Japan’s “Digital Nomad” 6-Month Visa Announced
Japan has announced a new visa that will allow foreign nationals to live and work in the country as digital nomads for up to six months. The move is seen as a way to attract remote workers and entrepreneurs to the country, as well as to promote tourism and boost the economy.
The new visa, which will be available from April 2022, will allow foreigners to live and work in Japan while remaining employed by a company outside of the country. This means that individuals working as freelancers, entrepreneurs, or employees of overseas companies will be able to take advantage of the new visa to experience life and work in Japan for an extended period.
The visa will be open to individuals who meet certain criteria, including having a yearly income of at least 3 million yen ($27,000), or having a contract to do work for a foreign company while living in Japan. Applicants will also need to prove that they have sufficient savings to support themselves during their stay, as well as having health insurance that covers them while in Japan.
The move comes as Japan looks to diversify its economy and attract foreign workers to help offset its aging and shrinking population. By opening its doors to digital nomads, Japan hopes to tap into the growing trend of remote work and attract individuals with valuable skills and knowledge to contribute to the country’s economy.
The new visa is also seen as a way to promote tourism in Japan, as digital nomads who take advantage of the visa will likely spend money on accommodation, food, transportation, and other goods and services during their stay. This in turn will benefit local businesses and help stimulate economic growth in the country.
Japan is not the only country to have recognized the potential of remote workers and digital nomads. Countries such as Estonia and Barbados have already introduced similar visa schemes to attract remote workers, and it is expected that other countries will follow suit in the coming years.
Overall, Japan’s new “Digital Nomad” 6-Month Visa is a positive step towards embracing the changing nature of work and attracting talented individuals from around the world to live and work in the country. The move is not only a win for digital nomads seeking new experiences and opportunities, but also for Japan, as it seeks to bolster its economy and promote tourism. This new visa presents an exciting opportunity for both individuals and the country, and has the potential to have a significant impact on Japan’s economy and society.
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As a software engineer that fit’s the requirement of this “digital nomad” work visa, the only challenge I see is how to get 6 month rental as foreigner as most of residential rental requires minimum of one year occupancy.
You did touch on it in reaction to a comment – but one topic a lot of people are not talking about enough is that it's not just getting the visa that's required, your employer also needs to allow you to work from overseas (assuming you're not self employed). That's going to be a tough sell for a lot of western countries because of time zones. There's a high chance that people will still need to be joining meetings and working during/around their home countries business hours, so getting that employer approval might be the hard part, not the visa. My employer is the biggest reason why I haven't just gone to Japan for 90 days and worked from hotels while traveling – if my laptop just showed up in Japan one day it would instantly be locked assuming it's been stolen. If I took it overseas without permission I'd be out of luck.
I had a ~6 weeks of holiday to Japan planned near end of this year and start of next, using up all of my leave on top of purchased leave (unpaid leave).. But now I'll be talking to my employer about this visa. I'm lucky in that I'm in Australia so the timezones are very close. My employer also has official policies around working from another country with a bunch of criteria to fill – and I'll be able to meet all of those for the "up to 6 months relocation" policy.
I think Japan is being cautious with that salary. Most young people (under 30) who want to be digital nomads wont be earning that much money. And most people who are established in their life and careers (mid 30's and up) don't want to be a digital nomad. Seems they are keeping the numbers low by setting that salary. The European Schengen region allows you to stay 90 days every 180 days (basically 6 months of the year) without needing to do anything (no visa) from most countries, which is so much easier and cheaper e.g. Portugal, Spain etc
I get what you’re saying about the differences. I think my only real advantage is being from a multicultural household so experiencing that constant exposure to changes in dynamics has kinda made me more adaptable I’ve come to find.
Good articulate review
"you dont want to live here" Another gate-keeping foreigner showing how great they are that they can live in Japan but you can't. Thanks for that. Edit: "you don't know after a year of being in Japan" oh dear, keep digging, please
Brilliant! I definitely plan to make use of this. I do hope in the future they will expand Nomad Visa to 1 year, as is the case with many other countries that have Nomad visas.
6 month is so stingy lol. Korea is 2 years!
Truck driver haha you need to be fluent in Japanese, have a Japanese truck driver license then the reason why there is a shortage is that a lot of truck drivers quit due to a very low pay..
Hey I finally made it (had this visa from pre Covid times) and have been in the Waseda area for a lil' while. I know I have almost no social media history (i'm like the Shazam young lad) but I come equipped as an idea person. Wanted to pitch to you: if you r ever looking for some new ideas for vids I'd be happy to collaborate with you, I have some interesting ideas for vids that would be fun and new (and different than the youtubes avail) about "Here in Japan"
Hmmm. Sounds interesting. Though 6 months just isn't long enough. Can you even find an apartment lease for that amount of time? Will they rent to someone that they know can only stay for 6 months and reapply?
Thailand is doing 5 years… everyone else is doing a full year… this is barely changing anything. If you're going require ¥10M, at least offer 2 years where we can focus on work, rather than being subject to the whims of public opinion about tourists every 6 months.
Yes.. need more ytubers in Japan to show the same stuff over and over again.. it’s getting sooo boring with all that similar content
In this visa we can start working in Japan ?
Why is Shibuya ans Shinjuku bad for DNs? I love dense city life… i hate lawns, kids and dogs.
"Six months, not a year, that would be a work visa" work visa require a Japanese business to hire you… It shouldn't matter if you're fully remote, working over 100 miles away from the office. I want a 3 year visa, not a 6 month one. Luckily I can probably pull an HSV in that time.
Im well traveled, ive moved a lot, I can pass the N1… way ahead of you.