Japan has put into force stricter rules governing permanent residency alongside higher visa fees, a policy shift that has already begun to reshape the application landscape for foreign residents and prompted warnings from observers about xenophobia.

The changes, reported by the Mainichi Shimbun, alter the conditions under which foreign nationals can secure long-term settlement status in Japan and raise the cost of obtaining and renewing visas. Both measures are now in effect.

What has changed

The core of the reform is a tightening of the standards applied to permanent residency applications. Foreign nationals seeking to settle in Japan on a permanent basis now face harsher requirements than under the previous regime. The government has framed the tougher rules as a way to ensure that permanent residents demonstrate a durable commitment to living in Japan and adherence to its laws and social obligations.

At the same time, the government has raised visa fees. That increase applies to the charges foreign nationals pay when they apply for visas and related immigration documents, meaning the administrative cost of staying in Japan legally has gone up for applicants across multiple categories.

Applicants should verify the current requirements and fee schedules directly with the Immigration Services Agency of Japan before filing, since the new standards now govern all applications submitted after the changes took effect.

Who is affected

The new rules matter most to two broad groups. The first is foreign nationals already living in Japan who intended to apply for permanent residency under the earlier, more permissive standards. Those applicants must now satisfy the stricter criteria.

The second group is anyone entering or extending their stay in Japan, who will encounter the higher visa fees at the point of application. The fee increase adds to the financial cost of immigration procedures regardless of the outcome of any individual application.

Long-term foreign residents, skilled workers, students transitioning to work status, and family members of Japanese nationals all pass through the same administrative system, so the changes touch a wide cross-section of the foreign population in Japan.

Concerns about xenophobia

The Mainichi Shimbun's reporting highlights a second dimension of the story: worry that the tougher rules and higher costs send an exclusionary signal about Japan's openness to foreigners.

Critics fear the changes could feed xenophobic attitudes by framing foreign residents as a category requiring stricter policing. Japan has struggled for years with a shrinking, ageing population, and successive governments have expanded pathways for foreign workers to fill labour shortages. A simultaneous tightening of permanent residency standards and an increase in visa costs sit uneasily beside that broader effort to attract and retain foreign talent, the reporting suggests.

Advocates for foreign residents have long argued that unpredictable or increasingly demanding requirements discourage settlement, push workers into precarious status, and make Japan less competitive as a destination compared with other countries courting the same skilled migrants.

What applicants should do

Foreign residents and prospective applicants should not rely on second-hand summaries of the new rules, including this one. The authoritative source for the exact requirements, required documentation, and applicable fees is the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, which administers permanent residency applications and visa procedures.

Anyone preparing an application should confirm that they meet the current standards, budget for the revised fees, and check whether any transitional provisions apply to cases already in the system. Errors or omissions under the stricter regime can delay or derail an application, so careful preparation against the official criteria matters more than before.

The bigger picture

Japan's move to tighten permanent residency while raising visa fees places it among countries recalibrating the balance between economic demand for foreign labour and political pressure to limit immigration. How the stricter rules perform in practice — whether they reduce approvals, shift applicants toward other statuses, or simply raise the bar for documentation — will become clear as the first decisions under the new standards are issued.

For now, the rules are in force, the fees are higher, and the debate over what the changes say about Japan's attitude toward its foreign residents is underway.

This article reports on policy changes of general interest. It does not constitute legal advice for any individual case. Readers with pending or planned applications should consult the Immigration Services Agency of Japan or a licensed immigration professional.