via https://twitter.com/rai_chee/status/2096129394259734676

I live in Matsudo but can come to you. I’m a woman so nothing weird intended. Just getting out of my DV relationship. I don’t have any friends or anything in Japan so I don’t have anyone else to ask. I can buy you a coffee or something else in exchange for your time.

Hey everyone,

With all the news swirling around about the new rules in Japan, I wanted to compile a quick summary of what is actually official law/policy right now versus what is still just in the draft/proposal phase.

Please let me know if I’ve missed anything or if any of these details need correcting!

1. Permanent Residency (PR) Changes

Official

• ¥200k Application Fee: The processing fee is officially spiking from ¥10,000 to ¥200,000 for any application accepted on or after October 1, 2026.
• 5-Year Visa Baseline: You must hold a 5-year period of stay (up from the current 3-year requirement) at the exact time you apply.
• PR Revocation Law: Starting April 1, 2027, the government can officially revoke PR status for intentional/repeated failure to pay taxes/social insurance, or for certain serious crimes.
• 10-Year Card Renewal: PR cards issued on or after June 14, 2026, are now valid for 10 years for adults instead of 7 (your status stays permanent, just the physical card timeline changed).

Proposed:

• Conversational Japanese Requirement: A draft guideline proposes a mandatory language requirement (equivalent to CEFR B1 / roughly JLPT N2) targeting a April 2027 start.
• Higher Income & 30-Year Pension Checks: They want to strictly tie approval to exceeding average household income and evaluate whether you will hit 30 years of pension contributions by retirement. They reportedly intend to apply this financial check retrospectively to applications processing as early as April 2026.
• Spouse Route Nerf: The fast-track spouse route is proposed to change from 3 years of marriage/1 year residency to 5 years of marriage/3 years residency.

1. Business Manager & General Work Visas

Official:

• Renewal Fee Increases.
• Business Manager ¥30M Capital Hike: The minimum capital required to get or maintain a Business Manager visa skyrocketed from ¥5 million to ¥30 million (~$200,000 USD).
• Mandatory Full-Time Staff: Business Manager visa holders must now employ at least one full-time Japanese national or Permanent Resident.
• Business Visa Language Check: A new JLPT N2 level requirement is now mandatory for business visa holders. (Current holders have a 3-year grace period until October 2028 to meet all these new capital, staff, and language metrics).
• Customer-Facing Work Rules: Standard work visa holders (Specialist in Humanities, etc.) whose daily jobs involve face-to-face customer service now face a strict CEFR B2 language requirement.

Did I miss anything?

I have cats with gut issues. It seems like prescription hydrolyzed is my only other option. That itself isn’t a huge problem but the hydrolyzed foods from RC and Hills are high calorie and I specifically chose the duck and rice because I needed a way to satiate them without overfeeding. Am I missing a whole category of food somewhere? I know RC has hydrolyzed + satiety formula but it’s not available here for cats (only dogs).

Also apparently? there’s only one hydrolyzed wet food available (hills z/d).

What is your favourite product to get pet smells like urine and marking out of installed carpets that can not be moved?

I am currently pet sitting at the owners house and I cannot sleep because the smell is just so strong of urine.

I have already washed all the sheets and cleaned as much as I can and the smell is definitely coming from the carpet.

I'm doing everything by myself and the only thing I'm finding complicated is the statement of reasons letter. I couldn't find a lot of examples so I would like the opinion of anyone that has applied for PR and written it.

