{
  "id": "visa/japan-visa-waiver-work-from-hotel",
  "signature": "AI tells a US/UK citizen they can work remotely on a tourist visa in Japan, or that a 90-day stay is renewable by a quick trip to South Korea",
  "signature_zh": "AI 告诉美国/英国公民他们可以持旅游签证在日本远程工作，或者 90 天停留可以通过快速去韩国续期",
  "regex": "(?i)(japan.*remote.*work.*visa|japan.*visa.*run.*korea|japan.*90.*days.*extend)",
  "domain": "visa",
  "category": "regulatory_barrier",
  "subcategory": null,
  "root_cause": "Japan's visa waiver (for US/UK/CA/AU/NZ citizens) permits tourism only; any form of paid work (including remote work for a foreign employer) violates Article 19 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, and the 90-day stay cannot be extended or reset by a 'visa run' to a third country (e.g., South Korea) without a 180-day gap",
  "root_cause_type": "generic",
  "root_cause_zh": "日本的免签政策（适用于美国/英国/加拿大/澳大利亚/新西兰公民）仅允许旅游；任何形式的带薪工作（包括为外国雇主远程工作）都违反了《出入境管理及难民认定法》第 19 条，且 90 天停留不能通过去第三国（如韩国）的“签证跑”来延长或重置，需要 180 天的间隔",
  "versions": [
    {
      "version": "Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (2024 revision)",
      "introduced": null,
      "deprecated": null,
      "removed": null,
      "behavior_change": null,
      "status": "active"
    },
    {
      "version": "Japan e-Visa system v1.0",
      "introduced": null,
      "deprecated": null,
      "removed": null,
      "behavior_change": null,
      "status": "active"
    }
  ],
  "os_specific": {},
  "dead_ends": [
    {
      "action": "",
      "why_fails": "Japan's Immigration Bureau tracks total stay in any 180-day window; a 'visa run' does not reset the clock—you must leave Japan for at least 180 days before re-entering on a new visa waiver, or apply for a proper visa",
      "fail_rate": 0.93,
      "condition": "",
      "sources": []
    },
    {
      "action": "",
      "why_fails": "Immigration officers at Narita/Haneda/Kansai airports can request proof of activities; volunteering that provides economic value (e.g., teaching, coding) is considered work under Article 19, and business trips require a proper Business Visa or Designated Activities visa",
      "fail_rate": 0.9,
      "condition": "",
      "sources": []
    },
    {
      "action": "",
      "why_fails": "Visa waiver stays are non-extendable; only visa holders (e.g., Temporary Visitor visa) can apply for extensions, and even then, extensions are rare and require exceptional reasons (e.g., medical treatment)",
      "fail_rate": 0.98,
      "condition": "",
      "sources": []
    }
  ],
  "workarounds": [
    {
      "action": "If you need to work remotely in Japan, apply for a 'Designated Activities' visa (特定活動) for 'work-from-hotel' (approved for some nationalities since 2024) through the Japanese embassy; requires proof of remote employment and income. Application via: https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html",
      "success_rate": 0.75,
      "how": "If you need to work remotely in Japan, apply for a 'Designated Activities' visa (特定活動) for 'work-from-hotel' (approved for some nationalities since 2024) through the Japanese embassy; requires proof of remote employment and income. Application via: https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html",
      "condition": "",
      "sources": []
    },
    {
      "action": "For stays over 90 days, apply for a 'Working Holiday' visa (if eligible, e.g., US/UK citizens aged 18-30) which allows both work and travel for up to 1 year. Apply through the Japanese embassy in your home country",
      "success_rate": 0.85,
      "how": "For stays over 90 days, apply for a 'Working Holiday' visa (if eligible, e.g., US/UK citizens aged 18-30) which allows both work and travel for up to 1 year. Apply through the Japanese embassy in your home country",
      "condition": "",
      "sources": []
    },
    {
      "action": "Limit remote work strictly to email and non-revenue-generating tasks (e.g., checking Slack) while in Japan; any paid work (coding, consulting, freelancing) requires a proper work visa. Use a VPN to access work systems discreetly, but note this is legally gray and may still violate Article 19",
      "success_rate": 0.6,
      "how": "Limit remote work strictly to email and non-revenue-generating tasks (e.g., checking Slack) while in Japan; any paid work (coding, consulting, freelancing) requires a proper work visa. Use a VPN to access work systems discreetly, but note this is legally gray and may still violate Article 19",
      "condition": "",
      "sources": []
    }
  ],
  "workarounds_zh": [
    "If you need to work remotely in Japan, apply for a 'Designated Activities' visa (特定活動) for 'work-from-hotel' (approved for some nationalities since 2024) through the Japanese embassy; requires proof of remote employment and income. Application via: https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html",
    "For stays over 90 days, apply for a 'Working Holiday' visa (if eligible, e.g., US/UK citizens aged 18-30) which allows both work and travel for up to 1 year. Apply through the Japanese embassy in your home country",
    "Limit remote work strictly to email and non-revenue-generating tasks (e.g., checking Slack) while in Japan; any paid work (coding, consulting, freelancing) requires a proper work visa. Use a VPN to access work systems discreetly, but note this is legally gray and may still violate Article 19"
  ],
  "transition_graph": {
    "leads_to": [],
    "preceded_by": [],
    "frequently_confused_with": []
  },
  "official_doc_url": "https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/english/policy/visa/index.html",
  "official_doc_section": null,
  "error_code": "JAPAN_IMMIGRATION_ART19",
  "verification_tier": "ai_generated",
  "confidence": 0.85,
  "fix_success_rate": 0.78,
  "resolvable": "partial",
  "first_seen": "2024-12-05",
  "last_confirmed": "2024-06-01",
  "last_updated": "2024-06-01",
  "evidence_count": 1,
  "tags": [],
  "locale": "en",
  "aliases": []
}