The foreign personnel system is set to have a new addition. Specifically for researchers and others with an annual income of at least 20 million yen (about USD148,000).
On February 17, cabinet ministers approved the new system and operations are planned to start sometime in April. This new system will not be replacing the current point-based system which awards points based on categories like academic background, career, annual salary, age, etc.
Under this new system, researchers and engineers will be awarded a type “i” visa status if they have either a master’s degree or higher or at least 10 years of work experience, and an annual income of 20 million yen.
