Japanese language schools in 2026: the new rules, real costs, part-time work and what comes after

Sources checked: 2026-10-27 to 2026-11-13.

Which route into Japan does this page cover?

Japan offers four common study routes. This page covers the first one.

• Japanese language school (日本語学校, nihongo gakko): 1 to 2 years of full-time Japanese on the Student status (留学, ryugaku).
• Vocational school (専門学校, senmon gakko): 2-year job courses taught in Japanese. Most language school graduates go here next.
• University taught in Japanese: from April 2027, the guide level is B2 (about N2 on the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test, JLPT). See how much Japanese you need for a Japan student visa.
• University taught in English: see Japan’s universities in English.

The visa steps are on Japan student visa requirements in 2026: how the Certificate of Eligibility works, the documents you need and the money you must show. For every other route into Japan, see which Japan visa guide you need.

What changed for Japanese language schools, and when?

Japan moved the approval of language schools from the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA) to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). The old list keeps working until 2029-03-31.

How it used to work: the immigration list

Until 2024, ISA alone decided which schools could sponsor students. These schools are still called schools on the immigration notice list (法務省告示校, homusho kokujiko).

ISA also grades every school each year. A school is graded “not proper” (非適正校, hi-tekiseiko) when more than 5% of its students became problem cases in the past year: they overstayed, were refused a renewal for poor study, lost their status or got a deportation order (ISA, 2019). Students of such a school do not get the longest period of stay, and their paperwork gets no shortcuts. A “proper” school (適正校, tekiseiko) gets simpler paperwork, and the top grade needs 1% or less for three years in a row (ISA).

The 2019 tightening

In July 2019, ISA made the removal rules stricter (ISA slides, September 2019). A school can now lose its listing when:

• its average attendance over six months falls below 70% (before: 50%);
• 30% or more of one year’s new students overstay (before: half);
• it is graded “not proper” three years in a row;
• new: fewer than 70% of its graduates go on to a university or vocational school, move to a work status, or reach A2 (about JLPT N4) Japanese, three years in a row (MEXT, 2019-03-29).

Schools also began reporting every student whose monthly attendance falls below 50%, and publishing where their graduates go each year (ISA). The same year, ISA and the education ministry tightened rules for universities and vocational schools after many enrolled students went missing, which officials feared led to overstays and illegal work (ISA and MEXT policy, 2019-06-11).

What is different now: certified schools

The Japanese Language Education Institutions Certification Act (日本語教育機関認定法, nihongo kyoiku kikan nintei ho) started on 2024-04-01. MEXT now certifies schools as certified Japanese language schools (認定日本語教育機関, nintei nihongo kyoiku kikan). Compared with the old list (MEXT):

• Teachers: they must be registered Japanese teachers (登録日本語教員, toroku nihongo kyoin), a new national qualification. Teachers with the old qualifications may keep teaching until 2029-03-31.
• Courses: a certified school must offer at least one study course aiming at B2 or higher, with at least 760 class hours a year (the same hours as before).
• Checks: a ministry panel visits schools, and each school files a yearly report: attendance, Japanese level at graduation, and where graduates went.
• Information: MEXT publishes each certified school’s courses and fees on a portal in several languages.
• Your next step: finishing a certified school’s B2 course counts as proof of B2 for a university that teaches in Japanese (ISA).

How many schools have been certified, refused or closed?

MEXT reviews applications twice a year. These are the four rounds with results (MEXT summary of past rounds, MEXT, April 2026 round):

How to read the table:

• Applications count attempts. A school that withdraws can apply again, so the “Applied” column counts some schools twice.
• One gap in the first round: MEXT’s summary gives no outcome for 11 of its 72 applicants.
• Under review: 13 schools from the April 2026 round were still under review. They are among the 230 applicants of the next round, which includes 161 schools from the old list (MEXT). Its results were not on MEXT’s results page on 2026-11-08.
• Why schools failed or pulled out: in the first round, many had weak course designs; some operators were in debt or did not own their campus (MEXT panel chair’s remarks, 2024-10-30).

