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Quick Answer Legally, you can resign from a permanent position in Japan with 2 weeks’ notice (Civil Code Article 627) — no employer permission needed. In practice, give 1 month, tell your direct manager first (verbally, in private), then submit a taishoku todoke (退職届). Before your last day, secure your rishoku-hyo, gensen choshu-hyo (tax slip), and pension book. Your employer cannot hold your visa hostage. You’ve decided to leave your Japanese company. Now the anxiety starts: you’ve heard the stories — bosses who refuse resignations, weeks of guilt-tripping meetings, the fear that quitting somehow endangers your visa. In a culture where people famously hire resignation agencies to quit for them, how bad is this going to be? ...

Quick Answer If you lose your job in Japan: (1) you can stay on your work visa and job hunt — losing the job doesn’t cancel the visa, but staying 3+ months without work activities can; (2) if you paid employment insurance (雇用保険) for 6–12+ months, you can claim unemployment benefits at Hello Work — roughly 50–80% of your previous wage for 90–330 days; (3) you must switch to National Health Insurance and National Pension at city hall within 14 days. ...

Quick Answer A Japanese payslip (給与明細) has three blocks: 支給 (payments — base + allowances), 控除 (deductions — health insurance ~5%, pension 9.15%, employment insurance 0.6%, income tax, residence tax), and 差引支給額 (net pay). Expect take-home of roughly 75–80% of gross. Two classic surprises: residence tax starts only in your second year (June), and bonuses get deductions too. Your contract said ¥300,000 a month. Your bank account says ¥237,000 arrived. Somewhere in that dense little PDF of kanji, ¥63,000 evaporated — and nobody at the office thought to explain where, because to them it’s obvious. ...

Most foreigners job-hunting in Japan start with Google and end up on the wrong platforms. The best job sites for foreigners are specific, and the ones worth your time vary by industry and language ability. Here’s a direct comparison of where to actually find jobs in Japan. Best Job Sites for English-Speaking Foreigners 1. GaijinPot Jobs — Best for English Speakers gaijinpot.com/jobs Look, GaijinPot is the starting point for most foreigners job hunting in Japan. It’s the largest English-language job board in the country, and a lot of the listings don’t require Japanese at all. ...

The Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa covers the widest range of skilled work in Japan — IT, engineering, business, and more. Getting it wrong costs months. Getting it right opens the door to working legally in Japan with a legitimate employer. Here’s the complete guide. What Is This Visa? This visa was created by merging two former categories: Engineer (技術): For those in scientific and technical fields — IT, engineering, mathematics, natural sciences Specialist in Humanities / International Services (人文知識・国際業務): For those in humanities-based professional roles — business, marketing, design, teaching, translation, international affairs The combined category means a single visa type now covers most knowledge-economy work done by foreigners in Japan. ...

What you'll learn in this guide Real 2025 salary figures for every major English teaching job in Japan JET Programme vs ALT dispatch vs eikaiwa vs university — compared honestly Benefits, housing support, and what’s actually included in each package How to maximize income as an English teacher in Japan The career ceiling problem — and what to do about it English teaching is still the most common route into Japan for foreigners — and for good reason. It’s accessible (most positions require only a university degree), the demand is consistent, and it provides a structured way to enter Japan’s job market. But salaries vary enormously. Here’s the honest breakdown. ...

You’ve sent out dozens of applications. The interviews go well — until the visa question comes up, and suddenly “we’ll be in touch” means silence. Finding employers willing to sponsor is the challenge most foreign job seekers underestimate, and applying blindly to companies that were never going to sponsor is where most of that wasted effort goes. The fix isn’t more applications — it’s targeting the right industries and the right platforms from the start. Here’s how to find visa-sponsoring employers in Japan. ...

Going freelance in Japan as a foreigner is possible — but it involves visa restrictions, tax registration, and business banking hurdles that most people don’t anticipate. Understanding the rules before you start saves significant headaches. Here’s what you need to know. Can Foreigners Freelance in Japan? Yes — with the right visa. The key issue is that most work visas in Japan are tied to a specific employer or business activity. Working outside that scope without authorization is a visa violation. ...

Freelancing in Japan looks attractive — flexible work, your own clients, no office politics. The reality involves navigating visa requirements, client expectations, and a tax system built for salaried employees. Here’s an honest guide to making it work. Can Foreigners Freelance in Japan? It depends on your visa. Visa Type Freelancing Allowed? Work visa (Engineer, Humanities, etc.) ⚠️ Restricted — must match visa category Business Manager visa ✅ Yes Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) ✅ Yes, side income allowed Permanent Residency ✅ Unrestricted Spouse of Japanese National ✅ Unrestricted Student visa ❌ Only 28hrs/week part-time allowed Dependent visa ❌ Only 28hrs/week part-time allowed If you’re on a standard work visa, your permitted activities must match your visa category. Freelancing outside that category technically requires permission or a visa change. ...

Changing jobs in Japan on a work visa isn’t always straightforward — your visa may be tied to your current employer in ways that create real constraints. Knowing the rules before you resign protects your legal status. Here’s exactly how job changes work on a Japanese work visa. So Can You Actually Change Jobs? Yes. Most work visas in Japan — like the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (Gijinkoku) — are not tied to a specific employer. ...