Special Permanent Resident (特別永住者)

Japan's Special Permanent Resident status is a protected residency category for descendants of people who lost Japanese nationality under the 1952 San Francisco Peace Treaty — primarily Koreans and Taiwanese who were residing in Japan before 1945. It grants indefinite stay with full, unrestricted work rights.

The status is permanent; the certificate must be renewed every 7 years at the local municipal office. Holders are strongly protected against deportation and receive a re-entry permit of up to 6 years when leaving Japan. Children born in Japan to a holder acquire the status automatically at birth.

This visa is ideal for Korean and Taiwanese nationals — and their Japan-born descendants — whose families resided in Japan before the end of World War II.