How many schools still need certification:

• 873 schools were on the old list at the end of 2024, nearly double the number ten years earlier; schools without certification must stop taking international students by March 2029 (The Yomiuri Shimbun, in Viet Nam News, 2026-03-02).
• 823 were listed on 2026-07-02, 22 of them already certified, so about 800 still need certification (a count of ISA’s list by the trade site jepo.jp, 2026-07-07).

What we found on closures and enforcement:

• Removals: the one recent case we found is a Fukuoka school removed from the list in September 2022 for restraining Vietnamese students with chains, which barred it from new students for five years. The Fukuoka District Court dismissed the school’s challenge on 2024-07-03, and the school said it would appeal (NetIB-News). We found no report of a school removed in 2025 or 2026.
• Visa checks on students: about 120,000 Certificate of Eligibility (COE) applications were filed through language schools in 2023, and about 27,000 were refused, roughly 77% approved. This comes from ISA documents obtained by an immigration filing office through a disclosure request (Kisaragi office).
• Demand: language schools had 140,174 international students on 2025-05-01, up 30.7% in a year, according to the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), an agency under MEXT (JASSO).

Our view: the numbers show a slow sorting. Most schools are still on the old list and can sponsor students until 2029-03-31. So far, the main filter is the review itself: more applications were withdrawn than approved. For you, the risk is choosing a school that may not be certified before you finish, so check before you pay.

How can you check a school before you apply?

Ask these questions before you pay the screening fee.

1. Is it certified? Search the MEXT certification portal. Certified schools show their courses and fees there.
2. If not, is it on the immigration list, and has it applied? A school on the list can still sponsor your visa until 2029-03-31. For example, ECC in Osaka states in its 2027 guide that it has applied, and that if certification is delayed, students join its current courses and keep their visa through the school (ECC guide 2027).
3. Where did its graduates go? Schools must publish this every year (ISA). Ask for the latest numbers.
4. What are its attendance rules? A student with low attendance is reported to immigration, and low attendance can cost you your renewal.
5. Is its course long enough for your plan? A vocational school accepts one full year at a language school or a test at about B2 (JLPT N2); a university needs about B2.

How much do Japanese language school fees cost in 2026?

A first year costs about 840,000 to 980,000 yen at the three schools we checked. Fees differ more by school than by city.

Akamonkai’s current fees (845,000 for the first year) apply until its January 2027 term; it raises fees from April 2027 because of rising costs (Akamonkai). Both Akamonkai and ECC collect the first-year fees after immigration issues your COE, and the screening fee is not refunded.

What do you pay before and right after you arrive?

This is a rough first bill for an April 2027 start, in yen, with a bed in a shared share-house room in each city. Your flight comes on top.

Where the numbers come from:

• Visa fee: about 15,000 yen for a single-entry visa since 2026-07-01, up from about 3,000, paid in local currency; some nationalities pay a different amount (TravelVoice, 2026-07-01). Check with the Japanese embassy where you apply.
• Rooms: a bed in a two-person room at Borderless House Machiya1 in Tokyo’s Arakawa ward, near Akamonkai’s Nippori campus, and at Borderless House Osaka-Tamatsukuri costs 43,000 yen rent plus 10,000 yen for utilities and internet a month. Each house charges a 45,000 yen initial fee (30,000 key money and 15,000 cleaning) and lists no deposit; the men’s two-person room in Osaka costs 48,000 rent (Machiya1, Osaka-Tamatsukuri, both read 2026-11-08). Rooms are for men or for women, and some open beds are offered only to Japanese or only to foreign residents, so the bed you get depends on the day.
• A regular apartment: landlords often ask for a deposit of a few months’ rent, key money and an agent’s fee up front, and usually a guarantor (Study in Japan). Share houses and school dormitories avoid most of this.

