Japan to launch new visa track for skilled foreigners

"having an annual income of 20 million yen and a master's degree"

"an annual income of 40 million yen or more"

If you can pull that size of an income, then you can do much better outside of Japan. If you have a family, then quality of life is again outside of Japan.

Unless your talent is specific to Japan, why would anyone with the skill set to earn a JPY 40 million+ base salary choose to permanently work in Japan where the income tax on that level of income is 50%. You can take the same salary in Singapore and walk away paying less than 14%. Sure, Japan is a "nicer" place to live than Singapore, but if you're still in the wealth accumulation phase of your life/career, Japan is NOT the place to do it as a salary worker with no tax breaks. As an entrepreneur, you can deduct darn near everything and pay near 0% tax, but that wouldn't qualify you for this (not so) "special" visa.

This has already been tried and failed many times. Cue the quote about insanity. In reality, there's not a whole lot that the government can do beside maybe giving preferential treatment on taxes for those people but that certainly won't fly with the general public.

While retaining the points-based system, the new measure will enable applicants conducting advanced academic research or advanced specialized/technical activities to obtain a five-year visa if they have a master's degree or higher and an annual income upwards of 20 million yen, or an employment record of 10 years or more and an annual income upwards of 20 million yen.

If you have an income, of over 20 million yen, per year, prior to coming to Japan, why come here?

Oh and if you are required to have a job, that pays you 20 million a year, here, when applying for the visa, why come here?

Any foreigner that gets a job, starting pay, with that income, is going to have a hell of a lot of animosity towards them from coworkers, no matter how good of an employee they are. Not to mention the limited number of companies that could even consider hiring them.

having an annual income of 20 million yen and a master's degree"

"an annual income of 40 million yen or more"

If you can pull that size of an income, then you can do much better outside of Japan. If you have a family, then quality of life is again outside of Japan.

You beat me to it. Why ANYONE who is skilled would come here today is beyond me. Japan is not what it was decades ago when I came here. The salaries were good, the treatment was much better (after all, this was before that Abe got into power the first time) and there was a sense of optimism in the air. Today, the stench of stagnation fill the air and the final nail in the coffin is the inflation that we are suffering here.

Doesn't mean a thing until Japan allows dual-citizenship.

Very true. Why come here and earn a lower salary than in the west AND be forced to give up your citizenship when you can go to the west and keep your citizenship while earning more than you would in Japan.

This has already been tried and failed many times. Cue the quote about insanity.

That's the SOP here in Japan. They've repeated the same thing with raising the fertility, rural revival, the economy, etc... no new ideas just fly-against-the-windowpane mentality.

They have got it all arse about face. People with jobs earning $150,000. A Masters Degree. Those people probably would not move here.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last year instructed relevant ministries to consider reforms to attract highly skilled human resources to Japan

How about making it possible for "highly skilled " JAPANESE and those here already, to get proper compensation for their work?

It's no wonder Japanese talent leaves Japan and go to a country that actually lets them make money off their work and not just some measly ￥100,000 for inventing something that made the company billions upon billions of yen!

Talents from China or India will come, as they will make more than in their own countries with many opportunities.

But such a wage is reserved to Nobel Prize levels

"an annual income of 40 million yen or more"

If you can pull that size of an income, then you can do much better outside of Japan. If you have a family, then quality of life is again outside of Japan.

Not correct, some people such as myself rely on the business conducted IN Japan to achieve that income.

I also note that the 40 mill yen income on the business side is not quoted as a gross income or net income. Big difference.

Why would anyone work for 20M yen in Japan?

because cost of living is dirt cheap in Japan and you literally can live like royalty at that income level.

Try working in US and UK and if you have 200k USD income, after paying 5000 a month on a 1 bed room in the ghetto, I doubt you can afford a single night out. Also taxes definitely higher in tier 1 cities like new york london etc, where jobs that pay 200k+ USD can exist. While in Japan, you pretty much have 90% of take home pay to do what ever you want

Scanned it to see conditions and then didn't bother reading the rest properly. Another of those WT... moments.

