Q: Hey Taro, is there any website to view info on Entertainer Visas to work in Japan??

A: As I mentioned before in my report “Japan’s human trafficking visa”, getting a visa as a Killer Clown under the “Entertainer Visa” catagory has become a b-i-t-c-h.

FIRST go to “Official” visa information website of Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

NEXT, you should check the Consular Section of the Embassy or Consulate General of Japan nearest you for more information and advice Japanese laws are applied in a phase-of-the-moon, case-by-case basis.

Entertainer 1. In cases where the applicant is to engage in theatrical performances or musical performances, the following conditions are to be fulfilled, excluding cases in 2. of this category.

1. The applicant must fall under any one of the following three criteria, except in cases where the total receipts of the applicant’s performance is 5 million yen or more a day (If the performance is done in a group, then the group’s receipts must exceed this amount.).

(1) The applicant meets the standards as set by a foreign national or local government agency or an equivalent public or private organization. (2) The applicant has spent a minimum of 2 years at a foreign educational institution studying subjects relevant to the type of performance in which he or she will engage. (3) The applicant must have a minimum of 2 years’ experience outside Japan in the type of performance in which he or she will engage.

2. The applicant must be invited by an organization which fulfills the following requirements, except in cases where the applicant is invited for the purpose of providing singing, dancing or performance of ethnic music at ethnic restaurants other than those classified as places for the entertainment of customers under items 1 or 2 of Paragraph 1 of Article 2 of the Law on Control and Improvement of Amusement and Entertainment Businesses (Fueiho, Law No. 122 of 1948).

(1) The operator or the manager of the inviting organization should have at least 3 years’ experience in the show business involving foreign nationals. (2) The organization must employ at least 5 full-time employees in Japan. (3) The organization is inviting foreign entertainers at a ratio of 10 or less foreign entertainers, including the applicant, to each full-time employee who has been continually employed by the organization for a minimum of 6 months (including managers, operators and other full-time employees), except in cases where the show is to take place at a facility provided for by the provisions of Article 1, Paragraph 2 of the Show Business Site Act (Kogyojoho, Law No. 137 of 1948). (4) The operator and all full-time employees of the organization must not have been found guilty of committing “any crime” as specified under Article 73, Paragraph 2 of the Immigration Control Act or Article 6 or 12 of the Antiprostitution Law (Law No. 118 of 1956). However, this does not apply when 5 years have passed from the termination of the sentence or termination of the suspension of execution of the sentence period. (5) The operator, manager or other full-time employees must not have committed any collective or customary violent offence provided for by Article 5 of the Enforcement Regulations of the Law on Control and Improvement of Amusement and Entertainment Businesses (”Fueiho-Shikokisoku,” National Public Safety Commission Rule no.1 of 1985) in the past 3 years.

3. The facility at which the applicant’s entertainment is to take place is to meet all of the following requirements. However, (6) and (7) are to be fulfilled in cases where the performance is given by one entertainer.

(1) Attendance of the performance must not be limited to any specific groups or individuals. (2) If the facility falls under items 1 and 2 of Paragraph 1 of Article 2 of the Law on Control and Improvement of Amusement and Entertainment Businesses, both of the following criteria must be met. i) There must be at least 5 employees at the facility whose duties are primarily the “serving of customers”. ii) It is evident that the foreign performers holding the “entertainer” visa will not be required to take part in “serving the customers”. (3) There must be a stage of at least 13 square meters. (4) There must be a waiting room for the entertainers of at least 9 square meters (if the number of entertainers is greater than 5, there must be an additional 1.6 square meters for every extra entertainer). (5) There must be at least 5 employees at the facility. (6) The operator or other full-time employees of the facility must not have been found guilty of committing any crime under Article 73, Paragraph 2 of the Immigration Control Act or Article 6 or 12 of the Antiprostitution Law. However, this does not apply when 5 years have passed from the termination of the sentence or termination of the suspension of execution of the sentence period. (7) The operator, manager, or other full-time employees must not have committed any collective or customary violent offense provided for by Article 5 of the Enforcement Regulations of the Law on Control and Improvement of Amusement and Entertainment Businesses.

4. The applicant should receive at least 200,000 yen per month.

2. In cases where the applicant is to engage in theatrical performances or musical performances, and

(1) when the applicant is invited by a national or local government agency, a corporation having a special status, or an educational institution, only the remuneration criteria must be met. (2) when the applicant is invited by a cultural exchange organization established with funds from national or local government agencies or by a theme park with a boundary area of over 100,000 square meters for the purpose of performing in that theme park, only criteria (6) and (7) of the facility criteria and the remuneration criteria must be met.

3. In cases where the applicant is to engage in public entertainment other than theatrical or musical performances, he or she should receive no less salary than a Japanese national would receive for comparable work. 4. In cases where the applicant is to engage in show business other than public entertainment, he or she should engage in one of the following activities and should receive no less salary than a Japanese national would receive for comparable work.

1. Activities relating to advertisement of goods or business 2. Activities relating to production of broadcast programs (including cable broadcast programs) or movies 3. Activities relating to taking of commercial-use photographs 4. Activities relating to recording of commercial-use records