If your visa is still under review by the immigration bureau at the time of your expiration date, you can legally stay in Japan for a maximum of two months. This period is called the special period. The immigration bureau's review must be completed within this two-month period.
If the immigration bureau's examination result is not approved during this special period, the applicant will instantly become an overstayer, which is extremely harsh for the foreign applicant, so they will be encouraged to change their status to specific activities (preparing to leave the country).
If the period of this specific activity (preparation to leave the country) is 31 days or longer, you can apply for the desired status of residence again and be eligible for the special period again.
On the other hand, if the period is 30 days or less, the special period cannot be applied. One reason for this is that immigration screening is not completed so quickly, so if the application for the desired residence status is accepted, it would cause confusion in how it is handled.
However, the response varies depending on the immigration office, and there are cases where the applicant can apply for the desired status of residence while temporarily bridging the period of stay with a specific activity visa. It depends on the situation of each applicant, but as far as our organization knows, some applications have been accepted at the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Shinagawa and some have not, and some have been accepted at the Saitama branch office.
In any case, it is probably best to consult directly with the immigration office in your area, but you should keep in mind that your application may be accepted only on humanitarian grounds. For example, if you have a history of overstaying your visa or have exceeded the working hours limit for activities outside your visa status, there is a high chance that your application will not be accepted.
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