Kasane InternationalVisa and immigration filings · Kinshicho, Tokyo
日本語English

Kinshicho, Tokyo · since 2011

Japanese visas, in four languages.

  • 日本語5 staff
  • English2 staff
  • 中文2 staff
  • Tiếng Việt2 staff

We are a five-person gyoseishoshi office, four minutes' walk from the South Exit of JR Kinshicho Station. Gyoseishoshi are licensed to prepare immigration applications and file them for you, so in most cases you never have to queue at the immigration bureau.

Hours
Weekdays 9:30–18:30 (Tue & Thu until 19:30)
Saturdays
1st and 3rd only, by appointment
Phone
03-0000-0000 (from abroad +81-3-0000-0000)

This is a fictional office created as a design sample.

Our principal, Naoki Shinohara, holds up a document as he explains it to a client, while Kenichi Iwasa and Nguyễn Thị Hà listen behind him
In the meeting room, Naoki Shinohara takes an employer through the paperwork. Kenichi and Hà, who are handling the case, sit in.

Choose your situation to see what you will need

Pick the one closest to yours. You will see the documents to collect, our fee, and a rough timeframe for the immigration review.

Work visas (Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services, and others)

“I want to work in Japan, or change jobs.”

Documents to collect (main ones)

  • Graduation certificate (university or vocational school)Applicant
  • CV showing your education and work historyApplicant
  • Employment contract or job offer letterEmployer
  • Company registration certificate and last year's financial statementsEmployer
  • Residence card and passport (if you are already in Japan)Applicant

Our fee (tax incl.)

¥99,000+

Change of status in Japan (e.g. from Student)

Coming from overseas (COE)¥110,000+

Typical timeframeestimate

Coming from overseas1–3 months

Change of status in Japan1–2 months

Immigration publishes average processing times every month, and they change. We'll share the latest figures when you consult us.

What we do

  1. We first check that the job matches what you studied.
  2. We ask your employer's HR team for their documents directly.
  3. We write the application and a letter explaining the job, then file it with immigration.
Work visas in detailAsk us about this

Spouse or Child of Japanese National, Spouse of Permanent Resident, Dependent, Long-Term Resident

“I married a Japanese national, or want my family here.”

Documents to collect (main ones)

  • Family register (koseki) of the Japanese spouse, showing the marriageApplicant
  • Marriage certificate from your home country (we translate it)Applicant
  • Photos of the two of you, from when you met until nowApplicant
  • Resident tax certificates of the Japanese spouseApplicant
  • Questionnaire on how you met and marriedOur office

Our fee (tax incl.)

¥99,000+

Spouse visa (COE or change of status)

Dependent visa (COE)¥77,000+

Typical timeframeestimate

Coming from overseas3–5 months

Change of status in Japan1–2 months

Immigration publishes average processing times every month, and they change. We'll share the latest figures when you consult us.

What we do

  1. We listen to both of you, from how you met to your wedding.
  2. We draft the questionnaire immigration asks for.
  3. We translate English, Chinese and Vietnamese documents in-house.
  4. The same team handles Dependent visas for the families of people working in Japan.
Spouse and family visas in detailAsk us about this

Permanent Residency

“I want to live in Japan permanently.”

Documents to collect (main ones)

  • Resident tax certificates and proof of payment (last 5 years)Applicant
  • Pension and health insurance payment records (last 2 years)Applicant
  • Certificate of employment, or copies of your tax returnsApplicant
  • Certificate of residence for everyone in your householdApplicant
  • Letter of guarantee from a Japanese national or permanent residentApplicant
  • Statement of reasonsOur office

Our fee (tax incl.)

¥143,000+

Full permanent residency application

Typical timeframeestimate

From filing to decision10–14 months

Immigration publishes average processing times every month, and they change. We'll share the latest figures when you consult us.

What we do

  1. Before you apply, we check together that your taxes, pension and health insurance were all paid on time.
  2. If we find late payments, we may suggest waiting before you apply.
  3. We write the statement of reasons, file it, and deal with any requests for extra documents.
Permanent residency in detailAsk us about this

Naturalization (filed at the Legal Affairs Bureau)

“I want to become a Japanese citizen.”

Documents to collect (main ones)

  • Birth and family-relationship certificates from your home country (these vary by country)Applicant
  • Resident and income tax certificates (last 5 years)Applicant
  • Pension payment records (last 2 years)Applicant
  • Driving record certificate (if you drive)Applicant
  • Statement of motivation (you write it; we help with the draft)Applicant
  • The bureau's own forms, such as your personal history and family overviewOur office

Our fee (tax incl.)

¥198,000+

Full naturalization paperwork

Typical timeframeestimate

From filing to decision10–14 months

The bureau usually contacts you for an interview about two months after you apply.

What we do

  1. We prepare the bureau's own forms, such as your personal history and family overview.
  2. We find out how to request documents from your home country and translate them.
  3. You will need to go to the Legal Affairs Bureau in person on the day you apply and for the interview.
Naturalization in detailAsk us about this

Business Manager

“I want to start or run a business in Japan.”

Documents to collect (main ones)

  • Business plan, checked by a qualified professionalOur office
  • Company registration certificate and articles of incorporationApplicant
  • Proof of investment of at least ¥30 millionApplicant
  • Office lease, with photos of the inside and outsideApplicant
  • Employment contract for at least one full-time employeeApplicant
  • Proof of Japanese ability (yours or a full-time employee's)Applicant

Our fee (tax incl.)

