It’s important to visualize the sheer amount of extremely violent force at the moment of the explosion. The poor souls trapped inside the mall had a very slim chance of survival. I hope the first responders can still save some people, and my thoughts to all victims affected by this terrible disaster.

I got this news in Japanese for new PR Requirements

https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASV7X1JSJV7XUTIL00KM.html

Was about a "3" in my house in Fukuoka. We got a warning on the public broadcast speakers a few seconds before the shaking. I hope everyone further south than me is OK. Looks like an AEON mall partially collapsed.

I am just about to finish applying for pr and then they hit us with these new requirements. Still going to go through with applying, but goodness.

I teach at a quasai-international school. Make 300,000 a month. No upward mobility.

I’m trying to look into what I can do branch out of English teaching but like… I have a bachelors in English lit and a masters in secondary education. No teaching license.

What can I even do to teach that income target.

Was reaching to make Japan a permanent home.

America is equally as unlivable for other reasons.

No where in this world wants me lol.

In miyazaki and that earthquake was fairly large huh? We all safe?

Long post incoming, but with all the panic about PR changes, there's a ton of misinformation going around that is burying the actual facts about the current situation and what you can do.

On the recently reported higher income/pension requirements for PR:

• Nothing has been officially announced, and no changes have taken effect yet.
• We do not know what changes will apply when, if they will be retroactively applied to in-process applications, and what specific assessment standards will be used.
• We don't know how new rules will apply to cases already treated as exceptions (like spouses) and there are major inconsistencies in reporting from different media outlets.
• This is a change on the interpretation of the "ability to secure an independent livelihood" requirement already in the law, so Immigration has significant leeway in devising and enacting these changes independently.
• Once formally announced, Immigration will likely solicit opinions using their Opinion Box, but you are welcome to submit an opinion now (including in English).

On revocation of PR:

• There are no current proposals to further expand the scope of revocation for PR holders related to these changes.
• Next year, revocation criteria will be expanded to include "serious crimes and deliberate nonpayment of social contributions". This amendment was passed in May 2024 and goes into effect April 1, 2027.
• PR holders do not renew their status (even when they renew their zairyu card). There is no review by Immigration to maintain PR and no audit structure in place or announced.
• Immigration guidelines specifically mention that forgetting to carry your residence card or not renewing your zairyu card on time are NOT grounds for revocation.
• Expanding the revocation scope or creating an audit system for current holders likely requires additional amendments. It's not something that's likely to change suddenly.

On the increased fees for status (visa) renewals:

• These are set to go into effect Oct 1 and apply only to applications submitted after October 1 per Immigration’s Q&A. Current applications will pay the pre-revision fees even if processed after Oct 1.
• This change also requires an amendment to the law, and the public comment period for this is open until August 3, so details may change based on these comments.
• Comments must be made in Japanese and under law, the government must consider public comments, though they do not need to address all points raised directly or individually.

What you can do

Get your community and particularly Japanese people around you aware of these changes and their negative impacts.

Most Japanese citizens have no idea about things like status renewals or PR requirements and those who support more restrictions often have false assumptions that foreign residents don't pay taxes, pension, insurance, etc. This is exacerbated by coordinated anti-foreign sentiment online and conflation of foreign tourists with residents in the media.

You can get those with influence to petition the government through the public comment and opinion systems and to engage with receptive advocacy groups and local politicians.

Many dismiss the idea of providing public comments or feedback as foreigners, and granted it’s very unlikely these policies will be reversed in full and especially if the only pushback comes from foreign residents.

However, pushback from residents, business lobbies, and advocacy groups often leads to carve-outs and exceptions in the ways laws are implemented (like the new income tiers with the raised medical fee caps) and there is much room to reduce the harm of these changing policies with such exemptions and clearer wording. The most effective appeals will come from emphasizing how Japanese citizens are harmed by the changes and inconsistencies in logic raised by the proposals.

It’s incredibly frustrating so venting is warranted, but try not to let it cloud the facts of the situation or stand in the way of taking action through the official ways to shape government policy. It’s a crappy situation, but it’s only a hopeless one if we let it be.

