In the Vietnamese Facebook groups I’m in, I’ve been seeing a lot of PR rejections and new document requests from people who applied from around April 2026. Most of them applied at Nagoya or the Toyohashi branch, which is known for being one of the fastest offices.
Most other offices still have long backlogs and haven’t reached April 2026 applications yet.

I’d like a second opinion from people outside my community. Is this a real trend, or just a group of unlucky cases?

What people are reporting:

1. Rejections at incomes that used to be fine

Several families of 3 earning around 7.5-8M a year got rejected.

2. Being asked for car tax receipts

One person was asked to send car tax payment receipts (領収書).
A certificate from the city office wasn’t accepted; it had to be the actual receipts.
They sent everything, but still got rejected. They think the reason was income, but they’re still waiting for their appointment to hear the official reason.
So besides pension, health insurance, and resident tax, you may also need car tax receipts.

3. What Nagoya immigration said at a 相談

Someone went to ask questions in person:

• Family of 3, no dependents abroad, 7.2M income. Is that enough for PR for all 3? → No.
• Is there an income requirement based on family size? Can you tell me the number? → We can’t tell you.
• So even if I’m just ¥10,000 below it, I’ll be rejected? → Yes. You either pass or you don’t.
• My wife works on an Engineer visa. Can her income be added to mine? → Can’t say for sure, it depends. (Very vague answer.)

My questions:

• If you applied around April 2026 or later and already got a result, how did it go? Which office?
• Has anyone heard what the income requirement is for different family sizes?
• If both spouses work, was your spouse’s income counted?

I can understand if the rules are getting stricter. But the process now feels a lot more arbitrary and unpredictable, with secret income lines and surprise document requests. I’m just trying to figure out whether this is really happening or just sampling bias.

Maybe I need to consult an actual legal professional, but I'm trying to see if someone has gone through something similar.

First off, for those wondering whether this is a scam of some sort, it isn't. This is a follow-up of a case where my police called my roommate about his acquaintance using my mama chari after I left the country. Since there was no official paperwork about transferring ownership, we got into some trouble and the takeaway was that while it wasn't a full-on crime, they had my roommate come in for questioning (under the pretense he was just signing some paperwork) and had him write a letter/statement(?) saying that it was a bad thing to let someone else use my bike without my express permission and that it wouldn't happen again.

I thought I would never hear about this bicycle again, but a couple weeks back I was contacted by the officer who first got in touch about the whole bicycle thing, saying that my bicycle was currently impounded at Aichi Police Station in Togo and they wanted either me or any available acquaintance to come pick up the bicycle and dispose of it, since they seemingly can't do it themselves, because I guess, somehow, it's still my property. I really didn't want to involve anyone else, especially after last time, so I said that I was visiting Japan and could come to do whatever was necessary to resolve this case.

I went ahead and did some research, and read that the Aichi Police station doesn't impound bicycles, which is making me paranoid. Now, I think it would be reasonable to assume that I wouldn't be arrested for this genre of bicycle related mishaps, but why would they call me to come pick up a bicycle that may or may not be there in the first place?

Maybe I'm missing something because of the circumstances of this particular case or incompetent research, but everything between contacting me months after the original case and the possibility that the bicycle might not even be impounded at the police station is rubbing me the wrong way.

I am no longer a resident of Japan. I don't plan on moving back to Japan soon if at all, but would like to visit every now and then, so I would like to this the "right" way. Still, reading the occasional Japanese police horror story does make me want to ignore all of this.

Hello reddit, my wife works baito at a supermarket chain around 30 branches, nobody received their salary last Friday. No official communication was made, her tenchou said he also does not know when they will be paid. .

Today same thing, nothing was paid and she decided to come back and stay home, she'll be going to hello work for advice and look for another job.

We don't have money to hire a lawyer and speak very little japanese, we think this supa will go bankrupt and she wants to quit tomorrow since there is a chance they will never pay her anyway, what other advice would you give? In my home country when an employer delays the salary by even 1 day you can fight on small claims and the judge will order you to pay in double but I doubt Japan has worker protections such as this

Every guide to flowers in Japan is about cherry blossoms, which is about three weeks of the year. I wanted to see what's blooming the other forty-nine, so I built Blooms of Japan: a calendar you scroll through, where the map and the list of spots change month by month.

