Article is just a summary of different articles from the past few weeks. No specific information, no specific details. Just a paraphrased-reworded bits and pieces of different article and mushed together; which generally gives nothing.
It just adds stress to redditors who are already stressed out after getting waves of posts about these new immigration policies.
The article was just published today, along with a similar article in the Asahi. It includes a timeline and more details about the changes that will likely be finalized in January and implemented in the 2026 fiscal year.
Yes. Published today with same details from old articles. "To be finalized in january 2026"; what will be finalized? With all the dozens of proposal coming out in the past few weeks, which one? All of them? Just few?
"Considering to Increase in income requirements" on what particular range of amount? From 3m to what? No details.
"Considering to impose language requirement", in what form? JLPT certificates? Practical exams? No details.
This is like your childhood friend telling you "i know someone that likes you... But i won't tell you. Haha".
Aside from "to be finalize in January 2026, to be implemented next year"; nothing can be taken from the article.
With all the different opinions and impressions circling around about these new policies, having this vague article does nothing to clear things out. It just adds cloud to an already cloudy situation.
I wonder what this means for people who already have PR but would be below the new requirement. All of this is making me feel very insecure about my life here despite being here for over 10 years. I think I am going to actually considering naturalizing now if PR doesn't actually hold any weight.
The post was about Japan, what are you talking about :) PR and naturalization here are two completely different things and for a lot of countries it’s almost impossible to collect and present the documents without a lawyer, and it can take years.
I had the opportunity to get naturalized, i chose not to and go for PR, since i have a good passport that i didn’t want to give up. Naturalization has only more weight if you will never leave japan, hence “in japan”. Outside of japan it doesn’t have much more weight than my passport, in fact it has less weight, so PR is more useful, and it carries enough weight.
Sure, that’s if you’re from the country with a strong passport.
A lot of people here are not but some countries are pain in the ass with documents and processes so they can’t naturalize even if they wanted. If OP is wondering if they should naturalize, I assume it’s because pr is not the best in their situation. I might be wrong of course.
The changes will apply to new applications for PR. Those of us who already have it probably have nothing to worry about. Just make sure you keep your taxes and insurance premiums paid.
Who said I don't? I'm not worried about the language requirement, but the rising standards are concerning. How many people can just will themselves into a higher salary with the notoriously poor wages here.
I don't know if you have, I don't know you, if you do then there is no reason to worry about it
As for the higher salary, that is a good thing, either the company pays people more or they hire locals, that will stop abusing them with peanuts for pay, and immigrants go back to their home countries or get a raise.
A follow-up article in the Mainichi repeated that Japanese proficiency may be added as a requirement for permanent residency and also "mandatory participation in programs that teach community rules."
I like to imagine these are supposed to target the Chinese, but as an American who seeks to live in Japan, I'm worried it will hurt my ability to do so.
We were planning to start a business in Japan soon but once they raised the investment levels we can't afford it anymore. But the wealthy Chinese will continue to pay the higher level of investments for the investor visa.
From my experience living in Japan, you'll be treated very diferently if you're european, african or chinese... The US citizens being a specific case of love/hate. I suspect the anti foreigner bias is mostly going to express itself for Chinese and Korean people.
I feel bad for the permanent residents that don't have Japanese skills and will be required to renew soon. I get it, learning the language of the country should be a requirement, but many people live comfortable lives without that need. This will be a shock to them and probably too short notice to improve in time.
I misspoke. I don't think it should be a requirement. It should be something to strive for, but as another poster said, following the law and paying taxes is the only true requirements
Learning the language in a high level should be the minimum requirement to get permanent residency status in the first place, in any country. Don't want to learn the language? Then don't get permission to be a resident, let alone be a permanent resident visa holder
Because the whole point of moving to another country to live and work/study there is to integrate with the society you will be living in. Sure it might take 2 years to get fluent in a Japanese language as it is notoriously hard but if the person is not interested in doing that then they should not be granted permanent residency status in the first place.
That is valid to any country
"The government is considering effectively raising the income criteria for independent livelihood and introducing a new requirement for "a certain level of Japanese language proficiency."
This is the absolute basic requirement Japan should expect from any foreigner wanting to be a permanent resident and later on, to acquire citizenship.
