What are the stay options?

Designated Activities: Digital Nomad

Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs describes a six-month digital-nomad stay with no extension. It requires documented annual income of at least JPY 10 million and directs applicants to the eligible-country list.

The route described here is background information, not confirmation that an individual applicant qualifies. Check the official requirements for your circumstances.

Stay-route details & sources

Source-check date recorded in the country data: 2026-09-17.

  • The Immigration Services Agency states that this status does not issue a residence card. It also describes a six-month wait before reapplying after using the maximum six-month period.
  • The agency distinguishes qualifying international remote work from employment under a contract with a Japanese organisation, which is not permitted under this status.

When does the US session fall locally?

22:30–05:00 during New York daylight time; 23:30–06:00 during New York standard time. Both end the next local day.

The examples use Tokyo time. A daytime workspace plan does not cover this overnight reference. Calculated from 09:30–16:00 New York time. These examples exclude holidays, early closes and the broader futures schedule.

This reference describes the main US cash-market session, not the complete futures trading schedule.

What this guide covers

A researched starting point, not a final rating.

Additional starter guides with source-backed stay and workspace notes. These are not final destination rankings or individual eligibility decisions.

Remote-work routes are not automatically available to someone whose income comes only from personal investing or prop-firm rewards. The reviewed requirements concern qualifying work, contracts or businesses. Individual eligibility must be established separately.

Only the information in this starter guide was checked on . This does not refresh older guides or confirm any applicant’s eligibility.

Healthcare & insurance

Separate the income test from the insurance minimum.

The ministry requires evidence of insurance against death, injury or illness during the stay, with medical-treatment compensation for injury or illness of at least JPY 10 million. This is separate from the JPY 10 million annual-income requirement.

Published information
Source and scope
Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Digital Nomad ↗

Six-month non-extendable stay, annual-income documentation and medical-insurance minimum. Eligible nationality list is referenced, not reproduced.

Checked 2026-09-17.
Workspace example

Impact HUB Tokyo publishes a 24-hour membership with commitments.

The operator’s membership portal labels Unlimited as a 24-hour-access plan. It lists a three-month minimum commitment, automatic renewal and 60 days’ cancellation notice. These conditions matter even during a temporary stay.

Published information
Source and scope
Impact HUB Tokyo: published membership plans ↗

Operator membership portal: Unlimited is labelled 24-hour access, with a three-month minimum and 60-day cancellation notice. No service-quality test.

Checked 2026-09-17.

The clock reference runs overnight. Do not assume that a basic or daytime product includes the same access as the explicitly labelled 24-hour plan.

Planning note
Taxes & longer stays

A six-month permit is not a tax ruling.

This profile does not conclude that a short stay eliminates tax obligations or reporting in Japan or elsewhere. No tax-simplicity score or individual tax-residency decision is published.

Planning note
Understanding the clock

Local times, seasonal changes and overnight endings.

The examples use Tokyo time. A daytime workspace plan does not cover this overnight reference. Calculated from 09:30–16:00 New York time. These examples exclude holidays, early closes and the broader futures schedule.

Calculated examples and source

The examples use the Asia/Tokyo time zone and 09:30–16:00 in New York.

2026-01-15
23:30–06:00 local time (ends the next day)
2026-07-15
22:30–05:00 local time (ends the next day)
2026-03-16
22:30–05:00 local time (ends the next day)
2026-10-28
22:30–05:00 local time (ends the next day)
NYSE: regular market hours ↗

09:30–16:00 New York reference used for clock conversion; not the full futures schedule or a holiday calendar.

Before choosing a base

Questions that remain personal or property-specific.

The questions below are editorial planning prompts, not requirements attributed to a government or tested property advice.

  • Does the current eligible-country list cover the passport?
  • Are income evidence and the separate insurance limit both documented?
  • Does the lack of a residence card affect planned local services?
  • Do membership commitments and overnight access fit the planned stay?

No affordability, connection reliability, medical-quality, safety or provider-access score has been assigned for these countries. Missing evidence is not a zero score and not permission to use a service.

No provider-by-country clearance is published for these new guides. Rules about nationality, residence, visits and account stages require separate provider-specific evidence.

Which locations are on the research list?

TokyoOsakaFukuoka

These locations are research candidates, not a completed city ranking.

What is still uncertain?

No affordability, connection reliability, medical-quality, safety or provider-access score has been assigned for these countries. Missing evidence is not a zero score and not permission to use a service.

Country research cautions

Notes retained from the underlying country dataset. Later sections may contain additional research.

  • Remote-work routes are not automatically available to someone whose income comes only from personal investing or prop-firm rewards. The reviewed requirements concern qualifying work, contracts or businesses. Individual eligibility must be established separately.
  • No affordability, connection reliability, medical-quality, safety or provider-access score has been assigned for these countries. Missing evidence is not a zero score and not permission to use a service.