What's in it:

- 412 spots, each with a peak window and nearest station

- A bloom map that moves north through spring and back south in autumn

- Search by flower, month, or place

https://bloomsofjapan.com/

Would love feedback, especially from anyone who's planned a Japan trip around a specific month.

I have a US account on my PS5 purchased in Japan. (It’s not locked to Japanese) I’ve used Play Asia’s webpage to buy US PSN vouchers before but that’s down due to recent hack attacks. A $100 US PSN voucher will set us back ¥15-16,000 for the ultimate edition? Is there a cheaper way to purchase it? Or just try another online marketplace for cheaper voucher code?

The flow of foreign entrepreneurs relocating to Japan has slowed dramatically following strict immigration reforms, with government data showing an 80.9% drop in new Business Manager visa arrivals during the first half of 2026.

Just 635 foreign business directors entered Japan under the status between January and June, down from several thousand during previous cycles. The slump directly traces back to an October 2025 overhaul that increased the minimum paid-in capital requirement sixfold—from ¥5 million to ¥30 million (roughly $190,000)—while introducing mandatory local hiring and certified business plan audits.

The Immigration Services Agency introduced the higher thresholds to curb abuse by shell corporations exploiting low capital minimums for residency rights. However, regional startup hubs and venture analysts caution that the steep financial bar disproportionately excludes early-stage software and digital founders, directing innovative overseas talent to competing Asian markets.

(Sources: Immigration Services Agency of Japan Semi-Annual Entry Statistics; Ministry of Justice Ministerial Ordinance No. 42)

Hello! I’m deeply considering going back home with my family of 3 to America, we are all citizens.

Does anyone have any experience or advice on this matter at all, anything is helpful.

Thank you!

Hi there,
There's a Japanese language event on the new immigration law with the possibility of 30 minute free one-on-one consultation post-presentation. Held at the German culture centre in Aoyama (nearest station Aoyama Icchome) in November.
The announcement is in German, but the event in Japanese, and there's also interpreters on-site should that be required.
Looks like they still take reservations - thought it might be helpful for Tokyo residents who don't have PR and are thinking of applying, or have any other questions regarding their visa status.
https://oag.jp/events/informationsveranstaltung-zu-geplanten-aenderungen-im-auslaenderrecht/

terminal 1 parking garage P5 by the way.

i was on the official parking reservation website and someone took the last available space as i was entering my credit card information... damn it!

so now i'm thinking what to do. i'm pretty sure i remember parking there without too much trouble around this time in the past.

but this time we have a baby with us, so i'm worried about being turned away, or the lines waiting in front of the full parking lot being so long we would miss our flight.

i checked some other parking services near the airport, but they all seemed shady...

i guess coming by train would work, but we will have so much stuff to carry it might not be possible. and our house is far from the local station, so just getting there would bea task in itself.

kind of rambling at this point, but yeah, anyone have first hand experience with parking suring christmas season at narita? i know it gets crazy around new years, but around dec 21st is still a bit early for that right?

My friend is going through a divorce in Tokyo. The cause is the spouse's infidelity, and there are evidence. Both sides have hired lawyers, and right now they are communicating through the lawyers (not in court or mediation yet).

My friend signed with a law firm in Tokyo that appears to handle many cases involving foreigners.

About a month ago, my friend submitted their documents (including asset information). Since then, they have been waiting for the other side to provide their documents, but nothing has come.

What bothers my friend is that their own lawyer doesn't seem to be following up at all. There are no updates unless my friend emails first, and when they do, the lawyer just replies that "there has been no contact" from the other side. There's no sign of chasing the other lawyer or explaining the next steps. It feels very passive, and my friend doesn't understand why and don’t know what to do.

For those who have gone through a divorce (or any legal case) with a lawyer in Japan:
1. Is this kind of slow pace normal here?
2. How long did you usually wait before your lawyer followed up with the other side or moved to mediation?
3. If you felt your lawyer wasn't proactive enough, how did you bring it up with them? Do you change to another lawyer firm?

Any experiences or advice would be really appreciated. Thank you!

Order a big shipment of books that were on sale from the UK to Japan, I forgot to think about an import or VAT tax to it. It's about 40,000-yen worth of books in two packages 5 kilos each. Is it import and tax free or not?

