Applying for Permanent Residency Just Got Tougher
Due to the Takaichi administration’s stricter immigration management policies, applying for Permanent Residency (PR) in Japan has become increasingly difficult.
Here, we provide a clear and straightforward breakdown of the current requirements and key points for PR applications.
1. The Whole Family Is Screened
When you apply for PR, the immigration authorities do not evaluate just you as the primary applicant—they assess your entire household. Consequently, your application can be rejected simply because your spouse missed a residence tax deadline or your child over the age of 20 fell behind on National Pension payments.
Applicants often ask if they can apply alone to leave out a spouse who has compliance issues. However, even in such cases, your spouse’s documentation is required, and their financial or legal record can still lead to a denial.
2. Rules Can Tighten While Your Application Is Pending
PR standards are growing stricter by the day. What makes this challenging is that the authorities do not just apply the rules in place on the day you submit your application—they also apply newly introduced criteria to applications already in the pipeline. Currently, the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau takes nearly two years to process PR applications, meaning new rules could affect an application submitted almost two years prior.
3. Requirements and Key Points for PR Approval
Below is an overview of current PR requirements and critical advice. While details vary depending on your status of residence, this section primarily focuses on holders of work-related visas.
In principle, continuous residence in Japan for 10 years or more
This basic rule remains unchanged. However, exceptions exist: 5 years for Long-Term Residents, at least 3 years of marriage plus 1 year of residence for spouse visa holders, and 1 year of residence for highly skilled professionals.
Holding the longest possible period of stay under your current visa
Previously, having a 3-year period of stay was sufficient to apply. However, starting April 1, 2027, a 5-year period of stay will be required in most cases.
Sufficient assets or skills to make an independent living
Simply put, you must meet a certain income threshold. Historically, the baseline was an annual income of 3 million yen or more, with additional income required for each dependent. Due to recent inflation, however, this standard is shifting. Furthermore, Prime Minister Takaichi has suggested that applicants should earn “at least the average Japanese annual income," raising the possibility that an income of 5 million yen or more may soon be required.
Work visa holders must submit Tax Certificates (Kazei Shoshomeisho) for the past 5 years. At least 4 of those years must reflect an annual income of 3 million yen plus extra for dependents. Going forward, meeting that income baseline for all 5 years may become mandatory.
Flawless record of paying all taxes
While regular visa renewals only require proof of payment for local residence tax, PR applications require proof of national tax payments from the Tax Office (Zeimusho) as well.
Crucially, authorities no longer check just *whether* you paid your taxes, but whether you paid them *on time*. You must submit residence tax payment records for the past 5 years, showing zero late payments over that entire period. If your taxes are deducted directly from your salary (Special Collection / Tokubetsu Choshu), you should be fine. However, if you pay taxes yourself via payment slips (Ordinary Collection / Futsu Choshu), having a completely flawless 5-year record can be quite challenging.
Flawless record of paying health insurance and pension contributions
Tax compliance alone is not enough. You must also prove on-time payments for National Health Insurance and National Pension for the past 2 years. Any late payment during this period will result in immediate rejection.
If you are enrolled in Employees’ Health Insurance and Employees’ Pension through your company, you are generally safe. However, if you changed jobs in the past 2 years and had a gap of 1 month or more between jobs, missed payments often occur during that transition, so proceed with caution.
As mentioned earlier, children turning 20 are legally required to contribute to the National Pension starting from their 20th birthday month. While students can apply for an exemption, the exemption application must be submitted before the first payment deadline (typically the end of the month following their 20th birthday). If submitted later, Immigration considers it a late payment.
Note that even if a child is not biologically yours, they are treated as part of your family if they belong to the same household.
Proper filing of mandatory notifications
Failure to report job changes is a common cause for visa denial. Work visa holders are legally required to notify Immigration within 2 weeks of leaving or starting a job. Currently, as long as you file the report, applications are generally accepted even if filed past the 2-week deadline. If you suspect you forgot to report a past job change, make sure to file it now.
Additionally, holders of the “Business Manager" visa must report changes to their company address, so ensure this is updated as well.
If you are unsure whether you properly reported a past job change, you cannot check that specific record online. However, you can request your full file from Immigration by submitting an Alien Registration Record Disclosure Request.
Conclusion
The Takaichi administration’s policy of “stricter immigration management" represents a harmful shift in policy. While claiming to promote “coexistence with foreign nationals," the government is building an environment where foreign residents struggle to live. If left unchecked, this approach will make Japan an unappealing destination for international talent, leading to a diminished workforce and declining national productivity.
Since 1990, Japanese companies struggling under the post-bubble economy and a strong yen moved production facilities overseas, turning Japan into an economy reliant on cheap imports from China and rest of Asia. Recently, the weaker yen presented a brief opportunity to restore cost-competitive domestic manufacturing. Yet actual production has failed to rebound—not only because domestic facilities no longer exist, but because severe labor shortages mean companies cannot staff new factories.
It is precisely at a time like this that Japan should create a welcoming environment for foreign residents, yet the government is doing the exact opposite. While a minority of foreign residents do violate regulations, the vast majority are far more law-abiding than average citizens because they recognize that breaking the rules jeopardizes their right to remain in Japan.
One-Stop Gyoseishoshi Law Office firmly opposes the anti-foreign policies of the Takaichi administration and remains dedicated to supporting foreign nationals in Japan.