Applying for work in Japan is not one process. A person hoping to load baggage at an airport, a person hoping to drive a truck and a person hoping to stand guard at a road works site each face a different set of gates: a different residence status, a different test or licence, and often a different kind of employer. Treating them all the same way is how many applicants waste months or end up paying someone who cannot deliver.

This guide goes through fifteen common job types one at a time. For each, it explains who can realistically apply, which status usually fits, what the employer will check, where openings tend to appear and the practical steps, including licences such as driving licence conversion, the electrician licence and the legal training for guards. Shared sections then cover paperwork, tests, Japanese-style resumes, interviews, the first weeks after arrival and how to avoid fee scams.

Start With Where You Stand Today

Your starting point changes everything. If you already live in Japan with a status that carries no work limits, such as permanent resident, long-term resident or spouse of a Japanese national or of a permanent resident, you can usually apply for any of the jobs below the same way a Japanese applicant would. You walk into Hello Work, the free public employment service, answer listings, attend interviews and start once hired.

If you are in Japan as a student, you need permission for activities outside your status, and you are limited to 28 hours a week during term. If you are abroad, you need a job type that has a work-based route, a real employer willing to sponsor you and, for most hands-on jobs, passed tests before the employer can start your paperwork. A short-term visitor cannot work at all and cannot switch into work simply by finding a job while travelling.

Transport and Travel Jobs

Airport Jobs

Roles such as aircraft marshalling, towing, fuelling, winter de-icing and baggage sorting can generally fit the ground handling area of the aviation field of the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) system. Applicants from abroad need the aviation skills test plus JFT-Basic or JLPT N4. Passenger assistance can depend on the employer’s duty list, while terminal cleaning falls closer to building cleaning and restaurant work to food service. Shop sales and security screening have no SSW field, so they mostly go to residents with unrestricted status and to students. Employers check punctuality, physical fitness and background, because airport staff usually need a restricted-area pass. Openings appear on ground handling firms’ careers pages, at Hello Work offices near Narita, Haneda, Kansai and Chubu, and via registered support organisations.

Driving Jobs

Truck, taxi and bus work has been an SSW field since 2024 under road transport. Truck drivers need Japanese at N4 or JFT-Basic level, while taxi and bus drivers generally need N3. Every route depends on a Japanese licence. Holders of a foreign licence may convert it at a prefectural licence centre if they spent at least three months in the issuing country after getting it. Since October 2025, applicants must show a resident record, so tourists generally cannot convert, and the knowledge test now has 50 written questions with 45 needed to pass, plus a practical test. Passenger driving needs a second-class licence, which normally requires age 21 and three years of driving. SSW applicants may receive a Designated Activities status to obtain a licence, reported as up to six months for trucks and a year for taxis and buses. Light van contracting is self-employment and does not fit SSW. Employers check licence class, driving record and how you handle the daily alcohol and health check.

Train Cleaner Jobs

Turnaround crews, depot interior cleaners, exterior wash operators, waste tank servicing staff and station attendants are mostly residents with open status and students at present. A station and vehicle cleaning category was added to the railway SSW field in January 2026, with Japanese set at about A2 or N4, but a test schedule was not clearly announced at the time of writing, so recruitment from abroad may only begin around 2027. Openings appear through railway service subsidiaries, building maintenance contractors and Hello Work.

Metro Jobs

Track maintenance, tunnel inspection, signal and power work and rolling stock inspection sit inside railway SSW categories that ask for N4 level Japanese. Station attendants, conductors, dispatchers and drivers fall under the transport staff category, which requires B1 or N3, and driving also needs a national licence earned through employer-linked training. Public operators usually hire through annual exams, and some public posts may carry nationality conditions. For most foreign applicants, contractors and group firms are the realistic door, with part-time platform guide shifts open to students.

Hospitality and Leisure Jobs

Hotel Jobs

The accommodation SSW field covers front desk work, planning and public relations, customer service and restaurant service in lodging businesses. Night clerks, bell staff, ryokan room attendants (nakai) and banquet servers can fit when duties match, after the accommodation skills test and N4 or JFT-Basic. Ask how cooks and maintenance staff are classified before relying on that field. Hot spring inns in rural areas often recruit through registered support organisations and may offer live-in housing.

Restaurant Jobs

Hall servers, prep assistants, line cooks, dishwashers, ramen and izakaya crew and store managers make up most openings. Students fill a large share of part-time posts. From abroad, the food service SSW field requires its own skills test plus N4 or JFT-Basic, and SSW holders cannot be placed in entertainment-type businesses. Employers check hygiene habits, shift availability and how well you follow fast spoken orders. Listings appear in store windows, on chain recruitment pages, on job sites and at Hello Work.

