study-work · 2026-05-09

Student Part-Time Work Rules in Japan

Permission for activities outside student status, the rolling 28-hour limit, prohibited nightlife and pachinko work, income thresholds, and renewal risks.

A student residence status does not include work by default. Before taking an arubaito, a student needs 資格外活動許可, then still has to stay inside three limits: 28 hours in any rolling 7-day period, no 風俗営業 or pachinko-related work, and income planning around the ¥1,300,000 social-insurance threshold (the income-tax line rose to ¥1,780,000 from 2026).

Permission before the first shift

The fastest route is the airport counter at first entry. Submit the 資格外活動許可申請書 during immigration inspection, and the permission is stamped on the back of the residence card.

After entry, apply at the regional Immigration Services Bureau with the application form, residence card, passport, and a school certificate. The fee is ¥0, and ordinary review takes about 2 weeks to 1 month. Online application is also available through the Immigration Services Agency system.

There are two types. 包括的許可 is the standard student permission for work up to 28 hours per week outside prohibited industries. 個別許可 is tied to a specific employer or activity, and is mainly used for limited academic or research-related cases.

Source: Immigration Services Agency: Permission for activities outside student status.

Counting the rolling 28 hours

The weekly limit means any continuous 7 days, not Monday through Sunday. If a student works 8 hours on Saturday and 8 hours on Sunday, then 3 hours from Monday to Thursday, the Saturday-to-Friday total is already 28 hours. One more hour on Friday breaks the limit.

Shift records need to be checked every day across all employers. A convenience store roster may count a calendar week, but Immigration reviews the total activity across any 7-day span. Some employers such as major konbini chains warn foreign students when the schedule approaches 28 hours, but the legal responsibility still remains with the student.

During official long school holidays, the limit expands to 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week. The holiday period is the one published in the school calendar, not a personal free week before classes restart.

Source: Immigration Services Agency: Activities outside status.

Jobs that are not allowed

The prohibited area is 風俗営業等 under the entertainment business law. It includes cabarets, host clubs, hostess clubs, snack bars with customer entertainment, pachinko, pachislot, mahjong parlors, sex-related businesses, and some private-room entertainment services.

Pachinko is blocked even for floor staff, cleaning, or ball-carrying work because the business itself falls inside the restricted category. A hotel front desk, restaurant kitchen, convenience store, cram-school teaching, translation, IT support, delivery, hotel cleaning, and moving work are common permitted choices when the 28-hour rule is respected.

Business content matters more than the job title. If an izakaya changes into late-night customer entertainment after 24:00, the work can become unsafe for student status even if the printed title still says hall staff.

Source: National Police Agency: Entertainment Business Act, Immigration Services Agency: Activities outside status.

Income thresholds and tax timing

Student income is counted from January 1 to December 31. A schedule of ¥80,000 per month for 12 months becomes ¥960,000, which stays under the resident-tax line of roughly ¥1,000,000.

The main thresholds changed with the 2026 tax reform: around ¥1,000,000 can trigger resident tax depending on municipality; the income-tax line rose from the old ¥1,030,000 to ¥1,780,000 from 2026; ¥1,300,000 still affects social insurance dependency and can create monthly health insurance or pension costs. Because the 28-hour cap keeps most students under ¥1,300,000 a year, the social-insurance line is the one that matters in practice. The actual family impact depends on the parents’ tax situation and dependent treatment.

Students with one employer often finish through year-end adjustment. Multiple jobs, mid-year job changes, or over-withheld tax can require a tax return between February 16 and March 15, and a refund is common when withholding was too high.

Source: National Tax Agency: Basic deduction and salary-income deduction, National Tax Agency: Salary income deduction, MHLW: Annual income barriers.

What violations cost

For the student, excess hours or prohibited work can lead to refusal at renewal, cancellation of status, departure orders, or deportation records. Immigration often checks salary statements, tax certificates, and employer information at renewal, so a high annual income can expose an impossible 28-hour schedule.

For the employer, illegal-work facilitation can mean up to 3 years of imprisonment or a ¥3,000,000 fine under the older framework. The 2024 Immigration Control Act amendment raises the ceiling to 5 years or ¥5,000,000 after enforcement within 3 years of promulgation.

The practical rule is to keep monthly shifts, payslips, and school holiday notices together. If renewal review asks why income was high in August or December, those records show whether the hours came from an official long vacation or from an ordinary school week.

Source: Immigration Services Agency: Cancellation of status, Ministry of Justice: 2024 Immigration Control Act amendment.

Common mistakes

Training or trial shifts before permission is granted still count as work outside status. Before the first shift, confirm the residence-card back side or online application result.

Counting 28 hours separately by employer creates violations. A convenience store at 18 hours and cram school at 12 hours is 30 total hours even if each workplace schedule looks legal.

Avoid pachinko and customer-entertainment shops even for cleaning or kitchen roles. Immigration looks at the business category, not only the printed job title.

Useful terms

資格外活動許可: permission for activity outside status
包括的許可: blanket permission up to the standard student limit
個別許可: permission for a specific activity or employer
風俗営業: regulated entertainment business
確定申告: annual tax return