Japan's 2026 B2 Language Rule for English Teachers
On 15 April 2026 Japan's Immigration Services Agency (ISA) published a new attachment to its guidance on the "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services" status of residence. It sets out a language-ability expectation for foreigners who work mainly in interpersonal jobs that use language skills. Several websites have summarised it as Japan requiring JLPT N2 for work visas. For an English teacher the ISA text says something narrower, and this post sets out what we could verify.
What the ISA document says
The attachment is titled, in translation, "Clarification of the status of residence for people engaged in interpersonal work using language ability, such as translation and interpretation". It states that if someone is mainly engaged in interpersonal work that uses language ability, the starting premise is that they hold language ability equivalent to CEFR B2 in the language used for the work. Without it, the agency says the person is not regarded as doing work at the level the status requires.
It then says how B2 is judged, depending on the working language.
If the working language is Japanese, any one of these counts: JLPT N2 or above, a BJT Business Japanese score of 400 or more, 20 years or more as a mid-to-long-term resident of Japan, graduating from a Japanese university or a Japanese college of technology or specialised training college course (with the subject related to the work), or completing Japanese compulsory education and graduating from a Japanese high school.
If the working language is not Japanese, any one of these counts:
1. The language is the applicant's mother tongue or an official language of their country.
2. A language test shows CEFR B2 or above, where the certificate or the test's official site shows a CEFR level.
3. If neither applies, the applicant explains a reasonable ground that clearly shows the needed ability. The ISA's example is study at a university in a country where the language is official, shown by a graduation certificate.
Employers in categories 3 and 4 must submit evidence of this at application. Categories 1 and 2 may be asked for it during review. The ISA's category system sorts employers by size and status, with the larger and listed employers in 1 and 2, so a small private language school is likely to be in 3 or 4.
What it means for an English teacher
If you teach English on this status and English is your mother tongue or an official language of your country, the second list's first item describes your situation. Japanese ability is not what the document asks of you when the working language is English. If English is not your first language, you would need a test with a CEFR level or the university-study explanation.
What we cannot confirm: the text names translation and interpretation as examples and ends with "etc", and we did not find a sentence that names language teaching or eikaiwa. Whether an adviser at your immigration bureau treats an English conversation teacher as "mainly interpersonal language work" is something your employer should confirm. Also note that the Instructor status (for teaching in schools) is a different status, and this attachment is about the Engineer/Specialist status. Our Japan visa page explains how the two are usually used.
What to ask your employer
- Which status of residence will you apply under, and which ISA employer category are they in?
- What evidence of language ability do they plan to submit for you?
- If you are not a native English speaker, can they accept a test result that shows a CEFR level?
Employers hiring in Japan
If you run a school in Japan, the evidence requirement lands on your application. Start early and see our guide to hiring teachers in Japan or post a job.
For teachers
Read JET versus dispatch versus direct hire pay, browse Japan jobs, and set a job alert or use the iPhone app.
Sources
- ISA: Attachment 4, clarification for interpersonal work using language ability (Japanese, read 6 October 2026)
- ISA: Clarification of the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services status (Japanese, lists the attachment as added on 15 April 2026, read 6 October 2026)