Japan’s permanent residency reform has a glaring blind spot

Japan's immigration reforms risk creating uncertainty by tying permanent residency more closely to language proficiency before clear assessment standards and supporting infrastructure are in place. | Johan Brooks

Oct 20, 2026

Japan’s Immigration Services Agency on Oct. 1 revised its guidelines for permanent residency, introducing Japanese-language proficiency as an explicit consideration in the screening process.

Under the revised guidelines, which will generally apply to applications submitted from April 2027, applicants may be evaluated against a benchmark broadly associated with B1-level proficiency under the government’s Reference Framework for Japanese Language Education.

There is nothing inherently unreasonable about expecting long-term foreign residents to develop Japanese-language skills. Language proficiency can facilitate social participation, access to information and engagement with local communities.

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