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Specified Skilled Worker (ii) — Fishery and aquaculture

JapanWork

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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What type of worker, employment situation, occupation or professional activity is this pathway actually designed for?

This route is for fishery or aquaculture work at an advanced level: assisting managers who supervise and direct operations, instructing workers, and managing the work processes specific to each type (fishery, aquaculture).

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Condition: the activity is limited to the authorised job category; the common rules on the employment contract and on changing employer also apply.

Does the applicant need a job offer, employer, sponsor, transfer relationship or other employer involvement? What is important about that employer relationship?

A contract of employment with a public or private organisation in Japan designated by the Minister of Justice is required, for the authorised SSW activities. As of 1 December 2025, agency (dispatch) employment is permitted only in the agriculture and fishery fields, subject to additional requirements set out in the official FAQ.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Temporal limitation: Q5 expressly states the position as of 1 December 2025.

What are the few decisive professional characteristics of the pathway: occupation, qualifications, experience, salary, skill level, shortage status, labour-market condition or equivalent?

Remuneration must be equal to or higher than that of Japanese nationals performing equivalent work, and the worker must be 18 or older. For fishery or aquaculture SSW(ii), the worker needs at least two years assisting the person who supervises and directs operations, or instructing workers while working and managing work processes, in the relevant category, plus the No.2 Fishing industry skills proficiency Test and JLPT N3 or higher.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Condition: the pay requirement is a comparison with Japanese workers; the source does not state a fixed national minimum amount in yen.
  • Condition: fishery on a registered fishing vessel; aquaculture under the laws cited. The alternative between assisting the operation's supervisor and instructing workers while managing work processes is preserved.
  • Exception: for those already in Japan in fishery or aquaculture SSW(i) on 9 June 2023, the guide allows earlier experience in the field to be credited even without actual supervisory duties.
  • Temporal limitation: version of 15 February 2024 indicated on the portal; later full legal consolidation is not presumed.

What work does the permission allow? Is the holder tied to an employer, occupation or sector? Can family accompany where clearly established?

Holders may do fishery or aquaculture work at an advanced level: assisting managers who supervise and direct operations, instructing workers, and managing the work processes specific to each type. Work remains limited to the authorised job category and skills; changing the SSW employer requires permission to change status of residence, and part-time work is not allowed. As of 1 December 2025, agency (dispatch) employment is permitted only in the agriculture and fishery fields, subject to additional requirements. The official source does not state whether family can accompany.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Condition: work remains limited to the authorised job category and skills.
  • Temporal limitation: Q5 expressly states the position as of 1 December 2025.
  • Condition: the activity is limited to the authorised job category; the common rules on the employment contract and on changing employer also apply.
  • Statement not used as evidence (its source page could not be captured): for SSW(ii), a spouse and children may accompany the holder if the applicable requirements are met.

How long is the permission normally granted for, how is it renewed, and what longer-term residence direction exists if officially stated?

SSW(ii) periods are three years, two years, one year or six months, with no overall cap on cumulative stay; renewal must be applied for before the granted period expires to continue the same activity. It is not automatically permanent residence, and SSW(ii) does not follow automatically from SSW(i) but can be obtained directly by demonstrating the skills. Permanent residence requires, among other things, ten years of continuous residence including at least five years with a work or residence status, to which SSW(ii) time counts but SSW(i) and technical intern training time does not.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Condition: renewal requires its own procedure: an application must be made before the granted period expires.
  • Temporal limitation: the legal date of introduction of the two-year option was not found; the May 2026 presentation lists 3 years, 1 year or 6 months.
  • Unresolved: entry-into-force date and transition of the two-year option.
  • Condition: this is only one of the requirements; it is not an approval or an automatic route.
  • Not found: the instrument, entry-into-force date and transition of the two-year SSW(ii) option, which appears in the Japanese-language table and FAQ but not in the May 2026 table.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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