By KAZUMICHI KUBOTA/ Staff Writer
February 5, 2024 at 18:36 JST
The Justice Ministry (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
The government is considering amending the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law to revoke the permanent residency status of foreign nationals who fail to pay taxes and social security premiums.
As more foreign nationals are accepted to live in Japan, the government aims to “optimize” the permanent residency status by strengthening its response to cases of such residents not fulfilling their legal obligations.
A permanent residency status has no restrictions on the period of the person’s stay or field of employment.
Foreign nationals who have been living in Japan for a certain period may obtain the status if they apply for it and the Justice Minister grants permission.
The number of such residents has been on the rise since around the 2000s, reaching approximately 880,000 as of the end of June 2023. They accounted for about 27 percent of all foreign residents in Japan.
The immigration control law stipulates that permanent residents must be of “good conduct” and have “sufficient assets or ability to make an independent living.”
The government’s guidelines for permanent residency permits include the following: In principle, the applicant has resided in Japan for at least 10 years; the applicant has not been imprisoned or fined; and the applicant has fulfilled official obligations such as paying taxes and social security contributions.
However, the requirements for revoking the status are limited to cases such as obtaining permission with false contents or means and giving a false address.
Local governments concerned about future financial burdens have demanded putting the stricter rules in place, stating, “the fulfilment of tax payments needs to be confirmed” and “if a person is delinquent on taxes, his or her permit should be revoked.”
Under a new system set to replace the technical internship system for foreign nationals, it will be easier for foreign nationals to move to the “specified skills” residency status, which requires a certain level of knowledge and experience, after a training period.
The number of permanent residents is expected to increase alongside this.
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