I understand the 28 hour limitation for working in Japan, but having trouble determining if there is any restriction to keeping my work from home USA job while in Japan on a student visa? I would attend classes in the afternoon and work the midnight shift to keep US hours. Thanks for your help.
2 comments
To the best of my understanding, your company would have to maintain a legal presence in Japan and abide by all Japanese workplace regulations, a major headache for them tax-wise.
I’m actually in the same boat as you, so I told my company I was quitting but willing to work as a contractor since contracting in japan can be done by setting up a å€‹äººäº‹æ¥ which simply requires a trip to the tax office. Personally I’d recommend looking at that option; it’s what my employer and I decided to go with.
As was mentioned, the usual way of doing it is to work as a contractor rather than a direct hire.
If you are directly employed by a firm in the US while you are in Japan then that firm has a defacto representative office in Japan. They are subject to Japanese labour laws and regulations as they pertain to you, and potentially open to various taxable events.
That pretty much goes away if you’re a contractor.