Japan plans to revise its guidelines for granting permanent residency to foreigners, introducing tougher requirements starting October 1, 2026 [1, 2, 3]. The new rules will apply mainly to applications submitted from April 2027, although income requirements will be retrospectively enforced for some applications filed from April 2026 onward [2, 3, 4].
The revised criteria mandate that applicants have an annual income higher than the average Japanese household income [1, 5, 4]. They must also demonstrate projected pension benefits comparable to 30 years of contributions under the employees' pension scheme at that income level [5, 4, 6]. If pension benefits are inadequate, applicants can supplement with savings or other assets to meet the threshold [3, 6, 7].
Japanese language proficiency and understanding of Japan’s laws and society will factor into assessments of whether granting residency serves Japan’s best interest [2, 5, 8]. Applicants must also show good conduct, possess assets or skills to maintain an independent livelihood, and meet current legal national interest criteria [2, 3, 9].
The minimum residency period remains generally 10 years. However, the criteria for spouses of Japanese nationals or permanent residents will tighten from 3 years of marriage and 1 year residence to 5 years of marriage and 3 years residence [2, 4, 9]. As of the end of 2025, Japan had about 947,000 permanent residents [2, 8, 7].
A government source said, "The government will revise guidelines on permanent residency permits on Oct 1 and begin applying them, in principle, to applications submitted from April 2027" [2].
Earlier, on April 1, 2026, Japan will enforce stricter screening for naturalization applicants requiring generally 10 years of residence [2]. The government plans to issue a broader policy on foreigner intake, including population strategy and possible caps on foreign residents and social security impact, by March 2027 [5, 7].
