Japan Tightens Permanent Residency Rules and Hikes Fees: Income, Pension and Language Requirements Now Mandatory
Updated: 15 hours ago
TOKYO, September 28, 2026 — Japan has announced a significant tightening of its permanent residency framework, introducing stricter income, pension and language requirements alongside a twentyfold increase in application fees.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi outlined the changes in a series of social media posts on 27 September 2026, describing the reforms as necessary to ensure that permanent residency remains a "stable legal status" granted only after careful examination .
Permanent Residency: New Requirements
The revised guidelines, scheduled to take effect on 1 October 2026, introduce concrete benchmarks for the first time in several areas.
Income Requirement
Applicants must now demonstrate that their household annual income exceeds the average income of Japanese households, adjusted for household size .
Aspect | Details |
Benchmark | Above average Japanese household income |
2024 Average Household Income | ¥5.75 million |
Median Household Income | ¥4.51 million |
Households Below Average | Approximately 62% |
Income is assessed on a household basis, and income earned by family members on non-work visas (such as dependants) cannot be counted toward the total. Dependants living abroad are included in the household size calculation, which raises the required income threshold .
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Pension Requirement
For the first time, applicants must demonstrate that their projected future pension benefits reach the level equivalent to 30 years of enrollment in the employees' pension system at the required income level .
Shortfalls can be offset by financial assets, with the required asset threshold varying by age — younger applicants face lower benchmarks .
Language and Integration
The revised guidelines add new criteria under the "national interest" requirement:
Requirement | Standard |
Japanese Language | CEFR B1 level (JLPT N3 equivalent) |
Understanding of Japanese Systems | Assessed; insufficient understanding negatively evaluated |
Children's Schooling | Failure to enroll school-age children negatively evaluated |
The guidelines also state that permanent residency must "affirmatively and concretely benefit Japan" — a shift from the previous standard of merely not conflicting with Japanese interests .
Spouse Exception Tightened
The special exception for spouses of Japanese citizens and permanent residents has been extended:
Aspect | Previous | New |
Marriage Duration | 3 years | 5 years |
Residence in Japan | 1 year | 3 years |
Fee Increases: Twentyfold Rise for Permanent Residency
The government approved fee increases at a Cabinet meeting on 25 August 2026, with the changes taking effect on 1 October 2026 .
Application Type | Previous Fee | New Fee |
Permanent Residency | ¥10,000 | ¥200,000 |
Residence Status Change/Renewal | ¥5,500 | Varies by duration |
Residence permit fees now vary based on the authorized period, ranging from ¥10,000 for three months or less to ¥65,000 for five years or more .
Important: Applications submitted on or before 30 September 2026 will be processed under the old fee schedule, even if approval is granted after 1 October .
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Enforcement Statistics: First Half of 2026
Prime Minister Takaichi also released enforcement data for the first half of 2026, showing the impact of tightened screening :
Visa Category | Change | Numerical Impact |
Business Manager Visa | Down 90% | 3,074 fewer cases |
Intra-company Transferee Visa | Down 15% | 739 fewer cases |
The Business Manager visa was tightened in October 2025, raising the capital requirement from ¥5 million to ¥30 million and adding requirements for management experience, Japanese language ability, and business plan verification .
The Immigration Services Agency also reported that 953 holders of the Business Manager status departed Japan in the first half of 2026 without filing for re-entry permission — 3.9 times the figure from a year earlier .
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Opposition and Concerns
The reforms have drawn criticism from civil society organisations and even from within the ruling coalition.
"Even Japanese people would struggle to meet these standards."— Kankin Kin, Part-time Lecturer, Osaka Tokiwakai University
A member of the Liberal Democratic Party expressed concern:
"This is for the election. But even if it lifts votes in the short term, local areas will grind to a halt. If Japan loses its appeal to foreign workers, they will stop coming."
The advocacy group Solidarity Network with Migrants Japan (Migrants Network) issued a statement opposing the guideline revisions, arguing they "effectively close the path to permanent residency for many foreign nationals" and "directly contradict a multicultural society" .
Quick Reference Summary
Aspect | Details |
Effective Date | 1 October 2026 (income requirement); April 2027 (pension, language) |
Income Requirement | Above average Japanese household income |
Pension Requirement | 30-year employee's pension equivalent |
Language Requirement | CEFR B1 (JLPT N3) |
Spouse Exception | Marriage 5 years, residence 3 years |
Permanent Residency Fee | ¥10,000 → ¥200,000 |
Business Manager Visa Decline | -90% (first half 2026) |
Departures Without Re-entry | 953 (3.9x year-on-year) |
Official Resources
Resource | Link |
Immigration Services Agency – Permanent Residency Guidelines | |
Fee Revision Information | |
Public Comment Archive |
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