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Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

asia.nikkei.com

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Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#91

Post by nomilk »

elzbardico wrote: post #51

In most countries you can't do any kind of work while in a tourist Visa, but this was never enforced, because it was so exceedingly rare for not to be on governments radar. But once it became more prevalent, it creates the problem (on governments view, especially post 9/11) of having a bunch of foreign folks living for months and receiving money from abroad for god knows which reason. This creates the problem for law…

> In most countries you can't do any kind of work while in a tourist Visa, but this was never enforced

That's because the laws exist to protect local jobs.

Since nomads aren't 'stealing' local jobs, the laws serve their purpose despite them being broken all the time.

All bets are off if a nomad decided to bar work or waiting at a restaurant! (or any other profession that takes a job from a local).

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#92

Post by thehappypm »

Shank wrote: post #81

It's exciting to see progress, but I think 180 days is too short for this to be worthwhile for people who really wanted this. They've leaned heavily into the "nomad" part, but the issue is more of practicality. This visa doesn't come with a Residency Card, which means that getting a traditional lease in Japan is going to be difficult. For 6 months, you'll be on an uphill battle with some services like housing, which…

Don’t you think that the housing market will create a niche for these people? Foreigners with deep pockets coming in for six months sounds like a great thing for landlords. Plus, you know they won’t squat because they’re gone after 6 months or they get deported

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#93

Post by huimang »

Shank wrote: post #81

It's exciting to see progress, but I think 180 days is too short for this to be worthwhile for people who really wanted this. They've leaned heavily into the "nomad" part, but the issue is more of practicality. This visa doesn't come with a Residency Card, which means that getting a traditional lease in Japan is going to be difficult. For 6 months, you'll be on an uphill battle with some services like housing, which…

Agreed, 180 days and no residency card makes this way too much hassle for the meager benefits.

It's similar with the recent 1-year South Korean F-1-D Nomad/Workation visa for Canadians, who get 6 months as tourists anyways. I'm going through the application process since U.S. citizens only get 3 months as tourists, but the hassle is only really worth it for the residency card.

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#94

Post by kredd »

treprinum wrote: post #45

I spent 1 month around Kyoto's UNESCO sites 10 years ago while working remotely for a company in the US and am not sure I'd want to spend whole 6 months in Japan when there are so many interesting places all around the world. One needed to know basic Japanese as very few people spoke English, finding an accommodation was a chore as AirBnB was non-existing and hotels with unlimited fast WiFi scarce and one had to book…

I think it depends what you’re looking for. You won’t go and find friends in a Japanese bar, like you could in some parts of US or LATAM. But I don’t think I’ve seen more “quiet slice of life” happening while strolling around Japan, Taiwan or Hong Kong. If you’re into people watching, it’s hard to beat.

Especially in some parts of Japan, their obsessions with culture and heritage is very cool. Something like this is always cute to encounter, and it’s weird cause I thought it’s rare up until I visited Japan - https://x.com/kiyotoshi_y/status/1179243144363331585. That being said, I have Latino friends who hated those parts of Asia because they need “hot blooded friendliness culture”. Which is totally cool, to each their own!

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#95

Post by treprinum »

boringg wrote: post #76
treprinum wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, I just remember on my last day in Japan I actually felt sadness that I didn't find whatever I was looking for, despite seeing like 15 UNESCO World Heritage sites, but essentially didn't make any lasting connection on a personal level with anyone due to being unable to break the formal shell of anyone. Total opposite to e.g. Brazil when one could make friends in 5 minutes and those folks remembered you for years…

To each their own - I think its rather crass to castigate a whole country because your own travel didn't find whatever deeper level bond you were searching for. I for one am suspect at being able make a good friend that lasts forever in 5 minutes. That sounds more like power dynamics in that you had something to offer them then some kind of mutual friendship based on shared interests. That said to each their own.