You get a beginner's salary when you come to Japan irrespective of your qualifications.Around 250,000 yen.Work for many yrs before a raise.

No Thankyou.

BAD IDEA, who would want to leave his home and come to work in Japan if he or she are making $200,000 a year? and why ?

Some may find it interesting!!, but the majority would rather stay home near their families, culture and friends.

If those idiots making these rules wouldnt relocate to Japan if they make the required amounts outside.

With that amount, i will happily and safely invest in Thailand or Vietnam and have many workers working for me. Far better than licing in Japan

Japans NIGHTMARE must be when it realizes that opening it's borders, allowing migrants and others to live, work, vote, and be part of society, allowing dual citizenship, make the nation migrants friendly is part of being a member of the world society.

You can't have it both ways Japan, the less that you give you're a TAKER.

This is to attract rich people. The money/employment barrier excludes start-up folk in the tech industry. The money barrier excludes most academics (who might have PhDs but don't earn a great deal). As the other commenters say, the tax and dual-nat issues would put those who do qualify off. Rich people don't like paying tax and expect to have multiple passports without issues. They also expect to take their families with them - the details may or may not include the family. Plus of course, Japan has plenty of qualified professionals. It lacks care workers, key workers and skilled labourers.

So nobody?

Welcoming foreigners for their tax money?

Not the best way to attract people here

The government keeps using the phrase "highly skilled" when it really means "highly paid".

LOTS offering 'golden visas' for highly skilled, only they're dynamic growth magnets full of younger Xpats, attracting massive FDI (eg. Dubai), low tax, geopolitically NEUTRAL & well paid!

Lipstick on a pig, good luck to ya!

Applies to virtually no one but looks good on paper and in reality isn't going to work, as they well know. Total fluff by politicians who have no intention of making serious change but want to be seen to be doing something.

highly skilled human resources

I hate that term, "human resources" but somehow apt when you join a lifeless machine.

People with jobs earning $150,000. A Masters Degree.

True, given the fact that very few foreigners earn a BA let alone and MA.

Easy folks, smart people tend to make smart decisions, that's why there's been LONG term brain drain from Japan. Just check out Singapore or Dubai, it's CLEAR.

Also noteworthy, FDI flows, no accident Singapore with its tiny population does so well, $ follows talent after all!

Finally, some of mart types, location MATTERS not!

typo; some SMART types, location MATTERS not!

Easy folks, smart people tend to make smart decisions, that's why there's been LONG term brain drain from Japan. Just check out Singapore or Dubai, it's CLEAR.

First of All there has been no longer term brain drain from Japan. Yes, Japanese are working overseas but for Japanese companies. Dubai has oil. Singapore has been tighting its borders.

People living in Japan wondering why anyone would want to live in Japan...smh

Why would a so called high skilled foreigner come in a country where as foreigner would always be treated a step below by their government,long working hours and a strict society.

Nah,there are far better places.

Hmm this is not going to work. How many people with that level of talent want to work for a Japanese company?

The visa that is probably needed is one that lets digital nomads in if they can be nailed down to pay tax in Japan, i.e., folks doing remote work for higher foreign salaries that have to be declared in Japan for the visa to be granted. With the visa, they can become resident and buy a car etc. If you have a foreign tech salary but can live near the beach on the Japan Sea coast in a 30k USD akiya you can play DIY at, that's a pretty good life.

Lots of high salary young Asians like Japan and would happily live in Japan if they could. The cost of living and lifestyle next to an inaka beach or ski resort is probably much better than in Singapore.

But such a wage is reserved to Nobel Prize levels

Huh? They get something like $1.5 million (US) winning the prize, and if all they are making is less than 200K(US) per year, they arent working for the money!

First of All there has been no longer term brain drain from Japan. Yes, Japanese are working overseas but for Japanese companies. Dubai has oil. Singapore has been tighting its borders.

Your statement YOURS alone, few take it seriously, otherwise why this desperate need for qualified workers, Japan ranks 30th digitally, could that be it?

