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Work in Japan: visas, pay, taxes and insurance

A practical guide for people who work in Japan or plan to: which visa allows which job, what employers pay, what is deducted from your salary and why, and what to do when you change jobs or leave. No myths — official sources, real numbers for 2026 and step-by-step pages for each situation.

Work visas

Take-home pay calculator

Figures checked against official websites on October 7, 2026 · Taxes for employees · Social insurance

Minimum wage per hour, Tokyo, from October 1, 2026¥1,280

Part-time work a week on a student visa28 hours

Of a ¥300,000 salary you keep from year two (Tokyo)≈79%

No income tax on a 2026 salary up to¥1.78M

Where to start

Choose your situation

Not in Japan yet

Planning to move. Which visa fits your job, how people from India, Vietnam, Nepal, the Philippines and elsewhere find work from abroad, realistic timelines and the Japanese you need.

Work visas · Finding a job from abroad · Salaries

Studying in Japan

Language-school student. Part-time work up to 28 hours a week, finding a job after school and the visas you can switch to.

Part-time work · Student taxes and insurance · Changing status

In Japan on a work visa

Just arrived. The first 30 days: address, bank, phone, insurance, My Number, housing — and what your first payslip means.

First 30 days · Reading a payslip · Take-home pay

Taxes, insurance, family

Working in Japan. Year-end adjustment, deductions for children and parents, the hometown tax donation, pension and health insurance.

Taxes · Social insurance · Family

Quitting or starting a new job

Changing jobs. How to resign, the 14-day notification to immigration, unemployment benefits and what happens to your insurance.

Changing jobs · Notifications to immigration · Unemployment benefits

Self-employed or paid from abroad

Remote work and freelancing. The tax return, tax on income paid outside a Japanese company, and how taxes and premiums affect your visa.

Tax return · Freelancing · Taxes and your visa

Going home or moving on

Leaving Japan. Getting pension contributions back, resident tax after you leave, appointing a tax agent.

Pension refund · Leaving Japan

Not your situation?

Another question. Read the most common questions below or send us yours — a real person replies.

FAQ · Contact us

The worker’s route

From the job search to permanent residency or leaving

Seven stages almost everyone who works in Japan goes through. Each has its own page.

  1. Finding a jobWhere to look, your resume and interviews — how to find a job in Japan; which jobs foreigners do — jobs by profession.
  2. The visaWhich work visa fits — work visas; switching from a student visa — change of status.
  3. ArrivalThe first 30 days: address, bank, phone, insurance, My Number — checklist.
  4. WorkPay, bonuses, overtime — salaries in Japan; what is deducted — reading a payslip.
  5. Taxes and premiumsTaxes, social insurance and family: deductions, pension, health insurance, the year-end adjustment.
  6. Changing jobsQuitting a job, the 14-day notification to immigration, unemployment benefits.
  7. Permanent residency or leavingPermanent residency needs taxes and premiums paid on time; when you leave — pension refund.

Figures of the year

The key numbers for 2026

Checked against the websites of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the National Tax Agency, the Japan Pension Service and the Immigration Services Agency on October 7, 2026.

Figure What it is More
¥1,280 an hour Minimum wage in Tokyo from October 1, 2026 (national average ¥1,177) Salaries
28 hours a week Part-time work on a student visa with part-time work permission (資格外活動許可); up to 8 hours a day during the school’s long vacations Students
4.925% + 9.15% + 0.5% + 0.115% Employee premiums: health insurance (Tokyo), pension, Employment Insurance, child and childcare support contribution Social insurance
¥17,920 a month National Pension from April 2026 to March 2027 (¥18,290 from April 2027) Pension
¥1.78M Salary for 2026 with no income tax (¥1.6M for 2025) Income tax
¥1.1M Salary with no resident tax in Tokyo’s 23 wards (2026 tax) Resident tax
¥1.3M Expected yearly income below which a spouse or child can be a dependent in your health insurance (and under half of your income if you live together; ¥1.5M at ages 19–22) Family
60 months The most contributions counted when you get your pension back after leaving Pension refund
¥33,000 Fee for a 1-year visa extension from October 1, 2026 (¥27,000 + ¥330 settlement fee online) Fees
14 days Deadline to notify immigration when you leave a job or sign with a new employer Notifications

Tools

Work it out yourself

Take-home pay calculator

Premiums, income tax and resident tax at 2026 rates; first and second year; family.

