Japan Plans Tighter Permanent Residency Rules, Takaichi Says

In a post on X, Takaichi outlined proposed income, pension and language considerations for permanent residency. She also reported sharp declines in certificates issued for two residence categories after earlier screening changes. The figures were provided by Takaichi and were not independently verified.

Under the proposed permanent residency guidelines, applicants would need household income above the average annual income of Japanese households. Officials also plan to consider applicants’ projected pension income, Japanese language ability and understanding of Japan’s systems and rules, Takaichi wrote. The guidelines remain under consideration, with public comments to be taken into account before the scheduled revision.

The government changed approval standards for the “Business Manager” residence category last October after concerns that the standards were too lenient and the category was being misused for immigration purposes, according to the post. Takaichi said the number of certificates issued in the first half of 2026 fell 90%, or 3,074, from the same period a year earlier.

For “Intra-Company Transferee” applications, Japan began requiring additional documents in April to establish that businesses operate abroad and in Japan. Takaichi said the number of certificates issued in that category fell 15%, or 739, in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year. She attributed the stricter review to cases of misuse that the government had identified.

The government is also strengthening reviews for the “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” category. Measures described by Takaichi include statements from both the sending and receiving parties about the work an applicant will perform and checks for language ability equivalent to the B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Takaichi said the government decided in July to add 226 immigration examiners and other personnel to support the reviews. She said the permanent residency guidelines are scheduled for revision Oct. 1, after consideration of public comments.