¥275,000+

Business Manager (COE or change of status)

Typical timeframeestimate

From filing to decision5–8 months

Immigration publishes average processing times every month, and they change. We'll share the latest figures when you consult us.

What we do

  1. At the first meeting we check whether you meet the rules introduced in October 2025.
  2. If you don't, we tell you on the spot.
  3. We write the business plan with you and have it checked by a partner SME consultant.
  4. A partner judicial scrivener handles the company registration.
Business Manager in detailAsk us about this

Work visas, Specified Skilled Worker and others (for employers)

“We want to hire foreign staff.”

Documents to collect (main ones)

  • Company registration certificateEmployer
  • Last year's financial statements and annual statutory report summaryEmployer
  • Employment contract or terms of employment describing the jobEmployer
  • Company brochure, or printed pages from your websiteEmployer
  • The new hire's graduation certificate, CV and passport copyApplicant

Our fee (tax incl.)

¥110,000+

Work visa COE (first person)

Each additional person filed at the same time¥88,000+

Typical timeframeestimate

Work visa from overseas1–3 months

Specified Skilled Worker (i) from overseas2–3 months

Immigration publishes average processing times every month, and they change. We'll share the latest figures when you consult us. Spring, before April start dates, is the busiest time.

What we do

  1. We keep in touch with both your HR team and the new hire, and can explain things to them in English, Chinese or Vietnamese.
  2. We check at the job-posting stage that the role fits a work status.
  3. After they join, we track renewal dates and remind you three months ahead.
Hiring foreign staff in detailAsk us about this

Timeframes are rough estimates from our own experience. Requests for extra documents add time, and every case is different.

Naturalization timeframes come from our own experience, because the Ministry of Justice does not publish a standard processing time. They vary with the bureau's workload and with each case.

Find someone who speaks your language

All 5 of us speak Japanese. Choose a language to see who else you can talk to.

Naoki and Kenichi speak English.

Saki and Kenichi speak Chinese.

Hà and Miho speak Vietnamese.

  • Naoki Shinohara, Principal · Gyoseishoshi, certified filing agent

    Principal · Gyoseishoshi, certified filing agent

    Naoki Shinohara

    • 日本語
    • English

    Spent nine years bringing foreign employees into a global logistics firm before opening the office in 2011. Handles permanent residency and Business Manager cases.

  • Saki Murase, Gyoseishoshi, certified filing agent

    Gyoseishoshi, certified filing agent

    Saki Murase

    • 日本語
    • 中文

    Lived in Shanghai for four years. Handles spouse visas and naturalization, and knows Chinese notarial certificates better than anyone here.

  • Nguyễn Thị Hà, Assistant · document preparation and translation

    Assistant · document preparation and translation

    Nguyễn Thị Hà

    • 日本語
    • Tiếng Việt

    From Hanoi. Graduated from a Japanese university and joined us in 2018. She translates every Vietnamese document we file.

  • Kenichi Iwasa, Gyoseishoshi, certified filing agent · employer contact

    Gyoseishoshi, certified filing agent · employer contact

    Kenichi Iwasa

    • 日本語
    • English
    • 中文

    Worked in recruitment for foreign hires at a staffing company. Employers' enquiries come to him first.

  • Miho Noguchi, Assistant · reception and document preparation

    Assistant · reception and document preparation

    Miho Noguchi

    • 日本語
    • Tiếng Việt

    Worked for three years at a Japanese factory in Ho Chi Minh City. She is usually the first voice you hear when you call.

3

certified filing agents on our team

We go to the immigration bureau every Tuesday and Friday, so you don't have to.

The Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau is in Shinagawa. We file your application there, pick up any requests for extra documents, and collect your new residence card once it is approved.

The one exception is naturalization. It is handled by the Legal Affairs Bureau, and you will need to go there yourself to apply and for the interview.

A hand filling in an application form, with interview notes alongside
What we hear in Chinese or Vietnamese is read back by two of us before it goes on the form.

How it works

From your first message to the decision, in five steps.

Steps and FAQ in detail

  1. Get in touch

    By phone, the form, LINE, WeChat or Zalo. We reply within two business days.

  2. Meet and get a quote

    45 minutes at our office or by video call. You leave with a document list made for your case and a written quote.

  3. Prepare the documents

    You collect the papers on your list; we write the application and translate English, Chinese and Vietnamese documents.

  4. We file with immigration

    A certified filing agent submits it and handles any messages from immigration during the review.

  5. Decision

    We tell you the day the result arrives, and collect your new residence card for you.

Finding us

Four minutes from Kinshicho Station's South Exit

5F, Kotobashi 3-chome, Sumida-ku, Tokyo (street number omitted in this sample)

Four minutes on foot from the South Exit of JR Kinshicho Station. Our building is just before Keiyo Road, with a pharmacy on the ground floor. Use the entrance to the right of the pharmacy and take the lift to the 5th floor.

Weekdays
9:30–18:30
Tue & Thu
until 19:30, by appointment
Saturdays
1st and 3rd only, 10:00–15:00, by appointment
Sun & holidays
Closed

What we don't handleWe do not handle refugee applications or cases for people in immigration detention. If you need help with either, we can refer you to a lawyer who does.

Contact

Call us

+81-3-0000-0000

Weekdays 9:30–18:30. If you would rather speak English, Chinese or Vietnamese, just say so when we pick up and we will pass you to the right person.

Send us a message

You can also reach us on LINE, WeChat or Zalo (IDs will appear on the live site).