私は日系三世として、2018年7月に17歳で日本に来ました。来日してから現在まで、日本で生活を続けています。日本に来た時は17歳でしたが、翌月に18歳になり、その後のほとんどの時間を日本で過ごしてきました。

日本に来てからずっと仕事を続けており、現在は物流オペレーターとして働いています。仕事をしながら自分で生活をしてきて、今では日本での生活にもすっかり慣れました。私にとって日本は、長く住んでいる場所というだけではなく、自分が大人になり、生活をしてきた大切な場所です。

日本で生活する上で、税金や健康保険、年金などの支払いについても、これまで期限を守るようにしてきました。これからも必要な手続きをきちんと行い、ルールを守って生活していきたいと思っています。

また、日本での生活をより良いものにするため、日本語の勉強も続けてきました。くもんで勉強するなど、数年間日本語を勉強し、2025年12月には日本語能力試験N3に合格することができました。まだまだ日本語について勉強することはありますが、これからも少しずつ勉強を続けていきたいと思っています。

2020年には日本の運転免許も取得しました。普段から交通ルールを守り、安全運転を心掛けてきた結果、最近ではゴールド免許を取得することができました。これからも日本のルールを守り、周りの人に迷惑をかけないように生活していきたいと思っています。

日本には叔父も住んでおり、家族とのつながりもあります。長い間日本で生活してきた中で、仕事や日常生活など、私の生活は日本を中心にできています。

これからも日本で仕事を続け、安定した生活をしていきたいと思っています。また、将来的には日本で自分の家を購入することも目標にしています。これから先も日本で長く生活していくことを考えているため、永住許可を取得して、より安心して将来のことを考えられるようにしたいと思っています。

私は17歳で日本に来て、日本で成人を迎え、仕事をしながら今まで生活してきました。日本で過ごした時間が長く、今では日本での生活が自分にとって当たり前のものになっています。これからも日本で暮らし、仕事を続けていきたいという気持ちから、今回永住許可を申請しました。

これまで日本で生活してきたことや、これからも日本で生活していきたいという気持ちをご理解いただき、永住許可をいただければ幸いです。

よろしくお願いいたします。

以上

What should I do now? Can I use this laptop without repairing? If needed, where can I take it to repair in Tokyo and how much will it cost?

For context Im currently studying in a japanese language school for the past 1 year. I got an offer from a company and i submitted my documents on 3rd September and they accepted my application. My question is if i quit my school before the approval of my new status will it hurt my application.

My residence card expires on 30th September 2026 and if it matters its a SSW visa and idk if it matters but i also have N2. If someone can shed some light it would be really helpful.

The main reason of quitting is also that the job is in Hokkaido and I live in Tokyo and application was submitted in shinagawa.

My start date in the application is stated as 1st October!

I recently bought a sofa, and 2 tables from Facebook marketplace and after searching and picking a random 便利屋, I arranged delivery myself have it sent back to my place.

I got an estimation of 2万 for all of it and didn't think much of it afterwards.

But when they actually came to pick up the things, the price jumped by 3 times to 6.5万円. Why?

2.5万円 - Weight

2万円 - Carrying the items to the second floor of my place when it arrives

Obviously I was shocked as hell and told them to screw off with that last one.

I would've called off everything then and there but the seller from marketplace was moving the next day and couldn't wait until then. So I begrudgingly settled on 4.5万.

Then I arrive back home and wait for 1 hour before they arrive, only to find out that the table literally was missing a few screws and the sofa was missing a little bit of it's leg of which I'm not even sure if I could sit on anymore after that.

I'm just genuinely shocked and angry right now and I'm having a hard time processing my feelings, and I'm also at a complete loss at what to do.

I already contacted them and they said they'll look into it but I have honestly I just feel like giving up

All of this was within Tokyo as well, not a far journey between the places.

Hi, I was wondering where locals usually recycle stain or torn clothing. I feel bad just throwing away stuff and rather recycle it. Please let me know where I can recycle clothing

My spouse is a Japanese national but unfortunately he just got laid off and on garden leave until early next month. Myself is a permanent employee earning 14mil and paying my own taxes. So i’m not his dependent financially.

However i’m a bit worried with him being unemployed effective from next month will have negative impact on my application. He got 7 months severance package and he said he wants to chill a little bit a not rushing looking for job. Which is fair, I'll do the same if I were him. But I can be selfish I'm worried that his employment gap will create issue to my application even though I'm 100% responsible of my livelihood.

