Japan Releases List of 16 Occupations Eligible Under Specified Skilled Worker Visa Programme
- Japan has officially published the full list of 16 occupational fields open to Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) visa applicants
- The fields span industries ranging from nursing care and agriculture to shipbuilding, railways, and the aviation industry
- Workers from abroad, including Africans seeking opportunities in Japan, can apply under the SSW programme across these sectors
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Japan has released the official list of 16 occupational fields in which foreign nationals can work under the country's Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) visa programme, offering a structured pathway for skilled workers from around the world to live and work legally in the country.
The programme, overseen by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was designed to address labour shortages in key sectors of the Japanese economy. The full list of eligible occupations covers a wide range of industries, making it one of the broader work visa frameworks available to foreign nationals seeking opportunities in Japan.
Source: UGC
Japan: 16 occupations open to SSW applicants
According to the official release, the occupations covered under the SSW programme are:
- Nursing care
- Building cleaning management
- Manufacture of industrial products
- Construction industry
- Shipbuilding and ship machinery industry
- Automobile repair and maintenance
- Aviation industry,
- Accommodation industry
- Agriculture
- Fishery and aquaculture industries
- Manufacture of food and beverages
- Food service industry
- Automobile transportation business
- Railway
- Forestry
- Wood industry.
The spread of sectors reflects Japan's effort to plug workforce gaps across both urban and rural industries. Fields such as nursing care and food service address growing domestic demand, while sectors like shipbuilding, forestry, and railway point to the country's need for technical and physical labour in less conventional areas.
What SSW visa means for African workers
For African workers considering the Japan route, the SSW visa represents a concrete legal channel into one of the world's largest economies. Unlike many visa categories that require high-level academic qualifications, the SSW programme is skills-based, meaning applicants are assessed on their ability to perform the work within the designated field.
Prospective applicants are required to meet the standards set for each specific occupation, which typically involves passing a skills evaluation test and, in most cases, a Japanese language proficiency test. Each of the 16 fields has its own set of requirements and quotas, and applicants must ensure they are targeting an occupation for which their country of residence has a sending agreement with Japan.
For Nigerians, Ghanaians, Kenyans, and other Africans navigating the increasingly competitive global job market, the SSW programme offers an alternative to traditional emigration destinations. With Japan actively recruiting across 16 sectors, the window of opportunity is broader than many applicants may realise.
In a similar report, Legit.ng published that Canada announced five occupations that qualify foreigners from getting permit to work.
Japan: Countries with no working-holiday visa limit
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Japan announced a list of nine countries whose citizens can apply for a Working Holiday Visa without an annual cap.
The programme has grown from a single agreement with Australia in 1980 to partnerships with 32 countries and regions — but no African country is currently on the list.
Source: Legit.ng
