Changing the WHV to a working visa

Hi everyone,

I’m from Italy and I recently saw that the requirements for the Working Holiday Visa (Japan) have been updated. One thing that confused me is that it says you’re not allowed to change your residence status.

However, I’ve read in multiple places that sometimes the immigration office or embassy might make exceptions in practice.

So I wanted to ask: is it actually possible to go to Japan on a WHV, find a company willing to sponsor you, and then switch to a regular work visa before the WHV expires?

Has anyone here done this successfully or knows someone who has? I’d really appreciate hearing real experiences or advice.

Thanks!