Part-Time Work Rules for International Students in Japan: Hours, Permission and Academic Responsibilities

The six rules every international student must know

1. Get permission before starting paid work. Apply for permission to engage in activities outside your authorised status. Check the back of your residence card and ask your school or the regional immigration services bureau if you are unsure.
2. During teaching periods, stay within 28 hours a week. This is the combined total across all jobs, not 28 hours for each employer.
3. During long school vacations, the permission allows up to eight hours a day. The period must be an official long vacation designated by your educational institution. Ordinary weekends or a personal break are not the same.
4. Do not work in prohibited adult-entertainment businesses. Avoid every role at such a business, including indirect or back-office work.
5. Work must not interfere with your studies. Attendance, academic progress, health and the purpose of your stay remain the priority.
6. The permission applies while you remain enrolled with Student status. Graduation, withdrawal, expulsion or a change of status can change what work is permitted.

Never start because an employer says permission is “not necessary.” Ask your school or immigration services bureau and confirm the wording on your residence card first.

When and where to apply for permission

Situation	Action	Do not assume
New arrival with Student status and a period of stay longer than three months	You may be able to apply at the time of landing at the airport.	Application is not the same as approval. Confirm that permission was actually granted.
Already living in Japan	Apply through the regional immigration services bureau responsible for your address.	A school ID, employment offer or Student status alone does not authorise work.
Paid internship within normal limits	Confirm permission before receiving remuneration and check the arrangement with your school.	Calling a job an internship does not remove immigration requirements.
Paid internship over 28 hours a week	Individual permission may be required with documents explaining the internship.	The normal blanket permission does not automatically cover it.

Keep a copy or photograph of the relevant side of your residence card and any permission document. When changing schools, taking leave, withdrawing, graduating or changing status, ask the school and immigration services bureau how your permission is affected.

Count hours across every job

The immigration limit is your total. If you work 16 hours at a restaurant and 12 hours at a shop in the same week, you have reached 28 hours. Paid delivery, platform work, freelance tasks and other remunerated activity may also require permission and reliable time records. Activities whose hours cannot be objectively confirmed may need individual permission.

Build a study-first work schedule

Twenty-eight hours is an immigration ceiling during teaching periods, not a recommended target. AIC Japan recommends starting much lower, then increasing only if attendance, assignments, sleep and health remain stable.

Academic situation	Safer response	Warning sign
First month in Japan	Prioritise orientation, commuting and class routines before adding many shifts.	Accepting a late-night schedule before knowing your timetable.
Normal teaching week	Keep fixed study blocks and at least one recovery day.	Missing morning classes or submitting work late.
Examination or major assignment period	Request fewer shifts early, preferably two weeks in advance.	Trying to recover attendance or grades after the deadline.
Official long vacation	Confirm the school’s vacation dates and maintain sleep and preparation for the next term.	Treating an ordinary class-free day as a long vacation.
Attendance or health is declining	Reduce or stop shifts and speak to the school immediately.	Hiding the problem and hoping renewal will be unaffected.

Academic responsibilities that work cannot replace

• Attend classes, required laboratories, research meetings and school activities.
• Meet assignment, examination, tuition and administrative deadlines.
• Maintain the academic progress required by your program and any scholarship.
• Report an address, school or status change through the required procedures.
• Keep your residence period valid and begin renewal procedures early.
• Ask the school before a paid internship, leave of absence or schedule that conflicts with classes.

Japan’s official Study in Japan guidance warns that students can fail to extend their authorised stay when low attendance results from excessive part-time work. There is no single attendance percentage that safely replaces the requirements of your school and immigration review. Treat every absence seriously.

Your rights at a part-time workplace

Japanese labour law applies to part-time workers, including foreign students. Before starting, receive written working conditions and understand them. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare highlights these points:

• Contract period and rules for renewal.
• Workplace, duties and the range of possible changes.
• Starting and finishing times, breaks, days off and whether overtime exists.
• How wages are calculated, how they are paid and the payment date.
• Rules for resignation and dismissal.
• At least the applicable prefectural minimum wage.
• Premium pay when legally required for overtime or late-night work.
• Workers’ accident compensation for an injury at work.
• Paid annual leave when the legal conditions are met.

Keep the contract, shift records, payslips and the annual withholding statement. Wages may have income tax withheld, and resident-tax obligations can depend on income and residence circumstances. Ask the tax office, municipality or your school’s international office about your case.

Use this seven-point job check before accepting

1. Legal: Is the workplace and activity allowed by your permission?
2. Hours: Can the employer respect your combined weekly limit?
3. Study: Does the shift avoid classes, examination periods and essential sleep?
4. Contract: Are wage, duties, payment date and cancellation rules written clearly?
5. Safety: Is training provided and are accident procedures explained?
6. Commute: Can you return safely after the shift and attend the next class?
7. Support: Can the school verify the employer or recommend a safer alternative?

Fraud, exploitation and illegal-work warning signs

• An agent promises that part-time income will pay all tuition and living costs or fund large remittances.
• An employer tells you not to record every shift or to hide a second job.
• You are asked to receive, transfer or withdraw money using your bank account.
• You are asked to lend a residence card, bank account, phone number or identity document.
• The job requires a deposit, recruitment payment or purchase before work begins.
• There is no written contract, no payslip or payment is repeatedly delayed.
• The workplace or duties are different from the advertisement.
• You are pressured to work in a prohibited business or beyond your permission.

If something is wrong, stop taking new shifts, preserve evidence and speak with your school. For immigration questions, contact the regional immigration services bureau. For unpaid wages, unsafe work or contract problems, use the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s foreign-worker consultation services.

Planning advice for students from Bangladesh

• Prepare tuition and living funds without depending on future part-time income.
• Do not promise a fixed monthly remittance to family before knowing your real costs and schedule.
• Ask for an explanation of the contract in language you understand and do not sign immediately under pressure.
• Use one weekly record for every employer so the combined total remains visible.
• Prefer jobs introduced or checked by your school, especially during your first months.
• Reduce shifts immediately if attendance, sleep, Japanese study or grades begin to fall.

Final checklist before your first shift

• ☐ Permission confirmed on the residence card or official document
• ☐ Workplace and duties are legally permitted
• ☐ Combined weekly hours calculated across every job
• ☐ Written contract received and understood
• ☐ Wage, payment date, breaks and late-night work confirmed
• ☐ Class and examination calendar protected
• ☐ Shift, payslip and tax records will be retained
• ☐ School and official consultation contacts saved

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Official sources and verification

• Study in Japan: Part-Time Work
• Study in Japan Student Guide 2025 to 2026
• Study in Japan: Status of Residence While Studying
• Immigration Services Agency: Permission for Activities Outside Status
• Study in Japan: Internships
• Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: Seven Points for Part-Time Workers
• Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: Multilingual Inquiry and Call Centres
• Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: Labour Laws for Foreign Workers
• National Tax Agency: Employment Income

This guide provides general educational information, not personal immigration, employment or tax advice. Permission wording, school calendars, working conditions and individual circumstances differ. Confirm your case with your school, the regional immigration services bureau, the relevant labour authority and the tax office.