Contents
- 1. The ISA’s guidelines on “Cool Japan” fields
- 2. Case 1: Anime — creating, not only assisting
- 3. Case 2: Fashion and design — designing, not only sewing or selling
- 4. Case 3: Beauty and food — planning and development, not hands-on work
- 5. Training in stores: months, not years
- 6. A quick check before you apply
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Key points
- The Immigration Services Agency (ISA) has published guidelines, with approved and refused cases, for graduates who want to work in “Cool Japan” fields: anime, fashion and design, beauty and food.
- Anime: creative work such as storyboards and key animation was approved. Only coloring backgrounds as an assistant was refused.
- Fashion and design: designers, coordinators and pattern makers were approved. Cutting and sewing only, or selling in a store only, was refused.
- Beauty and food: product development, planning and overseas expansion work can qualify. Working as a hairdresser or nail technician cannot, and cooking falls under other statuses.
- Short store training of a few months was accepted. A year or two of store work as “training”, longer than for Japanese employees, was refused.
About these cases
This series explains cases that the ISA itself has published. Because they are public, we can discuss them in detail while keeping our clients’ matters confidential. We have summarized them in English; the original Japanese text prevails. The ISA notes that each application is decided on its own facts. This is Part 5. See also Part 1 (pay, training and interpreting work), Part 2 (vocational school graduates), Part 3 (hotels and ryokan) and Part 4 (is it really professional work?).
1. The ISA’s guidelines on “Cool Japan” fields
As interest in Japanese content has grown, many international students come to Japan to study anime, fashion and design, beauty or food, and want to stay and work after graduation. The ISA has published guidelines with approved and refused cases in these fields. Graduates of Japanese vocational schools must have received the title senmonshi or kodo senmonshi.
These jobs are usually examined under the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (ESI) status, so the usual rules apply. The work must need professional knowledge based on academic study, not only skills gained through experience. For the basic requirements, see our Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa guide.
The guidelines on these fields were last revised in March 2021. Rules that were updated later still apply, such as how closely your studies must match the job (see Part 2) and the rules on training (see Part 1).
2. Case 1: Anime — creating, not only assisting
Approved
- A graduate of a manga and animation course was hired by a computer-related services company for game development, including character design.
- A graduate of a manga and animation course was hired by an anime production company to do creative work of their own, such as storyboards (ekonte) and key animation (genga).
- A graduate of the same kind of course was hired by an anime production company. For about the first six months, the graduate would color backgrounds under guidance, and then move on to storyboards and key animation.
Refused
A graduate of a manga and animation course was to work at an anime production company only as an assistant coloring backgrounds, with no creative work of their own. This was refused.
What to learn from it
- The key words are “creative work of your own”. Assisting others, such as coloring, is not enough on its own.
- Coloring work can be accepted when it is a short first stage, with guidance, before you move to creative work. The plan for that move should be clear.
3. Case 2: Fashion and design — designing, not only sewing or selling
Approved
- A graduate of a design course was hired by a design office to do creative work as a designer.
- A graduate of a university’s faculty of engineering was hired by a car maker as a car designer.
- A graduate of a design course was hired by a fashion company as a fashion coordinator, planning product promotions and designing store displays.
- A graduate of a design course was hired by a fashion company as a pattern maker. The creative work included some cutting and sewing as part of the production process.
Refused
- A graduate of a design course was to do only cutting and sewing at a fashion company, with no creative work of their own.
- A graduate of a design course was to work only in customer service and sales at a fashion company’s store.
- A vocational school graduate who had studied mainly accounting was to work only in sales at a clothing store.
What to learn from it
- Cutting and sewing can be part of the job when it is part of your own creative work, as for the pattern maker. Doing only the production steps is not enough.
- A job in a store can be part of short training (see below), but a job that is only sales is not covered, whatever you studied.
4. Case 3: Beauty and food — planning and development, not hands-on work
Beauty
- Approved: a graduate of a beauty course was hired by a cosmetics company preparing to expand overseas, for planning and management work to prepare that expansion.
- Approved: a graduate of a beauty course was hired for product development and sales of wigs and hair extensions.
- Refused: a graduate of a beauty course was to work as a hairdresser or nail technician. Separately, graduates of Japanese beauty schools who hold a Japanese hairdresser license may work as hairdressers for up to five years under a special-zone program (Designated Activities), in approved areas and salons only.
Food
- Approved: a vocational school graduate who had studied nutrition management was hired by a food company for research and development.
- Approved: a vocational school graduate who had studied business was hired by a restaurant chain for its overseas expansion. After two months of mainly classroom training at the head office and three months of sales and customer service training at its restaurants, the graduate moved to overseas expansion work at the head office.
Cooking itself is a different matter. A chef of foreign cuisine is examined under the Skilled Labor status. In one published case, a French national who had worked for ten years as a chef of Italian cuisine in Germany came to Japan to cook Italian food under that status. Graduates of Japanese cooking or confectionery schools may work for up to five years under a Designated Activities program run by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, if they are covered by the program. It started with Japanese cuisine and now also covers some foreign cuisine and confectionery that use Japanese food culture and techniques. Part 4 explains why cooking is not ESI work.
5. Training in stores: months, not years
In these fields, new employees often start in a store or on site. The published cases show where the line is:
| Case | Training | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Fashion company, overseas PR | 3 months of sales and customer service in several stores, then overseas PR at the head office | Approved |
| Restaurant chain, overseas expansion | 2 months of classroom training and 3 months in restaurants, then overseas expansion at the head office | Approved |
| Anime production company | About 6 months of background coloring with guidance, then creative work | Approved |
| Cosmetics company, overseas expansion planning | Planned as 1 year of “training”, but really sales and customer service while moving between stores. Japanese employees in the same job finished their training in 4 months | Refused |
| Restaurant chain, overseas expansion | Planned stay of 3 years, of which the first 2 years were cooking and serving in restaurants as “training” | Refused |
Training is accepted when it is short, the same as for Japanese employees and clearly leads to qualifying work. Training that is longer than for Japanese employees, or that takes up most of your expected stay, is not.
6. A quick check before you apply
- Will I do creative, planning or development work of my own, not only assisting, production steps, sales or hands-on beauty work?
- Is the job related to what I studied?
- If there is store or production training, is it a few months, the same as for Japanese employees, and is the next step clear?
- If I want to work as a chef, which status fits: Skilled Labor, the Ministry of Agriculture’s program or another status?
Planning to work in anime, fashion, beauty or food?
For questions about your own situation, see our Written Answer. If you are preparing the application yourself, our Document Check service can review it before you file. If you would like us to handle your application, send us an inquiry. We will tell you whether we can help and which of our services fits.
Sources
- Immigration Services Agency, “Clarification of the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services status of residence” (Japanese)
- Immigration Services Agency, Attachment 6: Clarification of the status of residence for international students and others seeking to work in “Cool Japan” fields (Japanese, PDF)
- Immigration Services Agency, Attachment 1: Practical training permitted under the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services status (Japanese, PDF)
Disclaimer: This article is provided for general information only and is not legal advice on any individual case. The information is based on sources available as of November 4, 2026. Laws, guidelines and their application may change without notice. The cases described are summaries of examples published by the Immigration Services Agency and do not guarantee the outcome of any other application. TKG Immigration Consulting Office accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from the use of this information. In case of any difference between our English descriptions and the original Japanese texts, the Japanese texts prevail.