Other one-time costs to plan for:

• Other share houses: Oakhouse’s house in Itabashi ward, Tokyo, charges a 20,000 yen contract fee for a shared room and 50,000 yen for a single room, with no deposit or key money (Oakhouse, 2026-11-08).
• School dormitories: JASSO’s own centres charge an entrance fee of 15,000 yen (Tokyo) or 20,000 yen (Osaka) plus a 30,000 yen deposit (Tokyo, Osaka, read 2026-11-08). Ask your own school what its dormitory charges.
• Bedding: Borderless House rents a bedding set for 12,000 yen once, or you bring your own.
• Phone: IIJmio charges a 3,300 yen sign-up fee, 3,850 yen for new sign-ups from 2026-12-01, plus about 430 yen for the SIM card (IIJmio, read 2026-11-08).

Proof of funds: ISA says you need a money plan, and it does not accept paying all tuition and living costs from part-time work (ISA, read 2026-11-13). ECC, for example, asks for a sponsor’s bank balance and proof of income (ECC guide 2027). What the visa application asks you to show is in how much money you need for a Japan student visa.

How much does a month cost in Tokyo and Osaka?

A month costs about 86,000 yen in either city if you share a room and cook at home, 130,000 (Tokyo) or 101,000 (Osaka) for the average student, and about 137,000 to 144,000 with your own room. School fees are not included. The tables below build each month line by line, in yen.

Tokyo, a month:

Osaka, a month:

Where each line comes from:

• Typical student: the averages for all international students in JASSO’s survey, taken from November 2023 to March 2024 for the Tokyo and Kinki (Osaka area) regions; prices have risen since (JASSO survey, table 7-4). Each is an average over everyone, including students who pay nothing for that item: only 51.8% of students pay anything for commuting (table 7-5). The same survey puts Kyushu (Fukuoka area) at 82,000 yen a month.
• Rent, cheapest: the Borderless House two-person rooms in the first bill above, 43,000 rent plus 10,000 for utilities and internet (read 2026-11-08). An ordinary flat can cost less, especially when friends share it: 23.2% of international students living in private flats paid under 30,000 yen a month in JASSO’s survey (table 10-5), but a flat brings the deposit, key money and guarantor described above. If your school has a dormitory, ask its price: JASSO’s own centres, which house only their own students, charge 28,000 yen a month in Tokyo and 26,000 in Osaka for a single room, plus 2,000 for Wi-Fi, with electricity extra (read 2026-11-08).
• Rent, comfortable: in Tokyo, a single room at Oakhouse’s Itabashi house costs 69,000 to 84,000 yen a month with its monthly fee, which is where utilities are charged (Oakhouse, 2026-11-08; utilities). In Osaka, a single room at Borderless House Osaka-Tamatsukuri costs 53,000 to 58,000 rent plus 13,000 for utilities and internet (2026-11-08). The tables use the lower figure.
• Food: single people aged 34 or under in Japan spent 41,992 yen a month on food in 2025, eating out included, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ household survey (総務省 家計調査, kakei chosa), as reported by LIMO, 2026-09-29. The 25,000 yen cheapest figure is our estimate, about 830 yen a day for cooking at home; the lowest regional food average in JASSO’s survey is 27,000 yen (Kyushu and Tohoku).
• Phone: IIJmio’s voice SIM with 5 GB is 950 yen a month (IIJmio, read 2026-11-08). ahamo is 2,970 yen for 30 GB, and 3,135 yen for 40 GB from 2026-12-01 (ahamo).
• Transport: the cheapest tier assumes a room within walking or cycling distance of school; a bicycle is not included. In Tokyo, a Tokyo Metro ride of 1 to 6 km costs 178 yen by IC card, per Tokyo Metro’s fare guide dated 2026-03-14, so two rides a day on 20 school days is 7,120 yen (our arithmetic; Tokyo Metro fare guide). In Osaka, a one-month Osaka Metro commuter pass for zone 1 (up to 3 km) costs 7,930 yen; the student pass costs 3,430 yen, but only if your school can certify you for one, so ask (Osaka Metro, read 2026-11-08).
• Health insurance: national health insurance (国民健康保険, kokumin kenko hoken) at FY2026 rates, in your first year, with a low-income declaration filed, is about 1,700 yen a month in Tokyo’s Ota ward (our arithmetic: 67,073 yen of flat charges for FY2026, cut by 70%; Ota ward rates, reduction rule). In Osaka the same calculation gives about 2,300 yen a month, plus a small new child-support charge (Osaka Prefecture rates for FY2026). In year two, your part-time pay from year one counts as income, so the reduction may stop and the bill rises.
• National pension (国民年金, kokumin nenkin): every foreign resident aged 20 to 59 must join; the premium is 17,920 yen a month in FY2026 (Nerima ward). If your school is on the pension office’s list, apply for the student deferral (学生納付特例, gakusei nofu tokurei) (Japan Pension Service); if not, ask your ward office about the low-income exemption. Without either, add 17,920 yen to every column.
• Daily goods, clothes, hobbies: JASSO’s “other daily costs” and “hobbies” lines (phone included) for the typical and comfortable columns; 5,000 yen is our estimate for the cheapest.

