applicant is to study at an educational institution equivalent to a vocational school in its facilities and curriculum (except for study solely of the Japanese language), the institution concerned must be designated as such by the Minister of Justice in a public notice.|
||(vi) In cases where the applicant is to study solely the Japanese language in a higher or general course of study at an advanced vocational school, at a vocational school, or at an educational institution equivalent to a vocational school in its facilities and curriculum, the educational institution concerned must be one of the Japanese language institutions designated by the Minister of Justice in a public notice.|
|Trainee|(i) The technology, skills and/or knowledge that the applicant is to obtain in Japan must not be technology, skills and/or knowledge that could be obtained mostly through the repetition of simple work.|
||(ii) The applicant must be at least 18 years of age and is expected to engage in services that require the technology, skills and/or knowledge obtained in Japan after returning to his/her country of nationality or habitual residence.|
||(iii) It must be impossible or difficult for the applicant to obtain the desired technology, skills and/or knowledge in the country where he/she resides.|
||(iv) The proposed training must be conducted under the guidance of a person who is a full-time employee of the public or private organization accepting the trainee concerned (hereinafter referred to as the "accepting organization") and who has at least 5 years' experience in the technology, skills and/or knowledge concerned.|
||(v) In cases where the training program scheduled by the accepting organization includes practical training (training intended to obtain the technology, skills and/or knowledge through actual performance of goods production or sales, or services provision with a consideration; the same shall apply hereinafter), the following requirements are to be fulfilled, except for cases where the applicant participates in the training program prescribed in item (vi-2). However, this shall not apply to cases where the applicant is invited by the national government, a local government or an incorporated administrative agency, or in cases where he/she falls under the cases designated by the Minister of Justice in a public notice.|
||  (a) Housing for trainees must be secured (including cases where the arranging organization concerned in the proposed training is securing the housing).|
||  (b) The training facility must be insured.|
||  (c) The accepting organization must be inviting trainees at a ratio of 1/20 trainees or less, including the applicant, to each full-time employee.|
||  (d) The accepting organization must have an adviser to assist trainees with living in Japan.|
||  (e) Measures to cope with the death, accident or sickness of trainees during the training such as private insurance or other means (except for industrial accident compensation insurance) must be provided (including cases where the arranging organization concerned in the proposed training is taking such measures).|
||  (f) Safety and sanitation measures with respect to the training facilities must be secured as provided for by the Labor Safety and Sanitation Act (Act No. 57 of 1972).|
||(vi) In cases where the training program scheduled by the accepting organization includes practical training, the applicant must be a full-time employee of any of the following organizations and be dispatched from it, except for cases where the applicant participates in the training program prescribed in the following item. However, this shall not apply to cases where the applicant is accepted for the training of overseas staff who will be working at that organization's foreign joint venture or local subsidiary, subject to the requirement that the establishment of a joint venture or subsidiary has been recognized by the competent authorities, in cases where the applicant is invited by the national government, a local government or an incorporated administrative agency, or in cases where the applicant falls under the cases designated by the Minister of Justice in a public notice.|
||  (a) The national government, a local government or organization equivalent to these|
||  (b) A joint venture or affiliated company of the accepting organization|
||(c) An organization which has conducted business transactions with the accepting organization for at least 1 year or with a total of at least 1 billion yen within 1 year.|
||(vi-2) In cases where the applicant is to participate in the training program designated by the Minister of Justice in a public notice, the following requirements are to be fulfilled.|
||  (a) The accepting organization must fall under all of the requirements set forth in (a), (b), and (d) to (f) of item (v).|
||(b) The number of trainees being accepted by the accepting organization, including the applicant, is not to exceed the total number of full-time employees at the organization, and is to be within the number of trainees listed in the right-hand column of the following table according to the relevant total number listed in the left-hand column of the same table. However, in cases where the accepting organization engages in agriculture, the number of trainees being accepted by the organization is not to exceed two, including the applicant.|
|||Total No. of Full-Time Employees at the Accepting Organization|Number of Trainees||
|||Over 301|Within 1/20 of the total number of full-time employees||
|||201 to 300|15||
|||101 to 200|10||
|||51 to 100|6||
|||Up to 50|3||
||(vii) In cases where the applicant is to participate in practical training, the period for that practical training must be two thirds of the total training program or less (in cases where there are two or more accepting organizations, the time spent in each training program separately must be added together), however, this shall not apply to cases where the applicant falls under the cases designated by the Minister of Justice in a public notice.|
||(viii) The accepting organization, the operator, the manager, the person supervising the training and the adviser of the accepting organization must not have committed misconduct pertaining to the training of aliens in the past 3 years (including cases where the trainee invited based on a training program that does not include practical training has been made to participate in practical training).|
||(ix) In cases where an organization other than the Japanese Government, a local government or an incorporated administrative agency, is arranging the training, the organization concerned must not be a profit-making organization. Furthermore, the concerned organization, the operator or the full-time employees must not have committed misconduct pertaining to the training of aliens in the past 3 years.|
|Dependent|  The applicant must be a dependent of a person residing in Japan with a status of residence listed in the left-hand column of Appended Table I (1) or (2) of the Immigration Control Act or with the status of residence of "Cultural Activities" or "College Student".|
|Designated Activities (listed in the right-hand column of Annexed Table I (5) (limited to the part pertaining to b))|  All of the following requirements are to be fulfilled, however, this shall not apply to cases where the applicant has passed the examination on information processing skills that is designated by the Minister of Justice in a public notice or has obtained the qualification on information processing skills that is designated by the Minister of Justice in a public notice, in which case the requirement prescribed in item (i) need not be fulfilled.|
||(i) The applicant must have graduated from or completed a course at a college or acquired equivalent education majoring in a subject pertaining to the skills and/or knowledge necessary for performing the services concerned, or the applicant must have at least 10 years' experience (including the period of time spent majoring in the subject pertaining to the skills and/or knowledge at a college, college of technology (koutousenmongakkou), upper secondary school, the latter course of a secondary educational school (chutoukyouikugakkou) or during a specialized course of study at an advanced vocational school (senshugakkou)).|
||(ii) The applicant must receive no less reward than a Japanese national would receive for comparable work.|