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Asking on the behalf of a French friend who can speak English and who's still learning Japanese with a private teacher.

This person wants to live in Japan. She has already visited for vacation twice. Considering her disabled condition (having a wheelchair and needing at least 1 caregiver to remain with her), she'd like to know if there's any kind of long-term visa that would allow her to stay in Japan for at least 1 year.

Would she be able to get a working holiday visa?

We already tried to ask both the Embassy of France in Japan and the Embassy of Japan in France. They both told us that they have no idea.

For those who wonder why I decided to ask on her behalf (since it already happened), it's because she's disabled and has a typing speed of 12 words per minute.

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  • I think she is gong to have to be a lot more specific. What exactly is it that she wants to do in Japan and why?
    – ouflak ♦
    Jan 24, 2017 at 7:41
  • She wants to stay in Japan long enough to be able to establish her life there (aka. find a work or a school to study for example). The other short term visas are too short to do so. She considered going to a school to study, but the only school she could find during her vacation refused her, because having a care giver standing aside her « would take too much place ».
    – Clockwork
    Jan 24, 2017 at 8:19
  • What exactly did you ask the embassy? At the very least, they should have been able to tell you whether your friend's condition would adversely impact a WH visa application, since they are the ones issuing them.
    – fkraiem
    Sep 5, 2017 at 0:08
  • She mostly asked about what kind of visa she could be eligible to, which would also allow her to stay longer than 3 months, considering her disability. They didn't even mention the WH visa.
    – Clockwork
    Sep 5, 2017 at 17:04

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As she has a mobility device and a carer, it may be difficult to qualify for a Working Holiday Visa. Should she have sufficient funds of her own to underwrite a year in Japan, there may be other visa categories that would fit. If you're looking for Japan to offer the infrastructure and support she requires, it may be more challenging to sort out.

What might be useful is this information on Japanese participants in conference on inclusive education for children with disabilities, which was held in the United States. Those listed below can communicate in English and I would suggest you contact them directly to ask for their suggestions and recommendations and, if possible, assistance in arranging an exchange or study program.

While the link has the full details and mailing addresses, here are the salient contacts and excerpts of their affiliations and involvements:

Ms. Reiko Ichiki
Associate Professor, Tsukuba University of Technology
Email: [email protected]
Concurrent Positions:
Visiting Lecturer, Mie University Department of Education
Policy Advisor, Aichi Disability Forum
Educational Advisor, Aichi Prefecture Council of Organizations for the Severely Disabled
Steering Committee Member, National Council for Inclusive Education for Disabled Children

Ms. Chieko Utsumi
Program Coordinator, Ai-no Jikko Undo (Love in Action)
Email: [email protected]
Concurrent Positions:
Member, Committee on Barrier Free Town Planning, Aichi Prefectural Government
Reserve Member, Examination Board for Recognition and Classification of Disability Levels, Nagoya City Government
Previous Positions: Coordinator, Center for Independent Living Kodaira, 2010-2013

Mr. Munehisa Yoshitoshi
Associate Professor, Okayama University Faculty of Education
Email: [email protected]
Memberships:
The Japanese Association of Special Education
Japanese Society for Special Needs
Japanese Association for the Study of Developmental Disabilities
Japanese Educational Research Association

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