Will Permanent Residency Get Harder to Obtain? Japan's Proposed Income, Pension, and Spousal Rule Changes

If you're working toward permanent residency in Japan, you may have seen the wave of reports since around July 2026 describing a tightening of the requirements — headlines mentioning an income threshold 'above the average Japanese household' or a pension equivalent to 30 years of employees' pension contributions can make it feel like all your preparation has suddenly become irrelevant.

In practice, much of what has been reported is still at the proposal stage and, as of September 2026, has not been reflected in the officially published guideline. This article walks through how the current permanent residency requirements work, what the reported revisions actually say, and what's worth confirming right now.

What Are the Basic Requirements for Permanent Residency?

Under Article 22 of Japan's Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, a foreign national seeking a change of status to permanent resident applies to the Minister of Justice. The Minister may grant permission only where the applicant is understood to meet two conditions — (1) good conduct, and (2) sufficient assets or skills to maintain an independent livelihood — and where the Minister finds that the person's permanent residence would serve Japan's interests.

The Ministry of Justice's Immigration Services Agency publishes a 'Guidelines for Permanent Residence Permission' that spells out this 'national interest' requirement in more detail: in principle, continuous residence in Japan of ten years or more (of which at least five years generally must be under a working or residence-based status), no record of a fine or imprisonment, and proper fulfillment of public obligations such as tax payments and public pension and health insurance premiums. Spouses and children of Japanese nationals, permanent residents, or special permanent residents are generally understood to be exempted from some of these requirements under a special provision.

What Does the July 2026 'Tightening' Actually Say?

Since around July 2026, multiple outlets have reported that the Immigration Services Agency is considering a further revision to the Guidelines. The reported changes center on four points: (1) an income threshold above the average for Japanese households, (2) a pension amount roughly equivalent to 30 years of employees' pension contributions, (3) a revised standard for assessing the national-interest requirement, and (4) longer marriage and residence periods for the spousal special provision.

These remain reported proposals. As of September 2026, the latest published version of the Guidelines (revised February 24, 2026) does not yet spell out specific income or pension figures. It's best understood as a proposal that may or may not be formally adopted, potentially after a public-comment process.

How Would the Spousal Provision's Marriage and Residence Periods Change?

Within the national-interest requirement, spouses of Japanese nationals, permanent residents, or special permanent residents are generally understood to be able to meet the residence-period requirement over a shorter period than the standard track. Reports describe a proposal to raise this special threshold from 3 years married / 1 year resident to 5 years married / 3 years resident.

For anyone pursuing permanent residency through marriage, how this provision's scope changes could meaningfully shift the timeline for when they can apply. Since nothing is finalized yet, it's practical to keep clear records — the date your marriage registration was accepted, cohabitation records on your residence certificate — in order, on an ongoing basis.

Which Standard Applies, and to Applications Filed When?

Reports describe the revised standard as applying, in principle, to applications filed from April 2027 onward — but also describe the income-related standard as potentially applying retroactively to applications filed from April 2026. In other words, this could affect applications already in preparation.

That said, as of September 2026, the exact timing and any transitional arrangements have not been formally announced by the Ministry of Justice. Which standard applies to a given application will ultimately depend on the officially published Guidelines and operational details.

Could Unpaid Taxes or Pension Contributions Lead to Losing Permanent Residency?

Under the revised Immigration Control Act enacted in June 2024 (scheduled to take effect April 1, 2027), permanent residency may newly be revoked on three grounds: (1) intentionally failing to fulfill public obligations such as taxes, public pension, or public health insurance premiums; (2) failing to fulfill notification obligations under the Immigration Control Act; or (3) being sentenced to imprisonment for a serious crime.

The key word here is 'intentionally.' A temporary lapse due to illness or job loss is described as not automatically triggering revocation. That said, from around June 2027, the Immigration Services Agency is expected to gain the ability to check unpaid national health insurance and national pension records through the Digital Agency's information infrastructure — so keeping public obligations paid on time remains just as important.

The standards around permanent residency are likely to keep evolving through further Guideline revisions and Diet deliberations. SUMIMOTO Hub's app offers a 24-hour AI advisor, in multiple languages, to help you organize your residence-status details and check your tax and pension payment records. For the actual outcome of an application or whether you meet specific requirements, we recommend confirming with a qualified specialist such as a gyoseishoshi.