Look at wages at Japanese firms, where are these new exciting EV companies here etc.?

Fantasy does not equal reality, Dubai not serious oil producer, pretty clear TALENT flocking THERE not energy related, please open your eyes and look FORWARD.

They are too stuck in the past, if you are already earning 20m a year getting a visa was not something you would worry about either way, in Japans current situation you would expect them to roll out the red carpet. Allow dual citizenship if you want to keep talent long term, that is a must if you are seriously looking for people to make this their home and keep investing in you.

key point's GLOBAL tech. driven Corp. culture, can anyone name TOP Corp. promoting their COUNTRY culture?

Imagine insisting everyone worldwide write kanji, even though software does it well?!

Imagine Microsoft pushing their US culture, any better way to alienate customers, employees, investors, business partners, or any other stakeholder?

That's the point, why foreigners so badly needed, country's culture's pure legacy now everywhere, increasingly unrelated to economic activity, everything's based on global standards and values, it's CLEAR.

Imagine time societies globally spend using Microsoft's products and services, it's everywhere even if you don't see it, but likely you're using it RIGHT now!

The "20 million yen a year and graduate degree" requirements are a macrocosm of Japanese people's obsession with wealth and status.

Go to Shinjuku San-chome or parts of Yokohama wearing relatively normal clothing, and try entering a dive bar as a foreigner. You will immediately encounter outright hostility or possibly even be turned away. Because what they're expecting you to do is spend 5000円 on a drink, an appetizer, and a small entree at the bare minimum - actually that is too little, they want you to spend more like 10,000円, or 20,000円 if it's you and date. Otherwise you come off as cheap. It's not even particularly special food, like you can prepare this at home for under 1000円. These places always have this superficial air of opulence that makes them think it's okay to act like pretentious jerks. This is the reason why I've largely stopped eating at many small bars in Tokyo. Like if I want to eat out I will just go to Saizeriya, Matsuya, or McDonald's. I don't care that I'm not supporting "the little guy", if they are going to live in the real world and act entitled they can go out of business for all I care.

A lot of foreigners are here on English teaching jobs and have been for years. Those that stay long term doing that selflessly continue to support their students because they are happy to make a positive difference in the life of a child or young adult. How does Japan treat them? By paying them under 300,000円 a month and giving them five days off a year.

Sadly Japan is due for another big economic recession. But maybe Japan needs to become a place foreigners don't want to go for them to realize why we were so important to begin with.

This will yield minimal results.

A lot of foreigners are here on English teaching jobs and have been for years. Those that stay long term doing that selflessly continue to support their students because they are happy to make a positive difference in the life of a child or young adult. How does Japan treat them? By paying them under 300,000円 a month and giving them five days off a year.

EXACTLY!!

Sadly Japan is due for another big economic recession. But maybe Japan needs to become a place foreigners don't want to go for them to realize why we were so important to begin with.

THIS!!!

Best post I've read today! Well done Wolf!

Sadly Japan is due for another big economic recession. But maybe Japan needs to become a place foreigners don't want to go for them to realize why we were so important to begin with.

Best post I've read today! Well done Wolf

You guys are true martyrs, should diversify ASAP, BIG GLOBAL market out there if you've got skills and energy!

" How does Japan treat them? By paying them under 300,000円 a month and giving them five days off a year." If those teachers became literate in Japanese they could obtain a teaching license from a Japanese university and more than double that salary. I did. It took me 15 years of diligent study to do so. I wouldn't expect a Japanese person to get a promotion or raise in Canada if he/she were illiterate. Also, as of 3 years ago we teachers are allotted 2 days off per week as well as 40 days off a year above and beyond national holidays, of which there are many.

Allow dual citizenship if you want to keep talent long term

There you have it, what more is there to say?

(Except that Kishida doesn't seem to have a clue about what the average people in his country are earning.)

If those teachers became literate in Japanese they could obtain a teaching license from a Japanese university and more than double that salary. I did. It took me 15 years of diligent study to do so.

