Japan will require certain foreign nationals applying for its most common white-collar work visa to prove language proficiency, including in Japanese, if their work involves the use of language skills.
Under new guidelines that apply from Wednesday, certain applicants for the “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” visa — widely used by interpreters, company workers, and hotel staff — must submit proof of their language ability.
The new benchmark has been set at the equivalent of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) B2 level. According to the Justice Ministry, a Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N2 certificate or a score of 400 or higher on the Business Japanese Proficiency Test (BJT) can be used to prove Japanese proficiency.
