five-year multiple entry long-term visa

Hi all, I'm moving to Japan in a few months as a visiting researcher at a university in Tokyo (specialization in a humanities field). When I went to pick up my visa, I saw that it was multiple entry, for stays of one-year, valid for the next five years. I'm slightly confused as to what this means, and a cursory search in the subreddit suggests that it's unusual in the context of resident visas. Does this just mean that at some/any future point in the next five years I could re-enter Japan and be eligible to stay for a year? Thanks in advance for your help.