Japan has enacted sweeping changes to its immigration system this week, rolling out dramatic fee increases and tightened eligibility criteria for foreign residents seeking to live and stay permanently in the country, as the government grapples with a rapidly expanding foreign population amid ongoing labor shortages driven by demographic aging.
The most significant adjustment is a 20-fold jump in permanent residency application fees, which now stand at 200,000 yen, equal to roughly $1,270 or £955. For non-permanent residents applying to extend their stay or update their residency status, the new fee structure that took effect October 1 scales costs based on the duration of requested stay: fees start at 10,000 yen for stays of three months or less, and climb to 75,000 yen for stays of five years or more. That marks a major increase from the previous flat 6,000 yen fee charged for all such applications. Reduced rates are available for refugees and foreign residents facing documented financial hardship.
Alongside the fee hikes, new eligibility rules have been introduced for permanent residency applicants. All candidates must now prove they earn a stable income at or above Japan’s national average household income, which was recorded at 5.75 million yen in 2024 government data. Starting in April 2026, applicants will also be required to demonstrate basic Japanese language proficiency, a change that has already triggered a sharp uptick in enrollments at Japanese language schools and a surge in sign-ups for the official Japanese-Language Proficiency Test, according to local Japanese media. Permanent residency candidates must also show they will have pension benefits equivalent to what a worker enrolled in Japan’s employee pension system for 30 years would receive, though personal financial assets may be considered for applicants who do not meet this pension threshold.
The changes are the latest in a series of immigration policy overhauls rolled out by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration, which has made managing Japan’s growing foreign community a top priority since Takaichi took office in October 2024. In July 2025, the government implemented a five-fold increase in general visa fees – the first hike to visa charges in more than 50 years – with officials justifying the move as a necessary adjustment to account for inflation and global exchange rate shifts.
In a social media post on X published days before the new residency rules took effect, Takaichi acknowledged public unease over the country’s shifting demographic landscape. “We recognize that some members of the public may feel a sense of concern or unfairness” as Japan’s foreign resident population grows, she wrote, adding that the government’s goal is to ensure immigration policies remain orderly, so that “both Japanese citizens and foreign residents can live safely and securely.”
Longer term, Japan’s demographic reality has forced incremental openings to immigration even as the issue remains politically sensitive. The country’s rapidly aging population has created acute labor shortages across multiple sectors, leaving the economy increasingly dependent on foreign workers to fill gaps. At the end of 2025, Japan’s total foreign resident population surpassed 4.12 million, hitting an all-time high and marking a 9.5% year-over-year increase. This rapid growth has stoked public anxieties about social change, putting pressure on the government to implement stricter, more structured immigration management.
The announcement of the new fee hikes triggered a last-minute rush of applications earlier this week, with long queues forming at immigration offices across the country. Tokyo’s main immigration bureau reported wait times exceeding seven hours for applicants hoping to submit their paperwork before the higher fees took effect.