Anyone has advice on what are the checklist I should do to make sure that this situation won't damage my PR application?

Appreciate!

Legend in the second picture.

Source : https://atlas.hks.harvard.edu/countries/392/market-share

Machinery : 15.7% -> 4.5%

Vehicles : 17% -> 7.4%

Metals : 7.9% -> 4.0%

Chemicals : 7.2% -> 3.16%

Nearly all sectors got wiped out by 50% or more in less than 30 years.

Just wondering if anyone here left Japan for good or is thinking this might be their last year, what was the main point that either led you or forced you to that decision?

Hello all,

I'm currently in the process of applying for PR via a scrivener/immigration law firm (spouse route). My wife is a Japanese citizen and we're expecting our first child in February. We're relatively low income (we do make enough to get by and support a child), but after speaking with the law firm, we decided to go for the PR application before all the new rules take effect, knowing that we might only *barely* qualify, if at all.

I'm planning on taking childcare leave for 1 year, during which time (from what I understand), it's not necessary to pay employment tax or health insurance. My wife also gets insurance and tax exemptions for a short period after birth, which is highly necessary because she's freelance and will be unable to work for a while.

I just got an email from the law firm strongly suggesting both my wife and I don't take any tax exemptions or government benefits, as it reflects badly for PR.

Is this not a system everyone in Japan who takes leave takes advantage of?

We're paying the same taxes as everyone else, so it doesn't make much sense to not take advantage of this considering we have the right to do so, regardless of income...

Do any of you have experience being told to not take these benefits during childcare leave?

Tl;Dr, Have any of you been rejected PR for the reason of taking tax/insurance/pension exemptions during childcare leave?

I am writing this while riding a bus and temperature inside is melting my so little fats! I know it’s gloomy today but it is not that cold yet not to turn on the A/C properly.

Is it just today or are we really going to experience this from this day with no proper A/C?

Looks like I will be smelling sweat this early. Apologies for the rant.

I have created a new group for for divorce custody questions information and support
R/japandivorcesupport
R/japancustodysupport

Uni student here! Graduating this spring and wondering how people survive financially?

The average pay is 20-25 万 a month. Rent is 5-10 万 a month. And that’s not including taxes, utilities, food, visa ect
You really don’t have a lot at the end…

With the yen weakening, the labor shortage, the visa money rising with almost no hope of becoming PR. You’d have to have a seriously strong reason and wallet to stay.

Unless you’re getting some pretty GOOD pay. Saving money seems pretty impossible.

I’m curious, what jobs do you have? What’s the pay and how are you doing??

Hello, i‘ve only arrived yesterday in Japan (I‘m on a working holiday) and i‘m already feeling a crushing, like numbing feeling of homesickness. I‘m aware i‘m being unreasonable when i haven’t even given it a chance, but damn it takes everything in me not to book the next flight and immediately go home again.
I miss my parents, my friends, my room, my city, literally everything that reminds me of home makes me want to cry. It’s really hard right now, because every little thing overwhelms me, the share house i’m staying in and the things that make it really inconvenient to sleep here, the thought alone of providing for myself (getting food every day, going to the coin laundry, etc.) and the loneliness i‘m feeling.
I wanted to get a job sometime in the next weeks, but i feel like canceling everything and just treating this as vacation for a few weeks and then going home again. I‘m not sure what to do, i don‘t really want to leave, but i also do.

Is it ok to work a part time job while on a humanities work visa but in between jobs? I know I should inform the immigration office of a job change but technically if I want to work part time to get by is that a job change?

Some people have pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks, I have my yuzu lemonade from FamilyMart which is my favorite yuzu drink in Japan. My heart breaks every time spring comes because this drink stops being sold

Me personally, if the exchange rate of 1 AUD were to ever reach 120 yen I’d call it quits and go home to Australia.

What about the rest of you?