receive remuneration), and statuses of residence for which work activities are not permitted. Although the original purpose of the statuses of residence which belong to the abovementioned category (ii) is not work, it is possible to engage in a work activity because there are no restrictions imposed on what activities the foreign national does.

Furthermore, if an activity among the statuses of residence is likely to impact Japanese industries or people’s lives, the foreign national will not be permitted to enter Japan unless such a foreign national meets the criteria for the landing permission stipulated by the Ordinance on Criteria.

Reference 72 List of Statuses of Residence (as of April 1, 2016)

Appended Table I

Status of Residence	Authorized activities	Examples	Period of Stay
Diplomat	Activities on the part of constituent members of diplomatic missions or consular offices of foreign governments hosted by the Japanese Government; activities on the part of those who are provided with similar privileges and/or immunities as are granted to diplomatic missions pursuant to treaties or international customary practices; and activities on the part of their family members belonging to the same household.	Ambassador, minister, consulate general, or delegation member of a foreign government and their families	Period during which diplomatic activities are performed
Official	Activities on the part of those who engage in the official business of foreign governments or international organizations recognized by the Japanese Government; and activities on the part of their family members belonging to the same household (except for the activities listed in the "Diplomat" column of this Table).	Employee of an embassy or consulate of a foreign government, individual assigned by an international institution for an official assignment, and their families	5 years, 3 years, 1 year, 3 months, 30 days or 15 days
Professor	Activities for research, guidance of research or education at a university, an equivalent educational institutions or colleges of technology ("Kotosenmongakko").	College professor	5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 3 months
Artist	Artistic activities that produce income, including music, the fine arts, literature, etc. (except for the activities listed in the "Entertainer" column in Table I (2)).	Composer, artist, or writer	5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 3 months
Religious Activities	Missionary and other religious activities conducted by foreign religious workers dispatched by a foreign religious organization.	Missionary assigned by a foreign religious organization	5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 3 months
Journalist	News coverage and other journalistic activities conducted based on a contract with a foreign journalistic organization.	Reporter or photographer of foreign press	5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 3 months

(2)

Status of Residence	Authorized activities	Examples	Period of Stay
Highly-Skilled Professional	(i) Activities coming under any of the following items of “a” to “c” conducted by a person who meets the criteria specified by an Ordinance of the Ministry of Justice as a human resource with advanced highly-skilled capabilities, and who is expected to contribute to the development of academic research or the economy of Japan. (a) Activities of engaging in research, research guidance or education based on a contract entered into with a public or private organization in Japan designated by the Minister of Justice, or in conjunction with such activities, activities of a business managed personally by the highly-skilled professional associated with these activities or activities of research, research guidance or education based on a contract entered into with a public or private organization in Japan other than said organization. (b) Activities of engaging in work requiring specialized knowledge or skills in the field of natural sciences or humanities based on a contract entered into with a public or private organization in Japan designated by the Minister of Justice, or in conjunction with such activities, activities of a business managed personally by the highly-skilled professional associated with these activities. (c) Activities of engaging in the operation of international trade or other business at a public or private organization in Japan designated by the Minister of Justice or to manage said business or, in conjunction with such activities, activities of a business personally managed by the highly-skilled professional associated with these activities. (ii) The following activities which meet the criteria specified by an Ordinance of the Ministry of Justice where the residence of the person engaging in the activities given in the previous item contributes to the interests of Japan. (a) Activities of engaging in research, research guidance or education based on a contract entered into with a public or private organization in Japan. (b) Activities of engaging in work requiring specialized knowledge or skills in the field of natural sciences or humanities based on a contract entered into with a public or private organization in Japan. (c) Activities of engaging in the operation of international trade or other business at a public or private organization in Japan or to manage said business. (d) Activities (except for the activities corresponding to any of (a) through to (c)) listed in the column from “Professor” to “Journalist” as specified in Table I (1), or the activities listed in the column corresponding to the sections of “Legal/Accounting Services”, “Medical Services”, “Instructor”, “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services”, the section of “Entertainer” or the section of “Skilled Labor” in this table in conjunction with any of the activities from (a) through to (c).	A foreign national within the scope eligible for the decision on a status for work who has earned points for each of the items of “academic background,” “professional career” and “annual salary”, etc. and whose total number of points reaches a certain score (70 points). (Example) A case where a 30 year-old (10 points), who has acquired a master’s degree (professional degree on business administration (MBA)) from a foreign university (25 points) with seven years’ IT-related work experience (15 points), engages in the work of the development of management support software with an annual salary of 6 million yen (20 points).	5 years for Highly-Skilled Professional (i) and unlimited for Highly-Skilled Professional (ii)