Foreigners seeking permanent residency in Japan will need to meet income and Japanese-language requirements starting Oct. 1, as the government tightens standards amid mounting debate over rising immigration.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi posted a series of messages on social media highlighting the results of the government's overhaul of rules for foreign nationals ahead of the new immigration system taking effect Oct. 1, Bloomberg reported on the 28th. "The government recognizes that some citizens feel anxiety or a sense of unfairness as the number of foreign residents increases," Takaichi wrote. The prime minister added that the ongoing overhaul would "secure order and ensure that both Japanese citizens and foreign nationals can live safely and with peace of mind."
Takaichi listed the changes across several posts, including measures already in force such as tighter visa rules and a crackdown on people overstaying their visas. She said the number of visas issued under the "business manager" category in the first half of this year fell 90% from a year earlier. The business manager visa is a long-term residency status granted to foreign nationals who establish and actually run a company in Japan or take on management positions at an existing company. Rather than a standard work visa, it applies to foreigners in chief executive or executive-level roles, meaning the bar for those positions has been raised.
The new rules also include a plan to charge fees to travelers visiting Japan starting in 2028, along with tighter visa standards for those seeking to live and work in the country. "We will continue our efforts to achieve strict yet smooth immigration and residency management so that both Japanese citizens and foreign nationals can live safely and with peace of mind," Takaichi said.
Surveys have shown growing public unease in Japan about allowing more foreign residents. In a University of Tokyo survey released in August, 56.3% of respondents opposed an increase in the number of foreign nationals in Japan, up sharply from 35.6% in 2024. In a separate poll conducted by the Mainichi Shimbun last November, 71% of respondents supported Takaichi's push to tighten regulations on foreign residents.
