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Last updated: February 17, 2026
In April 2024, the Japanese government announced a new visa under the “Designated Activities” category for digital nomads. This visa allows eligible remote workers to live in Japan for up to 6 months while working for an overseas employer. Importantly, it is not a traditional work visa—holders cannot engage in local employment with a Japanese company during their stay. Key eligibility criteria include a high income threshold (applicants must prove an annual income of at least ¥10 million, roughly USD $67,000) and having private health insurance that covers at least ¥10 million in medical expenses. Only citizens of certain countries are eligible (currently the U.S., Canada, most European nations, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and a few others). The digital nomad visa is not extendable beyond 6 months; after leaving Japan for six months, one could apply again for another stay.
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Lucas Botzen
Lucas Botzen is the Founder of Rivermate, a global employment platform that helps companies hire, employ, and manage talent internationally. Since founding Rivermate in December 2020, he has focused on building practical solutions that simplify international payroll, benefits, taxes, contracts, and employment compliance for remote teams. Before Rivermate, Lucas co-founded and co-directed Boloo, an e-learning and software company that helped entrepreneurs start and grow e-commerce businesses. He scaled Boloo to more than €2 million in annual revenue before successfully exiting the business in 2020. Lucas holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Innovation from Avans University of Applied Sciences. His background in entrepreneurship, technology, automation, and remote work continues to shape his approach to making global employment simpler and more human.
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