KoboshiSources checked: 2026-10-23 to 2026-10-27.
For the other ways to move to Japan, start with Japan visa requirements in 2026. This page covers one route, Specified Skilled Worker, and its restaurant field.
What is the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) visa?
SSW is a work visa for 19 industries that are short of workers, including nursing care, construction, farming and restaurants. You do not need a degree. You need to pass a skills test for the industry and a Japanese test, or finish level 2 of Technical Intern Training (技能実習, gino jisshu) in a related job (Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA) SSW overview, updated 2026-09-29).
SSW has two levels, Type 1 and Type 2. The Japanese requirements below use two scales:
- JLPT: Japanese-Language Proficiency Test, from N5 (easiest) to N1.
- CEFR: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, from A1 (easiest) to C2.
| SSW Type 1 (特定技能1号, tokutei ginou ichigo) | SSW Type 2 (特定技能2号, tokutei ginou nigo) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Workers with basic skills | Experienced workers and team leaders |
| Industries | 19 | 11 |
| How long you can stay | Up to 5 years in total (6 in some cases) | No total limit; each renewal covers 6 months to 3 years |
| Bring your family | Generally not allowed | Spouse and children allowed |
| Japanese needed | A2 (about JLPT N4) | Food service now: JLPT N3 (about B1). From 2027-04-01: B1 (about JLPT N3) in every field, for applicants from abroad |
| Limit on worker numbers | Yes, for each industry | No |
Is Japan’s SSW food service visa open in 2026?
In principle, no. For applications received from 2026-04-13, ISA generally does not issue new Certificates of Eligibility for food service. Its page calls these applications “in principle not issued” (原則不交付, gensoku fukofu). It also generally refuses applications to switch into food service from other visas. ISA has given no reopening date (ISA food service page, 2026-10-19, re-read 2026-10-27).
A Certificate of Eligibility (COE) is the document a worker abroad needs before getting the visa.
| Your situation | What ISA does |
|---|---|
| New COE application, received from 2026-04-13 | Generally does not issue a COE |
| COE application received before 2026-04-13 | Issues COEs in date order as space opens; now up to applications received 2026-02-06 |
| Changing to food service from another visa, from 2026-04-13 | Generally refuses the application |
| Already a food service Type 1 worker, changing employer | Processes the application normally |
| Renewing a food service visa | Processes the application normally |
On 2026-10-16, 7,361 older COE applications were still waiting, according to ISA’s food service page. ISA lists 732, 1,825 and 4,804 by month received; we added them up.
The Type 1 skills test previously ran in Japan and abroad. OTAFF, which runs the test, stopped it on 2026-03-27 following instructions from the farm ministry. No restart date has been given. On 2026-10-27, OTAFF’s page still said the test was stopped (OTAFF notice; OTAFF test page).
Why did Japan close the SSW food service visa?
Japan stopped issuing new certificates because of the limit on food service Type 1 workers. The limit is 50,000 workers for the period up to March 2029. ISA counted about 46,000 at the end of February 2026 and set the stop for 2026-04-13 (ISA notice, 2026-03-27). By the end of July 2026, the count was 49,290 (ISA cap table).
Can you still get food service SSW Type 2 in Japan?
Food service SSW Type 2 remains an option for people already working in Japanese restaurants. Its test still runs in Japan only. OTAFF lists these conditions (OTAFF Type 2 page):
- Pass the Type 2 test. It has no reading guides (furigana) above the Japanese characters. Only your employer can book it.
- Pass JLPT N3 or higher (about B1).
- Have at least 2 years of experience supervising staff in a licensed restaurant, for example as deputy manager.
At the end of June 2026, 2,046 people held food service Type 2, according to ISA SSW statistics.
Which SSW fields in Japan still have room?
