【Work in Japan】Technical, Humanities, and International Services Visa: Employment Conditions for Foreign Interpreters, Translators, and Language Instructors – Approval and Denial Case Studies Explained

In recent years, the advancement of globalization has increased the importance of international business transactions and multilingual support, leading to a growing number of companies seeking to hire professionals in interpretation, translation, and language instruction. In response to this situation, corporate HR personnel are required to develop the ability to determine appropriate residence status based on specific job categories. Furthermore, for foreign nationals themselves, understanding the residence status that matches their desired occupation can significantly improve the accuracy of their company selection during job searches.

This article provides a comprehensive overview of the Technical, Humanities, and International Services residence status, organizing its basic framework and approval requirements. We will present typical approval and denial case examples while clearly explaining the practical points that should be understood before submitting an application.

What is the Technical, Humanities, and International Services Visa?

The Technical, Humanities, and International Services visa is a residence status obtained by foreign nationals engaged in sales, development, administrative, and similar professional roles.

This residence status primarily targets office workers and is not permitted for positions centered on simple labor or manual work.

As of the end of 2024, 418,706 people were residing in Japan under the Technical, Humanities, and International Services residence status, making it the third most common residence status category after permanent residents and technical interns.

Below, we will explain the three frameworks under which employment is permitted under this visa: “Technical,” “Humanities,” and “International Services.”

“Technical” Field Work

“Technical” field work encompasses positions based on science and engineering disciplines and other STEM academic fields.

In the IT sector, this includes system engineers and information security specialists, where advanced knowledge in information technology is required.

In manufacturing and construction fields, positions such as mechanical design and architectural design are covered, with the prerequisite for approval being the possession of the specialized technical skills required for each respective area.

“Humanities” Field Work

“Humanities” field work primarily consists of positions that utilize knowledge based on liberal arts disciplines such as law, economics, and sociology.

For example, this includes sales and planning roles in corporate activities, where professionals are responsible for bringing products and services to market based on their specialized knowledge.

Additionally, administrative department functions such as accounting, human resources, general affairs, and public relations are included, requiring practical work that presupposes an understanding of economic and social systems.

“International Services” Field Work

The “International Services” field primarily consists of positions that require understanding and sensitivity based on foreign cultures and languages.

Representative work includes interpretation and translation, which demand advanced expertise in accurately conveying meaning between different languages.

Language instruction work requires the ability to systematically teach foreign language grammar and speech patterns, playing an important role in educational settings.

Furthermore, international marketing and public relations activities are also included in international services, where the ability to develop planning and sales strategies based on the characteristics of foreign markets is highly valued.

Employment Conditions for Interpreters, Translators, and Language Instructors

The positions of interpreter, translator, and language instructor are fundamentally categorized under “International Services,” but depending on the circumstances, they may overlap with “Technical” and “Humanities” work, meaning the criteria for obtaining approval are not uniform.

From here, we will systematically explain the conditions required for foreign nationals to work in these positions, including educational background and practical experience requirements.

Working as a Dedicated Interpreter, Translator, or Language Instructor

When working as a dedicated interpreter, translator, or language instructor, you must generally meet the “International Services” approval criteria of three years of practical experience, but this requirement is relaxed for university graduates (including junior college graduates).

University or junior college graduates are considered to meet the criteria for interpretation, translation, and language instruction within international services even without practical experience.

However, high school graduates and those who have obtained a professional diploma from vocational schools are not eligible for this relaxed requirement and must have three or more years of practical experience as per the standard criteria.

When Combining with Technical and Humanities Work

When combining work that falls under “Technical and Humanities” such as sales or development positions with “International Services” such as interpretation, translation, and language instruction, the prerequisite is first meeting the Technical and Humanities criteria.

The conditions for this include university graduation or completion of a domestic vocational school with a professional diploma, plus a required relationship between the major field of study and the work to be performed.

However, even if educational requirements are not met, it is possible to obtain approval by demonstrating 10 or more years of practical experience.

Regarding the relationship between major field of study and work duties, university graduates receive relatively flexible consideration, while vocational school graduates are held to more stringent relationship requirements.

Approval Cases for Interpreter, Translator, and Language Instructor Employment

We will introduce specific cases where employment as interpreters, translators, and language instructors has been approved, based on approval examples provided by the Immigration Services Agency.

When Graduating from an Overseas University

The following cases are shown as approval examples for overseas university graduates.
While university graduates generally do not require practical experience, it is important to note that Japanese language ability and its necessity are considered during the review process.

