Is the arrival date I entered on my Japan visa application form flexible?

Question

TL;DR: If I put "September 10" as my arrival date on my visa application form, will I have problems if I enter Japan on another day instead?

I have been hired by an employer in Tokyo, but they have not told me my exact placement yet, and I have not booked a flight.

I just handed in my COE and other visa application stuff to the consulate. The guy who took my application noticed that I had put "TBD" for some fields on the form, and I explained that I was waiting to hear the exact placement details. He said that was fine, except for the "Date of arrival in Japan" which needed a specific date. After I wrote down an estimated arrival date, he clarified that it couldn't be changed, which presumably meant I could only arrive on that exact day.

My employer seems to think the date can be estimated and isn't set in stone. I also do not remember any entry date on my last entry visa for Japan. But will I have problems if I try to enter on different date than the one I put on the form?

Answer 1

When you get your visa in your passport it will look like this:

You'll note "Date of issue" and "Date of expiry" in the upper right-hand corner. You must enter Japan between these dates.

Once you enter Japan, you get a residence card that shows your residency status. Your residency period will start from the day you entered Japan. For example, if your visa is 1 year, your "period of stay" will end 1 year after you entered Japan.

P.S. This is a little off-topic, but when you first receive your residence card, it won't have an address printed on it. You (legally) need to register with your local city office (in the city where you'll be living) within 2 weeks of arrival. They will print your address on the back of your card.