Rejected Case 2 (Vocational School Graduate)
Rejected Case 3 (Decision Based on Factors Other Than Major Field of Study)
(1) An applicant, who graduated from a department of Japanese-Chinese Translation and Interpretation, applied for a visa to engage in translating contract documents and interpreting for business negotiations with overseas companies, based on an employment contract with an import-export company. The applicant’s salary was ¥170,000 per month. However, it was found that a newly hired Japanese national doing the same work at the same time was receiving a monthly salary of ¥200,000. The application was rejected because the salary was not considered to be equal to or greater than what a Japanese national would receive for the same work.
(2) An applicant, who graduated from a department of Information System Engineering, applied to a restaurant management company to engage in computer-based accounting management (sales, purchases, expenses, etc.), labor management, and customer management (reservation reception), with a monthly salary of ¥250,000. However, due to the company’s small size (12 employees), the workload for accounting and labor management was not deemed sufficient to be the primary activity. The specific duties for customer management were found to be receiving reservations by phone and writing them in a ledger. Since these duties were not recognized as requiring knowledge or skills in the fields of natural or human sciences, the application was rejected as it did not fall under any of the “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” categories.
(3) An applicant, who graduated from a department of Venture Business, applied to a company that repairs and customizes motorcycles and handles motorcycle-related import/export. The applicant’s role was to engage in motorcycle repair and customization for a monthly salary of ¥190,000. The specific duties involved repairing frames and replacing flat tires. These duties were not recognized as requiring knowledge or skills in the fields of natural or human sciences, so the application was rejected as it did not fall under any of the “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” categories.
(4) An applicant, who graduated from a department of International Information Business, applied to a company that exports and sells used electronic products. The applicant was to engage in checking and repairing electronic products for a monthly salary of ¥180,000. The specific duties involved saving data from computers, creating backups, and replacing hardware components. These duties were not recognized as requiring knowledge or skills in the fields of natural or human sciences, and therefore did not fall under the “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” visa, so the application was rejected.
(5) An applicant’s attendance rate at a vocational school was 70%. When asked for an explanation for the low attendance, the applicant claimed it was due to illness. However, it was found that the applicant had engaged in unauthorized activities (part-time work) during the period of absence from school. The application was rejected.
(6) An applicant applied to work at a building maintenance company, stating they would be engaged in interpretation and technical guidance for future foreign employees. However, the plan to hire foreign employees was not yet concrete. The applicant also stated that they would be engaged in cleaning duties as a form of training until the new employees were hired. The application was rejected because cleaning was not considered to fall under any of the “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” categories.
(7) An applicant was hired as a front desk staff member at a hotel to perform reservation management and interpretation. The application stated that as part of the initial training, they would also engage in restaurant serving and guest room cleaning for one year. However, it was found that foreign nationals hired by the same hotel for similar roles in the past had significantly exceeded their initial training period and continued to engage in non-eligible duties such as restaurant serving and guest room cleaning. The application was rejected.
(8) An applicant was hired by a temporary staffing company to work at a client’s location, engaging in translation and interpretation. However, the job description in the temporary staffing contract was listed as “Store Staff.” When the client (a retail store) was contacted to confirm the job duties, they explained that the applicant would be engaged in customer service and sales. Since these duties did not fall under any of the “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” categories, the application was rejected.
(9) An applicant applied to work at a factory for a company that processes electrical parts, engaging in parts processing, assembly, inspection, and packaging. However, it was found that technical interns were already working at the factory, and the duties performed by the applicant were almost identical to those of the interns. The applicant’s duties were not recognized as requiring advanced knowledge, and the application was rejected.
(10) An applicant, who studied food chemistry, hygiene education, clinical nutrition, and cooking practice at a nutrition vocational school, applied to a confectionery factory to manufacture Western-style confectionery using their knowledge. The application was rejected because this work was considered to be achievable through repetitive training and did not require the kind of specialized knowledge that the visa category demands.
Rejected Case 2 (Lack of Relevance Between Major Field and Job Duties)
(Note: For graduates of accredited vocational school specialized courses, the relevance between the major and the job is judged with more leniency. The following examples do not include such cases. Also, for the examples below, the major field is not explicitly stated if it is clear from the course or department name.)
(1) An applicant, who graduated from a department of Voice Acting, applied to a hotel that receives many foreign guests to work as a lobby staff member, performing translation and interpretation. The application was rejected due to a lack of relevance to the major field of study.
(2) An applicant, who graduated from a department of Illustration, applied to a company that handles temporary staffing and paid employment placement. The applicant was to engage in clothing sales with translation and interpretation at a store that receives many foreign guests. The job duties were described as customer service utilizing the applicant’s native language. The application was rejected because no relevance was found between the major (colors, design, illustration techniques) and the job duties. Additionally, the applicant had no practical experience in translation and interpretation.
(3) An applicant, who graduated from a department of Jewelry Design, applied to a computer-related service company to handle consultations with foreign customers, and translation and interpretation duties. The application was rejected due to a lack of relevance to the major field of study.
(4) An applicant, who studied English-focused subjects, as well as computer exercises, bookkeeping, customs clearance, trade practice, international logistics, and business fundamentals in a department of International Business, applied to an apartment rental company to work in the sales department, engaging in sales activities. The application was rejected because the core major was English, and the study of real estate and sales knowledge was minimal. The application was rejected due to a lack of relevance to the major field of study.
(5) An applicant, who studied management strategy, trade practice, political economy, and international relations in a department of International Business, applied to a transportation company with many employees from the same country as the applicant. The applicant was to engage in translation and interpretation to guide fellow employees and perform labor management. The application was rejected because a lack of relevance was found between the major and the job duties of education, translation, and interpretation.
(6) An applicant, who studied hospitality, foreign language learning, intercultural communication, and tourism service theory in a department of International Communication, applied to a restaurant management company to perform duties such as store management, product development, store development, promotional planning, and franchise development. The application was rejected because these duties were considered to require knowledge in business theory and marketing, and a lack of relevance was found between the major and the job duties.
(7) An applicant, who studied hotel theory, front desk operations, food hygiene, restaurant service, hospitality theory, and Japanese culture in a department of Hospitality, applied to a company that dispatches engineers. The applicant’s role was to be the management and supervision of foreign employees, providing manual guidance and education, and labor management. The application was rejected due to a lack of relevance between the major and the job duties.
[Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan website, as of September 2025]
Approved and Rejected Cases – Yokoyama Daisuke Administrative Scrivener Office (Tokyo/Shinjuku)
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