Working remotely while being on student visa

Hi All,
I just arrived to Japan and am working remotely for a company in my home country. I am able to get my living expense money from the university because of which I don't need to bring money from my home country. I am confused if I have to pay taxes/disclose this income in Japan or is it illegal to work like this as I am not bringing money in or sending out to/from Japan.

What kind of visa did you arrive in Japan? If it's a tourist visa, then you're not supposed to be working from my understanding. If you've arrived under a student visa, the limit is 28 hours a week to work, though if you're going to be staying in Japan for over 6 months, then you'll need to pay into taxes.

Do you have any kind of residency in Japan, or are you just staying at hotels/hotels and such? It's a bit hard to know without knowing your actual status.

I forgot to link this, but this should help if you're in Japan under a student visa, you still need to declare taxes if you're working.

https://www.studyjapan.jp/en/topics/life/tax202401.html

Your tax resident status changes after 183 days for many countries. Depending on the tax treaty between your home country and Japan you could be covered by one or the other, and sometimes both (i.e. taxed on worldwide income in your home country, and also in Japan).

@JCT I might be wrong but I think if you do not bring in your earnings from overseas and you have lived less than 5 yrs or do not have PR, then you don’t pay tax on oversea income.

https://www.nta.go.jp/taxes/shiraberu/taxanswer/shotoku/2010.htm
the key word is 国外源泉所得.

if your foreign income is 国外源泉所得, you are right.
it depends on case by case. but, probably in most cases, the incomes does not corresponds to 国外源泉所得.

the example is like that: if you get a SALARY of short-time working of 2000 USD per month. a foreign company withholds 400USD as 源泉所得税 and they give you the money of only 1600 USD instead of 2000 UDS. yes, your income is 国外源泉所得.

more over additional conditions:
if you receive that money in Japan, you must file that income in Japan, ever when foreign income-tax was withheld.
if you send that money to Japan from overseas, you also need to file, even when foreign income-tax was withheld.

Did you get permission from Immigartion to undertake remote work while on a student visa? It’s more complicated than the standard work permission.

You need to keep track of your working hours so you can prove you stayed within the 28 hour limit if you get audited.

@Likebike I might be wrong but I think if you do not bring in your earnings from overseas and you have lived less than 5 yrs or do not have PR, then you don’t pay tax on oversea income.
I have not checked those details recently, but that is only half the story. The OP might be liable in their home country as well for their Japanese income, and that is why the issue of tax residency and tax treaties is important.
When I was working in NZ and Australia my income from both countries counted towards my taxable income in both places so I needed to make sure that I was not tax resident in both places at the same time (otherwise my marginal tax rate would have been over 70%).
Currently, for my income in Japan and back in New Zealand, if not for a "tie-break" under the relevant tax law I would be paying taxes in New Zealand on my Japanese income (as well as in Japan). And that is the point I was making for the OP. It's not just their obligations in Japan they have to worry about after 183 days in the country.

Everyone always gives you different answers when it comes to remote work. Bottom line, you should ask this question to the tax office and the immigration office. If they say it's okay, you know it is. You will be able to say, "A person named so and so from organization so and so said this and that." Or free law consulting is available, often in different languages, at city halls. You can ask them instead.