They could also double their salary faster by picking up a technical skill with a few years of practice and joining an international company doing something in the IT space.

I'm not arguing for one path versus the other. I think people should do what suits them. That doesn't change the fact that Japan's English teaching industry needs reform across the board.

I think arduous study of Japanese is a waste of time as a career skill. If someone wants to study Japanese they should do so because they want to learn the language, not to get a job. Advanced Japanese language skill is largely meaningless in the corporate context unless you are going to be spending entire days talking to Japanese customers or presenting to Japanese clients, neither of which sounds particularly appealing. Even then you are competing against native speakers which the company is almost always going to prefer hiring. You can't develop apps or software in Japanese. You can't help global customers or clients with Japanese. Not even to mention the silliness of trying to require Japanese language skill when are you are teaching English.

I admire your accomplishments but the monetary reward of studying Japanese for fifteen years does not merit the time invested. Fifteen years is a long time and a lot changes - friends get married, have children, build great careers, travel the world, ect. In my case I'd have nothing to show for it but a JLPT N1 certificate. Got other things going on and usually the level of Japanese I know is enough to get me by 90% of the time for now.

That's great and all for the foreign workers who feel like they want to be in Japan but I can't help but wonder if it isn't a cash grab for overseas assets and money as becoming a permanent resident means you're liable for all inheritances worldwide, even if you don't live in Japan at the time of death/inheritance. Putting more of these wealthy foreigners on the hook for worldwide taxation on their inherited assets seems like an added bonus to this system that the government isn't talking about.

Here's a question I don't think enough people are asking:

If a foreigner living in Japan has put in the time and effort, working their way up to JLPT N1 level language proficiency, shouldn't that feat, along with a clean record, be enough to warrant at least strong consideration towards the Highly Skilled Professional visa? After all, it could be said that the individual is "highly skilled" in the area of Japanese language - a "necessity" for building a career in Japan. Not sure how it will work in the new system but in the old system you were granted a measly few points towards the acceptance threshold. Shouldn't it be more than that? I would imagine it should be.

...that is, unless learning the language really isn't that important, and they only care about bringing in rich people to prop up their failing pension system.

Japan will probably never attain many highly skilled people. Apart from a few Japanophiles(like me), Why would anyone with high skills come to Japan?

> (serious question).

The reality is that the West is collapsing so badly and some people are now in such a state of hopelessness that they would actually consider uprooting their entire life to live in Japan than their own country. Even taking into account the complexity of the language/culture, and adopting a willingness to become overtime work drones. I'm an American and although I have a lot of problems with the state of affairs in Japan, I ain't looking back.

These golden ticket visas for the rich, oh sorry highly skilled, make little sense. Coming to japan means a massive pay cut for basically anyone qualified for this as well as open criticism for getting paid in the way they would be anywhere else/as they probably should be in their home country, see Ghosen.

Also it only attracts already established money, not potential money and youth aka the startup field, something Japan is laughably behind in in all sectors.

To them it sounds like a great opportunity for foreigners but they don’t seem to realize how much they would sacrifice to come here not to mention the wording giving hard “you’ll have to leave in a few years though” vibes. The few openly rich people who do move here do it cause they are rich and want to experience japan aka a long vacation. They are not planting roots here business wise or personal wise with how hostile some of the regulations are.

If a foreigner living in Japan has put in the time and effort, working their way up to JLPT N1 level language proficiency, shouldn't that feat, along with a clean record, be enough to warrant at least strong consideration towards the Highly Skilled Professional visa? 

No, because Japanese national high school graduates already have that proficiency.

The reality is that the West is collapsing so badly and some people are now in such a state of hopelessness that they would actually consider uprooting their entire life to live in Japan than their own country. 

Which part of the West?

We all know that we made the wrong choice and are now stuck here in a low income country but I think we all try to make the best of it.

