Construction (建設) is one of the largest Specified Skilled Worker fields and one of the oldest. It was among the first to offer SSW (ii), which matters more than almost anything else about it.
Verify before you act on this. The Specified Skilled Worker system is revised frequently — fields are added, caps are imposed, and requirements change. The Immigration Services Agency of Japan and the ministry responsible for your field are the sources that bind. This page is orientation, not authority.
Why SSW (ii) is the headline
Most SSW candidates enter on SSW (i), which is capped at five years and does not allow family to accompany you.
SSW (ii) removes the cap, allows indefinite renewal, permits your spouse and minor children to join you, and counts towards permanent residency.
Construction and shipbuilding were the original Type 2 fields, and construction has therefore had a functioning route to long-term settlement for longer than most. If your aim is to build a life in Japan rather than to work there for five years, that is a serious point in its favour. See SSW (i) versus (ii).
The two requirements
Language: JFT-Basic at 200+ or JLPT N4+ — the same as every field.
Skills: the construction skills evaluation test, covering the work itself, and importantly safety. Construction sites are hazardous environments and the test reflects that. Safety vocabulary in Japanese is not optional knowledge here; it is the part that keeps you intact.
Check when and where the test runs in your country before planning anything else — see the skills test explained.
What the work is
Building and civil engineering work, across a wide range of specialisms. Physical, outdoors in most weather, and often organised around sites that change.
Things to be realistic about:
- It is physically demanding, and it stays physically demanding at forty in a way that some other fields do not.
- Safety culture is strict, and following instructions precisely in Japanese is a daily requirement.
- Work may be away from major cities, following the sites.
- Hours can be long, though the sector has been under pressure to reform on this.
The sector’s history is worth knowing
Construction has been one of the largest users of foreign labour in Japan for many years, first through technical intern training and now through SSW. That maturity cuts both ways.
It means the route is well established, employers are experienced at sponsoring foreign workers, and the path to Type 2 is proven.
It also means the sector has an extensive history of complaints about conditions, unpaid overtime and exploitative intermediaries. That is not a reason to avoid it — it is a reason to ask specific questions before signing anything:
- Who exactly is the employer, and what is the site?
- What are the stated hours, and what happens beyond them?
- What is deducted from your pay, and for what?
- Who is the registered support organisation?
See agency red flags and salary and deductions.
If you have done technical intern training in construction
You may be exempt from both the skills test and the language test when moving to SSW in the same field. Check before you book anything — people sit tests they did not need. See SSW versus technical intern training.
Start with the language
It is the longest lead time and it applies whichever field you choose. Our free practice test reports by section in about fifteen minutes.