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June 22, 2026
 

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VISAS

Tourists from abroad wearing kimonos pose for a souvenir photo with cherry blossoms in the city of Kyoto in March.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2026
Japan to raise visa fees for foreign nationals in first revision in 48 years
The fee will be increased from the current ?3,000 to ?15,000 for a single-entry visa and from ?6,000 to ?30,000 for a multiple-entry visa starting July 1.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is calling for ¡°strong and effective¡± controls on land acquisition to prevent individuals or entities deemed security risks from acquiring sensitive properties, regardless of nationality.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 12, 2026
LDP pushes tougher land and visa rules while avoiding nationality trap
Legal experts have argued that nationality-based restrictions could conflict with domestic law and international agreements.
The fee on new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers was raised from about $2,000 to $5,000, depending on various factors, to $100,000 following an announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump in September last year.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 9, 2026
Trump¡¯s $100,000 H-1B visa fee is unlawful, U.S. judge rules
U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin concluded that the fee on the visas for highly skilled foreign workers constituted an unlawful tax Congress never authorized.
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Sakura Uchikoshi (right) and Kazuki Yuda of Touch Immigration Law Firm during a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Monday
JAPAN / Society
Jun 8, 2026
Tighter immigration rules could tarnish Japan¡¯s image, opposition lawmaker says
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Sakura Uchikoshi cautions against a shift in Japan toward exclusionism and xenophobia.
Manish Kumar, who asked that his face not be shown, at his restaurant in Tsurugashima, Saitama Prefecture, on June 1.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jun 8, 2026
Fear and uncertainty for foreign business owners after Japan revises rules
The life that restaurateur Manish Kumar built in Japan for he and his family has been upended after Japan enacted stricter rules for the business manager visa.
Shady business manager visa applications using shell companies can often be identified from the paperwork, with unusually small offices and addresses shared by multiple firms among the red flags.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jun 5, 2026
Dubious immigration brokers helped spark business manager visa crackdown
Shady immigration consulting firms, many in China, help people set up shell companies to apply for a business manager visa, or advertise the option of renting out properties.
Members of the Kawasaki Foreign Resident Council discuss issues faced by foreign residents during a meeting on May 17.
COMMUNITY / Issues
May 31, 2026
As immigration rises, Kawasaki¡¯s foreign council shows path toward inclusion
The council aims to improve the lives of foreign residents and foster a harmonious co-existence with native Japanese.
Haneda Airport in April 2025. An immigration bill enacted Friday includes plans to introduce an electronic travel authorization system by March 2029.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 29, 2026
Japan enacts bill to drastically raise visa-related fees
Under the bill, the statutory upper limit for fees to change residency statuses or extend a period of stay will go from ?10,000 to ?100,000.
Yachts moored to a pier in Auckland. New Zealand will let wealthy foreign nationals count philanthropic donations toward the investment requirement of its most popular golden visa category.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 25, 2026
New Zealand to ease golden visa investment criteria to allow philanthropy
Demand for New Zealand¡¯s golden visa ¡ª which offers residency in exchange for investments ¡ª has been strong since the government revamped the rules in April 2025.
Foreign nationals seeking permanent residency in the U.S. will now have to leave the country to apply for green cards, a change with potentially far-reaching ramifications for legal immigration amid President Donald Trump¡¯s sweeping crackdown.
WORLD
May 23, 2026
Trump to make foreign nationals leave U.S. to apply for green cards
The change could have far-reaching ramifications for legal immigration amid President Donald Trump¡¯s sweeping crackdown.
Taro Tsurugashima presents a petition with 53,000 signatures calling for a revision to the stricter business manager visa eligibility requirements, on May 13 in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Society
May 21, 2026
Foreign business owners face frantic scramble to leave Japan amid tighter visa rules
Stricter criteria for the business manager visa has left many owners, some of whom have been in Japan for decades, out in the cold.
Manish Kumar, an Indian national who has run an Indian restaurant in Saitama Prefecture for 18 years, speaks at a rally in Tokyo in protest of new business manager visa requirements.
JAPAN / Society
May 13, 2026
After rule change, Japan sees 96% drop in business manager visa applications
Immigration chief Kimi Onoda says the revision of the approval criteria has alleviated concerns that the visa was being misused as a means of obtaining residency.
The streets of Ikuno Korea Town in the city of Osaka in December 2023
BUSINESS
Apr 30, 2026
Foreign business owners in Japan feeling the strain of tighter visa criteria
A survey by Tokyo Shoko Research has found that about 5% of foreign business owners are considering closing up shop while 45% expect impacts to operations.