Not knocking the JET programme but if one really wants to teach English, high schools in the US pay double the salary (depending on location) an ALT receives. And you can still spend the summer in Japan.

if one really wants to teach English, high schools in the US pay double the salary

Does that include the cost of health insurance and a flak jacket to ward off the next school mass shooting incident?

And why would anyone want to hire an English teacher in America? They think they already speak the language.

We all know that we made the wrong choice and are now stuck here in a low income country

Speak for yourself. By sheer luck I made the right choice and wouldn't have it any other way.

@ wolfshine

My comment was to address this point  "How does Japan treat them? By paying them under 300,000円 a month and giving them five days off a year." Teachers make more than ALTs and they have far more days off than 5 a year. I haven't argued that reforms aren't necessary, only that your claim is incorrect.

@wolfshine wrote:

"If a foreigner living in Japan has put in the time and effort, working their way up to JLPT N1 level language proficiency, shouldn't that feat, along with a clean record, be enough to warrant at least strong consideration towards the Highly Skilled Professional visa?"

If a foreigner in Canada, America, Australia or Britain were high school level literate would that make them a "highly skilled professional"?

YouTubers?

The issue is that most here foreigners who dont have native japanese level to take native Japan jobs and assume pay in Japan is low. Full time pay for Japan locals is extremely high once you consider that many companies pay for both rent and transportation. This is why Japanese locals never bat an eye spending 10,000-20,000 per person dinners. May be there are 10% or so poor people, but the Japanese I know, some as young as 28-29 are making 30M-40M annually with 15-20M base salaries. Furthermore most also have enormous assets paying high investment incomes as well, with many owning past 100+ properties both residental and commercial. The fact is 20M salary income is at most middle-upper class.

@one_consciousness asked:

"Japan will probably never attain many highly skilled people. Apart from a few Japanophiles(like me), Why would anyone with high skills come to Japan?

(serious question)."

For me, Japan is a far better place to raise a family than my native Canada. Japan has affordable housing. I recently purchased a 3 bedroom home on a 1/4 acre lot, 50 minutes from the centre of Tokyo, for the equivalent of $150,000 CD. The same home would have cost me 10 times as much in Toronto, where I'm from. Japan has one of the best healthcare systems in the world (I've had 3 operations here, from diagnosis to operation each took less than a month...in Canada it would have taken me anywhere from 6 months to a year for an MRI). Japanese high school students annually rank in the top 5 in international testing for math, literacy and science. There is very little street crime here and there is far less chance of my kids getting into drugs. Sadly, that's not the case for many of my friends in Canada. There are a myriad of personal preferences as well...such as the weather. It was minus 15 in Toronto two weeks ago, while being 22 in Saitama where I live. Eating out is cheap with ￥100 sushi and ￥400 beef bowl restaurants. These things matter when you are raising children. My hobbies are motorcycling and snowboarding. Japan is ideal for both. I'm sure highly skilled or not, Japan has something for everyone.

@wolfshine wrote:

" Not even to mention the silliness of trying to require Japanese language skill when are you are teaching English." Have you ever experienced teaching English in a high school classroom as a teacher and not an ALT (who has a translator to rely on for communication)? Try teaching the subjunctive mood in English to 40 Japanese teenagers, most of whom find such grammar difficult in their own language. Also, it's "acquire" a language, not require one. A company may "require" a degree of language proficiency...which you may or may not have "acquired" through "silly" diligence.

Including Russian and Chinese nationals?

@Geeter: literally nothing you've stated in your four replies takes anything away from the fact that under 3 million yen a year is not an acceptable salary. That's the main point here. Not on the nuances of teaching English in Japanese Elementary School vs High School.

