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Special bonus points特別加算項目

5 to 10 points each; they stack where the conditions are met

This page is our own reading of the rules

The text below was written by this site from material published by the Ministry of Justice. It is not the official text, and it may contain errors or lag behind the latest notification. Treat the official sources at the foot of the page as authoritative, and consult a licensed immigration lawyer (行政書士) for an actual application.

Key points

  • ・Every item on this page is determined by your employer, your investment, or the nature of the business — almost none of it is something an applicant can change.
  • ・The conditions are clear and rarely disputed, but the basis for each sits across notifications and lists held by different ministries, so you have to check item by item whether your employer or business is on them.
  • ・Apart from the linked cases noted below, these items are not mutually exclusive and stack when the conditions are met together.

What does not stack

  • ⚠️The SME add-on cannot be claimed without the innovation-support item it attaches to.
  • ⚠️The designated training and the Japanese degree are mutually exclusive.
  • ⚠️The 100-million-yen investment applies only to business management; investment management business does not apply to academic research.

Employed by an organization receiving innovation promotion supportイノベーション促進支援措置を受けている機関での就労

10 points

  • ・Your employer must be an organization receiving the innovation promotion support measures set out in the notification.
  • ・What matters is whether the employer is on the list, not what your own job involves.
  • ・The list of eligible organizations is published by the responsible ministries. Confirm with your employer before applying.

That organization is also a small or medium enterprise当該機関が中小企業である場合

10 more points

  • ・Where the item above applies and the organization is also an SME, a further 10 points are added.
  • ・Together they are worth 20 points — the largest bonus in the table that comes from a single employer attribute.
  • ⚠️This is an add-on and cannot be claimed alone. Being an SME does not qualify if the employer is not receiving innovation promotion support.

Employed by an SME spending over 3% on R&D試験研究費比率3％超の中小企業での就労

5 points

  • ・Judged by research and development expenses as a share of total revenue (excluding proceeds from disposing of fixed assets or securities) in the fiscal year before the application — or the year before that in specific cases. The share must exceed 3%.
  • ・The ratio comes from the company’s own accounts, so the employer has to certify it.

Completed training designated by the Minister of Justice法務大臣が告示で定める研修の修了

5 points

  • ・Means designated training of one year or longer run by JICA in Japan under the Innovative Asia programme.
  • ・Only training named in the notification counts. Ordinary in-house training and language school courses do not.
  • ⚠️Mutually exclusive with a degree from a Japanese institution; the two cannot both be counted.

Employed by an organization under local government support measures地方公共団体の高度人材受入支援措置機関での就労

10 points

  • ・Your employer must be an organization receiving a local government’s support measures for highly skilled foreign professionals.
  • ・This is a different list from the innovation promotion measures, maintained by each local government.

Invested 100 million JPY or more in the business経営する事業に1億円以上の投資

5 points

  • ・The figure is your own investment in the business you run, and must reach 100 million yen.
  • ⚠️Applies only to business management; it does not count in academic research or specialized/technical.

Engaged in investment management business投資運用業等に係る業務に従事

10 points

  • ・Means work in investment management business as defined by the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act.
  • ・What counts is the work you actually do, not how your employer’s industry is classified.
  • ⚠️Applies to specialized/technical and business management; it does not count in academic research.

Engaged in advanced projects in growth sectors成長分野の先端的事業に従事（法務大臣認定）

10 points

  • ・The project must be one the Minister of Justice has recognized as advanced work in a growth sector; recognition attaches to the project itself.
  • ・Ask your employer whether the organization holds that recognition — it is not something an applicant can determine.

Official and authoritative sources

All links below are official or authoritative bodies. This site has no commercial relationship with any of them.

Still unclear?

Ask about this item’s requirements, exclusions or point values. Answers draw only on policy text verified against MOJ sources.

Official sources:

This page is our own reading of the rules and is not legal or immigration advice. Consult a licensed immigration lawyer for an actual case.