Language school students alone spend 196,000 yen a month in Tokyo and 159,000 in Kinki, with tuition included (same survey, table 7-3).

How many hours can a language school student work?

You can work 28 hours a week, after you get work permission (資格外活動許可, shikakugai katsudo kyoka) (ISA).

• Getting permission: new students given more than 3 months of Student status can apply at the airport on arrival; otherwise, apply at your regional immigration office (Study in Japan).
• Long holidays: during the long holidays set in your school’s rules, up to 8 hours a day. ISA’s wording is 「１週について２８時間以内（教育機関の長期休業期間にあっては、１日について８時間以内）」, “28 hours or less a week (during the school’s long holidays, 8 hours or less a day)” (ISA, read 2026-11-08). ISA states the daily limit only, so ask your school how many days a week it allows. Japan’s labour law separately caps a normal working week at 40 hours (Labor Standards Act, Article 32).
• Excluded work: bars, clubs and other adult-entertainment venues (ISA).
• School checks: every 3 months your school asks about your permission, every employer, your work and your daily hours. It reports serious cases, such as an employer forcing more than 28 hours a week (ISA).
• Breaking the limit: it can lead to removal from Japan or a refused renewal. ISA also warns about agents who promise more than 300,000 yen a month from part-time work (ISA).

The same rules apply to every student: see how many hours you can work on a Japan student visa.

In JASSO’s survey, 68.9% of language school students worked. Of those, 44.9% worked 20 to 25 hours a week and 27.2% worked 25 hours or more (JASSO survey, tables 8-1 and 8-5).

What does a convenience store job pay?

A convenience store (コンビニ, konbini) job usually starts at the local minimum wage. Minimum wages rose from October 2026, on dates set by each prefecture, according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) (MHLW, 2026-09-03; prefecture table).

How we computed the last column: 28 hours × 52 weeks ÷ 12 months = 121.3 hours a month, times the hourly rate. All pay is before income tax; resident tax is charged in the following year.

What job listings showed on 2026-11-08 (Baitoru, Tokyo; Baitoru, Osaka):

• Tokyo: convenience store listings averaged 1,313 yen an hour, which is 159,311 yen a month at 28 hours. A 7-Eleven in Arakawa ward offered 1,280 yen by day and 1,600 yen from 22:00 to 08:00.
• Osaka: listings averaged 1,248 yen, which is 151,424 yen a month at 28 hours. A Lawson in Nishi ward offered 1,231 yen by day and 1,539 yen from 22:00 to 06:00.
• Night work: employers must add at least 25% for work between 22:00 and 05:00 (Labor Standards Act, Article 37). That is why 1,280 becomes 1,600.

In practice, language school students who worked earned 106,000 yen a month on average in JASSO’s survey (table 5-5), taken before the minimum-wage rises of 2024, 2025 and 2026.

Can part-time work pay for school and rent?

