Shipbuilding and ship machinery is one of the more technical Specified Skilled Worker fields. It is organised around distinct trades rather than one general job, and the trade you test in is the trade you work in.
The trades
The field covers several separate specialisms, typically including:
- Welding - the largest and most in demand
- Painting/coating
- Iron fitting / plate work
- Machining
- Finishing / assembly
- Electrical equipment installation
Each is tested separately. A welding pass does not let you work as a machinist.
What you need
- Language: JFT-Basic or JLPT N4 and above. JFT-Basic or JLPT.
- Skills: the shipbuilding evaluation test for your trade, which includes a practical component for most specialisms. The skills test explained.
This is a field where prior trade experience genuinely helps - not as a substitute for the test, but because the practical element assumes real competence with tools and processes.
Where the work is
Japan’s shipyards are concentrated in coastal areas, notably in western Japan. That usually means a smaller town rather than a large city, with cheaper housing and a longer trip to anywhere with a Japanese class.
Plan for online study from the start: online versus in-person classes, and studying while working full time.
Safety and the Japanese it requires
Heavy industrial environments, overhead loads, confined spaces, hot work. Safety instruction is constant and mostly spoken, and it uses a specific register: short, imperative, and often negative.
The two lists worth learning before arrival:
- Safety vocabulary - 危険, 立入禁止, 保護具, 火気厳禁
- Workplace vocabulary - shifts, tools, reporting
And listening practice specifically for instructions and negatives: the listening section.
Pay and progression
Skilled trades in this field generally sit at the higher end of SSW pay, reflecting the qualifications involved. Terms must still equal those of a Japanese national in the same role: salary and deductions.
Shipbuilding is among the fields with an SSW (ii) route, which removes the five-year cap and permits family accompaniment. It requires a higher skills test and documented experience, typically including supervisory responsibility: SSW (i) versus SSW (ii) and bringing family.
For a skilled tradesperson intending to stay long term, that makes this one of the more attractive fields available: SSW to permanent residency.
The first step is the language
Whatever your trade experience, the language test gates the visa. Find out where you stand today with our free exam demo - a complete JFT-Basic mock under exam conditions.