The Specified Skilled Worker system, which took effect in April 2019, saw limited growth in the number of foreign nationals applying for this status of residence due to the impact of COVID-19. Even as of August 2021, with new entry into Japan still difficult for foreign nationals, the number of foreign nationals transitioning to Specified Skilled Worker status is increasing, centered on those who have completed Technical Intern Training and are waiting to return home.

This time, among the 14 Specified Skilled Worker fields, we provide a detailed explanation of how to accept Specified Skilled Workers in the agriculture field and related topics.

What Is the Agriculture Field under Specified Skilled Worker?

Under the Specified Skilled Worker system, employment of Specified Skilled Workers is permitted in 14 fields facing serious labor shortages, and target acceptance numbers going forward have also been set for each field according to the degree of shortage.

The agriculture field is divided into two types—crop farming and livestock farming. In crop farming, workers may engage in cultivation management, collection, shipping, and sorting of agricultural products, among other tasks; in livestock farming, they may engage in feeding and care management, collection, shipping, and sorting of livestock products, among other tasks.

In addition, cultivation management and feeding and care management must each be performed as primary duties. Work that Japanese nationals engaged in the same duties also perform (such as processing, transport, and sales work, or snow removal in winter) is permitted on the same basis as for Japanese nationals.

How to Find Talent

When employing Specified Skilled Workers in the agriculture field, the following three main approaches are typically considered.

1. Consult agricultural cooperatives and similar bodies with a track record of accepting technical intern trainees in agriculture

In the agriculture field, agricultural cooperatives and similar bodies often serve as supervising organizations and accept technical intern trainees, so it is often possible to consult them about accepting Specified Skilled Workers as well.

If they already have know-how in accepting technical intern trainees, application work with the Immigration Services Agency of Japan and the guidance that must be provided to Specified Skilled Workers may also be relatively straightforward when accepting Specified Skilled Workers.

2. Consult Hello Work or private employment placement agencies

Because Specified Skilled Workers are free to change jobs, general job postings can be listed with Hello Work and similar services, and some Specified Skilled Workers appear to apply after seeing those postings.

3. Consult private organizations or local coordinators with overseas networks

Sending organizations for technical intern trainees overseas are often connected with foreign nationals who have completed Technical Intern Training, and they can also be asked to recruit locally for talent who wish to return to Japan as Specified Skilled Workers.

Forms of Employment Contracts

Under the Specified Skilled Worker system, two forms of employment, including dispatch, are permitted only in the agriculture and fishery fields.

1. Direct employment

This applies when a Specified Skilled Worker is employed directly as a regular employee.

Employment must be full-time, so employment as a part-time worker or similar is not permitted.

2. Employment as a dispatched worker

The dispatch business operator becomes the accepting organization, and the farm where the worker actually works accepts the Specified Skilled Worker as a dispatched employee.

The main difference between 1 and 2 is the party with whom the employment contract is concluded.

In the case of 1 (direct employment), the farm and the Specified Skilled Worker conclude an employment contract directly, whereas in the case of 2 (employment as a dispatched worker), the employment contract is concluded between the dispatch business operator and the Specified Skilled Worker. In either case, direction and orders are given directly by the farm.

In addition to 1 and 2, work under a contracting arrangement is also conceivable.

In a contracting arrangement, for example, the contracting business operator (such as an agricultural cooperative) concludes an employment contract with the Specified Skilled Worker and also concludes a contracting agreement with the farm for agricultural work.

In this case, the Specified Skilled Worker may perform work only for duties contracted by the contracting business operator that is the employer, and only under the direction and orders of that contracting business operator.

Period of Employment

The maximum period during which a Specified Skilled Worker in the agriculture field may work is five years.

However, especially in agriculture there are off-seasons, and depending on the type of crops a farm grows, there may be no year-round work. In such cases, it is possible to work in a pattern such as returning to the home country during the off-season and working in Japan only during the busy season.

In that case there is a burden, including the need to file a change of status of residence application with the Immigration Services Agency of Japan each time, but periods spent back in the home country are not counted toward the five years of Specified Skilled Worker (i). Therefore, if someone works only half of each year, they would in total go back and forth between Japan and their home country over a span of ten years.

About the Agriculture Specified Skilled Worker Council

Companies that accept Specified Skilled Workers in the agriculture field must join the council. Membership in the council must be completed within four months from the date the Specified Skilled Worker is first accepted.

The council is said to carry out mainly the following activities, among others.

