Japan raises visa, residency fees and expands social security obligations from October 2026
From October 2026 Japan will increase visa and permanent residency fees, drop the ¥1.06 million income floor for health and pension enrollment, and broaden social-security coverage to more part-time workers.
Effective October 2026, Japan will overhaul several immigration and social-security costs. Visa extensions and status changes will cost between ¥6,000 and ¥75,000, while permanent-residency applications jump from ¥10,000 to ¥200,000, with online discounts where available. The ¥1.06 million annual wage ceiling that previously barred lower-earning employees from health insurance and kōsei nenkin pension enrollment is being abolished, and the requirement that part-time workers join only at firms with 51 or more employees will be phased out by October 2027, extending coverage to anyone working 20 hours a week or more.
The Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare also grants national-pension premium waivers to self-employed parents for the first year of a child’s life. Complementary reforms include a unified beer tax of ¥54.25 per 350 ml can, price hikes for heated tobacco products by Japan Tobacco and Philip Morris International, the end of electricity and gas subsidies, higher Shuto Expressway tolls, a 10 % increase in Japan Post’s Yū-Pack rates, and mandatory anti-harassment measures for employers and local governments.
Why it matters
These changes will raise living costs for residents and broaden social-security protection for many workers in Japan.
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