Theme Park Jobs

There is no SSW field for theme parks. Park kitchen cooks may fit food service and park hotel staff may fit accommodation, while lifeguards, event setup crews and many attraction roles go to students, working holiday makers and residents with open status. Ride maintenance and show lighting technicians are sometimes hired under professional statuses that usually require a related degree or long experience. Parks recruit heavily before spring holidays, summer pool season and winter illuminations.

Production, Food and Logistics Jobs

Factory Jobs

Welders, press operators, moulding operators, CNC machinists, plating staff, sewing operators and box line workers generally fit the industrial product manufacturing SSW field, which now lists 17 categories. Applicants need the category’s skills test, or an equivalent such as a grade 3 trade skills certificate, plus N4 or JFT-Basic. SSW (ii) is open only in the three core categories. Seafood processing belongs to food manufacturing instead. Many workers also arrive through Technical Intern Training, expected to be replaced by Employment for Skill Development (Ikusei Shuro) around April 2027. Residents with open status often take fixed-term kikanko contracts at large plants.

Bread Factory Jobs

Filling workers, hand shapers, fryer operators, frozen dough operators, sanitation crews and quality staff fit the food and beverage manufacturing SSW field, which lists direct employment rather than dispatch. The field has its own skills test plus N4 or JFT-Basic, and SSW (ii) exists for workers with supervisory experience who pass a higher test. Bread making has also been a trade under Technical Intern Training. Employers check hygiene discipline and night availability, and many ask for a stool test before you handle food.

Warehouse Jobs

Pickers, packers, receiving clerks, forklift and reach truck operators, cold chain handlers and parcel sorters are mainly residents with open status and students today. A logistics warehousing SSW field was approved in January 2026, with hiring expected around 2027. For forklifts with a maximum load of one tonne or more, Japan requires a skills training course, usually a few days long, while smaller machines need special safety education. Openings come through staffing agencies, logistics firms and Hello Work, and employers check reliability and lifting ability.

Farming Jobs

Greenhouse, open-field, orchard and rice workers, dairy and pig or poultry unit staff, packing shed sorters and machinery operators fall under the agriculture SSW field, split into crop cultivation and livestock. Applicants pass the relevant agriculture test plus N4 or JFT-Basic. Agriculture is one of the few fields allowing SSW dispatch, so ask who your actual employer is. Many farms want a Japanese driving licence. Agricultural cooperatives, rural Hello Work offices and support organisations are common channels.

Trade, Building and Facility Jobs

Electrician Jobs

Facility maintenance electricians, air conditioner installers, power line workers, solar technicians, factory maintenance electricians, panel wiring assemblers and railway electrical crews enter through different routes. Installation work generally sits in the construction SSW field, panel assembly in industrial product manufacturing and railway electrical maintenance in the railway field. Whatever the status, regulated wiring needs the electrician licence (denki koujishi). The second-class exam has no eligibility conditions, is held twice a year, and has a written part, which can be taken on computer or paper, followed by a hands-on wiring test. It is in Japanese. Employers check what licence you hold and what wiring you can show in a practical trial.

Carpenter Jobs

Renovation carpenters, framers, shop fit-out carpenters, prefab assemblers and, rarely, temple carpenters (miyadaiku) usually enter through the building category of the construction SSW field, with a skills test and N4 or JFT-Basic. SSW (ii) is available for those who pass a higher test. Construction employers face extra conditions for foreign hires, including registration in an industry skills record system and plan approval, so expect a longer wait before your Certificate of Eligibility. Employers want to see tool skills, often in a short practical trial.

Cleaning Jobs

Office cleaners, floor care technicians, window cleaners, hospital environmental services workers, air conditioner cleaners and team leaders can come through the building cleaning SSW field. Its skills test is run by the industry’s national association, alongside N4 or JFT-Basic, and SSW (ii) is open in this field. Residents and students take many early-morning posts.

Security Guard Jobs

Traffic flag guides, shopping centre patrol guards, disaster prevention centre operators, alarm response guards, night guards and event stewards cannot be hired through SSW, because keibi work is not an SSW field or a Technical Intern Training trade. In practice the work goes to permanent residents, spouses, long-term residents and others with open status, plus some students for event work. Before placement, the law requires new guards to complete at least 20 hours of basic and job-specific training, paid for by the security firm. Certain people, such as those with recent serious convictions, are disqualified, so expect the employer to ask for a declaration.

