If your status of residence expired or your special Re-entry Permission expired while you were away from Japan, “Written pledge” is not required to apply for a visa at the embassy/consulate. This is because these cases do not fall into the framework “Residence Track” announced on by announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan on 30th September 2020.
The required procedures to enter Japan are below.
The following 1) must be done by everyone.
Those who enter Japan from a country / region subject to entry refusal must also do 2) and 3).
You can check the list of designated countries / regions in this link (click here).
[What everyone has to do]
1) You must apply for a visa “Student” with your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) at the embassy (consulate) in the country/region of stay.
[Must be done only by students entering from the country / region subject to entry refusal]
2) You must obtain a Certificate of Testing for COVID-19 from a medical facility in the country/region of stay proving a negative test result having undergone a test for COVID-19 (the novel coronavirus) within 72 hours prior to departing from the country/region of stay.
3) You must submit the original or a copy of your Certificate of Testing for COVID-19 proving a negative test result to the immigration inspector after arriving in Japan.
*For more details about 2) and 3), please see this web page and contact the nearest embassy / consulate.
Japan's border control measures are still continuing. Please check the current epidemic prevention measures yourself. Also, please check another FAQ (click here).