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Can a foreign resident in Japan work this part-time job or side gig on their status, and which permission is needed?

japan_parttime_work_check

Read-onlyIdempotent

Applies the Immigration Services Agency's rules on permission for activities outside status of residence (資格外活動許可, Immigration Control Act art. 19(2); rules as of 2026-10-26). Comprehensive permission (包括許可) for Student, Dependent and Designated Activities (dependent / job hunting): 28 hours in any 7 days, all jobs combined; students 8 h/day in the school's official long vacation; never at 風俗営業 / 特定遊興飲食店 / sex-related venues in any role. NEW 2026-10-01: Dependent (家族滞在) holders only may work at pachinko, mahjong and licensed game centers (風営法 2条1項4号・5号) with an individual permission per venue (employer + applicant pledges, venue license copy, ≤ 28 h total); students still excluded. Contractor delivery counts only if hours are objectively verifiable; freelance with unclear hours needs individual permission; company/staff/office needs Business Manager. Work visas: same-field OK, other work status needs individual permission, simple labor generally not allowed. SSW, Technical Intern, Temporary Visitor: no side jobs; Working Holiday free except 風俗営業; PR/spouse/long-term resident unrestricted. Returns verdict (ok | ok_if_hours | apply_first | individual_permission | status_change | not_allowed | no_restriction), headline, summary, permissionNeeded, hours {weeklyLimit, dailyLimitOnVacation, withinLimit, rolling windows}, conditions, documents, steps, warnings, ISA sources, disclaimer. Use for 'can I work on a student visa', 留学生アルバイト 28時間, 家族滞在パチンコ, Uber Eats on a visa. Educational, not immigration advice; not affiliated with ISA.

Tool call template

Replace each placeholder with a value matching the input schema. Only required parameters are included; add optional parameters as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {
      "status": "<status>",
      "job": "<job>"
    },
    "name": "japan_parttime_work_check"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`job`	Yes	Kind of work or venue. izakaya_bar = no hosting of guests; hostess_bar = hosting (接待) venues incl. snack/girls bar; delivery_gig = app contractor (Uber Eats etc.); internship = over 28 h/week.
`status`	Yes	Status of residence. student = 留学; dependent = 家族滞在; designated_dependent / job_hunting = 特定活動; work_visa = 技人国, 教育, 教授 etc.; specified_skilled = 特定技能; technical_intern = 技能実習; temporary_visitor = tourist; unrestricted = permanent resident, spouse of Japanese/PR, long-term resident.
`enrolled`	No	Students: still enrolled and attending. Default true.
`dailyHours`	No	Day-by-day hours, comma separated, all jobs combined; suffix v = school long-vacation day (students only), e.g. '8v,8v,8v,4,4,0,0'. Checks every rolling 7-day window.
`permission`	No	Permission already held. comprehensive = 28-hour stamp on the residence card. Default unknown.
`weeklyHours`	No	Hours in a 7-day period across ALL side jobs.
`longVacation`	No	Students: hours fall in the school's official long vacation (8 h/day rule).
`sameCategoryWork`	No	Work visa: side job is the same kind of work the visa covers.
`internshipEligible`	No	Students: final-year undergrad with ~90%+ credits, final-year master's/PhD, or credit-bearing practicum.
`hasEmployeesOrOffice`	No	Freelance: hires staff, has a company or rents an office.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

First observedNov 10, 2026

TDQS

A4.3/5.0

Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already declare readOnly/idempotent/non-destructive, so the safety profile is covered; the description adds the rule vintage ('as of 2026-10-26'), the outlook field set, and a clear 'educational, not immigration advice' disclaimer. No contradiction with annotations.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness3/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

One dense wall-of-text paragraph cramming every status, exception and return field; the core rule is front-loaded but the middle collapses into an undifferentiated run of clauses. It is information-rich but poorly structured for scanning.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a 10-parameter, no-output-schema tool it discloses the verdict enumeration, return fields (headline, permissionNeeded, hours, warnings, sources, disclaimer) and the currency of the rules. An agent has everything needed to call it and interpret results.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, so the baseline is 3, but the description goes further by tying behavior to specific parameter branches — e.g. delivery_gig counting only when hours are objectively verifiable, freelance with unclear hours needing individual permission, and company/office triggering Business Manager (hasEmployeesOrOffice).

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

Opens with a specific verb and resource ('Applies the Immigration Services Agency's rules on permission for activities outside status of residence') and scopes it to part-time work/side gigs by residence status. This is unmistakably distinct from siblings like japan_visa_fee_check or japan_permanent_residency_check.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Gives explicit trigger phrasings ('can I work on a student visa', 留学生アルバイト 28時間, 家族滞在パチンコ, Uber Eats on a visa) that tell an agent exactly when to route here. It does not name alternative tools or state when-not-to-use, keeping it below a 5.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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