Status Route and Main Hurdle by Job Type

Job Type	Usual Status Route	Key Test or Licence
Airport	SSW aviation; open status	Aviation test, N4; airport pass
Driving	SSW road transport	Japanese licence; N4 or N3
Hotel	SSW accommodation	Accommodation test, N4
Factory	SSW industrial products; intern	Category test or trade grade 3
Electrician	SSW construction or other	Denki koujishi licence
Security guard	Open status only	20-hour legal training
Carpenter	SSW construction	Building test, N4
Theme park	Open status; students	Depends on role
Warehouse	Open status; SSW from 2027	Forklift course
Cleaning	SSW building cleaning	Cleaning test, N4
Restaurant	SSW food service; students	Food service test, N4
Farming	SSW agriculture	Crop or livestock test
Train cleaner	Open status; railway SSW later	N4; test not yet set
Metro	SSW railway; open status	N4, or N3 for transport staff
Bread factory	SSW food manufacturing	Food manufacturing test, N4

This comparison is a simplified summary, and any figures or levels in it are estimates that can change as rules are revised. It is career information only; it is not a job advert, and this site is not a recruitment service or an immigration service. Confirm every point with the employer, the Immigration Services Agency of Japan and Hello Work or the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare before you apply.

The Paper Route When You Apply From Abroad

Once an employer accepts you, it or its representative applies for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) at a regional immigration office in Japan. When the COE is issued, it is sent to you electronically or on paper, and you take it with your passport to the Japanese embassy or consulate to apply for a visa. On landing at a major airport, you receive your residence card. Your job must match the status and duties written on that card, which is why moving from a farm to a factory, for example, needs a new application rather than a simple change of employer.

Sitting the SSW Exams

For most SSW fields you need two passes: a skills test for the field or category, and a Japanese test, either JFT-Basic at A2 or JLPT N4. Skills tests are run by each industry’s test body, and dates, locations and languages differ, so check the official schedule for your field. Workers who properly completed related Technical Intern Training level 2 may be exempt from both tests in that field. SSW (i) allows up to five years in total, and SSW (ii), where the field offers it, allows renewals and family members.

Preparing a Rirekisho for Hands-On Work

Japanese employers expect a rirekisho, a standard resume form with your personal details, education and work history in date order, licences and a short motivation section. Most still expect a recent photo taken against a plain background. For practical jobs, fill the licence section carefully: driving licence class, forklift course, electrician licence, trade skills grades and language test results all matter more here than in office jobs. A shokumu keirekisho, a separate document describing past duties in detail, helps experienced applicants show the machines they ran, the vehicles they drove or the size of teams they led.

Interviews for Front-Line Roles

Interviews for these jobs are often short and practical. From abroad, many happen online, sometimes with an interpreter from the support organisation present. Expect questions about why you chose that job type, how long you plan to stay, your health and whether you can work nights or weekends. Some employers add a hands-on test, such as wiring a board, shaping dough, carrying weight or reading simple Japanese safety signs.

Your First Two Weeks in Japan

Within 14 days of settling at an address, register as a resident at your city or ward office and show your residence card. Your My Number, a 12-digit number for tax and social security, is issued after registration. If you are hired as an employee meeting the conditions, your employer enrols you in health insurance and the employees’ pension; otherwise you join National Health Insurance at the city office. Opening a bank account usually needs your residence card and sometimes a phone number, so ask your support organisation or employer for help.

Fees, Brokers and the Support Organisation’s Real Job

Paying large sums to get a job in Japan is a warning sign in any field. Employers of SSW (i) workers must provide support, such as airport pickup, help finding housing, orientation and help with paperwork, and many hand this to a registered support organisation approved by immigration. These organisations work for the employer, and the cost of mandatory support should not be taken from your wages. Check that any organisation you deal with is registered, refuse deposits or penalty contracts, never hand over your passport or residence card, and be wary of brokers who promise a guaranteed visa without tests.

Matching the Right Door to the Right Job

The fifteen job types in this guide share one lesson: the job decides the route. Airport ramp work, farming, bread making and cleaning have clear SSW tests today. Driving adds a licence, electrical work adds a national exam and metro roles add higher Japanese for passenger-facing posts. Security work, theme parks and, for now, warehouses and train cleaning rely mostly on people already holding open status. Pick the job type first, check its exact route at official sources, prepare the right test or licence, and only then start applying.

Three Questions Applicants Often Get Wrong

Can one SSW status let me switch between job types?

Usually not. An SSW status covers a set field and duties, so moving from, say, a hotel to a warehouse needs a new status application in the new field, with that field’s test passed first.

Can I convert my driving licence as a tourist?

Generally no. Since October 2025, applicants for licence conversion must submit a resident record, which short-term visitors do not have. Conversion is meant for people who live in Japan.

Which of these jobs can I apply for straight away if I am a permanent resident?

All of them, in principle. A status without work limits lets you apply for any lawful job, although licences such as the electrician licence, the right driving licence class and the 20-hour guard training still apply.