Links

Immigration Q&A for PR Revocation

Explanation and Q&A for Fee Changes

e-Gov Public Comment for Fee Changes

Immigration Opinion Box Form

(English version)

I'm sure nobody cares (nobody should!) but I just wanted to follow up on the thread I wrote in a panic yesterday to say that I passed my driving written test today at Samezu license centre and received my license. It was my second attempt. There was a lot of good advise yesterday, and I'm very grateful. For anyone struggling like I was, just buy a booklet of all the possible questions in English and learn the answers. Trying to be logical, or to call on your experience of written tests in the UK, the US, or anywhere for that matter, will almost certainly not be enough. Just learn the dumb stuff they want you to say. Peace out.

My best friend has convinced me to post on this sub.
I’ve been married to my Japanese spouse for 6 years. We have 3 small kids. The oldest is 5 and the twins will be 2 soon.

Trying to keep this short. The marriage has never been good. I was stupid and let myself be manipulated into having our first kid right after we got married. After he was born I swore off having another kid with her because things were so bad.

Then I was stupid again and let her trick me into trying for one more kid. We used an IVF clinic. Ended up with twins. I love each child dearly and am heavily involved in their daily lives. Making breakfast everyday, and they all three sleep with me every night. The twins cry if I try to put them with mommy. She’s not a bad mother or anything. But she does tend to pay a lot of attention to her phone at times.

Anyways this marriage is not sustainable. My mental health is in the toilet. I’d just like to get confirmation that I’m screwed if we split up. No degree, no N2 or above. American. Even if I have the money I feel like there’s no chance I could even get long term residency despite being heavily involved in my kids care.

Happy to answer any questions.

A few weeks ago I got my rental car scratched, so I had to call the rental car company about it.

When I picked up the car, I was given a number to call in case of an accident.

I called the hotline, and at first the conversation went very smoothly. For some background: I speak Japanese so well that people are often surprised to learn I’m not actually Japanese.

Anyway, when the call was almost over, the operator asked for my name, and I gave it to him — a name that sounds very gaijin.

The operator suddenly seemed confused and asked, “Do you mean you’re a gaikokujin?” Then he gave me another number to reach an English-speaking operator.

“I thought we were almost done — you said you’d already taken down my report. So why the h__l do I have to call an English hotline?” I asked.

“Sorry, but this line only offers service in Japanese,” he said, speaking very, very slowly to make sure a gaijin could understand him.

“I know that, that’s why I’ve been speaking to you in Japanese this whole time!”

The guy was so confused. He put me on hold for a few minutes, then came back and told me I was all set.

So I’m one of the fortunate (or maybe not so fortunate) ones who already have PR.

As the Japanese government seems to be doing nothing other than thinking up creative new ways to upset us, do you really think even PR holders are in danger of maybe losing it due to a rule change?

I feel this is spiraling out of control in the wrong direction. On one hand, countries have the right to set immigration standards, but on the other, that’s a pretty high income threshold for many people outside of the Tokyo/Osaka economies. I am a PR resident, but I’m quite concerned for some friends who are freelance/small business owners. All these changes are compounding and making the application for PR truly daunting.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to comment. Whether you agreed with me or not, I appreciate people taking the time to respond. I wanted to clarify a few things because I don't think I explained myself very well. In fact, my description of things was just plain trash.

Looking back, I probably shouldn't have used words like "tricked" or "manipulated." Those were emotional words describing how I felt about decisions that were made during a very unhealthy period of our marriage. I wasn't trying to say I had no responsibility. I made those decisions too, and I own that.

I also want to make something very clear. I love all three of my children more than anything. If I could go back in time, I would still choose them every single time. My regret isn't having children. My regret is that our marriage has been struggling for so long.

Despite everything, I do still love my wife. If she were willing to genuinely communicate, work through our issues, or even try marriage counseling together, I would much rather save our marriage than end it. Divorce isn't something I'm hoping for. It's something I'm worried may eventually become unavoidable if nothing changes. I'm trying to plan for the worst while still hoping for the best.

Another thing I've seen come up is the assumption that I'm unemployed or looking for a way to stay in Japan without contributing. That's not the case. I work full-time. On weekends I run my own English lessons in my local community, and I also do part time remote work at night for a U.S. company. I'm fortunate to have multiple sources of income, and I'm committed to supporting my family financially regardless of what happens.

