News & Policy Updates– category –

On October 20, 2026, the Japan Building Maintenance Association announced the schedule for the building cleaning Specified Skilled Worker (ii) evaluation test to be held in Japan on December 18, 2026. Online applications run from October 27 to November 10, and application documents must arrive by November 24. This article reports only the facts of the announcement.

On October 16, 2026, the Immigration Services Agency released the number of foreign residents as of the end of June 2026 (4,281,026), the number of foreign nationals entering Japan in the first half of 2026, and the number of illegal overstayers as of July 1, 2026. This article reports only the facts of the main figures announced.

On October 13, 2026, OTAFF (外国人食品産業技能評価機構, an organization that evaluates the skills of foreign workers in the food industry) announced that forging a test result notice is a crime, and that anyone who forges test results will be banned from taking all OTAFF tests, in Japan and overseas, for 5 years. This article reports only the facts of the announcement.

An explanation of the Guidelines for Permission for permanent residence revised on October 1, 2026 (Reiwa 8), compared with the previous version. A table summarizes the changes, including the household income level, pensions, Japanese at a B1-equivalent level, and the special provision for spouses (5 years of marriage and 3 years of residence), as well as which approach applies depending on your application date. No specific amount for the income level has been published.

From October 1, 2026, the fees for changing your status of residence, extending your period of stay, and permanent residence have changed. Here are the new fees by permitted period, the difference for online applications, when and how to pay, and the conditions for a fee reduction.

The acceptance of foreign workers in Japan's nursing care sector under the Specified Skills program continues to expand against the backdrop of increasingly ...