Getting a visa with a criminal record?

When I was 14, I was arrested for stealing cold medicine from a local CVS. I got off with unsupervised probation and 20 hours of community service.

As I understand it, you can't get a visa if you have been convicted of a crime. While it is of course a crime, is something as petty as theft (in my case) something that will prevent me from obtaining a visa?

It's been over 7 years since I made this mistake. Because of that, I can't remember specific details of whether or not it was removed from my record etc.

CVS? Are you a US citizen? If yes, you don't even need a visa to get into Japan.

Also, a petty crime like yours will be erased from a record after a certain amount of time. Check and see if it's even on your record.

Stanley,

If you are American, aside from not needing a visa, your juvenile record is expunged anyway. So on future job applications that ask you about criminal history, etc., you do not need to disclose that information.

Forgive me for not including this in my original post, but I was referring to Student/Working Visa.

I'm not sure to what extent Immigration checks your background, but I have heard that some companies in Japan these days do require background checks. If your juvenile record is expunged that should mean you have a clean slate though, is that correct?