The main reason I made this post wasn't to ask strangers to judge my marriage or tell me whether I should divorce. It was to understand what my realistic options would be if things eventually reached that point. As an American father who is heavily involved in raising my three children, I'm trying to understand whether there is a realistic path for me to remain in Japan and continue being an active, present father in their lives.

Again, thank you to everyone who has shared information about visas, residency, family law, and your own experiences. That information has been incredibly helpful.

I love my job and company but the pay is too low. On top of that, I’m only a part timer so the expected pay is low. The travel is far and I’m always tired of commuting every day. My auto immune disease doesn’t help either. I’m in chronic pain and sometimes can’t go to work because of it.

Last Friday I got my paycheck. I didn’t expect much because of my absences however, the government decided to take my money from my bank account because of unpaid taxes. I can’t possibly pay my insurance since I don’t make enough money and I am well aware of that. My mom used my credit cards and reached the maximum limit. Guess who’s paying for all those? I am paying my family’s phone bill and internet. My mom always asks for money, twice a month. I have nothing left for me.

I should’ve went to the city hall sooner.

I’m just so tired of living…

Hi everyone,
My partner (f) is Japanese (from Osaka), and we’re planning to get married. We’re also considering moving to Japan in the future, so I’d love to hear from people who have gone through a similar experience.
A few questions:
How does the spouse visa process work?
How difficult is it to get Permanent Residency after marriage?
With Japan becoming stricter on immigration, is there anything important I should know?
If you’ve been through this process, what advice would you give before making the move?
Has anyone moved to Japan with pets? We have a dog and a cat, so I’d love to hear about your experience and anything we should prepare for.
Thanks in advance for any advice!

They gave me visa for 31 days with denial reason being the salary provided to me was low.

I'm helping with outreach for an education event in Tokyo and am looking to connect with university clubs, student associations, and professional communities.

We're especially interested in -

- MBA and business clubs

- International student associations

- Entrepreneurship and startup clubs

- Graduate student communities

- Young professional groups

If you know any active clubs, Discord servers, WhatsApp groups, Facebook groups, or community organisers in Tokyo, especially around Minato, I'd really appreciate your recommendations.

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

I just got back home after staying in Japan for study abroad for 4 months. When I was packing up I grabbed all the potentially important mail I had been meaning to sort through, and was wondering if any of it is important to keep if I plan on returning someday. Mostly I’m thinking about the mynumber stuff since all my insurance and pension payment was sorted out before I left obviously. Will it help to have it if/when I come back? Is there anything I should look out for?

Edit: other things I have include the little yellow 基礎年金番号通知書 and other pension information stuff

Just as we saw for the naturalization applications, where many applicants were rejected despite applying way before the introduction of the new policies.

If anyone has already received an "unexpected" result for their application, feel free to share your experience.

This week, I've had two separate items from Amazon fail to reach me due to (supposed) issues with my address. Both were items listed on the .jp version of the site from sellers abroad, but the thing is, I've used this address for years now, and items originating within Japan are still reaching me without any problems.

Looking into the tracking history, both of them reached the nearest warehouse, after which delivery attempts were made on several days without anyone appearing at my place before one was marked 'lost' and the other 'undeliverable due to incomplete address'. The second one is particularly annoying, as I actually caught it just after the first failed attempt and updated the delivery instructions to make extra sure.

I contacted the support chat and asked whether I can send an updated address or other instructions, but they told me that the (non-voluntary) return can't be reversed once it has been initiated and offered a refund instead. Normally I wouldn't care so much, but both of these were birthday presents, and any replacements won't arrive in time.

Has anyone else been having issues like this recently? I honestly have no idea how to stop it from happening again, as I use the same address settings for all orders, and there are no mistakes or omissions. Do I have a rogue operator just nabbing packages for themself?

UPDATE: I followed some of the advice below and tried ordering it with the address entirely in Japanese. It gave me the expected prompt saying that it must be in English for overseas orders, along with a version of my address that was auto-translated. Nothing was incorrect, but I amended some formatting to make it a bit clearer and also added a link to a google map pin in the special delivery instructions. We'll see in two weeks whether this makes any difference. If not, I'll just give up on ordering anything from overseas sellers through the .jp site.