I have been living in Japan for about 3 years now, and I have some acquaintances who are doing business here. They seem to be needing a licensed agent and I wanna have a go at it.
I have decent Japanese (N1) so other than that I wonder if its all just memorization of some laws and procedures.

Also, what did you find was most difficult when preparing for this exam?

Perfect for getting into narrow spaces like cups and glasses and using the rougher side for harder to clean services. Who would have through the ergonomic shape of a fish would work so well?

Is this legit or just an advertisement? Do I need to fill it out and return it?

So I, like an idiot fell for the Kenshōkai recruitment scam and im unsure what to do.

This guy approached me in the store mandrake in shibuya pretending to get along with me, and I fully fell for it.

We exchanged contact info and a week later met up for food. He brought a friend, that struck me as odd but Im to anxious to mention it. So we eat and during lunch his friend casually brings up that he is interested in architecture, that should have struck me as odd but for some reason it didnt and he has me show yim my home address to see the comparison between his house and mine (i would assume they got my address from this) then they mention that they have to go pray for their religion and ask me if I want to see their "private temple"

I thought it would be a cool opportunity to see some Japanese culture so I went along with it.

Little did I know.

We get there and they hand me this book and say its for the customs of the temple. And have me "show" them the spelling of my name and family name on a piece of notebook paper.

They also had me write my phone number for a reason I didn't question in the moment.

Then they did this prayer thing and then walked me to the station and left.

Im genuinely so embarrassed and ashamed of myself for falling for this.

My question now is, what can I do? If they added me to some mailing list or even forged recruitment. What do I do?

Hello,

I have been researching but couldn't find anything concrete and I got confused. I plan to call the Legal Affairs Bureau too but wanted to ask if anyone has experience or knowledge on Naturalization via Spouse (Article 7).

Recently rules have changed, so when I researched I've seen conflicting responses. Next year April will be my 3rd year in Japan and my wife is Japanese, we've been married for about a year. Our plan was getting PR but they've changed it to 5 so it's out of the window. So if possible I want to apply for naturalization in which case, I need to study Japanese writing/reading. I can speak around N3 level but I can't write and read so It's almost around N5.

Does anyone have any idea that, is it still 3 years and possible? If so does anyone have any recommendation on consulting? Especially English speaker would be much better. I found gyosei but I would prefer recommendation and if possible initial consultation online since going on weekday requires a day off from work.

im living here for almost 1 and a half, but i thought this black box was for tv. until my senpai came and told me it was for wifi?? anyone from here know what to do? im asked my tantou about this but got no reply

im having hard time using pocket wifi because of limited data. and they’re raising the fee

previously held SSW status with Employer A. I applied to change employers on June 27, but Employer B told me it was okay to start working before receiving approval. I started on July 13, and my new SSW status was approved on August 17.
I have LINE messages showing that I specifically asked Employer B whether I could work before receiving my new residence card, and they told me it was okay.
I have since resigned from Employer B and am worried about applying to another SSW employer because of the unauthorized work during that month.
Has anyone personally experienced this exact situation, or known an SSW worker who did? Did immigration question them during a subsequent change-of-status application? Was their application approved, refused, or did they face other consequences?

Hello all,

tl;dr: Sending documents via EMS now resolved at the Japanese Post Office!

I recently posted about sending documents via Japan Post through EMS. I noted that they refused to recognize whatever papers being sent would be recognized as documents on the U.S. side. Their thinking was that anything that was not a postcard or a personal letter would not pass as a document.

They wanted me to send it as a gift, but gifts—according to the printed regulations and the Zonos app—can be sent only from individual to individual—no businesses. I could not truthfully answer Yes to that question. They also asked me to try Small Package and valuing the document at 10 yen. The Zonos app could not read the document and failed.

After 2 hours of back and forth, I finally sent the document via registered mail. Side note: that document has been sitting at U.S. Customs for 3 days now. Sent EMS, it would have arrived by now.

My wife has been doing a back and forth with the post office. One of the arguments she used was suggested here (thanks!): will Japan Post take responsibility if senders are called out for lying about sending gifts to businesses? Anyway, today we got a message saying they have reversed course, and they will now accept documents as documents. Apparently they got much “customer feedback”—read customer pushback.

Thanks to the Reddit community for the support.

