Japan tightens permanent residency rules for foreigners

Japan tightened requirements on Thursday for foreigners seeking permanent residency, adding income and Japanese-language conditions and raising application fees as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pushes tighter immigration controls.

The new rules will come into effect in stages. Foreign residents seeking to stay permanently will have to prove their annual income is above average and show they can hold casual conversations in Japanese.

Applicants must also show understanding of social rules and demonstrate expected pension benefits equivalent to someone who has paid pension insurance for 30 years. Previous guidelines did not set specific thresholds for income, pension or language skills.

The application fee rose on Thursday to 200,000 yen, or $1,275, from 10,000 yen. Hundreds of people queued this week at an immigration office in central Tokyo before the increase.

Japan has a rapidly ageing population and labour shortages in many sectors, but opposition to immigration is growing. Takaichi said in a post on X on Sunday that some citizens felt anxiety and a sense of unfairness as the number of foreign residents increased, and said she was pushing for "orderly coexistence" with foreign nationals.

The changes follow a push by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party last year to tighten rules for business manager visas. Foreigners were also a major issue in last year's upper house election, when the "Japanese-first" Sanseito party rose sharply.