Japan tightens rules for foreigners wanting permanent residency

People walk at a shopping area of Shinjuku in Tokyo, Japan. (File photo: Reuters/Fabrizio Bensch)

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TOKYO: Japan toughened on Thursday (Oct 1) requirements for foreigners wanting to obtain permanent residency, as part of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's push to tighten immigration controls.

Under new rules that will come into effect in stages, foreign residents wishing to stay in Japan permanently will have to prove their annual income is above average and that they can carry casual conversations in Japanese.

Application fees will also rise 20-fold from Thursday, and at one immigration office in central Tokyo visited by AFP this week, hundreds of people queued, hoping to wrap up procedures before the price spike.

"I understand that over-accepting foreigners ... might dilute Japan's unique culture. But at the same time, given its low birth rate and ageing population, Japan has to accept foreigners," said American-born university student Yujie Chono, who was among those waiting.

The 22-year-old told AFP, in fluent Japanese, that he'd been waiting for five hours to file his paperwork.

Previous guidelines did not lay out specific thresholds for income, pension or language skills.

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