Extending visas in Japan

It is possible to extend your stay in Japan, depending on your nationality, visa status in Japan, and your circumstances. In most cases, whether you can extend or not is clearly defined by Japanese immigration law, but there is occasionally room for manoeuvre.
All extensions are handled at the regional Immigration Offices - make sure that you choose the one nearest one to where you are staying. If you are studying at a particular school, for example, you have to go to the Immigration Office that is responsible for that area. If you are just travelling, then you should be able to go to any Immigration Office.
All applications must be made before the term of residence of your visa expires.

Tourist Visas
If you are from a country that is allowed up to 6 months' stay in Japan, then you will be issued a three month or 90 day visa on arrival. You should then go to the Immigration Office nearest your residence or work in Japan, and ask for the extension. You should need just your passport - although there have been cases where individuals were asked to show proof of funds.
If you are from a country that is not usually granted extensions, then do not count 100% on getting one. If you can explain any extenuating circumstances that give you reason to stay longer in Japan, then you may be granted an extension from a few days to several weeks. Cases where you may be granted an extension are if you are accompanying someone (a parent etc.) who is paying for you and has reason (e.g. work) to be in Japan; when studying a course that is just a few days over the end of your visa; ill health that requires a period of resta dn recuperation; etc. All such extensions, however, are entirely at the discretion of the officials dealing with your case at the Immigration Office - there is no guarantee that you will be awarded an extension - and you may require documentation to support your request.

Student Visas
Student visas of both types are for clearly defined periods. The ryugaku (university) student visa will be for a period equal to the duration of your course, and cannot be extended unless you change your course or the course duration is changed. In such cases, the university will help you.
In the case of the shugaku (pre-college) student visa, there is more variation. The visa you are initially issued will normally be for one year. Depending on the school, the course and the time you start on that visa, you can extend for up to one more year. There are, however, clear rules governing what you can do. If you start a course on the shugaku visa in April, then you should be able to study for up to 24 months in total, depending on whether the school concerned is permitted to offer such visas by the Immigration Office. If you start in July, the visa maximum is 21 months, from October it is 18 months, and from January it is 15 months. This is so that the end date coincides with the start of university courses in April.
Whether you are allowed to extend the visa will depend on your attendance at school. If your attendance rate is less than about 80% then you may find your application refused. If not, you will certainly be asked to write a letter of apology and explanation in Japanese to hand in with your application, which will be taken into account when deciding whether to grant the extension. In such cases, it is normal to be awarded a short extension (usually three months), and then the remainder later on presentation of improved attendance reports. Your school has to provide you with a letter confirming your attendance and academic performance at school, and also confirmation that you are still studying at that school.

Work visa
Work visas are for three years, but often issued for only one year, to be renewed annually. It is merely a formality, and provided you are still working, your company should take care of the details for you. If they don't, they should issue you with the documents to take to immigration. If you change job, then you need documentation confirming the new position, including details of salary, and usually confirmation from the previous employer that they are happy with the move. You may then be issued with a new visa for three years, but this may be on a case-by-case basis. Most companies will take care of all the details for you.

Other visas
Other visas may or may not be extended, depending on your nationality, whether the activity for which the visa was issued is completed, and so on. In some cases, you may be granted a tourist visa for a few days to a couple of weeks in order to extend your activities in Japan, but this will again be at the discretion of the Immigration Office. If you can provide sufficient reason, then your chances of being awarded an extension are of course greater.

Permanent residence
If you become a permanent resident, you no longer need to renew visas.

Becoming a Japanese National
If you acquire Japanese citizenship, you no longer require a visa and can of course stay indefinitely in Japan. In this case, you should go to the nearest Immigration Office and have any visa stamps in your old passport cancelled.