Japan's Designated Activities Visa Hits Record as Myanmar Holders Surge

Japan's "designated activities" residence status reached a record 125,286 holders at the end of 2025, a rise of 31.2% on the previous year, with Myanmar nationals driving much of the growth. Two researchers at the Hashimoto Foundation's Societas Research Institute, Mi Moe Thuzar and Stefan Aichholzer, argue that the category now mixes humanitarian protection with labour migration and needs to be separated.

Key facts

• Myanmar nationals on designated activities status rose from 15,983 in 2023 to 36,113 in 2025 — an increase of 126%.
• They now make up almost 29% of everyone in the category, up from less than 22% in 2023.
• An emergency measure introduced in May 2021, three months after Myanmar's military coup, lets people who cannot safely return home switch to designated activities status.
• Japan recognised only 36 Myanmar nationals as refugees in 2024; its complementary-protection status, created in December 2023, reached just 13.
• From October 2024, technical interns who leave their placement without a recognised reason no longer qualify automatically for the one-year status.

What is the designated activities status?

Designated activities is a flexible residence status used as a catch-all for people who fall outside other visa categories while they transition between statuses or look for work. It carries work rights, and because it sits outside asylum procedures it has become the main legal route for many Myanmar nationals who cannot return home.

Why are the numbers rising?

The main driver is the emergency measure Japan introduced in May 2021, shortly after the military coup in Myanmar. It allowed people who could not safely return to change to designated activities status, filling a gap left by a narrow refugee recognition system.

The researchers identify six main profiles of Myanmar applicants: those who cannot return because of security concerns; technical interns who completed a placement but did not move to another status; interns who left before finishing; university graduates seeking work; Japanese-language-school graduates; and vocational-school graduates. These groups can overlap.

What changed for technical interns?

Myanmar trainees who disappeared from their workplaces increased sharply in 2023. Japan responded in October 2024 by changing the rules for trainees who leave without a recognised reason: they no longer qualify automatically for the one-year designated activities status and may initially receive a more restricted six-month status. The Immigration Services Agency linked the revision to inappropriate use of the emergency measure.

The technical intern programme has long been criticised for labour-law violations, abuse and limits on changing employers. Legislation passed in 2024 will replace it from 2027.

What do the researchers recommend?

They argue against closing the emergency channel, saying it was introduced precisely because the political crisis in Myanmar is unpredictable. Instead, they call for wider access to refugee procedures, protection cases that keep accessible procedures and work rights while insecurity continues, and assessments based on designation and previous status rather than academic performance or earnings.

They also point to cost pressures: Japan's consumer prices rose 3.2% in 2025, adding to living expenses on top of tuition and forgone earnings. Restricting the emergency route without addressing wages, they warn, could deepen insecurity.

What this means for travellers

Myanmar nationals already in Japan, or planning to study or train there, should note which residence status applies to them, as the categories carry different rules. Trainees who leave a placement without a recognised reason now face a shorter initial status under the October 2024 change. Anyone considering the emergency route should check whether they fall within the measure's scope before making plans.

No further policy changes have been announced. The replacement of the technical intern programme is due to take effect in 2027.