Guarantor's role in Japan's short term visa

Question

I am planning to apply for a Temporary Visitor visa for Japan from India. I do have a friend(Indian) there who will be extending their invitation for me.

I also plan to stay at their house for a most part of my journey. But I am not taking any financial help from them.

My question is will they be considered as my 'guarantor' as well?

I present this trip to the visa officer as a self-funded trip mostly. I have pretty good financials, but since I am a new earner, so I am also including a sponsorship letter from my father describing that he will cover for me in a case any unforeseen event happens.

Basically, It's just an additional security.

Nowhere am I mentioning that my friend is taking part in my sponsorship too.

My question is does my friend still count as a guarantor? I am not sure of the definition of a guarantor.

If someone is guarantor, does it implies they necessarily pay for your trip?

Or is it that A guarantor is anyone who takes your responsibility of abiding laws, and other non-finance things?

I am not sure which definition aligns with the Japan embassy.

Request you to please take out your few minutes and kindly help me out by sharing your suggestions/experiences.

I am confused if I should include a letter of guarantee from my friend or not in my application.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Visa FAQ from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

Q5: As a “guarantor”, to what extent do I need to be responsible?

A5: The "guarantor" for the visa application is the person who resides in Japan and makes a promise to the head of the embassy / consulate (the Japanese ambassador/ consul-general, etc.) to the effect that the visa applicant will stay legally in Japan. The responsibilities of the guarantor only entails moral responsibilities and does not entail legal responsibilities like that of the "guarantor" in the Civil Code. However, if it is recognized that the guaranteed matters (expenses for the applicant's stay in Japan, return travel expenses, compliance with laws and regulations) have not been performed rightly, that person would lose credibility as a guarantor in subsequent visa applications. Also, be aware that if the guarantor or inviting person made a false statement in the documents about their relationship to the visa applicant or the purpose of visit, or if that caused terrorists to enter Japan or crime such as human trafficking, they may be held criminally responsible.

For context, guarantors (保証人) are common in Japan for things like rental contracts, and the Civil Code guarantors functions essentially as backup: you're expected to pay your rent yourself, but if you don't, the landlord will turn to the guarantor to pay.

But for visas, the FAQ above makes it clear that the guarantor is not legally responsible for your travel expenses. However, if you break the conditions they will no longer be able to serve as guarantor for somebody else, and they also cannot lie about their relationship to you.