The government led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is taking swift action to implement stricter regulations on foreign residents in response to growing public concern over the rapid growth of Japan’s immigrant population.
The administration recently announced plans to significantly increase residence status application fees, alongside a proposal to tighten the criteria for securing permanent residency.
Under the current Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, permanent residency is granted based on good conduct, financial independence, and overall benefit to the national interest.
To build on these requirements, the Immigration Services Agency unveiled plans to revise its guidelines by requiring applicants to hold an annual income above the national average and demonstrate expected pension benefits equivalent to 30 years of contributions to the “kosei nenkin” employee public pension system. The updated framework will also mandate active, concrete contributions to Japanese society, with phased implementation set to begin in October.
The regulatory shift comes in response to rising public concern over tax non-compliance and social insurance defaults among non-nationals.
”We will ensure that granting permanent residence will not place a burden on the public,” Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi said of the revised guidelines at a press conference on August 4.
The tougher stance has drawn sharp criticism from legal experts and advocacy groups.
”Imposing strict requirements equivalent to laws (under guidelines) infringes on the authority of parliament,” said Shoichi Ibusuki, a lawyer familiar with foreign resident issues.
Under the Takaichi administration, naturalization rules have also been tightened, extending the standard residence requirement for Japanese citizenship from five years to at least 10 years.
Additionally, permanent residence application fees are set to jump twentyfold to ¥200,000 in October, while a government advisory body considers capping the foreign population ratio.
Despite these measures, the number of foreign residents in Japan reached a historic peak of 4,125,395 at the end of 2025. Political figures remain divided on how to manage this demographic shift.
”A rapid increase in foreign residents could cause social anxiety and stir up xenophobic sentiment,” a former cabinet minister in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party said. “Strict conditions are necessary to accept foreigners.”
However, opposition lawmakers emphasize that foreign labor is critical to sustaining an economy facing severe working-age population declines and intense regional competition for global talent.
”Japan will become less attractive if no measures are taken,” a lawmaker in the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan said. “Economic activity would shrink and communities could not be sustained if foreigners do not come to live in Japan.”