1. Requesting cooperation from council members with various surveys and on-site investigations commissioned by the council

2. Sharing various up-to-date information useful for accepting international talent

3. Sharing issues that arise in individual acceptance cases and discussing solutions among members

Points to Note in the Agriculture Field

1. Under Japan’s Labor Standards Act, provisions on working hours, breaks, and days off do not apply to agricultural workers, and the same applies to Specified Skilled Workers.

2. Regarding employment conditions, appropriate working hours, breaks, and days off must be provided in the same way as for Japanese employees working at the same workplace.

Comparison with the Technical Intern Training Program

The main difference between the Technical Intern Training Program and the Specified Skilled Worker system in the agriculture field is the scope of permitted duties.

Under the Technical Intern Training Program, the scope of work that may be performed is limited to facility horticulture, upland farming and vegetables, fruit trees, pig farming, poultry farming, and dairy farming, whereas under the Specified Skilled Worker system, engagement in a broader range of duties beyond those is permitted.

In addition, the fact that employment through dispatch became possible is another point that was not permitted under the Technical Intern Training Program.

Exams Required to Become a Specified Skilled Worker

To obtain the Specified Skilled Worker status of residence in the agriculture field, it is necessary either to have “completed Technical Intern Training for at least 2 years and 10 months” or to “pass the skills exam and the Japanese language proficiency exam.”

The skills exam is conducted by computer-based testing (CBT) (note) or paper-based testing. Although it is a skills exam, there is no practical skills test.

It is also administered overseas, including in Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, and other countries.

The exam itself is relatively low in difficulty, and there are cases in which technical intern trainees in other fields pass this exam during Technical Intern Training (ii) and then work as Specified Skilled Workers in agriculture.

Summary

This article has explained the agriculture field under the Specified Skilled Worker system.

In the agriculture field, as of August 2021, some farms face serious labor shortages because many foreign nationals who were scheduled to enter Japan—centered on technical intern trainees—have not been able to enter due to the impact of COVID-19. As a special measure, the Japanese government has also made it possible for foreign nationals who have completed Technical Intern Training in other industries, international students, and others to transfer into the agriculture field under Designated Activities.

The fact that only the agriculture and fishery fields are permitted to conclude employment contracts through dispatch also shows that organizations involved in agriculture have strongly urged the Japanese government to enable more flexible ways of working.

As with many other Specified Skilled Worker fields, securing foreign workers is necessary for Japan’s agriculture sector, which is expected to decline going forward under the effects of a shrinking and aging population and inexpensive agricultural products from abroad.

In addition, although the Labor Standards Act provisions on working hours, breaks, and days off do not apply in the agriculture field, under the Specified Skilled Worker system—where job changes are possible—attractive employment conditions must be offered in order to secure outstanding international talent.

About the author

Hayato Yamashita
Director, YourBright Inc. / Practical Operations Manager, Registered Support Organization
Specializing in Specified Skilled Worker matters, international talent hiring, registered support, and status of residence practice, he is involved in the practical work of introducing international talent and supporting their acceptance.

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Acceptance Practice in the Agriculture Field as of 2026

Specified Skilled Worker status in the agriculture field covers crop farming and livestock farming, and in addition to direct employment, dispatch arrangements that meet the field’s requirements are also contemplated. When using dispatch, in addition to the general requirements for worker dispatch, it is necessary to confirm the operational guidelines for the agriculture field, the pledge items for both the dispatching and receiving parties, and the scope of duties. Do not decide solely by contract form; align the actual work and places of employment with the application documents.

Accepting organizations should check the guidance of the Agriculture Specified Skilled Worker Council and complete joining, changes to registered information, withdrawal, and similar procedures by the prescribed methods. Because hazards in farm work change with the season, weather, and use of machinery, provide safety education not only at hiring but whenever duties change, combining a language the worker understands with demonstrations, and implement the support plan for Specified Skilled Worker (i) foreign nationals, including housing, transportation, medical care, and Japanese language learning.

  • Cross-check crop and livestock target duties and the work actually assigned against the field-specific operational guidelines
  • Decide between direct employment and dispatch, and prepare the applicable pledge documents and contractual relationships
  • Confirm membership status in the Agriculture Specified Skilled Worker Council and registered information
  • Provide safety education on farm equipment, agricultural chemicals, heatstroke, and means of transport whenever duties change

Related reading

Related article: List of Specified Skilled Worker Eligible Industries

Related article: What Is a Registered Support Organization for Specified Skilled Worker?

Official information

Source: About the “Specified Skilled Worker” Status of Residence — Agriculture Field (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries)