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Regarding the Employment for Skill Development Program (ESD) which will begin on April 1, 2027, the Immigration Services Agency (hereinafter, “Immigration Agency”) announced the “Operational Guidelines for the Employment for Skill Development Program in Specific Fields” for the Accommodation field (compiled by the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) on October 16, 2026. With this, both the field-specific operational guidelines and the examination standards for each main skill have been published for the accommodation field. On the other hand, the procedure for joining the Sectoral Consultative Council, which is required before applying for certification of an Employment for Skill Development plan, is currently “in preparation” as of October 19, 2026. This article organizes the criteria for accepting foreign nationals under the Employment for Skill Development Program in ryokans and hotels, based on the published materials, for both HR professionals at accepting companies and foreign nationals considering working in the accommodation industry.
The operational guidelines for the accommodation field state “Published October 16, Reiwa 8” in their enactment history. As of October 19, 2026, the preparation status for the accommodation field on the Immigration Agency’s “Pre-enforcement Application for the Employment for Skill Development Program” page is as follows:
| Item | Status of Accommodation Field (Confirmed October 19, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Field-specific Operational Guidelines | Published |
| Examination Standards (Main Skill: Accommodation) | Published |
| Joining Procedures for Sectoral Consultative Councils, etc. | In preparation |
Pre-enforcement applications for certification of Employment for Skill Development plans have been accepted by the Organization for Technical Intern Training for Foreigners since September 1, 2026. However, the Immigration Agency states that if an application is submitted without documents proving membership in a Sectoral Consultative Council, etc., the examination will be suspended until the additional documents are submitted. In the accommodation field, the practical order is to prepare application documents after the procedures for joining the council have begun.
💡 Point: Within the scope of the operational guidelines and examination standards, it has become clear “which businesses, for which tasks, and with which exams as targets” can be accepted (measures to be agreed upon by the Sectoral Consultative Council in the future require separate confirmation). While waiting for the joining procedures to begin, businesses can solidify the content of their Employment for Skill Development plan, such as confirming the name on the hotel business license and allocating tasks for the first year and the second to third years.
Article 1 of the Public Notice (Public Notice No. 515 of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Reiwa 8) defines the implementers of the Employment for Skill Development Program in the accommodation field as those who operate Hotels and Ryokans business as defined in Article 2, Paragraph 2 of the Hotel Business Act, with a permit under Article 3, Paragraph 1 of the same Act. The points to note in the operational guidelines are as follows:
Furthermore, the following businesses that do not operate Hotels and Ryokans business cannot become implementers of the Employment for Skill Development Program in the accommodation field:
Article 2 of the Hotel Business Act divides the hotel business into three types: “Hotels and Ryokans business, simple lodging business, and boarding house business.” Even for “lodging,” if the type of permit is for simple lodging, Employment for Skill Development in the accommodation field cannot be accepted. Therefore, the starting point is to first confirm the type of your business permit on the permit document.
The main skill in the Accommodation sector is “Accommodation,” and the definition of the skill is “skills to perform duties for facility users in accommodation, food and beverage, meetings, etc., at accommodation facilities, including front desk, planning and public relations, customer service, restaurant service, and safety and hygiene.” In the examination standards (Appendix), essential duties are divided by year as follows:
| Category | 1st Year (Essential Duties) | 2nd and 3rd Years (Essential Duties) |
|---|---|---|
| Front Desk | Front desk duty assistance (pick-up/drop-off at arrival/departure, assisting guests who require help) | Front desk duties (in addition to the above, check-in/check-out assistance and payment processing) |
| Planning/Public Relations | — | Planning/Public relations duties (planning campaigns/special plans, creating in-house information flyers, disseminating information via HP/SNS, etc.) |
| Customer Service | Customer service duty assistance (greetings, delivering/serving ordered items to guest rooms, receiving/returning luggage) | Customer service duties (in addition to the above, providing information on in-house/nearby facilities) |
| Restaurant Service | Restaurant service duty assistance (cleaning and preparing venues, table setting, taking orders [confirming allergies with supervisor], serving food/drinks [including hand sanitization], clearing dishes) | Restaurant service duties (same as left. For order taking, confirm allergies with guests and report to supervisor) |
The appendix to the operational guidelines states that until the total period of Employment for Skill Development reaches one year, all three types of duties—front desk, customer service, and restaurant service—must be performed, and from the second and third years, planning and public relations duties must also be performed. In addition, there are safety and hygiene duties such as safety and hygiene education at the time of employment. Examples of “other duties to be engaged in” include porter services, car guidance, door opening/closing, and guiding guests to rooms, which fall under the accommodation category, as well as related duties such as guest room cleaning/maintenance, dishwashing, and replenishment of supplies, which are associated with accommodation duties. Among these, related duties may be performed incidentally.
⚠️ Note: Guest room cleaning and dishwashing are duties that “may be performed incidentally.” A plan that primarily focuses on these tasks may not be recognized as a plan to acquire the main skill of “Accommodation.”
The appendix to the operational guidelines sets the required skill and Japanese language levels at each stage as follows:
| Stage | Skill | Japanese Language |
|---|---|---|
| Before commencing duties | — | JFT-Basic A1 equivalent or higher, or JLPT N5 or higher, or completion of equivalent Japanese language training at a certified Japanese language education institution, etc. |
| Until the total period of Employment for Skill Development reaches 1 year | Accommodation Sector Employment for Skill Development Evaluation Test (Beginner) | JFT-Basic A1 equivalent or higher, or JLPT N5 or higher |
| At the time of transfer at the individual’s request | Accommodation Sector Employment for Skill Development Evaluation Test (Beginner) | JFT-Basic A2.1 equivalent or higher, or JLPT N4 or higher |
| Until the end of the Employment for Skill Development period | Accommodation Sector Specified Skilled Worker (i) Evaluation Test | JFT-Basic A2.2 equivalent or higher, or JLPT N4 or higher |
Japanese language training before commencing employment is described in the main text of the operational guidelines as “completion of 100 hours or more of Japanese language training equivalent to the said level in the ‘Employment Course’ of a certified Japanese language education institution, etc.” Furthermore, Employment for Skill Development implementers are required to have foreign nationals undergoing Employment for Skill Development take the examinations to be taken by the time one year has passed and by the end of the period. The basic policy states that the examination fees must be borne by the Employment for Skill Development implementer or the Supervising and Support Organization.
The sectoral operational policy states that the employment type in the accommodation sector is “limited to direct employment.” Since the accommodation sector is not designated as an Employment for Skill Development industrial sector for worker dispatching, etc., it is not possible to employ foreign nationals undergoing Employment for Skill Development in a dispatched form.
Employment for Skill Development implementers must join the “Consultative Council on the Acceptance of Foreign Nationals for Employment for Skill Development in the Accommodation Sector” established by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism before applying for certification of the Employment for Skill Development plan. They are also required to take measures regarding matters agreed upon by the Consultative Council and to provide necessary cooperation for surveys and guidance conducted by the Consultative Council or the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (or a person entrusted by them). Failure to comply with these requirements will result in non-conformity with the standards. The verification document is a “Certificate of Membership in the Sectoral Consultative Council.”
Please confirm whether businesses already members of the Consultative Council for the Specified Skilled Worker accommodation sector also need to join the Employment for Skill Development Consultative Council by checking the membership application procedures.
The “Accommodation Technical Intern Training Evaluation Test (Professional Level),” which has been the goal for the Accommodation job category in Technical Intern Training, is indicated in the operational guidelines’ table as corresponding to the Accommodation sector (job category “Accommodation”) of Employment for Skill Development. However, there are criteria based on the period of Technical Intern Training. The operational guidelines state, for example, that if Technical Intern Training has been conducted for 3 years or more, certification of the Employment for Skill Development plan cannot be obtained, and if it has been conducted for more than 2 years, the foreign national cannot engage in Employment for Skill Development in job categories other than those corresponding in the table.
Hotels and Ryokans currently accepting Technical Intern Training participants are advised to promptly confirm the training period for each participant and determine whether they can transition to Employment for Skill Development or if they should consider transitioning to Specified Skilled Worker (i).
According to the Immigration Services Agency’s “Publication of the Number of Foreign Nationals with Specified Skilled Worker Status, etc.” (Table 5), the number of Specified Skilled Worker (i) (Accommodation sector) in Miyazaki Prefecture as of the end of June 2026 is 13, which is still a small sector (for details, see “Miyazaki’s Specified Skilled Worker (i) Total 3,346 | By Sector as of End of June 2026“). If you are considering Employment for Skill Development, we recommend preparing in the following order to minimize rework.
