Technical Intern Training (TITP) and the new Employment for Skill Development system

Rules and fees change often. Last checked: 7 November 2026. Always confirm with the official sources below before you apply.

Technical Intern Training (技能実習, ginō jisshū) was created to transfer skills to developing countries. In June 2024 Japan changed the law (Act No. 60 of 2024) to replace it with a new system with a different purpose: Employment for Skill Development (ESD, 育成就労, ikusei shūrō). ESD trains and keeps workers in fields that lack workers, and leads to Specified Skilled Worker (i).

Key dates. ESD starts on 1 April 2027. After that, TITP continues only for (1) trainees already in Japan on 1 April 2027, and (2) trainees whose training plan was applied for by 31 March 2027 and who, in principle, start by 30 June 2027. Anyone else cannot enter as a new technical intern trainee. If an agent says TITP will “always” be available, that is not true.

Who it is for

Both systems are for workers who come through a sending organisation recommended or approved by their own government. In Japan, a supervising organisation (under ESD: a “supervising and support organisation”) matches them with an employer and checks the employer.

• TITP: work and training under an approved training plan, in three stages: (i) up to 1 year, (ii) up to 2 years, (iii) up to 2 years. The maximum is 5 years in total.
• ESD (from 1 April 2027): one 3-year plan in an ESD field. The ESD fields are the SSW fields except automobile transportation and aviation. Warehousing and resource circulation start once preparations are completed.

Requirements

Your employer and the supervising organisation prepare a training plan (under ESD: an ESD plan). The Organization for Technical Intern Training (OTIT) must approve it before the Certificate of Eligibility can be applied for. You must come through an approved sending organisation. The full checklist is in Who is eligible below.

Japanese level needed

• TITP: there is no Japanese test at entry, except in nursing care, which needs A2.2 level.
• ESD, before you start work: pass a Japanese test at A1 level or higher, or attend at least 100 hours of an A1 course at a certified Japanese-language school (part of it can be taken in your home country). You can enter Japan without the A1 pass and take the course after arrival. Nursing care needs A2.2 at entry, and railway train operation needs A1 or higher.
• ESD, after 1 year: take an A1-level test.
• ESD, at the end (3 years): pass a Japanese test at A2.2 level (higher in some fields) plus the skills test, to move to SSW (i). Your employer must offer you at least 100 hours of an A2 course during the 3 years, and the employer or supervising organisation covers the cost.

Our free JLPT N5 course is a good start toward the A1 goal: begin with Lesson 1: Hiragana and work up to Lesson 23: Workplace basics, which covers safety words and reporting at work. Ask your organisation which test your field accepts.

How to apply, in short

You do not apply alone. A government-approved sending organisation in your country introduces you. The supervising organisation in Japan matches you with an employer, the plan is approved by OTIT, and then the Certificate of Eligibility is applied for. You get the visa at the embassy and attend lectures after arrival. The detailed steps are in How to apply, step by step below.

Applying from Bangladesh. Since 3 November 2024 the Embassy of Japan in Dhaka accepts visa applications only through VFS Global (Gulshan-2, Dhaka). You must book online; new appointments for the month after next usually open on the 15th of each month. The embassy’s standard processing time is 7 working days from the day VFS receives a complete application, and longer if documents are missing. Mid-March to early June and mid-September to late October are very busy, mainly with students, so book early.

Other countries. Each Japanese embassy has its own system. The Embassy of Japan in Nepal also takes applications only through VFS Global. Other embassies use their own application centres or accredited agencies, and these have changed recently in some countries, so always check your own embassy’s visa page. If you are a national of the Philippines, Viet Nam or Nepal, you also need a TB clearance certificate from a designated clinic (see below). Indonesia’s screening starts on 2 November 2026, and the certificate is required from 4 January 2027.

Visa fee. MOFA raised visa fees for applications accepted from 1 July 2026: about ¥15,000 for a single-entry visa and about ¥30,000 for a multiple-entry visa, paid in local currency. MOFA also says the fee may not be required, or may be different, depending on your nationality. The Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh says the visa is free for Bangladeshi nationals (its page is dated October 2024, before the July 2026 change, so confirm with VFS Global when you book). VFS Global charges its own service fee.

Working rules and your rights

• Changing employer, TITP: in principle not possible. Exceptions are unavoidable situations (for example, the employer goes bankrupt, or you suffer violence or harassment) and the move from stage (ii) to (iii).
• Changing employer, ESD: transfers for unavoidable reasons are still possible. ESD also allows a transfer by your own choice within the same job category, after a set period with your first employer (1 to 2 years depending on the field) and if you meet the field’s skill and Japanese levels.
• Dispatch work under ESD is allowed only in agriculture and fishery.
• Illegal under the Technical Intern Training Act: contracts that set penalties or fixed damages if you do not finish (Article 47), forced savings contracts or savings managed by others (Article 47), anyone keeping your passport or residence card (Article 48), and unfair limits on your private life, such as not letting you go out (Article 48).
• You can report violations to ISA and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Article 49). OTIT offers advice in your own language, including SOS help in emergencies.
• Tax under ESD: some TITP trainees did not pay income tax because of tax treaties. ISA says ESD wages are in principle taxed (income tax and resident tax).

Family

Technical Intern Training is not one of the statuses that allow a spouse or children to come on the Dependent status. For ESD, the official pages we checked do not describe a family rule. ESD leads to SSW (i), where family basically cannot accompany you. SSW (ii) does allow family.

How long you can stay

• TITP: up to 1 + 2 + 2 years (5 years maximum).
• ESD: 3 years. If you fail the exam needed for SSW (i) at the end, you may, under certain conditions, stay up to 1 more year to retake it.
• Trainees already in Japan on 1 April 2027: you continue under your approved plan. You can still move from (i) to (ii). To move to (iii), you must have been on stage (ii) for at least 1 year on 1 April 2027.
• Permanent residence: years on TITP, ESD and SSW (i) do not count toward the 5 years “on a work status” in ISA’s guideline. See our permanent residence guide.

Changing status

• TITP (ii) → SSW (i): still possible after ESD starts, “for the time being”, if you completed TITP (ii) well and the new work is related. You do not need the SSW tests. ISA warns that trainees cannot work after their plan ends: apply at least 2 months before the planned start. See our SSW guide.
• ESD → SSW (i): pass the skills test and the Japanese test (A2.2 or the field’s level) by the end of the 3 years.
• Former trainees: past TITP time is treated as ESD time. ISA says that someone who did 2 years or more of TITP basically cannot come back under ESD in a different field.

Common mistakes and scams to avoid

• Huge “processing fees”. Under ESD, the most a sending organisation may collect from you is 2 months’ salary (your regular monthly wage from the Japanese employer). Any cost above that must be paid by the employer or the supervising organisation, not by you.
• Penalty bonds and family guarantees. Under Article 47 of the Act, a contract that makes you or your family pay if you do not finish is illegal.
• Someone keeps your passport or residence card. This is illegal (Article 48). Ask for it back and contact OTIT.
• Unapproved sending organisations. Use only organisations recommended or approved by your government, and check your government’s list before paying anything.
• Running away. Leaving your employer without a new permission puts your status at risk. If you face violence, harassment or unpaid wages, contact OTIT. Changing your training site for unavoidable reasons is possible.
• “Last chance” pressure. Some agents push people to sign quickly before 31 March 2027. Check the real dates in this guide and on ISA’s ESD page.

Free official help. The Immigration Services Agency’s information centre answers questions about forms and documents: 0570-013904 (from IP phones or overseas: 03-5796-7112).