Foreign nationals need some sort of visa to live in Japan. Here, we use the word "visa" to include the meaning of "residence eligibility status". The Immigration Law provides for 27 types of visas. There are exceptions to these in Immigration Law. One is the the status of "special permanent resident", which, according to the Immigration Law for Special Cases, targets those who have been in Japan since before 1945. Another states, according to the Japan-U.S. Status Agreement, that American soldiers and civilians in military employ, as well as their families, can reside in Japan without a visa. Although these exceptions exist, most foreign nationals living in Japan have one of the 27 visas set down in the Immigration Law.

These are the 27 types of visas that have been established in the Immigration Law: diplomat or consular officer, government official, professor, artist, religious, media, investment or management, legal or accounting business, medical care, research, education, engineering, humanities or social science knowledge or international business, company internal transfer, entertainment industry, technical skill, cultural activity, short-term resident, overseas student, school attendance, training, family resident, specific activity, permanent resident, foreign spouse or child of a Japanese national, spouse or child of a permanent resident, and settlement visas. The residency periods for the above visas range from limitless to units of 3 years, 1 year, 6 months, 3 months, or even 90 days or 15 days.

Next is a more concrete explanation of these 27 types of visas. There are few foreign nationals who hold diplomatic or government official visas, and these people reside in Japan because of some decision made between countries or by the United Nations, so these types of visas will not be discussed here

.(1) Professor:
This applies to professors, assistant professors and lecturers who work in a Japanese university, and pertains to the teaching of students and the conducting of research, as educational activities.

(2) Artist:
This visa applies to those who are active in fields like music, art, and literature. The person must have attained a certain degree of skill in their field, as they will have to support themselves in a stable fashion with their artistic activities alone.

(3) Religious:
This applies to those members of foreign religious groups who have been sent to Japan to engage in religious activities. Therefore, someone who came to Japan just to study Zen, as is explained later, would come under the cultural activity visa. The religious visa would not apply to them.

(4) Media:
This applies to employees of media organs like newspaper companies, communications companies, broadcasting offices, and newsreel companies, who are conducting media related business in Japan. These media related activities include information reporting by freelancers who have contracts with media organs in foreign countries. e.g. newspaper reporters, news cameramen, announcers and non fiction writers.

(5) Investment or management:
This applies to people who have established, invested in, and are managing trading companies in Japan, people who have begun to manage a company, and persons who are managing for the above people. There needs to be an office which employs 2 or more full time employees. The company doesn't need to have a formal structure, but it needs to be stable and have some continuity. From this aspect, it is difficult to acquire the investment or management visa when working in a limited liability company.

(6) Legal or accounting business:
According to Japanese law, a person holding this visa must be qualified to be a lawyer, tax counsellor or administrative scrivener. This is why there are so few people who currently hold this visa.

(7) Medical care:
This visa also requires a person to be qualified as a doctor or nurse licenced in Japan.

(8) Research:
This applies to people who are conducting research under contract with a public or private institution in Japan. The public or private organization may be run by an individual. The key point here is receiving payment.

(9) Education:
This applies to cases where a person is involved in educational activities, like language teaching, in education institutions like Japanese elementary schools, junior high schools and high schools. The Ministry of Education is considering offering English language classes in elementary schools, so an increasing number of foreign nationals are expected to hold this visa in the future.

(10) Engineering:
People who hold this visa have graduated from a university science or engineering department and will pursue work where they can make use of the skills and the knowledge they learned. The university may be either in Japan or in a foreign country.

(11) Humanities or social sciences knowledge or international business:
People who hold this visa have graduated from a university liberal arts department and will pursue work where they can make use of the (humanities or social science) knowledge they have learned or engage in work like translation, interpretation or overseas trade (international business). For international business, some can receive this visa who have more than 3 years experience in this field without having graduated from a university.

(12) Company internal transfer:
This visa pertains to the activities carried out by an employee of a foreign company, which has its main or branch office in Japan, who is transferred to Japan for a specified period of time. Work carried out in a so-called representative office is also included in this visa. This work is the same kind as that carried out by persons with engineering, humanities or social sciences or international business visas.

(13) Entertainment industry:
This pertains to the work of entertainers and sportspersons.

(14) Technical skill:
This visa applies to those persons who work as cooks, architectural engineers, gem polishers, etc. All persons who hold this visa must have had 10 years or more practical experience.

(15) Cultural activity:
Persons who hold this visa have come to Japan to do research and learn about Japanese culture and arts like Zen, flower arranging, tea ceremony, or karate and receive instruction from experts to acquire these skills. They may not receive any income.

(16) Short-term resident:
A person receives this visa when they enter Japan on a tourist visa. Not only tourists but people who come to visit family and people who come on short-term business are included in this visa. A person also receives this visa if they come to Japan without having obtained a visa at a Japanese embassy or consulate abroad beforehand. The residency periods for this visa are either 15 days or 90 days.

(17) Overseas student:
This is a visa for persons who study in Japanese universities or professional schools.

(18) School attendance:
Most people who study in Japan have visas that fall under this category, which is meant for those who study Japanese in Japanese language schools. The curriculum of Japanese language schools normally covers a period of 18 months to 2 years, so it is inconceivable to stay in Japan for 3 or 4 years with this visa. Person who study at High schools is also given this visa.

(19) Training:
This visa is for persons who plan to make use of the knowledge, techniques and skills they learn in Japan when they return to their home countries. They are also called technology or technical skill exchange students. They can receive money as compensation, but they cannot receive renumeration or funds in exchange for labor. When a person's training period ends, this visa becomes a specific activity visa, as will be explained later, and then it is possible for the person to receive funds.

(20) Family resident:
This visa applies to the spouses and children of persons who hold diplomatic, government official, short-term resident, school attendance, training, and specific activity visas. In the past, people who held this visa were almost never allowed to work, but now it is possible for people who hold this visa to get permission to engage in activities outside the limitations of this visa, and they may work if the work lasts no longer than 28 hours per week.

(21) Specific activity:
This is a specialized visa. It pertains to activities which do not correspond to those described thus far, in categories (1)through (20). The Justice Minister determines the content of these activities for each foreign national on an individual basis. This visa also applies to those who are pursuing technological training or field work.

(22) Permanent resident:
If a person lives in Japan for a long time, they will have to go to the Immigration Office to change or renew their visa every six months to a year, or every three years. If by any chance their application to change or renew their visa is denied, then they will ordinarily have to return to their home country. This can make life in Japan unstable. If a person obtains a permanent resident visa, however, they will no longer have to go to the Immigration Office, except to go through procedures to get reentry permits. In addition, they will have no more restrictions on their activities in Japan. This is why it is said to be the best visa. The key point here is living in Japan for a long period of time and having a stable life.

(23) Foreign spouse or child of a Japanese national:
People who have a so-called "international marriage" acquire this visa. It is called a"spouse visa", or a "marriage visa". It has residency periods of 1 year or 3 years. Many people who get married to a Japanese national and get used to life in Japan apply to change their status to that of a permanent resident. Children of Japanese nationals also come under this visa.

(24) Spouse or child of a permanent resident:
This visa applies to the foreign spouses of permanent residents and children who are born in Japan.

(25) Settlement:
Like the specific activity visa, this visa is granted in various cases determined by the Justice Minister. This visa applies to people like Indochinese refugees, grandchildren of Japanese nationals, and children already born to foreign spouses.