In Japan, Certificates of Eligibility for Specified Skilled Worker (i) in the food service industry field are being issued in order up to "applications with a receipt date up to February 6, 2026," according to the review status posted on October 19, 2026. This article covers how to read the review status page, the number of pending applications (as of October 16), the number of days from application to issuance in our office's applications (241 days and 265 days), and what accepting companies should do while waiting for issuance.

In Japan, the issuance of Certificates of Eligibility for Specified Skilled Worker (i) in the food service industry field has been temporarily suspended since April 13, 2026, and changes from other statuses of residence are, with some exceptions, in principle not permitted. On the other hand, job changers already holding Specified Skilled Worker (i) in the food service industry, extensions of the period of stay, and Specified Skilled Worker (ii) are reviewed as usual. Based on the operational guidelines (partially revised October 26, 2026), this article sets out how each route is handled (review status posted October 19, 2026), eligible restaurants and work, the exams and Japanese language, the council, and the documents to submit to immigration.

When you move in Japan, submit a change-of-address notification (tenkyo todoke) to the post office, and mail sent to your old address will be delivered to your new address free of charge for 1 year. Based on Japan Post's information, this article covers the 3 ways to apply (post office counter, mailbox, and online with e-Tenkyo), the identity documents you need (such as your residence card), how many days it takes for forwarding to start, mail that is not forwarded, what to do after 1 year, and how to apply when you leave Japan.

The minimum wage in Japan is set for each prefecture. This article covers the amounts and effective dates for all 47 prefectures in FY Reiwa 8, the fact that it also applies to part-time and "arubaito" workers, how people paid by the hour, day or month can compare their pay with the minimum wage, and where to get help when your pay is below it, based on information from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

When you will no longer use your Japanese bank account, for example because you are leaving Japan, close it at the bank before you depart. Based on information from the Immigration Services Agency, the Financial Services Agency, the National Police Agency and Japan Customs, this article covers what to check before closing, points to note when sending your remaining money home or carrying it with you, what happens to accounts left open after you leave (dormant deposits), and why selling or giving away your account is a crime.

An explanation of how resident tax (individual inhabitant tax) works in Japan. Based on information from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the Immigration Services Agency and the Local Tax Act, it covers paying to the city, ward, town or village where you live on January 1, the income-based portion decided by last year's income and the flat-rate portion, special collection from your salary and ordinary collection that you pay yourself, when people who just arrived in Japan start paying, and points to note when you quit your job or leave Japan.

A guide to reading the laundry care symbols (care labels) on the tags of clothes you buy in Japan. Based on materials from the Consumer Affairs Agency and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, it explains the 5 basic symbols, what the numbers, lines and dots mean, washing machine and hand wash, bleach, tumble drying, line drying and flat drying, iron temperatures, and the symbols for professional cleaning shops. It also covers the symbols added in the August 2024 revision.

On October 27, 2026, the Japan Aeronautical Engineers' Association posted information on the aviation (aircraft maintenance) Specified Skilled Worker (ii) evaluation test to be held in Tokyo, Japan on November 25, 2026. The capacity is 4 people, applications are accepted from 9:00 on November 9 to 12:00 on November 13, and the test fee is 10,000 yen (tax included). This article reports only the facts of the announcement.

This article explains what to do when the electricity or water stops at your home in Japan. Based on materials from the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and others, it covers how to tell whether the outage is only in your home or in the whole area, how to reset the breaker, how to find outage information from the power company, how to prevent electrical fires when power returns, carbon monoxide poisoning from generators, guidelines for food in the refrigerator, and toilets and water supply points during a water outage.

On October 27, 2026, the Japan Building Maintenance Association announced that it is postponing the start of applications for the building cleaning Specified Skilled Worker (ii) evaluation test in Japan, which had been scheduled for 10:00 on October 27. The test date of December 18, 2026 is currently not planned to change. This article reports only the facts of the announcement.