Starting Wednesday, Japan will require certain foreign nationals applying for its most common white-collar work visa to prove language proficiency.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 15, 2026
Japan implements language proficiency requirements for certain visa applicants
The requirement applies to jobs in which language skills are central, such as translation, interpretation and customer-facing roles.
Filipinos with specified skills qualifications learn how to prepare fish for sushi in Tokyo in 2022.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 13, 2026
Japan freezes visa applications for foreign restaurant workers
Visas will not be issued for applications received after Monday, but for those submitted prior to that, certificates will be issued in order as long as the quota is not exceeded.
The Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau in the capital's Minato Ward. The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a bill that would see the first major revision to the statutory ceiling on immigration-related residence fees for foreign nationals since 1982.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 10, 2026
Japan visa fee cap to surge more than tenfold under new immigration bill
The Cabinet on Tuesday approved legislation to sharply raise the upper limit on fees for foreign nationals in the biggest revision of its kind in more than four decades.
Vietnamese students attend a Japanese language class at a job placement company in Hanoi in October 2022.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 6, 2026
The limits of Japan¡¯s immigration charade
Until now, the quality and training of Japanese-language teachers were largely left to the private sector, including academia.
Tokyo Station. There were 932,090 people living under permanent residency in Japan as of June 2025, according to the Immigration Services Agency.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 25, 2026
Immigration agency tightens guidelines for permanent residency
The revision made Tuesday comes amid efforts by the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to take a tougher stance on immigration.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (far left) speaks in a meeting of ministers on policies regarding foreign nationals and immigration at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2026
Government unveils tighter policies on immigration and foreign residents
¡°We drafted this policy package to respond to citizens¡¯ sense of anxiety and unfairness,¡± said Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party says that an envisaged new requirement of Japanese proficiency for obtaining permanent residency was prompted by many reports of issues involving foreign residents in local communities and administrative procedures resulting from their lack of Japanese language skills.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 20, 2025
Japanese proficiency eyed as permanent residency requirement
To obtain the status, foreign nationals will also be mandated to take a program aimed at helping them smoothly integrate into local communities.
Japan to raise visa fees for foreign nationals in first revision in 48 years
Tourists from abroad wearing kimonos pose for a souvenir photo with cherry blossoms in the city of Kyoto in March.
Japan to allow local governments to ban private lodging
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in March. Various cities around the world have cracked down on private lodgings, such as in Barcelona where the city is attempting to eradicate all short-stay apartments by 2028.
Beyond crabs and dinos: Japan¡¯s least-touristed region rethinks appeal
Fukui Prefecture is home to 80% of Japan¡¯s dinosaur fossil discoveries, yet it is routinely one of the least-visited regions in the country.
Japanese mother sues state over teen¡¯s ¡®hostage justice¡¯ death
A lawyer representing the mother (left, blurred for privacy reasons) of a girl who died after being detained speaks during a news conference in Kobe on Wednesday.
Onitsuka Tiger pivots from Asics stripes to tap luxury market
An Onitsuka Tiger store in the Omotesando district of Tokyo. The footwear brand prepares to transform into a luxury lifestyle label distinct from Asics.
Cozy fiction meets the magic of tidying up
¡°Whispering Rooms¡± is a novel based on the real experiences of tidying guru Marie Kondo, co-written with filmmaker and author Genki Kawamura.
¡®Kaiseki¡¯ fine dining with a side of classical poetry
Kodaiji Wakuden says it is considering holding its next poetry and fine dining crossover event next spring.
Beyond crabs and dinos: Japan¡¯s least-touristed region rethinks appeal
Fukui Prefecture is home to 80% of Japan¡¯s dinosaur fossil discoveries, yet it is routinely one of the least-visited regions in the country.
Tokyo¡¯s best Four Seasons may not be its biggest
Reopened on April 29 after an extensive refurbishment, the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi may not offer the skyline views of its sister property around the corner, but it excels in other areas.
Japan steps on the gas in unprecedented regional defense export push
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi walks with his Indonesian counterpart, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, as the two inspect an honor guard during a welcome ceremony in Jakarta on May 4.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Social camouflaging can help neurodivergent people navigate social situations, but researchers say the effort often comes with significant emotional and mental strain.
The challenge of being neurodivergent in Japan¡¯s culture of conformity
By Tomoko Otake

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