Learning the local language matters because it helps integration; it does not follow that it should be a hard gate for dignity, residency, or belonging.
My grandfather immigrated illiterate and spoke nothing but Sicilian his entire life. He worked, paid taxes, raised a family, and was part of his community because integration is fundamentally about participation and contribution, not grammatical perfection.
Language accelerates that process, but it is neither the sole pathway nor a moral litmus test. Making fluency a prerequisite confuses means with ends and quietly excludes people whose labor, care work, or social ties are otherwise valuable but whose time, age, or education make formal proficiency unrealistic.
Language is also fluid and demand-driven, not fixed by statute. It behaves a bit like Copilot demand theory: if enough people use a language effectively, the system adapts and functions regardless of what the “official” setting says. Ireland is the obvious example—Irish is the national language, English is the working language, and society operates just fine because people meet each other where communication actually happens. Japan already does this informally in workplaces, universities, and neighborhoods. Encouraging language learning is sensible policy; weaponizing it as a residency threshold mistakes integration for conformity.
Integration is living, working, obeying the law, and being woven into the social fabric. Fluency often follows—but history shows it does not need to come first.
Of course, I am sure you know from your history that in the immediate post-war period, there was a serious—if ultimately unsuccessful—proposal to make English an official (or co-official) language of Japan.
EDIT "illiterate" means unable to read or write, for those whose English skills are not "fluent."
Article is just a summary of different articles from the past few weeks. No specific information, no specific details. Just a paraphrased-reworded bits and pieces of different article and mushed together; which generally gives nothing.
It just adds stress to redditors who are already stressed out after getting waves of posts about these new immigration policies.
This is the first ive heard of increased salary minimums and language requirements for PR.
The article was just published today, along with a similar article in the Asahi. It includes a timeline and more details about the changes that will likely be finalized in January and implemented in the 2026 fiscal year.
Yes. Published today with same details from old articles. "To be finalized in january 2026"; what will be finalized? With all the dozens of proposal coming out in the past few weeks, which one? All of them? Just few?
"Considering to Increase in income requirements" on what particular range of amount? From 3m to what? No details.
"Considering to impose language requirement", in what form? JLPT certificates? Practical exams? No details.
This is like your childhood friend telling you "i know someone that likes you... But i won't tell you. Haha".
Aside from "to be finalize in January 2026, to be implemented next year"; nothing can be taken from the article.
With all the different opinions and impressions circling around about these new policies, having this vague article does nothing to clear things out. It just adds cloud to an already cloudy situation.
Many details remain unclear indeed
Oh no, not Redditor stress! Ban all media outlets!
I wonder what this means for people who already have PR but would be below the new requirement. All of this is making me feel very insecure about my life here despite being here for over 10 years. I think I am going to actually considering naturalizing now if PR doesn't actually hold any weight.
PR never held as much weight as naturalization though.
Not in Japan, but it’s the closest you get to dual citizenship so in some cases it does have weight
The post was about Japan, what are you talking about :) PR and naturalization here are two completely different things and for a lot of countries it’s almost impossible to collect and present the documents without a lawyer, and it can take years.
I don’t know what you are talking about tbh.
I had the opportunity to get naturalized, i chose not to and go for PR, since i have a good passport that i didn’t want to give up. Naturalization has only more weight if you will never leave japan, hence “in japan”. Outside of japan it doesn’t have much more weight than my passport, in fact it has less weight, so PR is more useful, and it carries enough weight.
Sure, that’s if you’re from the country with a strong passport. A lot of people here are not but some countries are pain in the ass with documents and processes so they can’t naturalize even if they wanted. If OP is wondering if they should naturalize, I assume it’s because pr is not the best in their situation. I might be wrong of course.
The changes will apply to new applications for PR. Those of us who already have it probably have nothing to worry about. Just make sure you keep your taxes and insurance premiums paid.
If an application is ongoing, then nothing new will be requested?
Just learn the language, it is ridiculous that you have been living in Japan for 10 years and still don't have a high level of Japanese
Who said I don't? I'm not worried about the language requirement, but the rising standards are concerning. How many people can just will themselves into a higher salary with the notoriously poor wages here.
I don't know if you have, I don't know you, if you do then there is no reason to worry about it
As for the higher salary, that is a good thing, either the company pays people more or they hire locals, that will stop abusing them with peanuts for pay, and immigrants go back to their home countries or get a raise.