At 28 hours a week on the minimum wage, Osaka covers the second year’s fees at either spending level and Tokyo only at the cheapest; at the pay students actually report, neither city does. Here is one student with 1.5 million yen in savings, starting a two-year course in April 2027, working 28 hours a week at the minimum wage (yen, rough, our arithmetic):

Read the “no job” rows first: without work, the money left on arrival lasts about three and a half to five and a half months. The pay assumption matters as much as the rent. At the average pay language school students actually earned (106,000 yen a month), even the cheapest month leaves Tokyo about 124,000 yen short and Osaka about 246,000 yen short of the second-year fees, and the typical month leaves them about 612,000 and 408,000 short. Akamonkai collects the second year’s fees about 11 months after you start (Akamonkai); ECC’s guide gives no due date for the second year, so we used the same 11 months.

A cheaper region helps too. In Fukuoka, 28 hours at the minimum wage of 1,114 yen pays 135,165 yen a month, against the 82,000 yen Kyushu average, which leaves about 53,000 yen a month (our arithmetic).

These figures leave out your flight, the national pension if you can neither defer it nor get an exemption (17,920 a month), a higher health insurance bill in year two, taxes, and the weeks before your first job. Our view: 1.5 million yen pays the first year’s fees and your arrival in either city, with about three and a half to five and a half months of living costs left. A student who shares a room, cooks at home and works close to 28 hours from the first months can save the second year’s fees in either city. Most students earn less than that, so plan on family support or a scholarship for the second year. Only 13.2% of language school students had a scholarship, at 35,000 yen a month on average (JASSO survey, table 5-5).

Where do language school graduates go next?

Most go on to more study in Japan, mainly at vocational schools. Of 21,580 students who finished at 184 member schools of the Association for the Promotion of Japanese Language Education, Nisshinkyo (日本語教育振興協会, nihongo kyoiku shinko kyokai), in the 2024 school year (Nisshinkyo survey, March 2026):

Shares are our arithmetic from Nisshinkyo’s counts. For the 2,552 Vietnamese students who finished, 1,885 (73.9%) went on to study: 1,499 to vocational schools and 347 to universities. Another 301 found jobs in Japan, 303 went home and 14 lost contact with their school.

How do you get from a language school into a university?

Many universities ask international applicants for scores from the Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students (日本留学試験, nihon ryugaku shiken), or EJU, run by JASSO (JASSO, EJU 2026):

• Dates: twice a year. In 2026: June 21 (apply February 16 to March 12) and November 8 (apply July 6 to 30).
• Subjects: Japanese (reading and listening 0 to 400, writing 0 to 50), plus science, Japan and the World, or mathematics (0 to 200 each), as each university requires.
• Fee in Japan: 12,000 yen for one subject, 23,000 yen for two or more.

A possible timeline, our reading of the EJU calendar:

• April start, two-year course: first EJU in November (7 months in), then June and November of the second year, then university in April after two years.
• October start, 18-month course: first EJU in June (8 months in), then November, then university the following April.

Language level: from April 2027, universities teaching in Japanese expect B2 (about JLPT N2). Until FY2029, JLPT N2 or an EJU Japanese score of 200 or more counts as proof (ISA).

Where students are now: among 2,470 language school students in JASSO’s survey (all stages of their course, not only graduates), about 46% held JLPT N2 or N1, 28.5% held N3 and 13% held no JLPT level (our arithmetic from tables 12-5 and 12-6, JASSO survey).

What Japanese level does each next step need?

The level depends on where you go after the language school. How JLPT levels match the CEFR levels below is in the JLPT and CEFR table.

Going straight to a job: the office work visa asks for a university degree (from Japan or abroad), a Japanese vocational school title (専門士, senmonshi), or proof of relevant work experience; a language school certificate is not on ISA’s list of proofs (ISA). The job-hunting visa after graduation is open to language school students only in a narrow case (ISA); the conditions, and every other way to stay, are in what you can do in Japan after you graduate. The Japanese level each work visa asks for is on the Japanese level for each Japan visa.

Before you apply: This page is general information, not legal or financial advice. Fees, wages and rules change, so check each school’s current fee table and ISA’s student page on the day you apply. For your own case, ask a lawyer registered in Japan (弁護士, bengoshi) or an administrative scrivener approved to file immigration applications (申請取次行政書士, shinsei toritsugi gyoseishoshi). Sources last checked: 2026-10-27 to 2026-11-13.