During the first week of October, Japan raised the fee for permanent residency applications for foreigners to 200,000 yen, or roughly $1,266. That’s a twentyfold increase from the previous 10,000 yen fee. At the same time, the government has introduced stringent guidelines concerning income, pension contributions and Japanese language proficiency. The increase comes after Japan also raised the maximum fees for other immigration procedures earlier this year.

The maximum fee for visa renewals and changes of status has risen to 75,000 yen, up from 6,000 yen, while the permanent residency fee has risen from 10,000 yen to 200,000 yen. (The actual fee for renewals varies depending on the length of the approved period of stay.)

The hike is just one part of a series of changes to Japan’s immigration policy under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. These changes come as Japan attempts to manage its rapidly growing foreign population while addressing growing public concern about immigration and social change.

Japan’s foreign resident population surpassed 4.12 million at the end of 2025, a record 9.5 percent increase from the previous year. It was the first time that number was over 4 million.

In an X (formerly known as Twitter) post days before the new residency measures took effect, Takaichi wrote that her government recognizes that “some members of the public may feel a sense of concern or unfairness” as Japan’s foreign resident population grows.

Anti-immigration sentiment has begun to spread across social media, and false claims have circulated widely in Japan, including rumors that a significant portion of welfare payments go to foreigners and that foreigners are making Japanese streets less safe. These claims are unfounded. Meanwhile, many Japanese natives are worried their culture is becoming diluted due to the rapid influx of outsiders.

Foreigners were also a major issue in last year’s upper house election, which saw the sharp rise of the “Japanese-first” Sanseito party, which describes immigration as a “silent invasion.”

But the issue is a tricky one because, regardless of public opinion, Japan’s aging population means its economy increasingly depends on foreign labor to fill jobs. Prime Minister Takaichi has acknowledged that foreign workers are necessary in some sectors because of Japan’s labor shortages.

Japan needs foreign workers because of its demographic situation and labor shortages, while simultaneously making long-term settlement more demanding and expensive. Some researchers and commentators have raised concerns that making permanent settlement harder could make Japan less attractive to the foreign workers it needs.

The other requirement changes, including having income above the average for Japanese households of a comparable size, projected pension benefits comparable to those of someone who has paid into the employees’ pension system for 30 years, and Japanese proficiency at an “independent user” level, will generally apply to applications filed from April 2027. The new income standard, however, is being applied to applications filed from April 2026 that are still being processed.

These changes may prevent some people from applying for permanent residency, but they should not immediately push anyone out of the country.

As Takaichi wrote in her post on X: “We are working to ensure that our policies toward foreign nationals are orderly, and that both Japanese citizens and foreign residents can live safely and securely.”