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Japan announces new permanent residency guidelines, foreigners must earn more than average Japanese person

Casey Baseel
Oct 2, 2026
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Japanese government suddenly raises income bar for foreigners seeking permanent residency, will apply new rules even to applications filed six months ago.

Japan
(COK • foreigners in Japan • Japan permanent residency • Japan visa • Living in Japan • permanent residency • society)

Japan approves foreign resident visa renewal fee increases of up to 967 percent, starts soon

Casey Baseel
Aug 26, 2026

Fee for permanent residency jumps 1,900 percent.

Japan
(COK • foreigners in Japan • Japan permanent residency • Japan visa • Japanese visa • Japanese visas • Living in Japan • permanent residency • permanent resident status • society • visa • visa fees • visas)

Over 1,400 cities in Japan see foreign population rise, total populations drop in new statistics

Casey Baseel
Aug 11, 2026

Japan’s foreign population is growing in both size and proportion, ministry study shows.

Japan
(COK • foreigners in Japan • internationalism • Living in Japan • society)

Japan’s foreign resident population hits record high as Japanese population hits record low

Oona McGee
Aug 1, 2026

The number of Japanese citizens falls below 120 million for the first time in 42 years, but the foreign community continues to grow.

Japan
(demographics • foreigners • foreigners in Japan • foreigners living in Japan • Japan permanent residency • Living in Japan • permanent residency • population • population decline • society)

How are you supposed to wash a Japanese futon duvet at the laundromat?

Casey Baseel
Jul 27, 2026

Sure, that big, fluffy down blanket is a must for making it through a Japanese winter, but how are you supposed to clean it when summer comes around?

Japan
(coin laundry • COK • duvet • futon • interior • laundromat • laundry • life hacks • Living in Japan)

Survey shows foreigners’ desire to work in Japan long-term dropping, but that’s not the whole story

Casey Baseel
Jul 11, 2026

Annual study finds sharp decline in interest among foreign residents to stick around for the long haul, but it’s probably leaving out some differing voices.

Japan
(COK • foreigners in Japan • internationalism • Living in Japan • society • survey • working in Japan)

Japan announces plans for twenty-fold increase in permanent residency fees, alongside higher visa costs

Oona McGee
Jul 6, 2026

Government reveals long-awaited fee schedule ahead of proposed October implementation.

Japan
(foreigners in Japan • Japan permanent residency • Japan visa • Japanese visa • Japanese visas • Living in Japan • news • permanent residency • permanent resident status • society • travel • visa • visa fees • visas)

Japan moves to enforce language requirements for foreign nationals seeking permanent residency

Oona McGee
Jul 6, 2026

Programmes on community etiquette may also become part of the screening process.

Japan
(foreigners in Japan • foreigners living in Japan • Japan permanent residency • Japan travel • Japan visa • Japan work visa • Japanese visas • Living in Japan • news • permanent residency • permanent resident status • society • tourism • travel • visa • visas • work visas)

Tokyo cops arrest foreigner for suspected visa violation, don’t know what new residence cards look like

Casey Baseel
Jun 26, 2026

Seems like the people doing on-the-street immigration checks should know what immigration documents look like, doesn’t it?

Japan
(crime • foreigners in Japan • immigration • Living in Japan • police • police questioning • residence card • shokumu shitsumon • society • zairyu card)

Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country

Casey Baseel
Jun 22, 2026

First increase to visa fees in nearly 50 years will affect some arriving foreigners more than others.

Japan
(COK • foreigners in Japan • Japan travel • Japan visa • Japanese visa • Living in Japan • society • tourism • travel • visa)

Japanese government postpones proposals to restrict real estate purchases by foreigners

Casey Baseel
Jun 3, 2026

Rising security and economic tensions prompting consideration of new rules to make it harder for foreigners to buy property in Japan.

Japan
(COK • foreigners in Japan • laws • Living in Japan • real estate • society)

Japan is so hungry for workers it used up its five-year visa quota in record time

Elliot Hale
Apr 24, 2026

Many people with dreams are poised to save understaffed kitchens, but they’re currently stuck behind a bureaucratic velvet rope.

Japan
(COK • foreigners in Japan • immigration • Japan visa • Japan work visa • Living in Japan • service industry • society • Specified Skilled Worker • SSW • visa • working in Japan)

Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa

Casey Baseel
Apr 7, 2026

Requirement to be added to “jobs in which Japanese is used.”

Japan
(COK • foreigners in Japan • Japan visa • Japan work visa • Japanese language • linguistics • Living in Japan • society • Specialist in Humanities and International Services • Specialist in Humanities International Services • working in Japan)

Japan now has stricter requirements for foreigners applying for citizenship

Casey Baseel
Mar 31, 2026

Change comes with less than half a week’s notice, new requirements will take five more years to meet.

Japan
(citizenship • citizenship requirements • COK • foreigners in Japan • internationalism • Japanese citizenship • Living in Japan • society)

Burning through cash just to throw things away tops list of headaches when moving house in Japan

Elliot Hale
Feb 22, 2026

Spring relocations in Japan can drain your budget faster than expected, and garbage disposal fees are the biggest surprise.

Japan
(COK • garbage disposal • Living in Japan • moving • moving companies • oversized garbage • society • sodai gomi • survey)

Japan has abolished advance deportation notifications to foreigners’ lawyers

Casey Baseel
Feb 3, 2026

16-year policy swept away with less than a week for transition.

Japan
(COK • crime • deportation • foreigners in Japan • immigration • Living in Japan • society)

These are Tokyo train lines people most want to live along【Survey】

Elliot Hale
Jan 24, 2026

In the train-heavy Tokyo area, convenience is what matters most to prospective residents.

Japan
(COK • commuting • living • Living in Japan • society • Subway • subways • survey • Tokyo • trains • Yamanote • Yamanote line)

Nearly one in ten young adults living in Japan isn’t ethnically Japanese, statistics show

Casey Baseel
Jan 8, 2026

Japan’s young adult foreign national population is soaring while its ethnically Japanese counterpart is shrinking.

Japan
(COK • foreigners in Japan • internationalization • Living in Japan • society • young adults)

Japanese government considering raising foreign resident visa renewal fees by 400 percent or more

Casey Baseel
Nov 25, 2025

Proponents say they want to use extra money to improve quality of life for foreign residents, strengthen programs to find and deport illegal residents.