Legal News by Sakura Central Law Office
We regularly share the latest regulatory changes, practical guidance,
and important notices on Residence Status, Specified Skilled Workers, and Succession & Wills.
For residence status applications, immigration procedures, and permanent residency applications, consult Administrative Scrivener Sakura Central Law Office.
Japan's Immigration Services Agency revised its Permanent Residence guideline on October 1, 2026: income above the Japanese household average by household size, a 30-year pension benchmark, B1 Japanese, and a stricter spouse rule (5-year marriage, 3-year residence). Applies generally from April 1, 2027.
Japan's Immigration Services Agency and Customs began full operation on September 24, 2026 of 177 joint kiosks at Narita Airport's Terminals 1 and 2, allowing travelers to complete immigration and customs procedures in one step, with facial recognition and fraud-detection features.
Japan's Immigration Services Agency published an explanatory guide on August 31, 2026 detailing its Powerful Promotion Package. As of January 1, 2026, overstayers numbered 68,488, down 6,375 from the prior year. Eight measures including JESTA rollout and doubling escorted deportations are explained.
On August 4, 2026, Japan's Immigration Services Agency published a draft guideline on revoking Permanent Resident status, clarifying three revocation grounds added by the 2024 Immigration Act amendment — unpaid public dues, Immigration Act violations, and certain criminal convictions — with illustrative examples.
Japan's Immigration Services Agency updated the Residence Card Reader App on August 19, 2026. Period of stay, type of permission, and date of permission — removed from new-format card faces since June 14 — are now viewable via the app. Date of issuance remains unavailable.
Japan's Second Basic Plan (published July 30, 2026) confirms permanent residence tightening: review of independent livelihood/national interest requirements, plus consideration of Japanese-language and systems-education program conditions.
For specified skilled worker registered support organization services, consult Administrative Scrivener Sakura Central Law Office.
Ikusei Shuro sector guidelines: Food and Beverage Manufacturing and Resource Recycling newly published, Railways and Wood Industry partially revised. 2-year transfer restriction, JFT-Basic A1 or JLPT N5 before work, sector council membership, and changes in the old-new tables.
Japan's Immigration Services Agency recommended the JFT-Basic on October 5, 2026: the December 2026 JLPT closed at all levels N1-N5, and passing JFT-Basic at A2.2 or A1 also meets SSW (i) and Ikusei Shuro residence application requirements.
According to OTIT's list of sending organizations, four countries now have an Ikusei Shuro bilateral arrangement: Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Laos (dated August 31). Twelve of the 16 listed countries remain provisional; contract risks explained.
Japan's Immigration Services Agency updated SSW Category 1 figures on October 6, 2026: 432,016 residents (53.6% of the 805,700 projection), +89,093 in a year. Food Service stands at 49,290 of 50,000 (98.6%).
As Ikusei Shuro's April 2027 launch nears, new arrivals must complete 100+ hours of A1-level Japanese instruction, but only 3 accredited "employment-track" Japanese schools exist nationwide — all in Tokyo — and only 1 can deliver the course immediately.
MHLW published FY2025 labor inspection results on September 15, 2026: 13,148 workplaces inspected, 9,619 (73.2%) in violation, 26 prosecutions. Cases included roughly ¥1.1 million in unpaid overtime and a press-machine injury.
For will drafting and succession procedures, consult Administrative Scrivener Sakura Central Law Office.
Japan's Ministry of Justice published an outline of the Act Partially Amending the Civil Code (promulgated June 24, 2026): guardianship and curatorship abolished and unified into assistance, new specified assistance, expanded post-death authority, and transitional measures for current users.
A Ministry of Justice ordinance amendment (effective March 2, 2026) added a non-disclosure measure for DV victims' address information in Japan's self-written will custody system, and expanded scope for omitting death-related information and simplified application forms.
Japan's Ministry of Justice published preliminary statistics on August 21, 2026: as of July 31, applications for the system letting heirs relinquish inherited land to the state totaled 5,863, with 3,008 approved. 85 rejected, 96 disapproved.
Supreme Court judicial statistics show inheritance renunciation filings reached a record 324,000 in 2025, up about 5% year on year and roughly 70% higher than 2015. Heirs avoiding unwanted "negative real estate," not just debt, are a notable driver.
Japan's FY2026 tax reform revises inheritance tax valuation of rental property acquired within 5 years before death, shifting from road-price assessment to the ordinary transaction price (80% of an acquisition-price-based figure also allowed). Effective for inheritances from January 1, 2027.
Japan's revised Civil Code enacted June 17, 2026 abolishes the hanko (seal) requirement for holographic wills and creates a new Digital Will (Hokan Shosho Yuigon) system. Neither change is in effect yet as of July 2026. A licensed Gyoseishoshi explains what to do now and who should write a will immediately.
※ Articles are available in Japanese. Click to read the full article.
