Permanent Residence in Japan After the October 2026 Revision

How do you get permanent residence in Japan?

Ten years of residence, five of them on a work or residence status, is the ordinary route. Seventy points on the Highly Skilled Professional table cuts it to three years, eighty points to one, and J-Skip to one. Spouses of Japanese nationals need five years of marriage and three years of residence. On top of the clock, the revised guideline adds a household income benchmark, a pension record equivalent to thirty years of contributions, and a language consideration at roughly N3.

The guideline is dated 1 October 2026 but applies to applications filed from 1 April 2027. Applications already pending have parts of it applied from October 2026.

The clock

The residence rule also requires you to hold the longest period of stay available in your status. A three year period is treated as the longest until 31 March 2027. From 1 April 2027 only a five year period counts, which will catch people whose status has only ever been granted in three year blocks.

The income and pension tests

Household income is assessed against the average Japanese household of the same size. A single applicant is measured against a single person household, a family of four against a four person household. The dependent’s income on a dependant visa is excluded from the total, which is the trap: a family that only clears the benchmark because the spouse works part time fails.

The pension test is a projection rather than a receipt. The immigration agency compares your contribution record and expected benefit against someone who paid thirty years at your income level. A shortfall can be covered with assets, and the benchmark is lower for younger applicants, so a 30 year old is not expected to show a full working life of contributions.

Japanese ability at roughly N3, described in the guidance as B1, is now a formal consideration rather than an informal impression. Exemptions exist for Highly Skilled Professional holders, spouses and children of Japanese nationals, people with six years of Japanese schooling, and children of permanent residents born in Japan.

The fee, and the reporting on it

The application fee rose from JPY 10,000 to JPY 200,000 on 1 October 2026, a twentyfold increase. The figure is reported consistently by the BBC and by KPMG. The immigration agency’s fee schedule page could not be opened during research, so treat the number as reported rather than confirmed on a government page.

At JPY 200,000 the fee is no longer a rounding error, and it changes the calculus for borderline applications. It is paid whether or not the application succeeds in most practice, which makes a pre-application review worth more than it used to be.

Absences and conduct

One absence of six months or more is a negative factor, as is two years and six months of total absence across the ten years. Long trips to care for a parent or work abroad can therefore damage an otherwise clean record, and the file should explain them rather than hide them.

From 1 April 2027, compliance with tax, pension and health insurance obligations becomes a statutory condition of holding permanent residence, not only of obtaining it. Non-payment can lead to revocation. That is a real change: the status stops being a one-off grant and becomes something that can be withdrawn.

What the process looks like

An application goes to the regional immigration bureau with your residence history, tax and pension records, employment evidence, and a statement of why you need permanence. Processing runs six to twelve months in practice, and longer since 2026. There is no interview in the ordinary case, but requests for further documents are common.

Refusals are usually about the record rather than the person. Gaps in pension payments, a late tax filing, a period on a status that does not count, or a household income just under the benchmark. Those are fixable in advance and almost impossible to fix after a refusal.

Watchpoints

1. The income test starts in April 2027 for new applications. If you are filing before then, the residence clock and conduct matter most.
2. Dependant income does not count. A household that looks adequate on total earnings can fail the benchmark.
3. The three year period loophole closes on 31 March 2027. After that, only a five year grant satisfies the longest-period rule.
4. Pension is a projection, not thirty years paid. A younger applicant with a short record is not automatically disqualified, and assets can cover a shortfall.
5. Revocation is now real. Unpaid public dues can cost you a status you already hold.
6. One long absence can outweigh a decade of compliance. Document the reason at the time, not in the application.

Sources

• Immigration Services Agency, Guidelines on Permanent Residency Permits, revised 1 October 2026, checked 2026-10-23
• Immigration Control Act, Article 22, checked 2026-10-23
• BBC and KPMG reporting on the fee increase to JPY 200,000, checked 2026-10-23