The overall flow of the system is explained in “What is the Employment for Skill Development Program (ESD)? | Starting April 2027, Explaining Differences from Technical Intern Training,” and information on accepting pre-enforcement date applications is explained in “Pre-enforcement Date Application for Employment for Skill Development Plan | Acceptance Starts September 1.”
A. No, they cannot. The operational guidelines state that operators of simple lodging businesses, boarding house businesses, private lodging (residential lodging business), or special zone private lodging cannot be implementers of Employment for Skill Development in the Accommodation sector. The condition is to operate a Hotel or Ryokan business with a license under Article 3, Paragraph 1 of the Hotel Business Act.
A. The Immigration Services Agency states that if an application is filed without documents proving membership in the Sectoral Consultative Council, etc., the review will be suspended until additional documents are submitted. As of October 19, 2026, the application procedures for the Accommodation sector are still in preparation, so it is more reliable to gather application documents after the announcement of the application procedures.
A. Room cleaning and maintenance are “related duties” within the Accommodation business category, and it is possible to engage in them incidentally. The essential duties are front desk, customer service, and restaurant service (and from the second year, planning and public relations). A plan primarily focused on cleaning may not meet the examination criteria.
A. The basic policy states that the Employment for Skill Development implementer or Supervising and Support Organization must bear the examination fees. We recommend including this in your acceptance cost plan.
A. No, they cannot. The Accommodation sector is limited to direct employment and is not designated as an Employment for Skill Development industrial sector for worker dispatching, etc., so foreign nationals cannot be employed in Employment for Skill Development through a dispatching arrangement.
For Employment for Skill Development in the Accommodation sector, the operational guidelines and examination criteria are now complete, clarifying the eligible businesses, duties, and examination goals. What remains is the start of the Sectoral Consultative Council’s application procedures. By proceeding with the confirmation of the Hotel and Ryokan business license and its name, the annual allocation of duties, and the establishment of a system to prevent inappropriate entertainment, you can swiftly move to the application process once the membership procedures begin.
As an Administrative Scrivener Corporation in Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture, our office assists with the acceptance of foreign human resources in Hotels and Ryokans.
For procedures that can be filed online, such as applications for a Certificate of Eligibility, change of status of residence and extension of period of stay, we accept requests from clients nationwide. Meetings are held online (Google Meet, LINE) and documents are exchanged by mail or electronically, so there is no need to visit our office. Applications for Permission for Permanent Residence and for Permission of Naturalization cannot be filed online and must be submitted at the counter, so they are limited to residents of Miyazaki Prefecture. Depending on the procedure and its urgency, you may need to collect your Residence Card at the counter of the immigration office covering the area where you live. Online applications cannot be filed on the last day of your period of stay, so please consult us as early as possible.
Please feel free to use our free consultation service.
📞 To book a phone consultation: 0985-68-0851
Before you submit, let us take a look.
Free Immigration Pre-Submission Check ›
For those who will apply for a status of residence at the Immigration Services Bureau by themselves. Before you submit, we check your application form and supporting documents and tell you about any missing documents and points to watch. We accept checks online (Google Meet, about 20 minutes) or via LINE.
・Eligible: applications for a Certificate of Eligibility, change of status of residence and extension of period of stay (applications for permanent residence are accepted only from residents of Miyazaki Prefecture). Naturalization is not covered.
・Online (Google Meet): once per application. Replies via LINE: available for the same application until you submit it.
・Our guideline for replies via LINE is, in principle, within 2 business days (we are closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays; replies may take longer when we are busy).
・Please send copies of your documents by LINE or email. For your residence card, send the front side only; please do not send the side showing your My Number.
・What we tell you is our office’s opinion. It does not guarantee approval; the outcome depends on the decision of the Immigration Services Bureau.
・We only point out missing documents and points to watch. We do not prepare or rewrite your application documents for you or draft text for them, and we do not tell you whether your application is likely to be approved (if you would like to engage us, we will introduce the Self-Prep Course, the Light Plan and the Standard Plan).
・If we find that a document contains information that is not true, or that the application is not your own (or a family member’s), we will decline the check.
This article was written based on publicly available information as of October 2026. Details of the system and implementation dates may change in the future. For procedures to join the Sectoral Consultative Council, please check the guidance from the Japan Tourism Agency and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. For actual applications, please confirm with the official information from the Immigration Services Agency or our office.
Author of this article: Administrative Scrivener Authorized to File Applications, Satoshi Nakayama
Representative, Administrative Scrivener Corporation Miyazaki International Legal Office
Location: Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture
