"Skilled Labor" - Permissible Standards

A person who is to engage in the duties of preparing cuisine or producing foodstuffs that require skills which were devised overseas and that are foreign to Japan, and who falls under any of the following categories.

• A person with at least 10 years' experience using such skills (includingthe period of time spent studying at an educational institution in a foreign country while majoring in subjects related to the relevant preparation of cuisine or production of foodstuffs), or
   
• A person to whom the provisions of Annex 7, Part 1, A, Section 5, subparagraph 1 (c) of the Agreement between Japan and the Kingdom of Thailand for Economic Partnership applies. 

​Examples: French Chef, Pastry Chef ​  

A person with at least 10 years' experience using skills related to architecture or civil engineering characteristic of a foreign country (※) (including the period of time spent studying at an educational institution in a foreign country while majoring in subjects related to said architecture or civil engineering) who is to engage in duties that require such skills. (If said person is to engage in duties under the guidance of a foreign national who has at least 10 years' experience, 5 years of experience will suffice.)

(※）Examples: Gothic, Romanesque or Baroque architecture/buildings   

A person with at least 10 years' experience using skills related to the manufacture or repair of products characteristic of a foreign country (※) (including the period of time spent studying at an educational institution in a foreign country while majoring in subjects related to the manufacture or repair of such products) who is to engage in duties that require such skills.

(※) Examples: Manufacturing/Repairing of foreign glassware or Persian carpet 

A person with at least 10 years' experience using skills related to 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 subjects related to said processing) who is to engage in services that require such skills. 

A person with at least 10 years' experience using skills related to animal training (including the period of time spent studying at an educational institution in a foreign country while majoring in subjects related to animal training) who is to engage in services that require such skills.

A person with at least 10 years' experience using skills related to offshore drilling for oil exploration, drilling for geothermal development, or marine geological surveys for marine mineral exploration (including the period of time spent studying at an educational institution in a foreign country while majoring in subjects related to offshore drilling for oil exploration, drilling for geothermal development, or marine geological surveys for marine mineral exploration) who is to engage in services that require such skills. 

A person with at least 250 hours' flight experience using skills related to piloting an aircraft (※), who is to engage in duties as a pilot of an aircraft used for air transport.

(※) Pilot or Copilot with competence certification
A flight engineer may be eligible for the "Engineer" status. 

A person with at least 3 years' experience (※1) using skills related to coaching a sport (including the period of time spent studying at an educational institution in a foreign country while majoring in subjects related to coaching said sport, and the period of time spent engaging in said sport for remuneration (※2)) who is to engage in duties that require such skills, or a person who has participated as a competitor in an international sporting event such as the Olympics or the World Championships (※3) and who is to engage in duties that require skills related to coaching said sport.

(※1) Exemption will be granted for the ski instructor who holds the ISIA Card issued by the ISIA.  

(※2) during a time period of professional athlete

(※3) including the Asian Games  

A person with at least 5 years' experience using skills related to the appraisal, evaluation, and maintenance of a wine's quality, and to the supplying of wine (※) ("wine appraisal") (including the period of time spent studying at an educational institution in a foreign country while majoring in subjects related to wine appraisal) who falls under any of the following categories and who is to engage in services that require such skills (※).

• A person who has achieved excellent results in a wine appraisal skill competition held on an international scale ("international sommelier competition"),
   
• A person who has entered an international sommelier competition (limited to those that restrict the number of competitors to one per country), or
   
• A person who has been certified by a national or local government (including a foreign government), or by a public or private organization, as being qualified in skills related to wine appraisal that have been designated in a public notice by the Minister of Justice.

(※) An applicant should have acquired all of these skills in order to obtain a work permit; however, he/she only needs to engage in duties which require any of these skills.