@ one_consciousness

"Granted, but do you really think in this day and age having top maths and literacy scores means anything? Being good at memorisation and tests does result in greater national innovation and productivity" Most schools have moved away from rote learning. I teach essay writing to high school students. Topics include such issues as human rights, the benefits and detriments of AI, whether or not a decline in population is beneficial etc. Our affiliated junior high school farms salmon in tanks using the technology they helped to create (I work at Tokyo University of Agriculture's Third High School in Higashimatsuyama). One of the reason's students do well on tests is they have been instilled with a sense of discipline and responsibility since elementary school. My eldest daughter is currently on scholarship at University of Tsukuba, majoring in microbiology. Having been instilled with discipline and a sense of responsibility hasn't taken away from her individuality one iota. I have 5 kids, all of whom are either in or have been through the public school system and all are unique individuals. My eldest son went to a trade school and recently began his own car export business with a friend. They buy cars in number at auctions do the required maintenance on them then ship them overseas for profit. He's 22 and has already paid off the loan he and his friend took out to buy a lot in Kobe. He has dreadlocks and listens to Reggae mostly. He had a buzz cut in high school. Adhering to rules of dress and decorum while in school didn't put the slightest dint in his personality. I agree with you that there is a concern vis a vis sex crimes, but I'm from Canada where that is a huge issue as well.

@ wolfshine

Yes, that is a miserable salary, but it's not a teacher's salary. Double that to get what a licensed teacher makes at minimum. Also, add a month and a half onto the days off you cited for accuracy.

I recently purchased a 3 bedroom home on a 1/4 acre lot, 50 minutes from the centre of Tokyo, for the equivalent of $150,000 CD.

You are telling everyone here you got over 300 tsubo, with a house, 50 minutes from Tokyo for a little over , roughly, 15 million yen?

Ok, who died? Where's the fault line? What's wrong with the property? The house is falling a part right?

I'm not sure 120m yen makes one "rich" - as daikaka says above, in the UK with a salary around that level you are approaching 50% overall taxation once direct and indirect taxes are taken into account. Everything is vastly more expensive too, you'd struggle to get into any tourist attraction for less than 3000 yen, a meal out is going to be around 5000 yen per head at a regular restaurant these days, petrol is around 240/L (down from a recent high of around 300), and rent or mortgage on a modest family home can quite easily be north of 300k yen per month.

So a new 3asier visa but only for those that already have no problem getting it? Genius!

As others have said, anybody eligible could have a better job and living conditions in other countries, including much less need to learn the local language.

@ Yubaru

Geeter McKluskie is my FB handle. You can see the home there. It's in excellent condition with no mould or cracks in the foundation. It has two living rooms and a study to boot. Hardwood flooring throughout, except for the tatami rooms. 2 washrooms. A large jacuzzi bath with a bay window. All with gleaming tiles with no grout or mould. The same goes for the kitchen. All the tiles are in pristine condition. We have a kiwi vine in the yard, as well as a blueberry bush that yields more blueberries than we can eat. There are also several persimmon trees that I could do without as the fruit is a burden to clean up in the fall and none of my family likes persimmons.

What nonsense it is. Had not a Japanese company recruited me on 20 million yen, I would not even know where Japan is. Not even if I were on 1/3 of that money would make me give a toss about Japan.

Total rubbish is that this new measure would attract anything but a laughter. Nobody would even glance on the map to see where Japan is.

People are attracted to the lands of opportunity, not to what a slew of clerks Kishida continues to represent.

Hot topic, let me simplify for your benefit;

1) Real talent wants to work in GLOBAL BIZ cultures

2) Real talent wants to work in FLAT MERIT based Org. structures

3) Market Cap. of companies, BEST indicator of professional opportunity

Nuff said!

If a foreigner living in Japan has put in the time and effort, working their way up to JLPT N1 level language proficiency, shouldn't that feat, along with a clean record, be enough to warrant at least strong consideration towards the Highly Skilled Professional visa? After all, it could be said that the individual is "highly skilled" in the area of Japanese language - a "necessity" for building a career in Japan. Not sure how it will work in the new system but in the old system you were granted a measly few points towards the acceptance threshold. Shouldn't it be more than that? I would imagine it should be.

do you seriously believe this? Seriously….

What nonsense it is. Had not a Japanese company recruited me on 20 million yen, I would not even know where Japan is. Not even if I were on 1/3 of that money would make me give a toss about Japan.