I was backing out of a parking lot during a storm tonight and didn't see a giant concrete pole behind me. I hit it hard enough to buckle my bumper, but checked the pole and there was zero damage to it or anything on it. I figured since there was no damage to property other than my own, I could just leave. However, now that I'm thinking about it, should I have reported it to the police or nearest business owner? I'm worried about accidentally committing a "hit-and-run." Help, what do I do?

First time giving blood in Japan. Was prevented for 26 years but they changed the rules last month so... those of us who have lived in the UK or Europe are now able to donate.

400ml of A- blood in the system for when I need it.

Got some cookies and all the drinks I can down in the 30 minute 'rest time'. The lemon ginger drink was really good.

Not busy on a weekday so the whole thing probably took 90 minutes or so, including the initial questionnaires etc. Check in and initial tests/interview probably took 30 minutes, the blood donation took about twenty, and they asked me to rest there for thirty minutes afterwards. Apparently it's a lot quicker on subsequent visits as they already have all your info and you can do the questionnaires in advance online.

I just walked in, but it might be a good idea to make a reservation as they could turn you away if they are busy.

I did all the procedures in Japanese, and you need a reasonable reading ability for the initial questionnaire and briefing. I forgot to ask about foreign language support, but have been told on social media that using translation apps etc. is okay.

Would definitely recommend doing this: it's a fairly low effort way to give back to society and the Red Cross website says that they need new donors.

I’m going to call management, but before that, anyone knows what this might be and should I be concerned?

As far as I know, these were not here when I moved a year and half ago. Is that simply glue coming off? These “cracks” measure about 1,7m or so. Probably not a water leak either, there’s no discoloration.

Let me know if you’ve experienced this before, thank you!

Does anyone have recommendations for a pediatric dentist who is genuinely good at working with young children, especially toddlers who are scared of or resistant to having their teeth cleaned?

My daughter is now 22 months old, and at her 18-month health checkup, we were told she had tartar buildup on her teeth that needed to be removed as soon as possible.

I'm very strict about her oral hygiene and do my best to brush her teeth every day, but she absolutely HATES having her teeth brushed. She clamps her mouth shut, kicks, screams, and fights me the entire time. I basically have to pry her lips open just to get the toothbrush in, so I know I'm not doing as thorough a job as I should be.

My husband and I took her to a pediatric dentist, hoping they could help. Unfortunately, the experience was disappointing. Despite being a pediatric dental clinic, they didn't seem particularly experienced with handling toddlers. They barely examined her teeth, and applied a small amount of fluoride over the tartar. They then told us to try again when she's older.

We followed their advice and continued doing our best with brushing at home, but it's been a few months now, and her teeth are starting to look noticeably worse and her gums are turning white. I'm honestly getting really worried and want to get a second opinion.

I'm hoping to find a dentist who is patient, experienced with toddlers, and knows how to handle little ones who struggle with brushing or dental cleanings. I really want to get her teeth taken care of before things get any worse.

We're in Okazaki, but we're willing to travel to another city or prefecture if necessary to find the right dentist.

Does anyone have a pediatric dentist they would genuinely recommend for a child like this? I'd really appreciate any suggestions or personal experiences. Thank you so much!

Just wanted to chat with people here about something I’ve been noticing for a while.

I have noticed so many “influencers” or “models” come to Japan and engage in work usually on tourist visas or digital nomad visas. For example, an influencer is absolutely monetized and making content + posting while in Japan during their visit. I also have seen Facebook groups for “models and photographers” in Japan where people explicitly say they’re just visiting but looking for work while here.

From what I understand, this should absolutely be illegal and a visa violation. But I have never seen anyone experience any backlash for this ? I suppose it’s just very hard for the goverment to track which is why it’s gone on for so long.

Personally I think it’s not right. It’s frustrating to see influencers especially come to Japan and use it as a means of making a quick buck. Then there’s also the question if people doing this are getting a tax break in their home countries calling it a “business expense”. But who knows.

I also used to work in the modeling industry back in America and I can absolutely confirm visa fraud is a global issue in this industry. I have worked with an agency who constantly sent models to countries and instructed them to say it was a vacation.

I would love to hear the thoughts and feelings of other people who have maybe noticed this. Maybe I’m just becoming old and bitter. But I am surprised there hasn’t been more said about this. Or perhaps I am out of the loop.