If you have a Japanese parent, grandparent or great-grandparent, you may be able to live and work in Japan on the strength of that family line. Japan has a special set of rules for Nikkei (日系人), the descendants of Japanese emigrants. Many of them live in Brazil, Peru, the United States, the Philippines and other countries.
But the rules are different for each generation. A child of a Japanese national, a grandchild and a great-grandchild each fall under a different status of residence, with different requirements and different freedoms. This article explains which status fits you, and what you will need to prove.
The quick answer
| Your generation | Status of residence | Work | Family |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd generation (child of a Japanese national) | Spouse or Child of Japanese National (日本人の配偶者等), or Long-Term Resident (定住者) if your parent had already lost Japanese nationality when you were born | No restrictions | Spouse and children can usually come as Long-Term Residents |
| 3rd generation (grandchild) | Long-Term Resident (定住者) | No restrictions | Spouse and minor unmarried children can usually come as Long-Term Residents |
| 4th generation, minor and unmarried, living with a 3rd-generation parent | Long-Term Resident (定住者) | No restrictions | — |
| 4th generation, aged 18 to 35 | Designated Activities: Nikkei 4th generation (特定活動) | Allowed, to fund your stay while you learn Japanese language and culture | In principle, family cannot come with you |
| 5th generation and later | No dedicated status | — | — |
The 2nd and 3rd generation statuses have no limit on the type of work you can do, and no overall limit on how long you can stay as long as you keep renewing. The 4th generation program is more limited, as explained below.
Chart 1: Which status fits you?
First, check: are you still a Japanese national?
Before you think about a visa, check whether you are actually Japanese. A Japanese national does not need a visa to live in Japan.
Many children of Japanese nationals born abroad have Japanese nationality without knowing it, or have lost it without knowing it. Some points to check:
- Was your birth reported to a Japanese embassy or consulate? If your Japanese parent reported your birth, you should appear in their koseki (戸籍, family register).
- Were you born in a country that gave you its nationality at birth (for example, Brazil, Peru or the United States)? In that case, your parents had to file a declaration to reserve Japanese nationality (国籍留保) within three months of your birth. If they did not, you lost Japanese nationality from birth.
- Were you born before January 1, 1985 to a Japanese mother and a non-Japanese father? Under the law at the time, Japanese nationality generally passed only through the father, so you probably did not acquire it.
The easiest way to find out is to get your Japanese parent’s koseki. See our guide How to get a Japanese koseki family register from overseas.
If you are not a Japanese national, read on.
2nd generation: Spouse or Child of Japanese National
If you were born as a child of a Japanese national, you can apply for the status Spouse or Child of Japanese National (日本人の配偶者等). Despite the name, this status covers children as well as spouses.
What “born as a child of a Japanese national” means
What matters is your parent’s nationality at the time you were born:
- If your father or mother was Japanese when you were born, you qualify, even if that parent later naturalized in another country and lost Japanese nationality.
- It does not matter whether you yourself acquired Japanese nationality. For example, if you were born before 1985 to a Japanese mother, you can still qualify.
- If your parent had already lost Japanese nationality before you were born (for example, by naturalizing in Brazil), you were not “born as a child of a Japanese national”, so this status does not apply. Instead, you can apply for Long-Term Resident under Notification No. 3 (see the 3rd generation section below). Your parent was born as a child of a Japanese national, so you are covered as their child. In this case, you also need to meet the good conduct requirement.
- An adopted child does not qualify, except for a special adoption (特別養子) under Japanese law.
What you can do
There are no restrictions on the work you can do. You can work in any field and at any level, as an employee or by running your own business. The period of stay is 5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 6 months.
Your family
- Your spouse can usually apply for Long-Term Resident while you live in Japan on this status.
- Your children are 3rd generation Nikkei, and can apply for Long-Term Resident themselves (see the next section).