How high a salary are we talking about here? Median? That is sensible. 1.5x median is ridiculous
It seems the Takaichi government wants to push people toward permanent citizenship by raising the income requirement for permanent residency
It’s all good until they announce N1 with an A pass as the language requirement.
Does this mean that it be hard for foreigner be Japanese citizens?
Naturalization is currently 5+ years. It is looking to require 10+ years after the change.
According to the news reports, PR and citizenship will effectively have the same requirements.
Absolutely moronic.
A follow-up article in the Mainichi repeated that Japanese proficiency may be added as a requirement for permanent residency and also "mandatory participation in programs that teach community rules."
They should hold these programs for the Japanese bosozoku driving past my window every night. Sigh.
I like to imagine these are supposed to target the Chinese, but as an American who seeks to live in Japan, I'm worried it will hurt my ability to do so.
We were planning to start a business in Japan soon but once they raised the investment levels we can't afford it anymore. But the wealthy Chinese will continue to pay the higher level of investments for the investor visa.
Why are they only targeting NHI payments and not residence tax or pension payments?
Probably all of them.
Logically I would think so but the news keeps singling out NHI.
Various news articles have covered all of them.
From my experience living in Japan, you'll be treated very diferently if you're european, african or chinese... The US citizens being a specific case of love/hate. I suspect the anti foreigner bias is mostly going to express itself for Chinese and Korean people.
They should make it harder for foreign influencer that bring their western culture war to Japan.
I wonder when the minimum income fell on 3mil Yen. When I came here 11 years ago, it was 3.5mil.
I do agree with Japanese language proficiency though.
I feel bad for the permanent residents that don't have Japanese skills and will be required to renew soon. I get it, learning the language of the country should be a requirement, but many people live comfortable lives without that need. This will be a shock to them and probably too short notice to improve in time.
There is no renewal for PR, they just have to update their cards. It's free.
Why?
I misspoke. I don't think it should be a requirement. It should be something to strive for, but as another poster said, following the law and paying taxes is the only true requirements
Learning the language in a high level should be the minimum requirement to get permanent residency status in the first place, in any country. Don't want to learn the language? Then don't get permission to be a resident, let alone be a permanent resident visa holder
Why?
Because the whole point of moving to another country to live and work/study there is to integrate with the society you will be living in. Sure it might take 2 years to get fluent in a Japanese language as it is notoriously hard but if the person is not interested in doing that then they should not be granted permanent residency status in the first place.
That is valid to any country
"The government is considering effectively raising the income criteria for independent livelihood and introducing a new requirement for "a certain level of Japanese language proficiency."
This is the absolute basic requirement Japan should expect from any foreigner wanting to be a permanent resident and later on, to acquire citizenship.
Learning the local language matters because it helps integration; it does not follow that it should be a hard gate for dignity, residency, or belonging.
My grandfather immigrated illiterate and spoke nothing but Sicilian his entire life. He worked, paid taxes, raised a family, and was part of his community because integration is fundamentally about participation and contribution, not grammatical perfection.
Language accelerates that process, but it is neither the sole pathway nor a moral litmus test. Making fluency a prerequisite confuses means with ends and quietly excludes people whose labor, care work, or social ties are otherwise valuable but whose time, age, or education make formal proficiency unrealistic.
Language is also fluid and demand-driven, not fixed by statute. It behaves a bit like Copilot demand theory: if enough people use a language effectively, the system adapts and functions regardless of what the “official” setting says. Ireland is the obvious example—Irish is the national language, English is the working language, and society operates just fine because people meet each other where communication actually happens. Japan already does this informally in workplaces, universities, and neighborhoods. Encouraging language learning is sensible policy; weaponizing it as a residency threshold mistakes integration for conformity.
Integration is living, working, obeying the law, and being woven into the social fabric. Fluency often follows—but history shows it does not need to come first.
Of course, I am sure you know from your history that in the immediate post-war period, there was a serious—if ultimately unsuccessful—proposal to make English an official (or co-official) language of Japan.
EDIT "illiterate" means unable to read or write, for those whose English skills are not "fluent."
Very well said
Hard disagree. I think n3 would be reasonable. But fluency is insanely hard for immigrants especially first generations.
Nonsense...