Because you are not native level Japanese speaker. Plenty of jobs offer 20M+. In fact the majority of Japanese I know in their 30s makes above that. Pretty much all of the small business owners in Tokyo makes above that. It would be rarer to find a local who is working full time to be making below that unless they are within 5 years of new grad,

What a joke this "new" program is. Japan needs skilled programmers, engineers and even laborers badly but all they do is throw up these idiotic requirements that barely address the country's needs. If it was me running things for the govt. I'd set up a program whereby any company can become certified to hire foreign labor as long as they become qualified to do so. It will not be a question of money or education... leave that to the hiring company, but it will be about labor laws regarding visas, healthcare, pensions and separation pay. Let the company beware... they should be qualified enough to make the hiring decision.

It would be rarer to find a local who is working full time to be making below that unless they are within 5 years of new grad,

The average annual income in Japan is 4.43 million, which means very many locals working full time make a lot less than 20 million.

Roughly one in 20 men (5%) have an income in excess of 10 million. For women, it's less than 1%.

https://www.nta.go.jp/publication/statistics/kokuzeicho/minkan2021/pdf/002.pdf

While retaining the points-based system, the new measure will enable applicants conducting advanced academic research or advanced specialized/technical activities to obtain a five-year visa if they have a master's degree or higher and an annual income upwards of 20 million yen, or an employment record of 10 years or more and an annual income upwards of 20 million yen.

For those applying for advanced business and management activities, five-year visas will be granted if they have an employment record of five years or over and an annual income of 40 million yen or more.

20M+ and/or 40M+ is too much, Japanese companies don't pay that, not even in IT or any other specialized activities, if the objective is to not grant any new visa, then objective accomplished I guess.

Funny that, have a declining economy for 30 years, a declining birthrate and an incompetent government? Only one savior left.

wolfshine

A lot of foreigners are here on English teaching jobs and have been for years. Those that stay long term doing that selflessly continue to support their students because they are happy to make a positive difference in the life of a child or young adult. How does Japan treat them? By paying them under 300,000円 a month and giving them five days off a year.

When I initially arrived in Japan in 1992, the going rate for an English teacher was 250,000円/month. So not much has changed in 31 years.

To make any reasonable amount of money in Japan, you probably have to work for an international company.

@Bruce Pennyworth

In an age in which AI and mass-automation will have made 50% of current jobs obsolete within the next 25 years it's prudent to have a reduction in population. Especially, on an archipelago roughly the size of California that is 80% non-arable land on which food can't be grown and one which is surrounded by hostile neighbours in precarious geopolitical times when shipping lanes could be shut down.

@ 2020hindsights

Or...if you're going to make a career out of teaching (and not just come to Japan for a year or two) get a teaching license so you can get paid what licensed teachers make which is more than twice that.

Righteous

I am not sure New Zealand is much of a draw. I heard now due to outrageous regulations a single egg will cost more than 100 yen.

What do you mean outrageous regulations? They banned battery cages, which are already banned in the UK, most of Europe, Canada, Mexico etc. BTW Eggs are currently expensive worldwide.

SaikoPhysco

What a joke this "new" program is. Japan needs skilled programmers, engineers and even laborers badly but all they do is throw up these idiotic requirements that barely address the country's needs. If it was me running things for the govt. I'd set up a program whereby any company can become certified to hire foreign labor as long as they become qualified to do so. It will not be a question of money or education... leave that to the hiring company, but it will be about labor laws regarding visas, healthcare, pensions and separation pay. Let the company beware... they should be qualified enough to make the hiring decision.

It's not difficult to make 20M in Japan in IT, but you will most likely have to work at an international company.

