How to Immigrate to Japan from Vietnam in 2026

Japan is replacing the Technical Intern Training Programme with the Ikusei Shuro (Nurturing Employment) system — the biggest immigration reform in Japan in 30 years, affecting approximately 350,000 current technical interns including 200,000+ Vietnamese. Key changes with numbers: employer mobility after 1-2 years in the same sector (TITP locked workers to a single employer for 3-5 years — the source of approximately 9,000 reported complaints annually). The new system requires employers to pay JPY 200,000+ monthly minimum (up from TITP minimums of JPY 150,000-170,000). Transition from Ikusei Shuro to SSW Type 1 will be streamlined — estimated 80% of completers will qualify for SSW transition. A dedicated consultation system in Vietnamese will be established (budget: JPY 2 billion annually). Worker protection hotline: currently 0120-76-2029 (OTIT — Organization for Technical Intern Training), transitioning to a new body. For Vietnamese workers in Japan, this reform means: higher pay, the ability to leave abusive employers, and a clearer career pathway from trainee → SSW1 → SSW2 → permanent residence.

Technical intern/Ikusei Shuro: JPY 150,000-200,000/month (VND 25,000,000-33,400,000). SSW Type 1: JPY 170,000-250,000/month (VND 28,400,000-41,800,000). Engineer/Specialist visa: JPY 250,000-400,000/month (VND 41,800,000-66,800,000). Student part-time: JPY 100,000-150,000/month (28 hours/week at minimum wage). Japan's minimum wage: JPY 1,002-1,113/hour depending on prefecture. After tax and social insurance (~20% total), net take-home for SSW: approximately JPY 135,000-190,000/month. Remittances to Vietnam are a major motivation — JPY 100,000/month = VND 16,700,000, which is approximately 3-4x an average Vietnamese salary.

Challenging but achievable. Japanese and Vietnamese are unrelated languages — no shared vocabulary or grammar. However, Vietnamese is a tonal language (6 tones), which gives Vietnamese learners an advantage in Japanese pronunciation and listening compared to non-tonal language speakers. Kanji characters are partially familiar to Vietnamese speakers educated in Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary (Hán Việt). JLPT N4 (the SSW minimum) requires approximately 300-600 hours of study — typically 6-12 months of intensive preparation. JLPT N3 (conversational) requires 450-900 hours. Japan Foundation and DOLAB-accredited training centres in Vietnam offer structured programmes.