As Japan tightens rules for foreign residents, some wonder whether it is time to say “sayonara”

Japan’s appeal to foreign visitors and long-term residents is colliding with a new wave of restrictions. Rising visa fees and tougher residency requirements have left some people who built their lives in the country asking whether it is becoming time to say “sayonara.”

The country has attracted record numbers of tourists with its gardens, futuristic cities, food culture and favorable exchange rate. The number of people settling in Japan for work and study also reached a record high last year, drawn by its safety and infrastructure.

Japan has long maintained strict immigration policies and a largely homogeneous population. Demographic pressure gradually pushed the government to admit more foreign workers and encourage international tourism. But overtourism, along with reports that foreign residents have broken local rules, has helped fuel “Japan-first” politics and altered the direction of a society that had been becoming more open and diverse.

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An orderly society in which foreigners and Japanese citizens coexist.

The government, led by conservative Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, said last month that visa fees would rise in October. The permanent-residency fee will increase 20-fold to 200,000 yen ($1,257), while work and student visa fees will also rise. Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi said the aim was to create “an orderly society in which foreigners and Japanese citizens coexist.”

The most consequential changes affect permanent-residency applicants. From October, they must earn more than the average Japanese household. From next April, they will need projected pension funds equivalent to 30 years of payouts and intermediate-level Japanese. The government says the revisions update requirements linked to independent livelihoods and the national interest so applicants do not become a public burden.

Earlier this year, Japan also raised the capital requirement for the business manager visa from five million yen to 30 million yen. The number of foreign residents reached 4.1 million last year, or about 3.4% of the population.

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Considering that permanent resident is the most stable status of residence, this revision makes necessary updates to the application of independent livelihood and national interest requirements to ensure applicants do not become a public burden.