Maybe. But prior to visiting Japan I actually studied Japanese for 5 years and after visiting it I stopped and quickly forgot whatever I learned as I simply didn't have any reason to as whatever I wanted to find wasn't there (I guess I was looking for a sci-fi wonderland full of robots or something, instead found tired uninterested people everywhere). Wrt Brazil folks, there was no power dynamics between us, they didn't see any $ from me as they were from fairly well-off families, just the society was much more open than the Japanese one. It felt more like Germany where colleagues working at the same desk together for 20 years still use formal polite speech to address each other.

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#96

Post by baerrie »

ta1243 wrote: post #63
nerdbert wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In what places has it led to trouble for tourists to work remotely in their hotel rooms or Airbnbs? Leaving aside cases when those tourists brought that trouble and scrutiny on themselves through other actions like getting into barfights or shoplifting.

Just because people break copyright law all the time and it's not enforced doesn't mean it's legal to do so. Same principle here I know I broke the law on the way back from the station earlier as I did 61mph in a 60 zone. Just because I didn't get caught doesn't make it legal.

This is not how the US judicial system works. We are innocent until proven guilty. In the case above, to say it is illegal even though it was not proven violates the above. Also, many “laws” aren’t technically codified but instead have been established by precedent, and no precedent is hard and fast. Technically you could argue both the things you mentioned above in court and win, rendering your actions legal.

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#97

Post by dageshi »

makeitdouble wrote: post #73
elzbardico wrote: post #51

In most countries you can't do any kind of work while in a tourist Visa, but this was never enforced, because it was so exceedingly rare for not to be on governments radar. But once it became more prevalent, it creates the problem (on governments view, especially post 9/11) of having a bunch of foreign folks living for months and receiving money from abroad for god knows which reason. This creates the problem for law…

It's more about taxes. If you apply for a working visa you can be flagged as having revenue generated while in the country, so you'll pay an income tax on it. The other side of it is visa overstay: it's more financially viable for working people to overstay their visa, where pure tourist have to go back at some point. Terrorists will be flagged whatever they do, as international money transfers are already heavily sc…

I doubt it's got much to do with either.

Overstaying a visa is likely a criminal offense depending on the length of the overstay, these people still have to leave the country, they're going to get caught and flagged. At a minimum they'll be prevented from re-entry but chances are there could be real punishment.

In terms of taxes, I really really doubt it, a DN is not taking a locals job, their clients & business are all out of country, their accounts and transactions are all overseas. Just figuring out what they owe and how to pay it in Japan would completely put people off using the Visa and I really doubt the Japanese government would think it worth the hassle for six months.

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#98

Post by herbst »

Shank wrote: post #81

It's exciting to see progress, but I think 180 days is too short for this to be worthwhile for people who really wanted this. They've leaned heavily into the "nomad" part, but the issue is more of practicality. This visa doesn't come with a Residency Card, which means that getting a traditional lease in Japan is going to be difficult. For 6 months, you'll be on an uphill battle with some services like housing, which…

> Taiwan Gold Card

From the first looks of it, it seems it expects me to work there for a company and not 'nomad'?

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#99

Post by m_dupont »

herbst wrote: post #79

People seem to underestimate how limiting tourist visas actually are. Imagine you sell digital products automated or something like that. You would have to literally shut your website down if you go somewhere on a tourist visa so you don't accidently make money. You might think there are exceptions, but no there usually aren't. And now imagine you actually live from a digital business you run yourself. You literally…

I mean sure, but the chances of that ever being enforced are close to 0. I'm a full time digital nomad for over a year in various latin american countries, always on tourist visas. Nobody notices or cares.

The only time I ever had an issue is when entering the united states, the immigration department gave me a grilling because my passport showed that I was clearly a nomad and they expected me to be working online.

Go ahead, take that holiday.

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#100

Post by [deleted] »

elzbardico wrote: post #51

In most countries you can't do any kind of work while in a tourist Visa, but this was never enforced, because it was so exceedingly rare for not to be on governments radar. But once it became more prevalent, it creates the problem (on governments view, especially post 9/11) of having a bunch of foreign folks living for months and receiving money from abroad for god knows which reason. This creates the problem for law…

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