{
  "id": "visa/visa-exemption-no-work-90",
  "signature": "AI tells a visitor that Japan's visa-free entry lets them work or stay beyond 90 days",
  "signature_zh": "",
  "regex": "(japan.*visa.free|visa.exempt.*japan|japan.*90.day|japan.*tourist.visa|japan.*work.*tourist)",
  "domain": "visa",
  "category": "administrative_barrier",
  "subcategory": null,
  "root_cause": "Japan grants visa-exemption (typically up to 90 days) to nationals of roughly 70 countries/regions for short-term tourism or business meetings, but you may NOT engage in paid work, and the 90 days generally cannot be extended. Some nationalities get shorter periods.",
  "root_cause_type": "generic",
  "root_cause_zh": "",
  "versions": [
    {
      "version": "any",
      "introduced": null,
      "deprecated": null,
      "removed": null,
      "behavior_change": null,
      "status": "active"
    }
  ],
  "os_specific": {},
  "dead_ends": [
    {
      "action": "Take up any paid work while on the visa-free short-stay entry",
      "why_fails": "Visa-exemption permits tourism and certain unpaid business activities only. Paid work requires a work visa/status of residence; working without it risks detention, deportation, and re-entry bans.",
      "fail_rate": 0.85,
      "condition": "",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/short/novisa.html"
      ]
    },
    {
      "action": "Plan to extend the 90-day visa-free stay to keep living in Japan",
      "why_fails": "The visa-exemption period generally cannot be extended; you must leave and the rule is not a renewable residence permit. Repeated back-to-back entries can also be refused.",
      "fail_rate": 0.7,
      "condition": "Trying to extend beyond the granted short-stay period",
      "sources": []
    }
  ],
  "workarounds": [
    {
      "action": "Confirm your nationality's exact visa-free period and limit activities to tourism/unpaid business; apply for the correct status of residence for anything else.",
      "success_rate": 0.9,
      "how": "Check the MOFA visa-exemption list; for work, study, or long stays apply for the appropriate visa/Certificate of Eligibility before travel.",
      "condition": "",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/short/novisa.html"
      ]
    },
    {
      "action": "If you need to stay longer, obtain the appropriate visa in advance rather than relying on extensions.",
      "success_rate": 0.8,
      "how": "Apply through a Japanese embassy/consulate; work and long-stay categories usually require a Certificate of Eligibility sponsored in Japan.",
      "condition": "",
      "sources": []
    }
  ],
  "workarounds_zh": [],
  "transition_graph": {
    "leads_to": [],
    "preceded_by": [],
    "frequently_confused_with": []
  },
  "official_doc_url": null,
  "official_doc_section": null,
  "error_code": null,
  "verification_tier": "ai_generated",
  "confidence": 0.8,
  "fix_success_rate": 0.85,
  "resolvable": "true",
  "first_seen": "2024-01-01",
  "last_confirmed": "2026-06-14",
  "last_updated": "2026-06-14",
  "evidence_count": 3,
  "tags": [],
  "locale": "en",
  "aliases": [
    "visa/visa-exemption-no-work-90/jp"
  ]
}