[franciscop]

Oh it's even simpler, you just keep the same visa and officially you are good for 3 months, unofficially it's much longer (as long as you have left in your previous visa), so that's good and much better than in e.g. the USA, I'm just saying that the jump from normal work visa to Permanent Residency (equivalent to the greencard) is a bit harsh.

Say for example you've been working for 7 years in Japan and your father gets sick back in your home country. If you go back for few months to help out you are basically a goner (unless you can keep remote working). Or that after working e.g. 10 years abroad and 5 in Japan you just want to take 6 month break for a bad burnout. No cannot do.