Japanese Descent: the Long-Term Resident Status and the Fourth Generation
Answer
The general rule applies to you
No exception is recorded for citizens of Austria on this topic. That is the answer, not a gap - everything below is the rule you get, unchanged.
195 exceptions recorded across 74 countries · none match Austria to Japan · Residency through ancestry
Japanese descent does open a door, but the Act does not say so: the Long-Term Resident status in the second appended table simply says the Minister of Justice may authorise residence where special grounds exist, and the content is filled in by a public notice. Descendants of Japanese emigrants have used that notice since 1990. For the fourth generation there is a separate route in the Designated Activities notice, and it is readable in full: eighteen to thirty-five years old, a supporter in Japan providing help free of charge, insurance, good conduct, means to return home, and a Japanese-language test that gets harder the longer the stay runs and the older the applicant is. It runs for a maximum of five years and it is not a residence permit by descent so much as a cultural-exchange permission with a wage attached.
At a glance
- What the Act says about descent
- Nothing
The Long-Term Resident row of Appended Table II reads only that the Minister of Justice authorises residence for a designated period, taking special grounds into consideration. Descent is in the public notice, not the statute.
- Fourth-generation route
- Designated Activities, item 43 of Public Notice No. 131 of 1990
Read in full in the Immigration Services Agency's PDF of the notice, as amended to 8 April 2026.
- Age limits on that route
- 18 to 35
十八歳以上三十五歳以下 in Appended Table 10 of the notice, item (ii). The only age ceiling in anything read for Japan.
- Maximum total stay on that route
- 5 years
通算して五年を超えない期間 in item 43 of the notice.
- Japanese required at 18 to 30
- Basic Japanese, proved by examination or other means
Appended Table 10, item (viii)(a) and (b) of the notice. Only (a) accepts 'other means'; (b) requires a test.
- Japanese required at 31 to 35
- Some understanding of everyday Japanese, proved by examination
Appended Table 10, item (viii)(c). No alternative to a test at this age.
- Work on that route
- Permitted only to fund the activity
必要な範囲内の報酬を受ける活動（風俗営業活動を除く。）- remuneration within the range needed to fund the cultural activities, and not in the adult-entertainment trades.
- Periods of stay for Long-Term Resident
- 5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 6 months where the position is in the notice
Appended Table II of the Regulation for Enforcement. Where the position is not in the notice, any period the Minister designates up to five years.
Requirements
- For the fourth generation under the Designated Activities notice: descent from a person born as the child of a Japanese national, in the degree the notice specifies
- Aged between eighteen and thirty-five at the time of application
- A return ticket or enough money to buy one
- Expected to be able to support yourself independently while in Japan
- Good health and good conduct
- Insurance against death, injury or illness during the stay
- A Japanese-language test, at a level that rises with the applicant's age and the length of the stay
- A supporter - an individual or an organisation in Japan - providing the help the activity needs free of charge, for the first three years
In detail
A status of residence whose content is not in the law
The Long-Term Resident row of the second appended table says only that the Minister may authorise residence for special reasons. Article 7(1)(ii) then says that at the border such a position counts only if the Minister has put it in a public notice first. So the question 'does Japanese descent get me residence' has no answer anywhere in the Act, and a complete one in a notice the statute book does not carry. That is an unusually wide delegation and it means the route can be opened, narrowed or closed without any Bill.
The fourth-generation route is not really a residence route
What the notice grants a fourth-generation descendant is five years of cultural learning with a supporter and a language test, with earning permitted only so far as it funds the learning. It has an age ceiling, which nothing else in Japanese immigration law does. A reader who finds it described as a visa for people of Japanese descent should notice what it is not: it is not open-ended, it is not a work permission, and it stops at thirty-five.
Which ancestor matters, and whether they kept a register
Appended Table 10 counts generations twice over. The first limb reaches the grandchild of someone born as the child of a Japanese national, and excludes the case where that ancestor once held a Japanese family register. The second limb reaches a generation further - the great-grandchild - but only where the ancestor did hold one. The family register, not the bloodline alone, is what moves the line.
What applies to you
Nothing changes for a citizen of Austria
We have no rule recorded that treats your citizenship differently here, so the general rule above is the one that applies to you. That is an answer, not a gap.