Open →

Lump-sum Withdrawal Payment

How much of your pension contributions you get back after leaving, and the tax taken from it.

Open →

HSP points

Whether you have enough points for the Highly Skilled Professional visa.

Open →

Which insurance am I in?

A short quiz: employer’s insurance or national, and which pension.

Open →

All sections

What is where

Every page of the portal by topic. Pages still in preparation are shown without a link — they go live section by section.

Taxes and pay

What is deducted from your salary and why.

Social insurance

Health insurance, pension, unemployment and injuries.

Family and dependents

Your spouse, children and parents: tax, insurance, benefits.

Your rights at work

Contracts, hours, leave and leaving a job.

Finding a job

Where to look, how to apply, which jobs.

Situations and tools

Life events, step by step — and reference pages.

Work visas

Which visa fits you

Every job in Japan needs a status of residence that allows it. Requirements, documents and timelines for each visa are in the Visas section.

Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services — graduates in office, IT and language jobs · Specified Skilled Worker — skilled jobs without a degree · Highly Skilled Professional — points and a faster route to permanent residency · Business Manager — your own business · Dependent — a worker’s family · Working Holiday — for some nationalities · Change of status — from a student visa to a work visa

All work visas

The most predictable path

A language school — the first step to a job in Japan

Most jobs in Japan need Japanese. A student visa gives you time to learn it, the right to work part-time up to 28 hours a week and the chance to switch to a work visa without leaving the country.

Japanese at a working level

In 1–2 years at a school most students reach N3–N2. With N2 most office, IT and service jobs are open to you.

Part-time work, 28 hours a week

At the Tokyo minimum wage of ¥1,280, 20 hours a week comes to about ¥110,000 a month (our calculation) — enough to cover part of living costs.

Switching status in Japan

After school — job hunting in Japan and a change to a work visa, Specified Skilled Worker, or further study at a vocational school (専門学校, senmon gakkō).

Choose a school — free

Browse schools

FAQ

Questions about working in Japan

Can’t find your question? Write to us — a real person replies.

Ask us a question

Can a foreigner work in Japan?

Yes, if your status of residence allows it. Work visas such as Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services or Specified Skilled Worker allow the jobs they cover. Students and dependents may work part-time up to 28 hours a week with part-time work permission (資格外活動許可). Permanent residents and spouses of Japanese nationals can do any work.

Some jobs, such as English teaching and parts of IT, are possible with little Japanese, but most jobs expect at least N3 to N2. Many people first study at a language school, reach a working level and then look for a job in Japan.

From a salary of ¥300,000 a month in Tokyo an employee keeps about ¥249,600 in the first year and about ¥237,100 from the second, when resident tax starts — roughly 79%. The take-home pay calculator works out your own case.

Yes. Foreign residents pay income tax, resident tax and social insurance premiums the same way as Japanese citizens. If you leave Japan for good, you can get part of your pension contributions back (up to 60 months), unless a social security agreement with your country makes it better to keep them.

Each prefecture sets its own. From October 1, 2026 it is ¥1,280 an hour in Tokyo and ¥1,279 in Kanagawa; the national average is ¥1,177.

Yes, with permission to engage in an activity other than that permitted (資格外活動許可): up to 28 hours a week, and up to 8 hours a day during your school’s long vacations. Breaking the 28-hour rule can cost you your status of residence.

Notify immigration within 14 days of leaving a job and within 14 days of joining a new employer, switch your insurance if needed and give your withholding record from the old job to the new one. Your status of residence must also cover the new job.

Sources

Where this information comes from

Rates, limits and deadlines on this page were checked against the official websites of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the National Tax Agency, the Japan Pension Service and the Immigration Services Agency of Japan on October 7, 2026. Amounts are in Japanese yen. When a rule changes we update the page and the date above.

Results and examples are estimates, not your employer’s payroll. The amounts on your payslip and in your resident tax notice are the ones that count. For a complex case, talk to a licensed tax accountant (税理士) or a Labor and Social Security Attorney (社会保険労務士, sharōshi).

Want to work in Japan? Many people start with a language school.

A language school gives you a student visa, the right to work part-time with permission and time to learn Japanese and find a job. Our help choosing a school and preparing the visa documents is free — the school pays us, not you.

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Students in yukata at a Japanese language school

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