On 25 September 2026, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) announced that it will begin operating the Japan Pre-Entry Tuberculosis Screening system (JPETS) in Indonesia. Health checks at designated medical institutions are planned to be accepted from 2 November, and the requirement to submit a certificate confirming that the applicant has not developed tuberculosis (the "tuberculosis non-disease certificate") when applying for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) or a visa is planned to take effect on 4 January 2027. Both dates are described as planned.
- What the system is: 「スクリーニング対象国から日本に入国し、中長期間在留しようとする者に対し、入国前に指定健診医療機関で胸部レントゲン検査等を受け、「結核を発病していないこと」を確認する制度」("A system under which people from screening-target countries who intend to enter Japan for a medium or long-term stay undergo a chest X-ray and other tests at a designated health-check medical institution before entry, to confirm that they 'have not developed tuberculosis,'" the MHLW states.) The applicant bears the cost, and the certificate is in principle valid for 180 days from the date of the X-ray (according to the dedicated website).
- Who is covered: People who hold the nationality of a target country (the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Nepal, Myanmar and China) and who intend to enter and stay in Japan as medium- to long-term residents (excluding those who hold a re-entry permit). People whose current place of residence can be confirmed as outside the target countries, for example from a residence permit issued by their country of residence, are not covered.
- Exclusions for the time being: Specified Skilled Workers, nurses and certified care workers under EPAs (Economic Partnership Agreements), participants in the JET Programme and others are excluded "for the time being". Technical Intern Training is not among the excluded categories listed. Among international students, the exclusion is limited to categories such as embassy-recommended government-sponsored students and JDS students (according to the guidelines of the Immigration Services Agency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the MHLW).
- Other target countries: Submission has been mandatory in the Philippines and Nepal since 23 June 2025 and in Vietnam since 1 September 2025. For Myanmar and China, preparations are described as "under coordination toward a start" (「開始に向け調整中」).
Anyone bringing technical interns or international students from Indonesia needs to allow time for the health check when applying from January 2027. The designated medical institutions are to be announced "as soon as they are ready" (「準備でき次第公表」), and have not yet been named. For consultations on employing workers from Indonesia, see our recruitment support services.
Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Pre-Entry Tuberculosis Screening to Start in Indonesia" / Immigration Services Agency, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Guidelines on the Implementation of Pre-Entry Tuberculosis Screening" / Pre-Entry Tuberculosis Screening Dedicated Website