HSP Points System Deep Dive: How Every Point is Calculated
The HSP calculator estimates points for the activities you intend to perform in Japan. Choose the matching category, then verify the evidence for each item. 70 points is a points threshold, not a complete eligibility decision. See the September 2026 policy update for business requirements, fees and PR changes.
Education
| Highest qualifying education | Academic | Technical | Management |
|---|---|---|---|
| PhD | 30 | 30 | 20 |
| MBA / MOT professional degree | 20 | 25 | 25 |
| Master's | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Bachelor's or recognized equivalent education | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| No qualifying degree/equivalence | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Graduate or professional degrees in multiple fields can add 5 points. Do not count any two certificates as automatically qualifying. The Japanese-degree and designated-university bonuses have their own conditions below.
Relevant work experience
| Experience | Academic | Technical | Management |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10+ years | 15 | 20 | 25 |
| 7–9 years | 15 | 15 | 20 |
| 5–6 years | 10 | 10 | 15 |
| 3–4 years | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| Under 3 years | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Only experience relevant to the intended activity counts. Management experience is not interchangeable with years in an unrelated technical role.
Annual remuneration
Academic and technical salary points depend on age. A dash means zero points for that bracket.
| Annual JPY income | Under 30 | 30–34 | 35–39 | 40+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ¥10m+ | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 |
| ¥9m–under ¥10m | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| ¥8m–under ¥9m | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| ¥7m–under ¥8m | 25 | 25 | 25 | — |
| ¥6m–under ¥7m | 20 | 20 | 20 | — |
| ¥5m–under ¥6m | 15 | 15 | — | — |
| ¥4m–under ¥5m | 10 | — | — | — |
| Below ¥4m | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Management points do not depend on age: ¥10m earns 10; ¥15m earns 20; ¥20m earns 30; ¥25m earns 40; ¥30m or more earns 50, using the highest applicable bracket.
Technical and management HSP require at least ¥3m annual personal remuneration even if the points total is high. Academic research has no such HSP floor. An unanswered income is not proof that the requirement is met. Bonuses can count as remuneration; eligible overseas transfers have specific provisions for pay from the transferring institution. Business capital is separate from salary.
Age
Academic and technical applicants receive 15 points under 30, 10 at 30–34, 5 at 35–39, and zero at 40+. Management has no age points.
Research, qualifications and position
Eligible research includes a granted patent as inventor, at least three qualifying publicly funded research projects, at least three eligible indexed-journal papers as corresponding or qualifying first author, or equivalent achievements recognized by the Minister of Justice.
- Academic: one qualifying achievement category earns 20; two or more earn 25 total.
- Technical: one or more qualifying categories earn 15 total.
- Management: no research points.
Technical applicants can earn 5 for one qualifying Japanese national qualification or notified IT examination/qualification, up to 10 for two or more. Management positions can earn 10 for representative director/equivalent or 5 for director/equivalent, under the official definitions.
Bonuses and exclusions
| Bonus | Points and conditions |
|---|---|
| Japanese ability | N1/BJT 480 or an accepted equivalent: 15. N2/BJT 400: 10 only when neither the N1-equivalent nor Japanese-degree bonus is awarded. |
| Japanese degree | 10 for a qualifying Japanese university/graduate-school degree. N1 plus this degree can total 25; N2 plus it does not total 20. |
| Designated university | 10 maximum for this bonus. A foreign university using the ranking route needs top 300 in at least two of the latest QS/THE/ARWU rankings. Other notified routes exist. |
| Notified innovation support | 10; a qualifying SME with that support receives an additional 10. Check the March 31, 2026 list. |
| Recognized advanced project | 10 for the separately recognized growth-field project. |
| SME research spending | 5 when the defined R&D expense ratio is strictly greater than 3%. |
| Notified Innovative Asia/JICA training | 5 for eligible training lasting at least one year. Training using Japanese university classes cannot stack with the Japanese-degree bonus. |
| Other specific bonuses | Minister-recognized foreign qualifications/awards, specified local support, relevant investment-management work, and the management investment bonus have separate definitions and category restrictions. |
The ISA evaluation page links the current eligibility lists. The January 2026 university list also instructs applicants to check the latest rankings. Being generally well known or receiving an unrelated subsidy is not sufficient.
Points and application eligibility
The official point table is the scoring reference. The HSP ordinance and bonus notification specify detailed conditions.
For Business Manager-based HSP, the calculator separately asks about capital, employees, language evidence, relevant degree/experience and other business requirements. Existing residents' renewal transitions need individual review.
For PR, 70+ points may support a three-year residence exception and 80+ a one-year exception. Continuous qualifying history, current permit duration and other PR requirements still apply. Read the policy update before treating today's score as an application timeline.
Calculate your points and prepare evidence for the items you can establish.