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The proposed changes would also raise the residency and marriage requirements for spouses of Japanese nationals and permanent residents seeking permanent residency.
Japan’s Immigration Services Agency has unveiled proposed changes to tighten requirements for foreigners seeking permanent residency, including new income, pension, and language thresholds, as part of the government's efforts to build what it describes as an “orderly society” where Japanese and foreign residents can coexist, according to Kyodo News and The Japan Times.
Announced on 4 August 2026, the proposed framework would tighten the current permanent residency requirements, which is primarily based on three criteria: good conduct, sufficient assets or skills to maintain an independent livelihood, and whether granting permanent residency is deemed in Japan's national interests.
Permanent residency allows foreign nationals to remain in Japan indefinitely without restrictions on employment or other activities while retaining their original nationality. Applicants generally need to have resided in Japan for at least 10 years before becoming eligible.
Under the proposed revisions, applicants would be required to maintain an annual household income above the average for Japanese households. The benchmark would be determined using multiple government data sources. According to a recent health ministry survey cited in media reports, the average household income in Japan stood at 5.75mn yen (US$36,500) in 2024.
The draft guidelines would also introduce a pension requirement. Applicants would need projected pension benefits equivalent to those received after 30 years of enrollment in Japan’s employees’ pension programme at their income level. Those who fall short would be allowed to make up the difference with financial assets.
In addition, permanent residency applicants would be required to demonstrate Japanese-language proficiency at the level of an “independent user”, establishing a more clearly defined eligibility criterion than under the current system.
The proposed revisions also affect spouses of Japanese nationals and permanent residents.
Under the new framework, permanent residency would only be granted if the marriage has lasted at least five years and the non-Japanese spouse has lived in Japan for at least three years, up from current requirements of three years of marriage and one year of residence.
While the immigration agency plans to implement the revised rules from April 2027 following a public consultation period, the new annual income requirements would be applied retroactively to applications filed from April 2026 onward once the revised guidelines take effect on 1 October 2026.
The proposal comes as Japan continues to see growth in its foreign resident population while its domestic population declines. Government data cited in media reports shows that around 947,000 people held permanent residency status in Japan as of the end of 2025, with many residents originating from China and the Philippines.
Separately, the immigration agency has also released guidelines for revoking permanent residency permits under immigration law revisions enacted in 2024.
Under the revised provisions, permanent residency may be revoked if an individual deliberately fails to pay taxes, health insurance premiums, pension contributions, or other public charges; commits serious or repeated immigration-related violations; or receives prison sentences for specified intentional crimes.
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