Japan’s Second Basic Plan for Immigration Control: 2026 Screening, Employment and Permanent Residence
TOMMY’S LEGAL SERVICE | IMMIGRATION POLICY UPDATE
Japan’s Second Basic Plan for Immigration Control: 2026 Screening, Employment and Permanent Residence
A practical reading of the plan published on July 31, 2026, from four perspectives: the applicant, the employer, the evidence and likely screening trends.
What changed on July 31, 2026?
The Immigration Services Agency published the Second Basic Plan for Immigration Control on July 31, 2026. It places smoother admission and coexistence alongside rules-based residence management, strict action against violations, inter-agency data use and digital administration.
Several matters that had appeared in policy discussions or media reports are now part of an official government plan. That does not make every item immediately enforceable. The following distinctions are essential.
| Status | What it means | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Current rule | A law or published standard that applies now | Direct basis for preparing an application |
| Basic Plan | Official medium-term policy direction | Indicates where reform and administration may move |
| Future consideration | Details, start date or transition measures are unsettled | Do not present it as a current requirement |
| Media report or practice trend | Information outside a final official rule | Verify separately against primary sources |
Six major policy areas
1. Checks before entry and during residence
The Plan targets introduction of JESTA during fiscal year 2028. The system is intended to obtain travel-purpose and stay information before travel and support data use from entry through departure.
2. Inter-agency information sharing
My Number-based information sharing is scheduled to begin in 2027. The Plan refers to national health insurance premiums, National Pension premiums, local tax information and health-insurance eligibility being used in immigration screening and compliance work.
3. Verifying the reality of residence
The Agency plans stronger fact-finding through municipal cooperation, workplace checks and data analysis where the activity permitted by a status of residence may differ from the actual situation.
4. Well-ordered coexistence
The Plan considers trial programs covering Japanese language, Japanese systems and rules, together with stronger consultation services and cooperation among central government, municipalities and employers.
5. Illegal stay and illegal work
The Plan includes removals, support for voluntary departure, digital analysis, inter-agency cooperation and stronger measures against persons who arrange or facilitate illegal employment.
6. Protection and appropriate admission
It also covers prompt and proper refugee and complementary-protection decisions, support for protected persons, the overall approach to foreign-worker admission and preparation for the Employment for Skill Development system.
Practical impact from four perspectives
The applicant
Your address, work, employer, income, dependants, tax, pension, health insurance and travel history should match the notifications and evidence on record. Some procedures examine timely performance, not merely whether arrears were eventually paid. Changes of employer, leave from work, long absences, side work and family changes should be reviewed early.
The employer
Online links and cross-checking between foreign-employment notifications and residence-card numbers are already used. Employers should make sure that the employment contract, payroll, social insurance, withholding records, workplace and actual duties are consistent. A nominal position or work outside the permitted activity can create risk for both the company and the employee.
The evidence
Do not review each document in isolation. Compare the application form, employment contract, tax and payment certificates, pension history, health-insurance records, payslips, company materials and resident-registration documents. If dates or figures differ, identify the reason and prepare a clear chronology.
Screening trends
The Plan emphasizes evidence-based residence management and stronger fact-finding. Formal completeness may therefore be insufficient if the permitted purpose, actual work, public obligations and living base do not form a coherent picture. The Plan alone, however, cannot predict the outcome of an individual case.
How far has permanent-residence reform actually progressed?
The Second Basic Plan formally states that Japan will examine residence history and years before permission and consider revisions to permanent-residence requirements and operation. It also says the government will consider a certain level of Japanese ability, participation in a program on Japanese language and Japan’s systems and rules, and revision of the independent-livelihood and national-interest requirements.
For the current requirements, see our 2026 permanent residence checklist. For the relationship between the reported “30-year Employees’ Pension level” and the official Plan, see our specialist pension proposal article.
Illegal stay, illegal employment, removal and return
The Plan does not treat all foreign residents as a single enforcement issue. It pairs convenience for lawful residents with firm action against violations. Measures include reducing illegal stay, escorted removal, encouraging voluntary departure, sharing removal-related information, digital analysis and enforcement against persons who arrange or facilitate illegal employment.
Employers need ongoing control beyond an initial residence-card check: the permitted scope of work, permission for activities outside status, working hours, dispatch or subcontracting arrangements and required notifications must continue to match reality.
“Well-ordered coexistence” does not mean stopping admission
The Plan combines strict residence management with smoother admission, Japanese-language learning, understanding of everyday rules, consultation support and local or employer-led coexistence measures. The policy aim is to respond to labor needs while maintaining trust and stability in local communities.
Checklist to use now
Foreign residents
- Residence card, passport, address and notifications agree
- Actual duties remain within the status of residence
- Tax, pension and health insurance are paid on time
- Employer, family and affiliation notifications are complete
- Any difference between forms and public records can be explained
Employers
- Residence-card validity and work restrictions are reviewed
- Contract, pay, duties and work location match reality
- Employment and immigration notifications are controlled
- Tax, labor and social-insurance records are consistent
- Renewal or change documents are prepared before the deadline
Conclusion
The Second Basic Plan has formalized the direction of pre-entry screening, administrative data sharing, residence fact-finding, permanent-residence review, enforcement against illegal stay and work, and support for coexistence. Publication of the Plan itself is not an immediate replacement of individual application requirements.
Applicants should maintain timely compliance and notifications. Employers should manage the continuing reality of employment. Before filing, the evidence should be checked as one consistent record.
Official sources
- Immigration Services Agency: Basic Plans for Immigration Control (Japanese)
- Second Basic Plan for Immigration Control — summary PDF (Japanese)
- Second Basic Plan for Immigration Control — full PDF (Japanese)
- Guidelines for Permission for Permanent Residence, revised February 24, 2026 (Japanese)
This article is a general explanation based on information published as of August 1, 2026. It does not guarantee the outcome of an individual application.
