A student visa (留学) in Japan is fundamentally a study-purpose status — it doesn't include work rights by default. Working any part-time job requires a separate permission, and that permission comes with a specific weekly hour limit that's easy to misunderstand and genuinely easy to accidentally violate. This guide covers exactly how it works.
You Need Separate Permission Before Working at All
The permission is called 資格外活動許可 (permission to engage in activity other than that permitted by the status of residence granted), commonly shortened to shikakugai katsudou kyoka. Without it, any paid work — even a single shift — counts as illegal employment, with real consequences: deportation risk for the student, and prosecution risk for the employer under Japan's law against facilitating illegal work.
You can apply for this immediately, even at the airport
Students arriving in Japan on a valid student visa can apply for this permission right away — in some cases at the airport on arrival, or shortly after at the immigration office. The application itself is simple, asking for basic information rather than specifying a particular employer in advance.
The 28-Hour Rule — How It's Actually Measured
The standard permission allows up to 28 hours of work per week during term time, extending to 8 hours per day (up to 40 hours per week) during officially-designated school long breaks.
The 7-day period isn't fixed to Monday–Sunday
This is the detail that catches people off guard. The 28-hour limit applies to any rolling 7-day period, not a fixed calendar week. Counted from any starting day — Tuesday to the following Monday, Thursday to the following Wednesday, any 7 consecutive days — the total can't exceed 28 hours. A student working evenly each week can still violate this if shifts cluster unevenly across a week boundary, even while believing they're staying within the limit by Monday-Sunday counting.
Break time doesn't count toward the limit
Legally mandated break time during a shift isn't counted as part of the 28 hours — only actual working time counts.
What "Long Break" Actually Means
The extended 8-hour-per-day allowance only applies during a break period officially defined by your specific school's academic calendar — not just any time you personally consider a break from your own schedule. Schools can typically provide documentation confirming official break dates, which is worth having on hand if an employer asks for proof when scheduling extended hours.
Which Jobs Are Off-Limits Regardless of Hours
Permission to work doesn't mean permission to work anywhere. Certain industries are excluded entirely, regardless of how few hours are involved: pachinko parlors, mahjong parlors, game centers, cabarets, night clubs, host/hostess clubs, dance halls, restaurants with private partitioned seating (including certain internet cafes with enclosed booths), dimly-lit cafes or bars, and any business connected to the adult entertainment industry.
This isn't limited to obviously adult-oriented venues
The classification is broader than people expect — it's based on legal categorization under Japan's entertainment business laws, not just common sense about what counts as adult entertainment. If a job offer involves a venue with private booths, dim lighting as a deliberate atmosphere choice, or game/gambling elements, confirm its legal classification before accepting, since some borderline venues that don't seem obviously off-limits are still legally excluded.
Multiple Jobs — The Limit Is Combined, Not Per-Job
If you work two part-time jobs simultaneously, the 28-hour limit applies to your combined hours across both, not 28 hours at each separately. This is a common and serious mistake — assuming each job has its own independent 28-hour allowance. Both employers are generally unaware of each other's scheduling unless the student discloses it, which puts the responsibility for staying compliant squarely on the student.
The Graduating-Student Internship Exception
A specific exception exists for students in their final year who have nearly completed their degree requirements: university seniors who've completed roughly 90% or more of graduation credits, and graduate students in their final year, can apply for permission to exceed 28 hours specifically for an internship conducted as part of job-hunting activity. This requires its own separate application with supporting documents from the university confirming credit completion status and from the host organization detailing the internship terms.
What Happens If You Exceed the Limit
Overworking beyond the permitted hours is treated seriously — it can result in visa non-renewal, and in more serious or repeated cases, status revocation. Importantly, "I didn't realize the rolling 7-day calculation" is not treated as a valid excuse by immigration; the responsibility to track hours correctly sits with the student.
A practical way to stay safely within the limit
Working a consistent 4 hours per day, 7 days a week, keeps you safely within the 28-hour limit regardless of how the 7-day window is counted, since no rolling 7-day span can exceed 28 hours under that pattern. If your schedule is less even than that, it's worth manually checking your worst-case rolling 7-day total rather than assuming a Monday-Sunday total is sufficient.
Transitioning to a Work Visa After Graduation
The work-permission system covered here is entirely separate from the process of switching to an actual work visa (most commonly 技人国) after graduation. That transition requires its own visa change application, generally needs your work to relate to your field of study, and needs to be filed before your student visa expires. Our guide on finding work in Japan covers the visa mechanics of that transition in more depth, and our Japanese resume guide covers the actual job-hunting documents you'll need.
Official Sources
This article references the following primary sources. Rules and figures change periodically — always verify current requirements directly before making decisions.