What the law says
«| 定住者 | 法務大臣が特別な理由を考慮し一定の在留期間を指定して居住を認める者 | 法令詳細 # 出入国管理及び難民認定法（昭和二十六年政令第三百十九号） | 法令番号 | 昭和二十六年政令第三百十九号 | | 公布日 | 昭和二十六年十月四日 | | Law ID | 326CO0000000319 | | 現行法令名 | 出入国管理及び難民認定法 しゅつにゅうこくかんりおよびなんみんにんていほう | | 旧法令名 | | | 略称法令名 | - 入管法 | | 英訳 | 出入国管理及び難民認定法（日本法令外国語訳データベースシステム） | 条文を別ウィンドウで開く ダウンロード - X»Our translation - not official
Long-Term Resident: a person whom the Minister of Justice, taking special grounds into consideration, authorises to reside for a designated period.
Ours. The widest delegation in the Act: a whole status of residence whose content is decided outside the statute.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Japanese government's own consolidated statute book, run by the Digital Agency. It is the only place that publishes Japanese law as it currently stands: each law page states the date the displayed text came into force, the amending instrument that produced it, and a Law RevisionID of the form <lawid>_<yyyymmdd>_<amending-id> which identifies that exact version. A page also warns 未施行あり where amendments are enacted but not yet in force. The text is Japanese and there is no English anywhere on it; each page links out to the Ministry of Justice translation where one exists, which is how the two publishers are related. Renders through Firecrawl without difficulty despite being a single-page application.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: Japanese only. It publishes the consolidated law and not the amending acts, so an article number here is the article of the resulting law and the instrument that put it there has to be read from the header. It carries no commentary, no notification (告示) and no ministerial guidance, and a great deal of Japanese immigration practice lives in 告示 made by the Minister of Justice which this site does not hold. It must not be cited for anything the Immigration Services Agency decides administratively, and it must not be cited for English: the English on the law pages is a link, not a text.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
«別表第二 の下欄に掲げる身分若しくは地位（永住者の項の下欄に掲げる地位を除き、定住者の項の下欄に掲げる地位については、法務大臣があらかじめ告示をもつて定めるものに限る。）を有する者としての活動のいずれかに該当し、かつ、 別表第一 の二の表及び四の表の下欄に掲げる活動を行おうとする者については我が国の産業及び国民生活に与える影響その他の事情を勘案して法務省令で定める基準に適合すること（ 別表第一 の二の表の特定技能の項の下欄第一号に掲げる活動を行おうとする外国人については、一号特定技能外国人支援計画が 第二条の五第六項 及び 第七項 の規定に適合するものであることを含む。）。 三 申請に係る在留»Our translation - not official
... or the personal status or position listed in the right-hand column of Appended Table II (excluding the position listed in the right-hand column of the Permanent Resident row; as regards the position listed in the right-hand column of the Long-Term Resident row, limited to one specified in advance by public notice of the Minister of Justice) ...
Ours. This is the hinge: at the border, a Long-Term Resident position counts only if the Minister has put it in a public notice beforehand.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Japanese government's own consolidated statute book, run by the Digital Agency. It is the only place that publishes Japanese law as it currently stands: each law page states the date the displayed text came into force, the amending instrument that produced it, and a Law RevisionID of the form <lawid>_<yyyymmdd>_<amending-id> which identifies that exact version. A page also warns 未施行あり where amendments are enacted but not yet in force. The text is Japanese and there is no English anywhere on it; each page links out to the Ministry of Justice translation where one exists, which is how the two publishers are related. Renders through Firecrawl without difficulty despite being a single-page application.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: Japanese only. It publishes the consolidated law and not the amending acts, so an article number here is the article of the resulting law and the instrument that put it there has to be read from the header. It carries no commentary, no notification (告示) and no ministerial guidance, and a great deal of Japanese immigration practice lives in 告示 made by the Minister of Justice which this site does not hold. It must not be cited for anything the Immigration Services Agency decides administratively, and it must not be cited for English: the English on the law pages is a link, not a text.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
«四十三 別 表 第 十 に 掲げ る 要 件 の いず れ に も 該 当 す る 者 が 、 本 邦に おいて 通 算して 五 年を 超えない 期間、特定 の 個 人 又 は 団 体 か ら 本 号 に 規 定 す る 活 動 の 円 滑 な 遂 行 に 必 要 な 支 援 を 無 償で 受け るこ と がで き る 環 境 の下 で （た だし、本号に掲げる活動を指定 されて 本邦に在留する期間が通 算して三年を 超えた日以後は 、当該環境 下 にあることを要しな い。）、日 本文化及び日本国に おけ る一般的な生活様式の理解を目的とする活動（日 本 語を 習 得す る活 動を 含む 。 ）並 び にこれ ら の活 動を 行 う た め に 必要 な 資 金を 補 う た め 必 要 な 範 囲 内 の 報 酬 を 受け る 活 動 （ 風 俗 営 業 活 動を 除 く 。 ）»Our translation - not official
(43) Activities aimed at understanding Japanese culture and the general way of life in Japan (including activities to learn Japanese), carried out in Japan for a total period not exceeding five years by a person meeting all the requirements listed in Appended Table 10, in an environment where support necessary for carrying out the activities under this item can be received free of charge from a particular individual or organisation (provided that, after the day on which the total period of residence in Japan under a designation of the activity in this item exceeds three years, being in that environment is not required), together with activities receiving remuneration within the range necessary to supplement the funds needed to carry out those activities (excluding activities in the adult-entertainment trade).
