News / Policy
Policy and news affecting foreign residents.
Official government summary of Japan's child-rearing support programs: expanded child allowances, free daycare, childbirth cost coverage, and education subsidies.
Clear breakdown of Japan's October 2026 permanent residency rule changes: higher income thresholds, steeper fees, stricter language tests, and extended spousal residency requirements.
Community groups and legal experts push back on Japan's sweeping permanent residency overhaul, raising concerns about income thresholds that may exclude long-term residents.
Japan's government announced October 2026 changes raising income thresholds, increasing application fees to ¥200,000, and tightening pension and language requirements for permanent residency.
Summary of April 2026 policy changes covering child allowance expansion, childbirth cost coverage, healthcare, and education support for families.
Japan's seven major 2026 family support reforms: free childbirth, universal childcare access, joint custody option, and expanded education subsidies.
Japan Times (May 2026): the Immigration Services Agency's 'zero plan' to eliminate illegal overstaying, including new cyber patrols and stronger enforcement.
Japan Times: expert panel recommendation for a mandatory integration program including Japanese language requirements and foreign real-estate ownership tracking.
Japan Times: new bill raises the statutory ceiling for status-of-residence change fees to ¥100,000 and permanent residence applications to ¥300,000.
Japan Times news: the government's plan to make childbirth costs fully reimbursable under public health insurance from fiscal 2026.
GaijinPot roundup of major 2026 legal and regulatory changes affecting foreign residents — covering immigration fees, dependent income rules, and employment law updates.
Japan Times: the government's plan to admit 1.23M foreign workers by FY2028 combining the Specified Skilled Worker program and the new Employment for Skill Development status.
GaijinPot explainer on the new fee ceilings (up to ¥100,000 for status changes, ¥300,000 for PR) — who pays, when the changes take effect, and what to budget.
NPA figures show the written-test pass rate fell to 42.8% and the practical test to 13.1% in the first quarter under the new rules, down from 92.5%/30.4% the year before.
Japan Tightens Standards for Foreign Driver's License Conversions
(asia.nikkei.com)
Confirms the new rules took effect October 1, 2025 - tourists can no longer use a hotel address as proof of residency to convert a license.
The NPA's draft of the new rules: a residence-certificate requirement (closing the hotel-address loophole tourists used), and a written test jumping from 10 questions/70% to pass to 50 questions/90%.
Japan's Tighter Immigration Controls Yielding Results
(japantimes.co.jp)
Japan Times reporting on falling overstayer numbers following 2025's stricter immigration enforcement measures.
Supporting Child-Rearing - Tokyo Metropolitan Government
(english.metro.tokyo.lg.jp)
Tokyo's official page on its digital child-rearing support initiatives, including streamlined daycare enrollment and financial-support applications.
A proposal to replace the Immigration Services Agency entirely - worth watching even though it's an opposition bill, since it signals where the debate is heading.
Japan freezes visa applications for foreign restaurant workers
(japantimes.co.jp)
The restaurant-sector visa category hit its five-year cap of 50,000 workers - relevant if you or someone you know is in food service.