Moving to Japan
Visas and residency, citizenship, tax, company and banking, cost of living and the places to live in Japan, in one place.
Eastern AsiaThinking about moving to Japan?
Here's how long you can stay, the ways to live there for good, what you'd pay in tax and what everyday life costs, each figure from an official source.
In this guide, I'll show you:
- How long you can stay, by passport
- The visas and residency routes that let you live there
- How long citizenship takes
- How tax works, with the rates
- What it costs, and the internet and safety
- The best places to live
- The basics: capital, currency and languages
Pick your passport at the top of the page, and the stay rule shows for you.
TL;DRKey takeaways
Japan at a glance
How long can you stay in Japan?
It depends on the passport you hold.
Here's the rule for the most common ones:
US passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
UK passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
EU passport (German)- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
Canadian passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
Australian passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
Indian passport- Rule
- e-Visa
- Stay
- –
For any other passport, pick yours at the top, or see every country on the visa-free countries map.
Visas and residency in Japan
Japan has a visa for people who work remotely:
- Designated Activities (digital nomad) – an income of JPY 10,000,000 a year, for 6 months
Compare them with every other country in the digital nomad visa finder.
Citizenship in Japan
Naturalization takes about 10 years of residence.
Dual citizenship isn't allowed, so you'd give up your passport.
Work out your own timeline with the second passport calculator.
Tax in Japan
Japan taxes its tax residents on their income from anywhere.
See where it sits among every country on the territorial tax map.
The main rates:
- Lowest income tax band – 15%
- Top income tax rate – 50%
- Corporate tax – 30%
- VAT or sales tax – 10%
- Capital gains tax – 20%
New residents can use Non-permanent resident status.
See how it works in tax breaks for new residents.
Where you're a tax resident usually comes down to days.
Count yours with the 183-day rule calculator.
Company and banking
Compare the banks and cards that work for people abroad in the bank account finder.
Move money for less with the money transfer comparison.
Setting up a company here?
See the fees and yearly costs in company formation compared.
Many people who live abroad run a US LLC instead; check yours with the US LLC for non-residents checker.
Cost of living in Japan
Everyday prices in Japan are about 65% of US prices.
That's the World Bank's price level for 2025: its purchasing power conversion factor divided by the exchange rate.
It's cheaper than the US, though rent in the big cities can close the gap.
A night's stay in a whole place, by Inside Airbnb's median:
- Tokyo – $132
Convert what things cost with the currency converter.
Is Japan safe?
The US State Department rates Japan Level 1 ("Exercise normal precautions", updated 2025-05-15), the same level it gives Austria, Portugal, Australia and Canada. Level 1 is normal travel. Some advisories are stricter for parts of a country, so read the full advisory before you go.
For a second view, the UK has no warning against travel.
See every country's level on the travel advisory map.
Internet in Japan
In M-Lab's open speed tests across Japan over the last 12 months, half came in above 74 Mbps download.
The fastest quarter of lines came in above 218 Mbps, closer to a good fiber connection (29,760,350 tests).
By place:
- Tokyo – 47 Mbps typical
- Osaka – 72 Mbps typical
- Kyoto – 113 Mbps typical
- Fukuoka – 76 Mbps typical
Test your own line when you arrive with my internet speed test.
The best places to live in Japan
Compare them with places everywhere in digital nomad locations.
Japan: the basics
| What | Japan |
|---|---|
| Capital | Tokyo |
| Currency | Japanese yen (JPY) |
| Languages | Japanese |
| Population | about 126.5 million |
From GeoNames' country data (CC BY 4.0).
More tools for Japan
- Passport index and compare passports
- Time zone overlap calculator for calls with home
- eSIM finder for data when you land
- Card fees abroad calculator before you spend
Japan FAQs
Visa-free, for 90 days.
Pick another passport at the top of the page to see its rule.
It depends on your passport.
Pick yours at the top of the page to see the days, and whether you need a visa first.
Yes: Designated Activities (digital nomad).
It asks for an income of JPY 10,000,000 a year.
About 10 years of residence.
No.
You'd give up your other passport to naturalize.
Japan taxes its tax residents on their income from anywhere.
Check the details with a tax adviser before you move.
Everyday prices are about 65% of US prices, by the World Bank's price level for 2025.
Rent in the biggest cities can be higher than that suggests.
The US State Department rates it Level 1.
Levels 1 and 2 are everyday travel; read the full advisory for any regions it warns about.
Half of M-Lab's tests there came in above 74 Mbps download over the last 12 months.
The fastest quarter of lines passed 218 Mbps.
The places I cover there are Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Fukuoka.
Each has its own guide with the weather by month, internet and costs.
The Japanese yen (JPY).
The main language is Japanese.
Navid Moazzez
AI business strategist & AI OS builder
Navid Moazzez helps creators and founders master AI and build their own AI Operating System (AI OS) to automate their business and life.
Navid.me is reader-supported. When you buy through links on this site, I may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
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