Ours. The permission is framed as cultural learning. Earning is allowed only to the extent it funds the learning, which is a different thing from a work permit.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The agency inside the Ministry of Justice that administers the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act: it grants statuses of residence, issues certificates of eligibility, publishes the document lists for each application, and publishes the Minister of Justice's 告示 (public notices) which decide things the Act delegates - which Long-Term Resident positions exist, which activities fall under Designated Activities, and which permanent-residence guidelines apply.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: Its pages are the agency's description of how it applies the law, not the law. Where a page and an instrument differ, the instrument governs and the difference is the finding. It publishes guidelines (ガイドライン) for permanent residence which are not instruments at all and bind nobody, and they must not be cited as if they were.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
«別表第十 一 次 の イ 又は ロ の いずれ か に 該 当す るこ と 。 イ 日 本 人 の 子と して 出 生し た 者 の実 子 の実 子（ 日 本 人 の 子と して 出 生し た 者 で か つて 日 本国民と して 本 邦 に 本 籍を 有 し た こ と が あ る も の の 実 子 の 実 子を 除 く 。 ） ロ 日本人の子として 出 生した者で かつて日本国民とし て 本 邦 に 本 籍を 有 し た こ と が あ る も の の 実 子 の 実 子 の実 子（ イに 該 当す る者を 除 く 。 ） 二 申 請時 の 年齢が 十 八 歳 以 上三 十 五歳 以下で あ るこ と 。»Our translation - not official
Appended Table 10. (i) Falling under either (a) or (b): (a) the natural child of a natural child of a person born as the child of a Japanese national (excluding the natural child of a natural child of a person born as the child of a Japanese national who once held a family register in Japan as a Japanese national); (b) the natural child of a natural child of a natural child of a person born as the child of a Japanese national who once held a family register in Japan as a Japanese national (excluding a person falling under (a)). (ii) Being aged eighteen or over and thirty-five or under at the time of the application.
Ours. The two limbs count generations differently depending on whether the emigrant ancestor kept a Japanese family register, which is why the same family tree can give one cousin a claim and not another.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The agency inside the Ministry of Justice that administers the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act: it grants statuses of residence, issues certificates of eligibility, publishes the document lists for each application, and publishes the Minister of Justice's 告示 (public notices) which decide things the Act delegates - which Long-Term Resident positions exist, which activities fall under Designated Activities, and which permanent-residence guidelines apply.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: Its pages are the agency's description of how it applies the law, not the law. Where a page and an instrument differ, the instrument governs and the difference is the finding. It publishes guidelines (ガイドライン) for permanent residence which are not instruments at all and bind nobody, and they must not be cited as if they were.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
«ハ 申 請時 の 年齢 が 三 十 一 歳 以 上三 十 五歳 以下で あ る 者 に つ いて は 、日 常 的 な 場面で 使わ れ る 日 本 語 を あ る程度理解することができる能力を 有して いるこ とを試験により証 明されて いること»Our translation - not official
(c) As regards a person aged thirty-one or over and thirty-five or under at the time of the application, having been proved by examination to have the ability to understand to some degree the Japanese used in everyday situations.
Ours. The younger limbs allow 'an examination or other means'; this one does not.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The agency inside the Ministry of Justice that administers the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act: it grants statuses of residence, issues certificates of eligibility, publishes the document lists for each application, and publishes the Minister of Justice's 告示 (public notices) which decide things the Act delegates - which Long-Term Resident positions exist, which activities fall under Designated Activities, and which permanent-residence guidelines apply.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: Its pages are the agency's description of how it applies the law, not the law. Where a page and an instrument differ, the instrument governs and the difference is the finding. It publishes guidelines (ガイドライン) for permanent residence which are not instruments at all and bind nobody, and they must not be cited as if they were.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
«一 法第七条第一項第二号 の告示で定める地位を認められる者にあつては、五年、三年、一年又は六月 二 一に掲げる地位以外の地位を認められる者にあつては、五年を超えない範囲内で法務大臣が個々の外国人について指定する期間»Our translation - not official
(i) For a person recognised as holding a position specified by the public notice under article 7(1)(ii) of the Act: five years, three years, one year or six months. (ii) For a person recognised as holding a position other than one in (i): a period designated by the Minister of Justice for the individual foreign national within a range not exceeding five years.
