Tokyo: Japan's Immigration Services Agency on Tuesday unveiled a draft revision to its guidelines on permanent residency permits, mandating that applicants maintain an income exceeding the average for Japanese households.
According to Philippines News Agency, the revised guidelines would, for the first time, stipulate that foreigners' applications for permanent residency status in Japan require especially careful scrutiny. The agency plans to finalize the guidelines in October after soliciting public comments starting Tuesday.
Japan's immigration control law requires that foreigners exhibit good behavior, possess sufficient assets or skills for independent living, and align with Japan's interests to acquire permanent residency. The draft revision tightens the second requirement, emphasizing that permanent residents must not be a public burden and should have stable future prospects.
The new guidelines introduce a requirement concerning future pension expectations for applicants with incomes above those of Japanese citizens. This examines whether the pension amount would equate to benefits from the "kosei nenkin" public pension program after 30 years of contributions.
Regarding the third requirement, the revision specifies that applicants "must actively yield concrete benefits to the country." It includes factors such as Japanese language proficiency, understanding of Japanese systems, and whether children of compulsory education age are attending school to assess smooth integration into local communities.
As of the end of 2025, approximately 4.12 million foreign residents lived in Japan, with about 940,000 holding permanent residency. The agency's decision to tighten guidelines follows a survey indicating that the proportion of permanent foreign residents receiving welfare assistance is comparable to that of Japanese citizens.
The agency aims to enforce the revised guidelines from next April and plans to apply the tightened income requirement to applications submitted from this April. Additionally, the agency announced draft guidelines for revoking permanent residency status, citing intentional failures to pay taxes and social security premiums as conditions for invalidation starting next April. Examples of revocation include failures to pay taxes and social security premiums despite receiving reminder notices and not carrying residence cards.