3rd generation: Long-Term Resident
If you are a grandchild of a Japanese national, you can apply for Long-Term Resident (定住者). The Minister of Justice has published a public notice (定住者告示) that lists the people who can get this status, and the 3rd generation is covered by two of its items:
- Notification No. 3: your parent (the 2nd generation) was born as a child of a Japanese national. (The same item also covers the 2nd generation whose parent had already lost Japanese nationality, as explained above.)
- Notification No. 4: your grandparent (the 1st generation) was once a Japanese national registered in a Japanese koseki, but your parent was born after your grandparent had lost Japanese nationality.
In other words, it does not matter much when your grandparent naturalized abroad. Either way, the 3rd generation is covered.
Main requirements
- Your family line: documents linking you, your parent and your Japanese grandparent
- Good conduct: both Notification No. 3 and No. 4 require good conduct. In principle, you must not have been sentenced to imprisonment or a fine in Japan or abroad. A fine for a road traffic violation does not count under this rule, and older sentences stop counting after a certain time (5 years after a fine has been paid, or 10 years after a prison sentence has been served). However, repeatedly breaking the law in daily life, including repeated traffic violations, can still mean that you do not meet the requirement. If your criminal record certificate from abroad shows an offence, you must prove that it was only a traffic fine, or that enough time has passed. Declare all past offences honestly on the application form, including traffic offences.
- Financial stability: you or your family must be able to support yourselves in Japan
To get the longest period of stay of 5 years, adults also need a certain level of Japanese, such as JLPT N2 (or N3 with a score that corresponds to CEFR B1), at least 6 months of study at a designated Japanese language school, or at least 1 year of education at a Japanese school. You and your family must also have met your tax and other public obligations and your immigration notification duties, and school-age children must be attending school.
As on the 2nd generation status, there are no restrictions on the work you can do.
For the detailed requirements and document list, see our page Long-Term Resident (Nikkei 3rd generation).
Your family
- Your spouse can usually apply for Long-Term Resident as well, once you have been granted a period of stay of 1 year or more. Your spouse must also meet the good conduct requirement.
- Your minor, unmarried children (4th generation) can apply for Long-Term Resident while you support them (see Route A below).
4th generation: two different routes
The 4th generation (great-grandchildren) does not have a general Long-Term Resident route. Instead, there are two separate paths.
Route A: as the minor child of a 3rd-generation parent
If you are under 18 and unmarried, and your 3rd-generation parent lives in Japan as a Long-Term Resident with a period of stay of 1 year or more, you can apply for Long-Term Resident as their child, if your parent supports you. The good conduct requirement applies to you as well.
This route is for children living with their family. Once you turn 18, you can no longer newly apply on this basis. But if you are already living in Japan on this status, turning 18, getting married or starting work does not by itself mean that you lose it.
Route B: the Nikkei 4th generation program
If you are between 18 and 35 and do not fit Route A, you can apply under the Nikkei 4th generation program (日系四世の更なる受入制度). This is a status of Designated Activities (特定活動) designed for young Nikkei to learn Japanese language and culture while working in Japan.
Main conditions (as revised on December 28, 2023):
- Age: 18 to 35 at the time of entry
- Japanese: at entry, around JLPT N5 if you are 18 to 30, or N3 if you are 31 to 35. To stay beyond 1 year in total you need around N4, and beyond 3 years around N3.
- Activities: you must actually take part in activities to learn Japanese language and culture (for example, a Japanese class about once a week). You can work to cover your living costs, but working alone is not enough.
- Supporter: you need a “Nikkei 4th generation supporter” (an individual, such as a relative, host family or employer, or a non-profit organization in Japan) to help you, free of charge, for your first 3 years in total
- Period of stay: up to 5 years in total, granted in periods of 6 months or 1 year
- Family: in principle, you cannot bring your spouse or children with you (unless your spouse can come on their own status, for example as a Nikkei 4th generation participant or on a work visa)
- Annual cap: up to 4,000 people a year
- You must also have funds for your return trip, health insurance and good conduct.