After majoring in business administration and graduating from an overseas university, joining a Japanese food and general goods import/sales company, receiving approximately 300,000 yen monthly compensation, and engaging in interpretation and translation work related to transactions with the home country

Graduating from an overseas university and working as a language teacher at a Japanese language school, receiving 250,000 yen monthly compensation

When Graduating from a Japanese University

The following cases are approval examples for Japanese university graduates:

A person who completed a business administration program at a Japanese university contracting with a company specializing in IT-related services and engaging in translation and interpretation work

A person who completed a business administration program at a Japanese university contracting with a Japanese airline company, receiving approximately 250,000 yen monthly compensation to work as international flight cabin crew, and in addition to emergency response and security duties, being responsible for interpretation and guidance using their native language, English, and Japanese, as well as language instruction in employee training programs

When Graduating from a Japanese Vocational School with a Professional Diploma

The following case has been published as an approval example for individuals who graduated from Japanese vocational schools and obtained professional diplomas engaging in interpretation and translation work. This is considered to be positioned not as a dedicated interpreter, but as interpretation and translation being part of “Humanities” work based on liberal arts studies.

A person who studied tourism geography, travel services, sales marketing, presentation, and hospitality theory in the Tourism and Leisure Services Department of a Japanese vocational school was hired as a general employee at a large resort hotel and applied to handle front desk duties, restaurant duties, guest room duties, and other responsibilities on a shift basis.
Upon verification of the work content, it was found that some duties such as restaurant customer service and guest room amenity order handling did not fall under “Technical, Humanities, and International Services,” but the applicant was employed as a general employee, and it was confirmed that the main duties were interpretation and translation at the front desk, reservation management, concierge services in the lobby, customer satisfaction analysis, and other job responsibilities equivalent to those of Japanese general employees

Denial Cases

To engage in interpretation, translation, and language instruction under the Technical, Humanities, and International Services visa, meeting the approval criteria is essential, but understanding typical denial cases in advance can provide peace of mind.

Compensation Lower Than Japanese Employees

To obtain approval for the Technical, Humanities, and International Services visa, it is necessary to pay compensation equal to or greater than that of Japanese employees performing the same work.

The following is a case that was denied due to compensation being judged as inappropriately low:

A graduate of a Japanese-Chinese interpretation and translation program applied to enter into an employment contract with an import/export company, engaging in translation and interpretation during business negotiations for 170,000 yen monthly. However, it was discovered that newly hired Japanese graduates at the same time were receiving 200,000 yen monthly compensation, and the application was denied as it was not recognized that the applicant was receiving treatment equal to or greater than that of Japanese employees

Unclear Post-Employment Training Plan

In Technical, Humanities, and International Services residence status applications, if there are reasonable grounds, it may be permitted to perform “work that does not correspond to the original duties of the Technical, Humanities, and International Services visa” during a training period, followed by a transition to Technical, Humanities, and International Services work.

However, the following case was denied due to unclear post-employment plans:

An application was submitted by someone joining a building maintenance company, stating they would engage in interpretation and technical instruction to handle multiple foreign employees the company planned to accept in the future.
However, the future acceptance plan itself was not concrete, and it was stated that until the start, the person would engage in cleaning work as part of training.
This was denied because the work during the training period did not fall under any of the “Technical, Humanities, and International Services” categories.

No Relationship Between Major Field of Study and Work Content

For vocational school graduates, unlike university graduates, obtaining approval without practical experience requires a relationship between the major field of study and work content in a form that falls under “Technical and Humanities.”

The following is a case where this relationship was not recognized and resulted in denial:

A person who completed a voice acting program at a vocational school applied to engage in interpretation and translation work as lobby staff based on a contract with a hotel that serves many foreign guests. However, the application was denied because no connection with the major field of study could be confirmed.

Summary

This article has examined the employment conditions and approval/denial cases for interpretation, translation, and language instruction under the Technical, Humanities, and International Services visa, explaining the knowledge necessary for both companies and foreign nationals to smoothly proceed with recruitment and job-seeking activities.

For companies considering the employment of foreign talent and individuals hoping to work, it is important to align employment conditions and job responsibilities with institutional standards.

When there are points of uncertainty in judgment, consulting with specialists at an early stage and preparing in accordance with the system from the planning phase will allow for confident application submission.

Supervisor Commentary

In Technical, Humanities, and International Services residence status applications, accurately reporting the specific content and schedule of work increases the reliability of the application and makes it easier to obtain longer residence periods.

Additionally, applicants understanding the approval requirements themselves and preparing high-quality application materials is effective from the perspective of reducing the burden on immigration administration and preventing fraud.

When applying for the Technical, Humanities, and International Services visa, it is recommended to conduct procedures as carefully and accurately as possible to achieve the best results.

Primary Sources Referenced in Article Creation

The primary sources referenced in creating this article are as follows:

e-GOV Legal Search | Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act
(URL: https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/326CO0000000319)

e-GOV Legal Search | Ministerial Ordinance Establishing Standards for Article 7, Paragraph 1, Item 2 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act
(URL: https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/402M50000010016/20230801_505M60000010028)

Immigration Services Agency | Clarification of the “Technical, Humanities, and International Services” Residence Status
(URL: https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001413895.pdf)