Overview
- The Immigration Services Agency published the proposal on Aug. 4, 2026 and opened a public comment period as it seeks to put the rules into effect from April 2027 if finalized.
- Under the plan, applicants would need an annual household income above the Japanese national average, a benchmark the government cites as ¥5.75 million per household in 2024.
- The draft would require projected pension benefits equal to what a worker would receive after 30 years in the employees' pension program, with applicants allowed to cover any shortfall using financial assets.
- Other changes include a requirement to show Japanese-language ability at an ‘independent user’ level, raising spouse-of-Japanese thresholds from three years’ marriage and one year’s residence to five years’ marriage and three years’ residence, and an administrative move to set a five-year stay for Specified Skilled Worker No.2 holders in January 2027 to align visa paths.
- The government frames the package as part of building an orderly society amid a shrinking population and growing foreign resident workforce, and the rules could sharply narrow who qualifies for long-term settlement and affect migrant families seeking permanence.