Chart 2: The Nikkei 4th generation program over 5 years
A supporter is required
A supporter is no longer required
· Japanese of JLPT N2 level or higher
· Good conduct
· Enough assets or skills to support yourself
· Taxes and immigration notifications in order
After 5 years: changing to Long-Term Resident
Since December 28, 2023, participants who complete 5 years in the program can apply to change to Long-Term Resident if they meet all of these conditions:
- They took part in activities to learn Japanese language and culture properly for the full 5 years
- They have Japanese ability of JLPT N2 level or higher (or BJT 400 points or higher)
- Good conduct
- Enough assets or skills to support themselves
- They have met their tax obligations and immigration notification duties
The first period of stay granted after the change is, in principle, 1 year.
Before this revision, participants had to leave Japan after 5 years. Now the program can lead to long-term life in Japan.
Spouses and children at a glance
| You hold… | Your spouse | Your minor, unmarried child |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese nationality | Spouse or Child of Japanese National | Usually Japanese (no visa needed). If not, Spouse or Child of Japanese National. |
| Spouse or Child of Japanese National (2nd generation) | Long-Term Resident | Long-Term Resident (as 3rd generation) |
| Long-Term Resident (2nd generation, Notification No. 3) | Long-Term Resident | Long-Term Resident (as 3rd generation) |
| Long-Term Resident (3rd generation) | Long-Term Resident | Long-Term Resident |
| Designated Activities: Nikkei 4th generation | Not allowed, in principle | Not allowed |
“Spouse” means a legally married spouse. A common-law partner or fiancé(e) does not qualify. The marriage must also be valid under the laws of both countries, and in practice it should be registered in your home country.
Proving your family line
Whatever your generation, the core of the application is proving that you are related to a Japanese national. You usually need:
- Your Japanese ancestor’s koseki: often an old closed register (除籍謄本) or a pre-revision register (改製原戸籍), because the ancestor emigrated, died or naturalized many years ago
- Foreign civil records that link each generation: birth certificates and marriage certificates for every person between you and your Japanese ancestor
- Translations into Japanese of all documents in other languages
Common problems include:
- Name spellings that do not match. A Japanese name such as 鈴木 may appear as “Suzuki”, “Susuki” or “Suzuky” in old foreign records. Prepare to explain the differences.
- Unregistered marriages or births in the home country, which break the chain of documents
- Not knowing the ancestor’s registered domicile (本籍), which you need to request the koseki
If you do not know where your ancestor’s koseki is kept, start with family papers such as old passports, emigration records or letters from Japan. Our guide How to get a Japanese koseki family register from overseas explains how to request the koseki once you know where it is.
Summary
- 2nd generation: Spouse or Child of Japanese National, if your parent was Japanese when you were born; otherwise Long-Term Resident (Notification No. 3)
- 3rd generation: Long-Term Resident (Notification No. 3 or 4), with good conduct and financial stability
- 4th generation: Long-Term Resident if you are a minor child of a 3rd-generation resident; otherwise the Nikkei 4th generation program (age 18 to 35), which can lead to Long-Term Resident after 5 years
- Both 2nd and 3rd generation have no restrictions on work and usually bring their spouse and children
- Check your nationality first. You may already be Japanese.
- The key to every application is documents that connect each generation to your Japanese ancestor
Not sure where your family fits?
In practice, Nikkei applications often turn on details that are hard to judge from the rules alone: when exactly your ancestor lost Japanese nationality, whether each birth and marriage was registered, how names were spelled in old records, and where your ancestor’s koseki is kept.
TKG Immigration Consulting Office helps Nikkei families in Japan and overseas with:
- Checking which status of residence fits your family line
- Tracing your Japanese ancestor’s registered domicile (本籍) and collecting koseki, including old closed registers (除籍謄本) and pre-revision registers (改製原戸籍), with English translations
- Preparing applications for Spouse or Child of Japanese National, Long-Term Resident and the Nikkei 4th generation program, including extensions of stay and changes of status
If you are not sure where to start, please contact us. We will let you know whether and how we can help. If you need detailed advice, we offer paid consultations.
This article provides general information and is not legal advice. It is based on information published by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan and the Ministry of Justice as of October 2026. Requirements can depend on the details of each case, so please check before applying.