I earned 3,350,000 last year and I am feeling very poor seeing these figures... What really means highly skilled workers?

we can post example numbers all day. Real solution is to utilize Japans foreign population more efficiently. Take those English teachers on flimsy contracts, sift out the bad eggs, offer promotions based on performance. These same good eggs? Get them opportunity to move up in Japan to further contribute. Soooooo many of these teachers fall in love with Japan, learn a language, have or learn another skill while here, then are released into the wind.

letting highly skilled resources go or refusing to cultivate the ones you already have is a massive issue.

last year our company let go a video editor and content creator. Dude had 400k subs on YouTube and clearly can do that full time. Instead of using him or hiring him for that purpose they kept him a normal alt… and hired some basic a** videography company for who knows how much more to produce a video with amateur hard cuts, muffled audio where you hear the traffic in the background, and recorded in sub 1080p…

Even getting N1 doesn’t mean anything if there’s no skill backing it

For those applying for advanced business and management activities, five-year visas will be granted if they have an employment record of five years or over and an annual income of 40 million yen or more.

Good luck with that one. 40 million yen a year OR MORE? I think the average bloke here doesn't even make half that. 4 million yen at least is kind of a safe bet. I think with that kind of salary (40 million), you won't need to come to Japan to work.

Japan has a very progressive tax system, that means it isnt good for high earners.

As an HSP myself, I thought I would comment !

I entered the country nearly 6 years ago on a very similar program. 80 points gave you a permanent residency after a stay of a year.... I kind of forgot how I got to 80 points, but Master's degree, 10 years of job experience and a job offer over JPY 20m base made most of the 80 points. JLPT N1 also gave you points (but I'm an N3 !). I worked a couple of years in Japan when I was way younger and thought to come back one day for the right job. I lead the local subsidiary of an American company. Back to HSP, some statistics were published at the time, there were 7 to 8,000 HSP per year, mostly Chinese. To those who wrote Japan is unattractive, I moved to Japan from the US (Miami), and gave up my Green Card. I got the HSP visa in weeks & the permanent residency in one visit to immigration, the US Green Card took me 2 years. Even with higher tax, I think Japan offers more: Food scene, safety, fun at night, fascinating city (Tokyo!), powder ski, art scene, super healthcare, central Tokyo but with a lot of green, onsen, etc...

Jobs above JPY 20m are clearly not common in the country (1.3% of employed population... Google it) but there are quite a few in the Tokyo offices of US and European companies. I have hired several employees around 20m over the years. Up to 35m with bonuses. Anyway.... there are people out there who like Japan and have built a strong carrier elsewhere, that visa is for them. People who like to have options (especially Chinese), that visa is even more for them. Also, at over JPY40m/year, speaking Japanese is a bonus during diners with partners, but no longer needed...

Correction on JPY20m more..... it's actually 1.2% of households ! Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/614245/distribution-of-annual-household-income-japan/

And my numbers were wrong on numbers of HSP... but I was right than an HSP is typically a Chinese individual.

"by the end of 2019, there were 9,850 Chinese (including Hong Kong), 619 U.S. nationals, and 502 Taiwanese holding this visa" for a grand total of 15,000 HSP (Source: Japan immigration)

For me, Japan is a far better place to raise a family than my native Canada. Japan has affordable housing. I recently purchased a 3 bedroom home on a 1/4 acre lot, 50 minutes from the centre of Tokyo, for the equivalent of $150,000 CD. The same home would have cost me 10 times as much in Toronto, where I'm from. Japan has one of the best healthcare systems in the world (I've had 3 operations here, from diagnosis to operation each took less than a month...in Canada it would have taken me anywhere from 6 months to a year for an MRI). Japanese high school students annually rank in the top 5 in international testing for math, literacy and science. There is very little street crime here and there is far less chance of my kids getting into drugs. Sadly, that's not the case for many of my friends in Canada. There are a myriad of personal preferences as well...such as the weather. It was minus 15 in Toronto two weeks ago, while being 22 in Saitama where I live. Eating out is cheap with ￥100 sushi and ￥400 beef bowl restaurants. These things matter when you are raising children. My hobbies are motorcycling and snowboarding. Japan is ideal for both. I'm sure highly skilled or not, Japan has something for everyone.

As with you from Canada, the same about the US. Like you, I had an eye lense replacement that would have made me almost bankrupt in the US.