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The story
A Nepali man who runs a popular curry shop in Nagano Prefecture left Japan in mid-November after being denied a visa renewal and given 30 days to leave the country. The reason: he had his foreign kitchen staff — hired on visas meant strictly for cooking — also serve food and work the register. “Skilled Labor” visas are, in principle, limited to “specialized culinary work,” and a practice that had long been business as usual on the ground apparently became grounds for an instant, no-appeal rejection amid tightened immigration screening. The thread was split over whether the crackdown is fair, what happens to the family left behind, and how this compares to other cases involving foreign nationals and crime.
Instant Disqualification: Nepali Man Leaves Japan, Leaving Behind His Family and a Popular Nagano Curry Shop | Shinano Mainichi Shimbun Digital
A popular curry restaurant run by a Nepali man in the prefecture is now facing a crisis. His residency status was not renewed after he had foreign kitchen staff — hired to cook — also handle serving and register duties that their visas don’t actually permit.
According to those familiar with the matter, an instant disqualification over a violation this minor used to be rare, but the tightening of policy toward foreign nationals appears to be a factor. The man was ordered to leave within 30 days, and departed Japan in mid-November without being able to settle the future of the business or the family he lived with.
Source: shinmai.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
I was only going 30 km/h over the limit.
A Porsche just blew past me, and that guy was way worse.
Go pull over the Porsche instead.
Seriously, so true.
It's basically the Japanese equivalent of 'Chinese food' — same idea.
Sounds like they're planning to bring in even more immigrants anyway.
This whole thing is just a pressure-release valve.
Lol, exactly.
"We've corrected our political funds report (smug face)" and that's it — no punishment, lol.
That's what happens when bureaucrats design the system — you get this kind of nonsense.
The strict work limits of the "Skilled Labor" visa
The "Skilled Labor (chef of a specialized foreign cuisine)" status held by most cooks at Indian and Nepali restaurants only permits, in principle, "specialized culinary work." Under Japan's immigration law, front-of-house and simple tasks — serving, waiting tables, working the register, washing dishes, cleaning — require a different status entirely, such as Specified Skilled Worker (food service) or a part-time work permit (permission for activity outside one's status).
The gap between reality on the ground and the "crackdown"
At small, independently run curry shops, it wasn't unusual for cooks to step out of the kitchen during busy periods to carry dishes or help out at the register — that was just how things worked in practice. But strictly speaking, that's a violation (activity outside one's permitted status), and amid the recent trend of stricter immigration screening, it appears to have been judged grounds for instant disqualification (visa renewal denied).
It's because he used his staff in a way that wasn't allowed, that's why.
"Working hard and honestly" at a curry shop… I mean, sure, but still…
The yards make money, but the curry shop is just a front for getting visas for your buddies.
Because the curry shop just quietly goes along with it, while the yard people kick up a fuss.
They've got quotas to hit — no time to waste dealing with the yards.
His wife's probably Japanese and the kids have Japanese citizenship or something.
Seriously, exactly.
The biggest victims here are the foreigners who actually follow the rules and work honestly.
The way it's being enforced is just wrong.
No, this is correct enforcement.
What else would the rule even be there for?
"Can't work the register" lol, come on.
If that's true, the authorities were negligent too.
Plenty of shops that never violated anything are closing down too.
loosen the rules a little for them.
On the flip side,
deport the Japanese people who won't work either — the unemployed and welfare recipients.
Don't forget to post your tax payment certificate!!
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Way too many people still mistakenly think "non-prosecution = immediate release = they'll just offend again."
Also, about non-prosecution: "even when the news reports it as non-prosecution, in reality most such cases are actually prosecuted, and it still leaves a record (treated the same as a prior conviction)."
So once you're actually arrested, you're done. It's genuinely sad that cash-strapped lawyers chasing a fee will lie just to drum up business, saying things like "non-prosecution means you're innocent! Leave it to us!"
Non-prosecution is non-prosecution — but if you're not prosecuted, you're not tried, and without a trial there's no way to get a criminal record.
Do you even know the difference between the prosecutor's office and the police?
That said, for foreigners, I think for offenses minor enough to get a suspended sentence, they're generally given the choice between deportation back home or being prosecuted in Japan.
yeah, that is a strange way to do it.
Trainees have it way stricter, lol.
Once they're in Japan, no job-switching, no side jobs — the only option is going home, lol lol
Background and Key Points of This Topic
The “Skilled Labor” residency status is limited to the duties of a foreign-cuisine chef, and front-of-house work like serving food or working the register is, in principle, only permitted under a different status, such as Specified Skilled Worker or a permit for activity outside one’s status. At small, independently run shops short on staff, it was common in practice for cooks to effectively help out front-of-house too, and in this case the gap between that reality and the rules led to the severe outcome of instant disqualification. The thread was split between those who back the stricter enforcement itself and those who see it as a system out of step with conditions on the ground. It should also be noted that the original article doesn’t specify the family’s nationality or what happens to them going forward, so the thread’s speculation that “the wife is probably Japanese” hasn’t been confirmed.
*This article is composed as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Breaking News+) thread “Instant Disqualification: Nepali Man Leaves Japan, Leaving Behind His Family and a Popular Nagano Curry Shop.”
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