Ours. The Regulation treats a notified position and an unnotified one differently even in how long the permission runs.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Japanese government's own consolidated statute book, run by the Digital Agency. It is the only place that publishes Japanese law as it currently stands: each law page states the date the displayed text came into force, the amending instrument that produced it, and a Law RevisionID of the form <lawid>_<yyyymmdd>_<amending-id> which identifies that exact version. A page also warns 未施行あり where amendments are enacted but not yet in force. The text is Japanese and there is no English anywhere on it; each page links out to the Ministry of Justice translation where one exists, which is how the two publishers are related. Renders through Firecrawl without difficulty despite being a single-page application.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: Japanese only. It publishes the consolidated law and not the amending acts, so an article number here is the article of the resulting law and the instrument that put it there has to be read from the header. It carries no commentary, no notification (告示) and no ministerial guidance, and a great deal of Japanese immigration practice lives in 告示 made by the Minister of Justice which this site does not hold. It must not be cited for anything the Immigration Services Agency decides administratively, and it must not be cited for English: the English on the law pages is a link, not a text.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
Practical notes
The public notice that governs the Long-Term Resident status itself - Ministry of Justice Public Notice No. 132 of 1990, which is where the second and third generations of Japanese descent are provided for - could not be read. The Immigration Services Agency publishes it only as a PDF typeset in vertical Japanese, and the extraction returns the characters interleaved across columns rather than in reading order. Nothing has been quoted from it and nothing in this record describes the second or third generation.
What is recorded here about descent therefore covers the fourth-generation Designated Activities route and the structure of the delegation, and not the main descent route itself.
The Designated Activities notice is a PDF of justified Japanese type and the extracted text carries spaces inside words. The quotations are taken from that extraction as it stands.
No case law and no agency guidance was read. The Act, the Regulation for Enforcement and one of the two public notices are the whole of what this record rests on.
- administers特定活動告示 (Public Notice No. 131 of 1990 on Designated Activities)
出入国在留管理庁 (Immigration Services Agency of Japan)
About this source
The agency inside the Ministry of Justice that administers the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act: it grants statuses of residence, issues certificates of eligibility, publishes the document lists for each application, and publishes the Minister of Justice's 告示 (public notices) which decide things the Act delegates - which Long-Term Resident positions exist, which activities fall under Designated Activities, and which permanent-residence guidelines apply.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: Its pages are the agency's description of how it applies the law, not the law. Where a page and an instrument differ, the instrument governs and the difference is the finding. It publishes guidelines (ガイドライン) for permanent residence which are not instruments at all and bind nobody, and they must not be cited as if they were.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
- consolidates出入国管理及び難民認定法 - e-Gov 法令検索
e-Gov 法令検索 (e-Gov Law Search) · consolidated to 2026-10-01
About this source
The Japanese government's own consolidated statute book, run by the Digital Agency. It is the only place that publishes Japanese law as it currently stands: each law page states the date the displayed text came into force, the amending instrument that produced it, and a Law RevisionID of the form <lawid>_<yyyymmdd>_<amending-id> which identifies that exact version. A page also warns 未施行あり where amendments are enacted but not yet in force. The text is Japanese and there is no English anywhere on it; each page links out to the Ministry of Justice translation where one exists, which is how the two publishers are related. Renders through Firecrawl without difficulty despite being a single-page application.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: Japanese only. It publishes the consolidated law and not the amending acts, so an article number here is the article of the resulting law and the instrument that put it there has to be read from the header. It carries no commentary, no notification (告示) and no ministerial guidance, and a great deal of Japanese immigration practice lives in 告示 made by the Minister of Justice which this site does not hold. It must not be cited for anything the Immigration Services Agency decides administratively, and it must not be cited for English: the English on the law pages is a link, not a text.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
- administers定住者告示 - 改正履歴 (Public Notice No. 132 of 1990, index page)
出入国在留管理庁 (Immigration Services Agency of Japan)
About this source
The agency inside the Ministry of Justice that administers the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act: it grants statuses of residence, issues certificates of eligibility, publishes the document lists for each application, and publishes the Minister of Justice's 告示 (public notices) which decide things the Act delegates - which Long-Term Resident positions exist, which activities fall under Designated Activities, and which permanent-residence guidelines apply.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: Its pages are the agency's description of how it applies the law, not the law. Where a page and an instrument differ, the instrument governs and the difference is the finding. It publishes guidelines (ガイドライン) for permanent residence which are not instruments at all and bind nobody, and they must not be cited as if they were.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source