Every SSW field except food service was below 80% of its cap (worker limit) at the end of July 2026. Across all fields, 432,016 people held SSW Type 1, using 53.6% of the combined limit of 805,700 (ISA cap table, end of July 2026).
| Field | Cap to March 2029 | Workers, July 2026 | Cap used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food service (restaurants) | 50,000 | 49,290 | 98.6%, closed |
| Food and drink manufacturing | 133,500 | 101,922 | 76.3% |
| Construction | 76,000 | 52,366 | 68.9% |
| Nursing care | 126,900 | 81,436 | 64.2% |
| Agriculture | 73,300 | 44,952 | 61.3% |
| Aviation | 4,900 | 2,823 | 57.6% |
| Car maintenance | 9,400 | 5,332 | 56.7% |
| Shipbuilding and marine | 23,400 | 11,693 | 50.0% |
| Fishery | 14,800 | 4,988 | 33.7% |
| Building cleaning | 32,200 | 10,514 | 32.7% |
| Industrial product manufacturing | 199,500 | 63,032 | 31.6% |
| Hotels and inns (accommodation) | 14,800 | 2,771 | 18.7% |
| Truck, bus and taxi driving | 22,100 | 703 | 3.2% |
| Railway | 2,900 | 73 | 2.5% |
| Wood industry | 4,500 | 99 | 2.2% |
| Forestry | 900 | 19 | 2.1% |
| Linen supply | 4,300 | 3 | 0.1% |
| Logistics warehouses | 11,400 | none yet | |
| Resource recycling | 900 | none yet |
- You still need to find an employer, even when a field has room.
- Our reading: food and drink manufacturing is the closest field to restaurant work. Its tests still run (OTAFF).
- Nursing care, bus, taxi and railway jobs have extra Japanese requirements (ISA SSW overview).
- SSW holders, Type 1 and Type 2, and every other status on 2026-06-30 are counted in Japan visa statistics 2026.
How much Japanese do you need for an SSW work visa in Japan?
Most SSW Type 1 fields require A2 Japanese (about JLPT N4). You can skip the Japanese test if you finished level 2 of Technical Intern Training in a related job.
Food service Type 2 currently requires JLPT N3 or higher (about B1). From 2027-04-01, applicants from abroad will need B1 (about JLPT N3) for Type 2 in every field.
| Route | Japanese needed | Accepted proof |
|---|---|---|
| Type 1, most fields | A2 (about JLPT N4) | JFT-Basic (Japan Foundation Test for Basic Japanese) at A2, or JLPT N4 or higher |
| Type 2, food service now | JLPT N3 or higher (about B1) | JLPT N3 or higher |
| Type 2, every field, applying from abroad from 2027-04-01 | B1 (about JLPT N3) | ISA has not said yet |
| Employment for Skill Development (育成就労, ikusei shuro), from 2027-04-01 | A1 (JLPT N5) to start; A2 (JLPT N4) to move to SSW | A test, or a Japanese course before work |
Sources: ISA SSW overview, ISA 2027 language rules, ISA Employment for Skill Development overview.
JLPT N3 and B1 are not an exact match. On JLPT score reports since December 2025, an N3 pass shows as B1 only at 104 points or more out of 180. A lower N3 pass shows as A2 (JLPT CEFR reference).
The skills tests are in Japanese too. The Type 1 food service test used reading guides; the Type 2 test has none (OTAFF Type 1 page). For Japanese levels by visa, see Japan visa Japanese requirements in 2026.
What changes for food service in Japan on 2027-04-01?
Type 2 language requirements change for applicants from abroad, and a new training route replaces Technical Intern Training.
- Type 2 Japanese: Food service currently requires JLPT N3 or higher (about B1). From 2027-04-01, people applying from abroad will need B1 (about JLPT N3) in every field. ISA has not set the date for people already in Japan (ISA 2027 language rules).
- Training route: Technical Intern Training is the current route. Employment for Skill Development replaces it from 2027-04-01. It is a 3-year route combining work and training that leads to SSW Type 1. Food service is one of its fields, with its own cap of 5,300 workers over April 2027 to March 2029. Workers cannot change employer by choice for the first 2 years (farm ministry food service policy, 2026-01-26).
Our reading: someone who starts this route in April 2027 finishes around April 2030, after the current SSW cap period ends in March 2029. No source yet says what the food service cap will be after that.
How can you check Japan’s food service visa status yourself?
Check ISA’s food service page for visa rules and OTAFF’s test page for test updates. Both are in Japanese.
- ISA’s food service page: check the posting date in the title, currently 2026-10-19, and the latest application receipt date for which COEs are being issued, currently 2026-02-06.
- OTAFF’s test page: look for the notice meaning “this test is currently stopped”.
Before you apply: This page is general information, not legal advice. Meeting these rules does not guarantee a visa; ISA decides each case. Rules change, so check ISA’s food service 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: 2026-10-23 to 2026-10-27.
