May 29 & 30, 2026

An immigration control law revision aimed at drastically increasing residence permit fees for foreigners was approved and enacted by majority vote on May 29 in the House of Councillors plenary session. The Japanese Communist Party voted against the revision.

Foreigners living in Japan are required to renew their visas before their permitted period of stay expires. For example, if the valid period of stay is six months, the visa must be renewed every six months, if for one year, it must be renewed annually. At present, it costs 6,000 yen for extending or changing a visa status and 10,000 yen for obtaining a permanent visa.

With the law revision, the fee for visa renewals and changes will increase by between 10,000 yen and 70,000 yen, depending on the duration, and the fee for a permanent residence permit will climb to 200,000 yen.

On the previous day at a House Judicial Affairs Committee meeting, JCP lawmaker Nihi Sohei in opposition to the revision said that it is likely that foreign nationals, if unable to pay the fee due to economic reasons such as low income, will face a risk of losing their visas, vital for residing in Japan.

In this regard, he pointed out that foreign single mothers often work in non-regular, low-paid jobs with annual incomes of between 1.5 million yen and 2.5 million yen and have little in savings. He cited the case of a single mother raising three children on a one-year residence status, and that she will need to pay 30,000 yen per family member, totaling 120,000 yen, for renewing their status.

The JCP lawmaker argued that it is unacceptable for the government to impose on foreign nationals such heavy burdens that make it difficult for them to continue living in Japan. He demanded that the xenophobic bill be scrapped.

Past related article:
> Bill that leads to forcing foreigners out of Japan should be scrapped [April 26, 2026]