Working in Japan as a Nepali Student: The 28-Hour Rule and Shikakugai Permission
Japan's student visa allows zero work without the shikakugai permission stamp — then 28 hrs/week. The rules every Nepali student in Japan needs.
By Nepalese Events Australia Editorial
Published: 2026-10-01T10:00:00.000000Z
Category: Students
Japan is the strictest of the major destinations in one specific way: the student visa alone authorises no work at all. Before a Nepali student works a single paid hour in Japan, they need shikakugai katsudo kyoka — permission to engage in activity other than that permitted — a stamp obtained from immigration (often conveniently at the airport on first arrival) per Japan's Immigration Services Agency.
The 28-hour cap
With the permission stamp, the limit is 28 hours per week during term and up to 8 hours per day during official long breaks (summer, winter, spring holidays as your school defines them). The permission is generic — one stamp covers any ordinary part-time work — but it expires with your student status and must be renewed at extension.
What's prohibited outright
No permission stamp covers work in the adult entertainment industry — a broad definition in Japan that catches bars, pachinko parlours and some nightlife venues that students don't expect. Work there and it's a deportable violation, not a warning. Convenience stores, restaurants, factories, tutoring, konbini and hotel work are the normal, legal student economy.
The language gate
The real limit isn't legal — it's Japanese. Most student jobs require JLPT N4–N3 conversational ability; konbini and restaurant chains hire at N4 with training scripts, while better-paying office and hotel work opens at N3/N2. This is why language school isn't just a visa vehicle: the students who take it seriously access a completely different job market within a year.
The money math
Tokyo convenience-store wages run roughly ¥1,100–1,300/hour — 28 hours a week at ¥1,200 lands near ¥135,000/month, enough to cover modest student living costs. It's a wage economy that genuinely supports students — which is part of why Japan's Nepali student population has grown so large. Families can the JPY to NPR rate and the Nepal–Tokyo time gap.
After graduation
Japan actively wants graduates to stay — the transition from student to work visa is smoother than the lottery-d American system, and dedicated job-hunting visas bridge the gap. For the licence side of life, see our Japanese licence conversion guide.
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